Reading · Oakleaves | Grace Church Ojai

In America you can’t drive until you’re 16, smoke tobacco until you’re 18, drink alcohol until you’re 21, and rent a rental car (at a reasonable rate) until you’re 25. We put age limits on things that we believe might be harmful for children, or on things that, if they fell into the hands of children, might result in harm for others. This, our society has collectively agreed, is simple common sense. Though I agree that this is best practice, there is a subtle assumption underlying these age restrictions: we believe maturity comes with age. The problem, of course, is that this isn’t always true. Maturity isn’t something you simply stumble into with time. It’s entirely possible for a grown man or woman to still think and behave childishly. However, since it’s impossible to set and enforce a legal “maturity limit” on potentially dangerous practices, the age limit will have to do.

Spiritual maturity works the same way. We cannot measure one’s spiritual maturity by simply counting the number of years a person has been a believer, nor how many church services they’ve sat through. Rather, the only way for someone newly spiritually reborn to grow mature in the Lord is as a result of a deliberate pursuit.

I started this short series on spiritual maturity some weeks ago by seeking to offer an answer to the question “what does a mature disciple look like?” and followed it up with another article about the need for a holy and healthy discontentment in our relationship with the Lord. Then, three weeks ago, we considered how the road to spiritual maturity is a long, slow process. Today, I want to focus on the fact that the path to spiritual maturity is not one we stumble down by accident.

Consider the Example of the Apostle Paul

Paul, the great apostle of the church, speaks candidly of his own process of spiritual maturity in Philippians 3:12–16 like this:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”

The word “perfect” in v. 12 and “mature” in v. 15 come from the same root word in the original Greek which communicates the idea of being “complete” or “finished.” By this, Paul’s not referring to the completion of his justification, but of his sanctification. He knows that “Christ Jesus has made me his own” (v. 12) and because Jesus has finished his saving work in him, he shows himself, in this passage, ready to respond in an all-out hustle to become more like his Lord. Notice the words Paul uses to speak of his process toward maturity:

“I press on to make it my own” (v. 12)… “I press on toward the goal” (v. 14)
“forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (v.13)
“hold true to what we have attained” (v. 16)

For those who have been saved in Christ, Paul offers us an example of what the pursuit of spiritual maturity looks like: pressing on, straining forward, and holding true. The goal of this striving is Christlikeness, a goal that Paul knows he has not and will never fully accomplish, yet one he pursues zealously all the same. It’s a goal that he has not made up arbitrarily, nor because he has a particularly zealous spiritual ambition, but because it’s the goal set for disciples by Jesus Christ himself. As he says in Matthew 5:48, using the same Greek word as Paul does in our passage twice, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Spiritual maturity is something we deliberately strive after. No, this striving doesn’t save us, nor is it something the Lord asks us to do by our strength alone. Rather, as people filled with the Holy Spirit, and fueled by our holy and healthy discontentment, we imitate the apostle Paul, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Ojai Valley Family Shelter: You’re invited to the shelter’s first annual “Friend-Raiser” on Saturday, September 19 from 4-6 PM at Boccali’s Pizza, 3277 East Ojai Avenue. Advance tickets are $65 ($75 day of). There will be a buffet, live music, amazing raffle items as well as a live auction. Sponsorships are also available. More information is on the table in the foyer or you can talk to Rod Owen. Come support this important community ministry!
Walk of Compassion: Life Choices Pregnancy Clinic is holding their annual Walk of Compassion on Saturday, September 26, at 9 AM at 1320 Maricopa Hwy, Suite C. Check in begins at 8:30 AM. The annual “Walk of Compassion” is Life Choices only fundraiser. This is a great family event, and more information is in the foyer. Come walk or cheer on those who are walking!

There will be no sermon questions this summer, as we encourage our small groups to take a break from meeting. This gives leaders a chance to rest, makes it easy for people to jump back in to small groups come fall, and, most importantly, frees up a little more time in your schedule to join us for some other summer community and discipleship opportunities. We’d love to see you at our events this summer. Keep your eyes open for those announcements!

Maturity Happens Deliberately

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