Measuring Spiritual Maturity
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Col. 1:28 - 29; 3:12 - 15
September 18, 2011
David C. Wright

          How do we measure how successful we are as a church?  How do we know how well we’re doing?  Whether we admit it or not, most churches use the ABC method of measuring their success- attendance, buildings, and cash!  How many are coming?  What shape are the facilities in?  How are we doing financially?  Governing bodies in most churches spend the majority of their time talking about those three areas, unless they are pushed to look at something else.  And most congregation members think the same way.  Think about the questions that are raised at our annual meetings.  They’re usually ABC questions- attendance, building, and cash.
          These all have their place, but leaders in the early church had other ways of measuring success.  Listen to how Paul measures success in his letter to the church in Colossae located in modern Turkey.  Colossians, chapter 1, verse 28.
          28  It is Christ whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
          29  For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.
          Did you catch it?  Paul’s goal was to help everyone become a mature follower of Jesus Christ.  That’s a lot different than ABC, isn’t it?  So, how are we doing at producing mature followers of Jesus Christ here at GPC?  First, let’s think for a minute and define what it means to be mature in Christ.
          When some people think about being mature in Christ, they think about spiritual practices.  Are you spending regular time studying the scriptures?  Are you spending time in prayer each day?  Are you regularly attending worship?  Are you participating in some kind of group Bible study or other small group?  These are important practices and are certainly related to growing into spiritual maturity, but I would point out that the Pharisees were doing well with all of those practices, and Jesus certainly didn’t think they were spiritually mature!  As Presbyterian author, John Orberg asks, “How do we measure spiritual maturity in such a way that the Pharisees don’t win?”
          You see, these spiritual practices, while very helpful, are the means to spiritual maturity and not the end.  Measuring spiritual maturity by these activities would be like evaluating your favorite sports team based on how well they practice!  Practice is important, but teams are judged on how well they perform in actual games.  So, what is the end game for mature Christians?  It is to be like Jesus.  Elsewhere, Paul says that we should have the same mind as Christ.  And in this letter to the Colossians, he tells us specifically what that should look like.  Listen as I read from chapter 3, verses 12-15.
          12  As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
          13  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
          14  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
          15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 
This is a wonderful description of a mature follower of Jesus.  I love the fact that there is a mix here of things we do as well as attitudes of the heart.  Let’s look first at some of the actions of mature Christians.
          Look at verse 13.  “Bear with one another,” Paul says.  That is a plea to be tolerant with each other.  It could be translated, “Learn to put up with each other!”  With 800+ members here at GPC, there is bound to be some “putting up with each other” that happens around here.  And, when it does, that is a sign of spiritual maturity.  We’re going to disagree sometimes.  Some people are going to rub us the wrong way.  But instead of attacking those with whom we have differences, instead of gossiping about them or slandering them, a mature Christian exercises tolerance. 
          And, Paul further instructs, “if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;  just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  Again, there will be conflicts and differences in the church.  Paul acknowledges that.  But the mature Christian refuses to hold a grudge, harbor anger against someone, or take revenge.  A mature Christian is able to quickly let go of things that are of little substance.  That’s what forgiveness ultimately means- we let go of the wrong done to us.  Mature Christians have learned to forgive wrongs small and large, because we are keenly aware that we have been forgiven ourselves!  Then Paul says to forgive as Jesus forgave.  That means to forgive even when it’s not deserved.  To forgive completely.  To forgive multiple times.  Part of being a mature follower of Jesus is learning to tolerate differences and to forgive. 
          Spiritually mature people also give thanks to God.  There is an inner discipline involved here as well as the act of actually giving thanks.  We don’t allow ourselves to focus only on the bad things that happen to us and others.  And, we understand that the good things that happen to us are not all our own doing.  Mature disciples regularly thank God for God’s good gifts and blessings. 
          In addition to things we do- bearing with each other, forgiving each other, and giving thanks- there are things in the list that have to do with changes in our hearts.  Both are important.  Let’s take the sin of racism as an example.  Some of you remember a time when racist practices were the norm in our society.  Fortunately, most people avoid overt signs of racism today.  We don’t deny people of color entrance to businesses and churches.  We avoid using denigrating language to describe African-Americans.  We are polite to Hispanics and Asians when we meet them.  All of these things are important, and have made life better for our fellow citizens.
          But racism also involves matters of the heart, doesn’t it?  Deep down, do we feel people of color are not as valuable, hardworking and intelligent?  Do we feel afraid when we encounter a group of migrant workers on the street at night?  Those inner attitudes must change as well as our actions if we are to be like Jesus in this area.  Because, racism contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture that each one of us has tremendous value because we are made in the very image of God.  And that all of us stand equal before our Creator.  For those who grew up in a racist environment, both our actions and our hearts need to be transformed to be more like Jesus.
          Back to our scripture.  Let’s look as some issues there which are also matters of the heart.  Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion and kindness.  Compassion and kindness both require an ability to empathize with others, to see and feel things the way someone else does.  Many times in the gospels, we’re told that Jesus felt compassion.  His feelings of compassion then prompted his kind response to those who were in need.  Compassion was not a prized virtue in the ancient world;  it was not valued by the Greeks or the Romans.  It was often seen as a sign of weakness.  The fact that compassion is valued in our society today is a result of the teaching and ministry of Jesus and his followers!
          Next, we’re told to put on humility and meekness or gentleness.  Humility doesn’t mean we’re supposed to grovel on the ground and say bad things about ourselves!  It simply means that we see ourselves as we really are- that the abilities we have are gifts from God, so they’re nothing to brag about.  And that others have been given gifts from God that are just as important as our own.  We see ourselves as God sees us- valuable creatures made in God’s image, yet also limited, weak, sinful creatures saved by the grace of God.
          On Dec. 10, 2006, San Diego Chargers running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, sprinted around two defenders and scored a touchdown.  Ladainian had scored touchdowns before, but this one was special.  It was his 29th touchdown of the season, an all-time NFL record.  But he didn’t point to himself and do a victory dance in the endzone as many players would.  Instead, he called his offensive linemen over- the guys who had blocked for him all season- and had them share in the glory of the moment!  In an interview after the game, Tomlinson consistently used plural pronouns when talking about his accomplishment.  “We made history today,” he said, “and there’s no better feeling than to share it with the group of guys in that locker room.”  That’s humility.  That’s being like Jesus, although I’m not sure Jesus would play for the Chargers…
          Mature followers of Jesus are also patient- whether waiting in line at the store, stuck in traffic, or waiting for your spouse for something.  When I’m impatient, what I’m really saying is that my needs and wants are more important than yours and I don’t want to wait for you!  But when we are inwardly and outwardly patient, we are reflecting God’s unending patience with us!
          Finally, those who are mature in Christ are loving.  Paul says that love “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  Love is both action and feeling.  Our hearts cannot love when they are self-centered, only concerned with how things affect us.  Love looks out for the needs and desires and hopes and dreams of others.  And then it acts in the best interest of the other person.
          As I read and studied these verses, I became aware of the gap that exists between what a mature believer in Jesus should look like and what I look like!  Perhaps you had the same experience as we looked at these verses this morning.  How do we narrow that gap?  This is where those spiritual practices we talked about earlier fit in.  They are designed to help us become more like Jesus!
          Reading the Scripture, praying daily, worshiping regularly, serving others.  Giving generously.  These are traditional means of growing more mature in our faith.  Our Visioning and Planning Task Force, believing that creating mature disciples is the central mission of the church, talked about other ways we might help our people to grow in faith, including expanding our small group ministry, adding retreats, and more opportunities for Christian service, and mentoring.  A spiritual mentor can give you feedback about your spiritual maturity that others may not be willing to give you!  That can be a little painful, but enormously helpful.
          So, there are things we can and should do to help us grow and mature in Christ.  But ultimately, this is the work of God’s Spirit.  Who, but the Spirit of God can really change a heart?
          Most of us would regard St. Patrick as someone who was spiritually mature, but he wasn’t always that way.  He lived comfortably on an English coastal city as a boy when it was attacked by pirates.  Patrick was abducted and taken to Ireland where he served as a slave, working with pigs.  He gave his life to Christ during those years as he reflected on what he had learned earlier about Christian faith.  After six years of service, Patrick escaped and found his way back home.  He was done with Ireland for good.  He wrote, “It is not my nature to show divine mercy toward the very ones who once enslaved me.”
          But through a dramatic dream, Patrick received a call to return to Ireland to preach the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ.  God changed his heart toward the Irish, and Patrick decided to go.  Against the advice and counsel of friends and family, Patrick purchased a boat and sailed back to Ireland.  He spent the rest of his life there, seeing many come to Christ, as he taught and ministered.  He also passionately and courageously defended the rights of slaves there.  The Spirit of God worked in Patrick’s heart to prepare him for his calling.  Patrick responded, and by the grace of God acted as a mature follower of Christ.  Both his heart and his actions were in line with those of Jesus.

Return to the Sermons Menu