Ephesians 4:14
 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.

God is looking for men and women who decide they want to grow up into His fullness, people who will allow His Spirit to mature them in every area of their life.  This is not easy.  As we look to His Word we find the New Testament letters filled with encouragement for God’s people to grow up.  As we look at ourselves and our churches, we realize that more growth is needed.  It is great to have babies—but healthy babies are expected to grow. It is great to be a little child, but even most little children are looking to the day “when I grow up I want to be…”  But what about you and I?  Are we continuing to grow or are we stunted in some areas?  Scripture refers to maturity in terms of perfection.  Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Ephesians 4:13

This scares many of us—we can’t see our selves as perfect, but that is because we are thinking what that word means in English.  No flaws, being entirely without fault or defect that certainly is not me.  However, the Greek the word perfect is more closely aligned to the word “mature”.  This word denotes a person or thing which has completed its natural growth or development.   It describes a person or thing which has attained a final or desired state and which demonstrates the characteristics of that full development. It also contains the thoughts of  someone who is experienced in the things of life. 

So how can we discover our real “spiritual age”?  By examining the Scriptures we find accurate measuring rods.  It is important that we gage our spiritual growth by His standards, not our own.  We can fool ourselves into thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought (therefore, more mature than we are). It is important to know where we find ourselves, currently, because then we can set ourselves to grow.  Please understand that this is a process. We need diligence, determination and the understanding that we also have the grace of God to learn the lessons we need to learn so we can grow.   And the Child [Jesus] grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of
God was upon Him. Luke 2:40 The grace of God will be upon us as well.  Please do not let discouragement or pride stand in your way.

We also have the Holy Spirit. It takes courage, but you can ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you really are in your development.  When Darryl got saved he was twenty three years old, but God showed him that emotionally he was only fourteen.  That was quite a revelation. As a result, he asked the Lord to help him grow and mature, which He did. The Holy Spirit has showed me similar things (not a specific age, but definitely areas where I have been stunted).  He is so gracious to bring about circumstances that have helped me mature in areas where I was quite content to stay small and bear minimum fruit.  Not His plan! 

Paul wrote dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. I Corinthians 3:1  

Here are some areas in which we can assess our maturity level.

—-  Use of Language

Mature Christians govern their speech.  It does not matter to whom they are talking (spouse, children, co-worker, believer or unbeliever).  They apologize when they misuse their tongue.

1. Speak the Truth: If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies.

2. Speak the truth in love.  They are not afraid to address difficult situations, but do so with grace and love.   But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, Ephesians 4:153. Speak words which build up.  Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. Ephesians 4:29 Immature believers:  Use “baby talk” and they speak whatever comes to their mind no matter the effect on the hearer.  Their speech is full of baby talk such as:  “I don’t want to”, “I can’t”, “it’s mine”, “I don’t know how”, “It’s too hard”, “what is in it for me?”  They fall into Gossip.  They make excuses for the use of profane language.

—- Thought Life

Mature Christians think differently than immature Christians.  They view life from an eternal perspective.  They focus on others more than themselves.  They think about how they can build the Kingdom of God. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. I Corinthians 13:11  Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3

Immature Christians think about the things of this world, themselves and their happiness. You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Ephesians 4:17-18

—-  Actions

Mature Christians act differently; they take responsibility for their actions.  They reproduce, and lead the young ones; helping them to grow.  Mature Christians do not faint in the time of hardness and suffering nor do they grow weary of well doing.  They persevere and enjoy the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ as they endure hardness as a soldier.  Immature Christians go AWOL (absent without leave).  They get tired and quit.  They are susceptible to deception and seduction of the enemy to desert their post.  They are drawn away by their own lusts.  Dear ones, these are three areas where we can evaluate our maturity level.  Once we are aware of areas where we need to grow, let us set ourselves to repent if necessary and then set ourselves to grow in grace as well as knowledge.  Our faithful God hungers for growing, maturing daughters.