CHRISTIAN MATURITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

A publication by KOG MEDIA TEAM

Introduction

A growing awareness suggests that 21st century Christianity differs in some important ways from the pre-21st century Christians who preceded them in terms of Christian Maturity. Generational differences challenge ministry leaders in ways that are similar to cultural differences, in that, attempting to help individuals grow in faith who may have significantly different life experiences, beliefs, values, and habits than our own. The call to follow Jesus and to grow together to spiritual maturity is timeless, but disciples also live in particular cultural and historical circumstances that in some ways foster and in other ways inhibit their growth.
Spiritual maturity is something that should be a priority for every Christian. It’s important in our lives how we serve God, interact with other people, and take care of our families. Today’s biblical teaching on spiritual maturity will also provide criteria for identifying the discipleship needs of Christian maturity in the 21st century and guidance regarding how to help them navigate the spiritual challenges they face.
Introduction

Spiritual maturity

What is spiritual maturity? The New Testament uses the word “mature” to describe a spiritual state that should be attained by most disciples of Jesus after a reasonable period of growth (1 Cor. 2:14–3:4, 14:20; Eph. 4:1–5:2; Phil. 3:1-16; Col. 1:28; Heb. 5:11–6:2).
Mature discipleship begins with a full conversion, a new birth, resulting in a state of spiritual infancy. These spiritual newborns are eager for the “spiritual milk” of God’s word (1 Pet. 1:22–2:3), a metaphor that signifies the basic teachings or “first principles” (Heb. 5:12) of the faith. But spiritual infants and children must grow into spiritual adults, otherwise, they will be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their
craftiness in deceitful wiles” (Eph. 4:14). And they will be unable to discern even basic “spiritual” things such as knowing that they should treat each other lovingly and seek unity rather than divide into prideful factions (1 Cor. 2:14–3:4, NRSV). Spiritual infancy is a wonderful miracle resulting from new birth in the Spirit, but part of the wonder of this new life is that it connects the believer to God who will provide growth to maturity. Whether we are speaking of natural or spiritual infants, “failure to thrive” is a serious diagnosis that should prompt concerted action.

Characteristics of a matured Christian

  • First, mature disciples have a secure knowledge of the basic teachings of the faith. Having already seen this emphasis in Heb. 5:11–6:2 and Ephesians 4, but the same teaching appears in every passage that uses the metaphor of human development to describe spiritual growth This indicate that such Christian has achieved this trait of maturity and that he or she 1) is able to teach others the basic truths of the faith (Heb. 5:12; Eph. 4:15), 2) is not easily shaken by false teachings (Eph. 4:14), and 3) is starting to show an interest in deeper theology (Heb. 5:12-14).
  • Second, mature disciples display spiritual discernment. That is, they are learning by experience how to apply the basic teachings of the faith to everyday situations. i.e., they understand the Gospel well enough to avoid complacency (Phil. 3:2-11, 15), 2) They recognize and accept what Christian love requires in everyday situations (1 Cor. 3:1-4).
  • Third, mature believers are in the process of putting off sinful patterns of behaviour and putting on godly patterns of behaviour. The believers in Corinth were sinning against each other in their factionalism and in their indifference toward the sexual sin in their midst. The reason Paul could be so confident that they were still spiritual “infants” is that they neither recognized their sins nor were they trying to eliminate them. Instead, they boasted (1 Cor. 3:1-4, 21; 5:1-2).
  • Fourth, mature believers serve interdependently in the body of Christ. Paul introduces his exposition of spiritual maturity in Ephesians chapter 4 by stressing the importance of maintaining unity in the church (Eph. 4:1-10).
  • Finally, mature believers display a Christ-centred spirituality that accepts both suffering and consolation as they seek to know Christ more deeply (Phil. 3:2-16) and serve the Gospel (2 Cor. 4:7-15) recognized their sins nor were they trying to eliminate them. Instead, they boasted (1 Cor. 3:1-4, 21; 5:1-2).

Christian Maturity and the 21st Century Christians

Either as part of explaining the Gospel call or soon after, we must convince the 21st Century Christians that spiritual maturity is both attainable and desirable. We should seek to establish a culture in our churches and youth ministries that assume, as did Paul and the author of the book of Hebrews, that all followers of Jesus should become spiritually mature after a reasonable period of growth. We must make clear to all concerned that helping each disciple grow to maturity is one of the purposes of our ministries, just as Paul did (Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:28). To go on toward maturity, there is a need to help in learning the basics of the faith and in discerning how those basic truths should shape their daily lives. Since only “engaged” Christians seem to have a sound and secure grasp of the faith or of Christian morality. Christian Maturity and the 21st Century Christians

Achieving Spiritual maturity

  • First, we must build a life of prayer and worship. Intimacy is what God is looking for and this is how the Holy Spirit will fill us. “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
  • We also must be reading our Bibles and applying it to our everyday lives.
  • We need to also congregate with a spirit-filled church family.

CONCLUSION

Growing spiritually requires growing in prayer, worship, and knowledge of the Bible. Most importantly, to mature spiritually means to grow in faith and repentance.
Though spiritual maturity is a process. The grace of the Lord Jesus allows us to grow in our faith and the more we do, the more we will look like Jesus

PRAYER: THE LACK OF IT

By Kemi Adesola

Reference Texts: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Genesis 3, Ps 5:3, Ps 145: 18, James 5:16, Ephesians 6:19, Col 4:3, Romans 8:26-27, Matt 6:10, Heb 12:2

INTRODUCTION

When we cease to pray, our troubles become even bigger mentally and physically, especially when our own solutions fail and weariness steps in. Hopelessness becomes unavoidable without prayer because only God can solve our issues the perfect way in our best interest.
If there was ever a time when Peter, James, and John needed to remain awake and pray it was in Gethsemane. If James had persisted in keeping awake it might have saved his decapitation a few years later. If Peter had stirred himself to really intercede for himself and others, he would not have denied his Christ that night in the palace of Caiaphas.

Conditions a Prayerless Life Reveals

  • Prayerlessness reveals that a man is more convinced of his own abilities than his need for the presence and power of God. John 15:5.
  • Prayerlessness reveals that a man’s desires may be carnal rather than spiritual, even if they are religious. 1 John 5:14–15
  • Prayerlessness reveals that a man has become so accustomed to God’s blessing that he has become complacent in asking God for
  • His continued blessing. Psalm 103:1–2
  • Prayerlessness reveals that a man has become so self-sufficient that he no longer feels obligated to offer God thanksgiving for His present help. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
  • Prayerlessness reveals that a man has lost the wonder of God’s grace and no longer feels compelled to praise Him.

The Damage Prayerlessness Can Cause

  • Sin
  • Attack from the devil
  • Depression
  • Loss of loved one

Fighting Prayerlessness

  • Recall God’s past grace: Remembering how God has been faithful to you in the past can help our faith engine to trust in God’s future grace for whatever is causing my current unbelief. (Lamentations 3:21)
  • Find the leak: Look for fears, doubts, indulgent sinful habits, unresolved anger, bitterness, disappointment, etc. Often these don’t take long to find. But sometimes they are tricky because something has tapped into a buried past experience that is still muddled in our mind.
  • Repent of unbelief: A lack of faith is sin. It’s dishonoring to God whose every word is true (Proverbs 30:5). We must repent of unbelief. But God loves to help our unbelief (Mark 9:24) turn into belief.
  • Fuel your faith engine with promises: God’s promises are the fuel that fires the engine of faith to kick start our prayer life. Get your eyes off the focus of your unbelief and get them on the promises that God wants us to believe instead.
  • Seek counseling: prayerlessness is something serious and we must treat it as such. Sometimes it takes asking the right question with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to reveal the root cause of our prayerlessness.

CONCLUSION

Every day of our lives ought to find us in prayer, praising the Lord of
our salvation! May each of us examine our prayer lives; and if it is
not as it should be, we need to root out one of these and perhaps a
myriad of other conditions that have brought us to that sad and
dangerous place. God would be delighted to hear from you again!

Reference: http://Gotquestions.org

ISSUES IN THE CHURCH

By Kemi Adesola

Ananias and Saphira – A case study on the evil of self – centredness.

Bible references: Acts 5:1-11, Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 15:3, Psalms 90:12.

When the believers began to increase their needs increased as well so there was an urgency to provide for the less privileged. As Jesus taught His disciples to deny themselves in order to help others, the believers decided to share their possessions in common.

When Jesus requested that His disciples should feed people in (Matthew 14:14-16)

And when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, His disciples
came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat’.

The culture of togetherness was built and handed down by the lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles to the believers after the Pentecost and it continues till today. Any actions that go against this humble lifestyle is a recipe for crisis.


When Ananias and Saphira decided to sell their personal belongings,we understand that they were not forced to do it but as they realised that having been blessed by others, they need to bless people too, so they wanted to do good by their actions, but they have not opened their hearts to the goodness of God and so they ultimately do not fear God deeply enough to tell the truth.

Giving is tied to your level of personal truth, because nobody can check your bank account apart from you and God or your personal banker. The only barrier to giving to one another as Christ recommends is Self -centredness, when you start to think too much of yourself above others. Another meaning of the word is to be concerned solely with one’s own needs and desires.

Any instance of individuality or self- centredness will usually invite confusion and strife.
In Malachi 3:10-12, God emphasized the need for His children to practice togetherness through the payments of tithes and offering.

Any believer that doesn’t practice the payment of tithe is leaning towards individualism because they believe their earnings belong to them only and they can use it as they like.

Lack of faithful tithing is depriving the local church of financial strength as it should have and the unpaid money by believers which is used
elsewhere is giving support to other areas of life which may not necessarily glorify God.

When Christians don’t pay tithe and they attend a local church they are not only robbing God but fellow brothers and sisters who pay theirs to keep the local church running smoothly. They need to repent and ask God to show them the revelation
behind tithe payment.

Other bible passages to support openness as believers: 1stCorinthians 10:24, Philippians 2:4, 1st Corinthians 13:1-13.

Deliberately keeping back our possessions when there is a need in the local church is a sin to any believer and it can lead to a closed heaven because God can not be mocked, He releases financial grace to us simply because of the need in the local church and the poor among us.

THE CHRISTIAN, THE CHURCH AND SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

By Kemi Adesola

Bible references: Psalms 119:9-10, Philippians 1:9-10, Ephesians
5:8-11, 1Thess: 4:1-4, Titus2:11-12, 1 Peter5:5-6.

Many people who claim to be Christians are living their lives based on that assumed status. Some even attend churches regularly as a religious duty but statistics have shown that the average church – goer usually attends for non- spiritual reasons which include:
A. To meet new people
B. To meet a prospective life partner
C. To make business connections
D. To seek for financial support
E . To seek for emotional support
F. To see the pastor for deliverance prayers.
The list continues….


These are wrong reasons for joining a church because the church is a spiritual place from the word Ekklesia which means ‘The called out’ and ‘The assembly’.

The church is an assembly of the called out, so joining a church is a calling on our destiny. If our Christian destiny is to shine, then we must see the church as a spiritual destiny hub, avoid church ‘ hopping’ at all cost or at least minimize it if we have to change church due to relocation or life changes and ensure that we make it a personal duty to be spiritually transformed.

We all claim to be Christian based on our belief and the finished work of Christ. We are assumed to understand what it means to be a member of the body of Christ which us the church. The physical church or (online since 2020) and a universal church which is the invisible spiritual church of the lord worldwide is connected by the holy spirit. When a person becomes baptized and decides to follow Jesus, the next step is to belong to a church and function there in obedience and submission, receiving the gifts of the holy spirit and using them to serve the body.

The two factors above however, does not guarantee spiritual transformation of the believer because it is possible to attend church for decades and remain as unchanged as the first day you stepped into the church if the heart is not submitted to God.


The only agent of transformation is the holy spirit, He guides us on this spiritual journey and He alone understands every man’s heart and motives because the heart of man is deep and sometimes downright wicked. May God have mercy on us. Amen.

Spiritual growth is a process and it is a personal journey that cantake place individually and as a group. We must strive for it andmake it a daily priority as we look towards our heavenly destination.


Some good questions towards spiritual transformation are;

  1. Am I growing as a Christian?
  2. Am I increasing in love and knowledge of God?
  3. Am I able to teach others by now?
  4. Is my life fruitful?
  5. Will God be proud of me?
  6. Can I recommend myself to other people as a good Christian?
  7. I ready for rapture?
THE CHRISTIAN’S DUTY

By Kemi Adesola

Introduction

The various military branches of our government expect that their members will perform their duties. The Army’s duty is to follow orders, not originate them. The chain of command reaches up to the generals and admirals themselves, as even they are ultimately under the command of this country’s “Commander-and-Chief,”. Duty is paramount, no matter what the soldier’s rank. A similar situation exists for the Christian.
The book of Hebrews forcefully reminds Christians that our relationship to God in Christ is far better than any which existed in the Old Testament. On that basis, the writer does not hesitate to challenge Christians in the closing verses of the book. These concluding words, abrupt in tone and pointed in comment, call believers to perform their Christian duties before God.

1. It is the duty of a Christian to endure hardness as a good soldier

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer.” – 2 Tm 2:3,4

A Christian’s struggles are struggles of war, not a physical war but a spiritual war. Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12) None of the battles that we are called to fight can ever be won without enduring persecution. Both, the soldier that has just been recruited into the army and the one who is now in training can say they are soldiers, but its only on the battlefield where it will be revealed what kind of soldiers they are.

2. It is the Christian duty to compete as an athlete

“Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” – 2 Tm 2:5

To receive a crown at the end of this race, you must follow the rules and the rules are clear: you must deny yourself. You cannot submit to the flesh whenever temptation comes your way, instead you must submit to the Spirit and resist temptation because that is part of being Christ’s disciple. When trials and tribulations weigh the disciple down with much pain he must endeavour to continue onward. In comparison to sin, the weight of the cross is an easy yoke and a light burden. As he suffered, we suffer, and like the apostles we rejoice because we are counted worthy to suffer for his name.

3. It is the Christian duty to be hardworking like the farmer

“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.” – 2 Tm 2:6

All three of these professions have one common characteristic:endurance. The farmer works hard, patiently tilling the soil and sowing his seed, and day after day carefully watching over his garden protecting it from insects, animals, and if possible, the weather. We must work before we rest, we must sow before we reap,we must work in the garden before we receive the harvest. Timothy was being reminded that if he wanted the crown as Paul did, he must be willing to endure hardship. All of our rewards and treasures that are laid up in heaven are not given freely. Crowns are not earned,but those crowns and treasures that will be received once we get to the judgement seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10) have been earned through our faithful labour and patient endurance for the Lord. He records all things- every idle word (Mt 12:36) is written down and will be repeated back to you someday.

Conclusion

Apostle Paul makes it clear in this triple picture that not every soldier wins his commander’s applause, but only the veteran who devotes himself heart and soul to his profession being forever faithful; not every athlete wins the crown or prize, but only the one who trains with painful care; not everyone whop lows the ground gathers will gather the earth’s fruits, but only the patient worker will. It is the same for the Christian. It is not enough to say we are Christians, or even to wish to be of the brotherhood of Christ. Men must really live the life of Christ we our love for. We are doers of the word and not hearers only.

How to Overcome Worry
How to Overcome Worry

Our lives are directly affected by what takes place in our minds. What we think affects our feelings and these affect our actions and behaviour. When these thoughts focus on the negative they produce feelings of anxiety and worry begins to form in our minds. So, how does one overcome worry? Let’s first look at what worry means.

What is Worry?

Worry has been defined in many ways and some of them are listed below:

“Worry is to think about problems or unpleasant things that might happen or has happened in a way that makes you feel unhappy and frightened”.

“To feel or experience concern or anxiety”

“To fret about a situation, future, tomorrow”

“Fear of uncertainty, change unpleasantness discomfort death sickness pain”

Worry essentially occurs in the mind and it takes place almost unconsciously. Worry destroys creativity and paints a bad picture of situations. The process of pushing thoughts around in our head might be considered by some as planning but in reality, it is worrying. It is good to know and spot the differences in order to avoid the worry trap.

Planning involves a structured approach to an issue with targets set to follow to achieve a goal but worry has no scheduled timing, it is unending and impractical.

Worry has symptoms including fear, sleeplessness, disorientation, hallucination, misconception, confusion, anger, aggression, and lack of motivation. It can lead to Obsessions and depression.

Ways to Overcome Worry

Jesus Christ has a word for chronic worriers in Matthew 6: 25: “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life …” He also advised that worry has no benefit whatsoever in verse 27: ”Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life”. He recommended happiness and cheerfulness – John 16: 33b: “Be of good cheer I have overcome the world”

Solutions to persistent worry include Biblical counselling and prayer.

Prayer: Philippians 4:6 -7: “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

The Glory of Resurrection
The Glory of Resurrection

It was appointed that Christ would die before He was born, the ultimate sacrifice, the redemption of mankind, planned ahead of creation. God in His infinite wisdom pouring His life to humans through His immortality by the power of the Holy Spirit who came on Christ when He was baptised.

God became a man, lived in the flesh, died on the cross and manifested in glory through the resurrection on the third day. Three is a significant number, it symbolises the trinity—Father, Spirit and Son—God in all manifesting in three ways.

In Joel 2:28—“And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions”.

When Jesus Christ lived on earth, the Holy Spirit guided Him and worked through His ministry to perform signs and wonders as foretold by the prophets in the book of Isaiah 61:1-3—”The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free”.

When He was about to die on the cross, Jesus Christ called the father God to deliver Him. It appeared that He was forsaken and forgotten, He died on the cross, and was buried in the tomb. All hope was lost, disciples scattered. There was darkness. On the third day, Heaven and earth met and the son of God could not remain on the earth so He had to rise, Jesus rose from the dead, on this lies our hope.

The resurrection power has been in demonstration since that day to all who believe in Christ, Colossians 1:27b—“Christ in you, the hope of glory”.

The resurrection has brought back the glory that was lost at Eden to mankind, we now have the hope, freedom and victory in Christ.

At the RCCG King of Glory Edinburgh, we remain in hope that the power and glory of resurrection will manifest in us and fill us with life.