Growing in Spiritual Maturity

Ephesians 4:11-16

If we think of the Christian life as a journey, we can identify a number of milestones, or stages of growth we need to reach en route to spiritual maturity. The first two are salvation and service.

We all begin our journey in the same place, spiritually dead and uninterested in what matters to God. There's only one way to receive spiritual life and that's through faith in Jesus Christ. He took our place and bore God's judgment for our sins. He died so that we might become spiritually alive. At salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit, who creates in us a desire to know God and His Son Jesus.

As we learn more about God, our faith will deepen and our hearts will swell with thanksgiving. Gratitude will lead us to the next step on our journey, serving Him. We'll desire to give something back to God in appreciation for His generosity. Rather than deciding what we want to do, Ephesians 2:10 says we're to ask the Lord what His plans are. And how we can join Him. As God's children, we're to listen attentively for His call and focus our minds and hearts on obeying. Galatians 5:22-23 instructs that, over time, the Spirit will bring forth "fruit" and draw us into unity of service with other believers.

Growth is a key principle in a believer's life. Ephesians 4:15 tells us that "we are to grow up in all aspects into. . . Christ." Spiritual maturity begins with salvation and should be followed by a lifelong commitment to being God's servant. Have you dedicated yourself to serving Him?

Dr. Charles Stanely

Nice message, I liked reading it. It surely gave me an insight on how to grow spiritually.

God bless