Christian maturity is a high priority for our church, and with good reason – it was a priority for the apostle Paul too. He says:
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).
Paul gives us a clue as to what that maturity would look like when he prays:
“that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (1:9-10)
Maturity is comprised of two things: our knowledge and our life. And they are connected in a cycle. As we increase in our knowledge of our Lord, this leads us to bear fruit – and part of bearing fruit is increasing our knowledge – and so on.
Knowledge is essential to maturity, but knowledge for Paul is no mere intellectual activity. It is at the heart of our relationship with our heavenly Father and so to that end Paul ‘toiled’ (1:29).
Growing in our knowledge is going to take a little effort. But the reward is certainly worth it – a closer walk with our God.
And there isn’t some bar you are being asked to jump over here. We are all at different stages in our journey together, but Paul says that what he longs to see is ‘progress’ in each believer.
There are many things we can do to help us grow – listening closely to the the Word at church, or reading the Bible ourselves or discussing christian things with a friend. For me one of the key ways has always been to be committed to a weekly small group ministry where we can stir each other on in this way.
What’s the one thing you could do this week to grow as a Christian?
SIMON CHAPLIN