Reading · Oakleaves | Grace Church Ojai

One thing that makes parenting so hard is that, day in and day out, you’re interacting with little people who have little to no knowledge of how the world works, yet who have very strong opinions about how things ought to be. Then, when things don’t go their way, they have deep feelings and are willing to express them. In other words, what makes parenting so difficult is that our children act childishly—they’re immature—and the process of shaping our kids physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally from immaturity to maturity takes a very long time. However, parents must learn patience with the process, remembering that slow growth isn’t a glitch in our human code, but the way God designed us. The reality is this: maturity takes time.

The same is true of our spiritual maturity. While it would be nice if our “growth in godliness” moved along at a faster clip, the path of growing in our knowledge, holiness, worship, and mission, from spiritual infancy (1 Cor. 3:1) to being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4), is best measured over decades. A pastor by the name of Afshin Ziafat articulates this truth well when he says, “spiritual maturity is a process and not a destination. In fact, the spiritually mature persistently strive to grow more in maturity… There is no finish line for maturity this side of heaven.” In other words, he argues, it may be more accurate to say that “a mature disciple is a maturing disciple.” While we will not “attain to… mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) this side of glory, it’s to this end that we must daily strive (more on this next week).

It’s one of my deepest desires, as a pastor, to help our church strive together toward maturity. In fact, the passage that best articulates my heart for our church is Colossians 1:28-29, where Paul says, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Thus, while I want to spur you forward toward godliness (again, see next week), I think it’s important for us to keep the pace of our sanctification process in mind.

Let me offer three encouragements for the slow journey ahead:

First, allow the slow nature of the sanctification process to remind you to be patient with the pace of your growth. Even as you feel that holy discontent that fuels your desire for growth in our knowledge, holiness, worship, and mission, let us strive for these things remembering that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
Second, as you are “conformed to the image of [Christ]” (Rom. 8:29), remember what’s really happening to you. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul says that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Since this is true of all those in Christ, the process of spiritual maturity is a process of you becoming the person God has already recreated you to be. By your sanctification you are becoming who you already are in Him!
Finally, remember where the strength to strive comes from. Even as Paul urged the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” he continues to remind them that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). In other words, yes, we strive for growth in godly maturity, but both the strength to grow and even the desire for ongoing growth originate in God himself.

Maturity takes time. It’s a slow process—keep that in mind as we think about what it looks like to strive deliberately (see the next newsletter), and to strive corporately (see the final newsletter).

Quarterly Meeting: This Sunday, July 26, we will be having our quarterly congregational meeting right after the morning service.
Never Alone: meets this Monday, July 27, in Smith Hall from 10-11:30 AM. Never Alone is a Christ-centered gathering for mothers raising children with special needs, whether your child is young or grown.
Service Opportunity: Looking for a way to serve? We’d love to have you join the music team! We are always looking to add singers, instrumentalists, and slide technicians, so please contact Ed White to get more info.

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 Slowly

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