Most Christians think they have spiritually grown up and become mature!
The truth is, most — yes, I said most — have not.
Every good parent wants their child to mature and grow up to live a meaningful life. Every good Christian parent wants their child to spiritually mature, grow up in the Lord, and fulfill their God-given destiny — loving and serving Him one day at a time.
Remember, we are created in the Lord’s image, and we are at our best when we seek to emulate Him. God wants us to grow up serving Him. He created something called the church — not a building, but a people. A family. A community of believers with an atmosphere designed to help us grow.
Ephesians 1:22–23 (NLT) —
“And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and He gave Him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is His body…”
If you are a believer, you are part of the body of Christ — the church He loves above all things.
Ephesians 5:25 (KJV) —
“…Christ loved the church, and gave His life for it.”
We are part of the universal church — all believers everywhere — and we are also part of the local church, a local community where we grow, mature, and learn to influence the world around us.
God gave the church leaders — spiritual parents — to help us grow.
Ephesians 4:12–13 (NLT) —
“…to prepare and equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord…”
One of the most critical ways God matures us is by teaching us to serve within and through the local church. When we work side-by-side with others, it forces us to grow, to learn unity, and to let the Holy Spirit transform us into His image.
But this can be difficult, because people are people — even Christians!
Christians can still act immature, selfish, or unkind at times. Why?
Because we are all works in progress.
You might expect bad behavior from unbelievers at work, but you expect more from Christians. Yet Christians — every last one of them, including pastors — will at times do or say things that hurt others.
If you’ve ever been hurt by a Christian, the devil tries to take it even further. He wants to divide you, isolate you, and push you away from church. Offense leads to thoughts like: “Christians are such hypocrites. Why do I even put up with this?”
But running away is not maturity — it’s immaturity.
Maturity says:
“They are a work in progress… just like me. I want them to have patience with me, so I will show mercy and patience toward them.”
This is how Christian character is formed.
This is how we learn to forgive, overlook offenses, and walk in love.
People quit their jobs every day.
People leave their marriages every day.
But Christians are called to a higher standard.
God doesn’t want you quitting church or abandoning the place He designed to mature you. Two powerful benefits come when we stay planted:
- Learning to work with imperfect people and love them anyway
- Developing a spirit that refuses to quit under pressure
God teaches us to break the habit of quitting and replace it with perseverance.
Galatians 6:9 (NIV) —
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Think about this:
Spouses argue.
Children fight.
Families have conflicts.
But because they are family, they work through it — learning love, patience, and forgiveness.
That’s exactly how God designed the local church. Learning this in church teaches you how to practice it in your family.
If you read about Moses, you see he had to deal with a spiritually immature, often rebellious people. They complained constantly. At times Moses wanted to quit. But he didn’t — because he loved God and loved the people. He persevered while praying and interceding for them.
One day God spoke words to Moses that every believer longs to hear:
Exodus 33:17 (NIV) —
“I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
This was God affirming Moses as His friend. Serving God from a pure heart brings moments like this — special encounters and rewards only God can give.
Learning to serve God’s plan by serving others in the local church is a significant part of spiritual maturity. We are family. We don’t quit. We understand that this is God’s growth plan for us.
We’ve all been hurt by Christians, and we’ve all probably hurt other Christians. But like family, we hang in there, forgive, show mercy, and purpose to grow. Together, we rise up to bless and influence the world with the gospel and the love of Jesus. And when we do so, we become the greatest beneficiaries of His glorious plan — and grow into His friends.
Ephesians 4:13 (MSG) —
“…until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.”
