This week in my study I came across a list that tells how people in other countries around the world prepare for the New Year. Here’s what I found.
- In Siberia it is tradition to dive into a frozen lake while holding a tree trunk. I’m not sure why but that’s what they do.
- In Burma, people splash water on one another to start the New Year with a purified soul.
- Armenian mothers bake special bread which they “knead with good luck and good wishes.”
- In the Philippines homeowners open all their doors and windows on New Year’s Eve in order to allow negative energy to leave and good energy to enter. Of course that lets the AC leave and the humidity come in as well!
- Spanish tradition holds that eating 12 grapes just before the clock chimes midnight will bring good fortune for all 12 months of the upcoming year.
- One New Year’s custom in Russia is to write a wish for the upcoming year on a piece of paper, then to burn the paper and place the ashes in a glass of champagne, which needs to be consumed right before the New Year is rung in for the wish to come true.
- Residents in Johannesburg, South Africa throw old appliances and furniture out the window, representing the old adage “out with the old and in with the new.” They must either have small appliances or large windows!
- Brazilians wear white clothing, a custom meant to bring good luck for the upcoming year. This is often accompanied by a trip to the beach to throw flowers in the sea while making a wish.
Of course here in America it is our custom to make the beginning of a new year a time of evaluation—and then we resolve to make changes based on those evaluations. With that in mind, I’d like us to use this first sermon of 2016 as a time of SPIRITUAL evaluation—a time to measure our growth as Christians. Take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians 4. Follow along as I read verses 11-16.
11 – It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 – to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 – until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 – Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15 – Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him Who is the Head, that is, Christ.
16 – From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Okay—how CAN we evaluate our spiritual growth? How do you gauge that kind of thing? How do we know if, as Paul puts it, we are “putting away childish things” and conforming “ourselves to the image of Christ?” (1st Corinthians 13:11, Romans 8:29) Well, in his book, The Miracle of Life Change, Chip Ingram lists four check points based on our text for this morning that can help us answer these questions. Think of them as lines on a ruler that can be used to measure different aspects of our growth as Christians.
I think it would be good for us to make this sort of a spiritual health check-up as we begin our 50th year as a church. My thought is that after this morning’s time of spiritual evaluation we can each resolve to get back on track in those areas of our spiritual development—where our growth has not progressed as it should. So let’s get started.
(1) The first evidence of developing spiritual maturity is DOCTRINAL STABILITY.
This is what Paul is talking about in 1st Timothy 4:16 when he says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Now, the way to check our doctrinal stability is to use the Bible as a measuring tool for our lives. I mean, one way we know we are growing in Christlikeness is if we have a settled knowledge of God’s written Word. In other words, if we are indeed maturing, we have to have studied the Bible enough to have a firm grasp of the basic, essential beliefs of the Christian faith. We’ve read the Bible not just for information but for transformation such that these Scriptural truths become part of our way of thinking. They are the basis of our convictions—so that as Paul puts it in our text: we are “—no longer children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14 NASB)
Paul uses the example of CHILDREN in our text because, as any parent knows, when we are little—when we are physically immature—we are notoriously FICKLE. I mean, kids will be interested in one thing for five minutes; then they change their minds and focus on something else entirely, and five minutes later they move on to a third thing. I watched a video from Daniel that showed Lydia and Joel ignoring their newly unwrapped Christmas toys to use the wrapping paper as “skates” so they could slide around the floor. That’s the way it is with children. The focus of their attention changes with the wind. Whenever something new comes out they forget their current favorites and cast them aside.
Here’s something else. Paul reminds us that children can also be easily FOOLED. It is fairly simple to deceive them. I remember when Lydia was young, we convinced that as long as her eyes were covered we couldn’t see her. How many of you have played that game with your kids or grandkids? Please understand, I’m not putting kids down. This “immaturity” is part of what it means to be a child. It’s why they need mature parents to guide them and protect them!
Well, Paul uses these characteristics of CHILDREN to communicate the sad fact that many ADULTS don’t grow out of these aspects of childishness—and as a result they are easily manipulated. To use another word, they are GULLIBLE. Paul warns his readers that there are people out there under the influence of our adversary—people who are known “by the cunning and craftiness of their deceitful scheming.” There are people who want to take advantage of our gullibility. And I’m not just referring to those guys who successfully sell personally auto-graphed pictures of Jesus on the Internet for $25. No I’m talking about teachers who know how to twist the Scriptures to proclaim things that are just not true—or those who want to preach something new and exciting—and in the process put down foundational Biblical truth.
For example, the other day, I watched TV and heard a nationally-known pastor preaching to a HUGE congregation in Texas—I heard him say that it is our WORDS that make reality. He said our thoughts don’t really matter—which ignores Jesus’ teaching that our thoughts can be just as sinful as our actions. This pastor said if we SAY we will be healthy—we will be. If we SAY we will be WEALTHY and SUCCESSFUL we will be. And that huge former basketball stadium was filled with tens of thousands of people who just ate that message up. They were gullible—they were naïve—they were NOT DOCTRINABLY STABLE—they didn’t know their Bibles—so they WERE like immature children, “…tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.”
Recently I listened to another popular denominational leader—a man with several best-selling Christian books under his belt—I heard him say it was superstitious for Christians to talk about asking Jesus into our hearts—that this was not a Biblical concept. And—I think I know what he was getting at—but in his pride to say something different—something that would get his listeners’ attention—he stomped all over Biblical texts like: “It is Christ IN YOU the hope of Glory.” (Colossians 1:27) And 1st John 3:24 which says, “This is how we know that He lives IN US: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.” And Revelation 2:20 where Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door I will come in.”
Lately I’ve heard a lot of people say that Allah is the same as the God of the Bible—and immature Christians buy into that malarkey—because they forget the Bible’s clear teaching that the one TRUE GOD claims Jesus as His Son—the Savior of the World Who died on the cross and rose on the third day. Allah doesn’t claim Jesus and his worshipers deny the Trinity.
Sadly many Christians embrace teachings like these because they are not grounded and so they are always up for the latest spiritual fad that comes along—even if it involves beliefs that are contrary to Scripture.
This reminds me of a cartoon I read this week about a pastor who sat behind his desk with a look of utter disbelief upon his face. Standing in front of him was church member who said, “Pastor, according to my horoscope this is a good week for you to preach on false doctrine.” All kidding aside, the adversary has people with cleverly disguised but heretical beliefs all over the place these days, so doctrinal stability is very important. As we start this New Year we would do well to heed Paul’s warning in 2nd Timothy 4:2-3 where he says, “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers—to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
Well, how are you doing when it comes to this first measurement of maturity? Would you judge yourself as someone who is well-grounded in the Word of God? Do you regularly, systematically study the Bible alone in your personal devotions? Are you in a Sunday School class or small group where you study Scripture with other Biblically-grounded believers? Can “correctly handle the Word of Truth?” (2nd Timothy 2:15) as a tool for dealing with erroneous teaching? Do you know it well enough to use it to “rebuke and correct” false beliefs? (2nd Timothy 3:16) As we begin 2016 ask yourself, how doctrinally stable am I?
(2) The second evidence of a spiritual growth is AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS.
Paul refers to this aspect of our “spiritual check-up” in verse 15 of our text when he says, “Speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects into Him Who is the Head, even Christ.” Don’t miss this very important word combination here. Paul says that authentic relationships involve speaking the truth in love. In other words relational maturity involves loving someone enough to tell them the truth, even when it’s painful for us to do so. And please understand. This kind of mature action is indeed done in LOVE. It’s motivated by love, because truth without love can be harsh, judgmental, legalistic and unforgiving. Truth without love promotes a pharisaical brand of self-righteousness—and immature believers do this all the time.
They can speak the truth, but only mature believers speak truth with love. And understand, this is indeed a loving thing. I mean, love without truth condones sin. It’s actually unloving not to tell someone truth they need to hear. I mean, when members of a church family truly care about one another, they speak up when a brother or sister in the Lord needs correcting for their own good.
This is because, as Urie Bronfenbrenner says, “A family is a group which possesses and implements an irrational commitment to the well-being of its members.”
Love without truth is wishy-washy and unbalanced. Some call it “sloppy agape.” In fact, love that is not based in truth is not really love but rather phony emotionalism. Someone once put it this way, “Truth without love is brutality but love without truth is hypocrisy.” Well, mature believers are lovingly committed both to people and the truth—and not just when it’s convenient. I’m saying, we know we’re genuinely maturing in Christ when we see a brother or sister in the Lord who’s moving in a direction that would be harmful to them or harmful for the body—and despite our fears, we go and tell them—not others—tell them the truth they need to hear. We schedule a breakfast or a lunch or we meet them for coffee to tell them something like, “I love you too much to simply stand by in silence when I see what’s happening in your marriage.” Or, “I love you too much to not tell you that you’re beginning to compromise your integrity at work.” Or, “This guy you are dating is bad news. You really need to pray about this and ask for God’s leading.”
I mean, when maturing believers see the need for a one-on-one encounter like this they practice their words, they pray, they get knots in their stomach, they don’t sleep the night before—but they go through with it. They go to the person and speak the truth in love. If you’re a maturing believer, you’re the kind of friend about whom they say, five years later, “If it weren’t for you, I would have shipwrecked my life. Thanks for being honest with me.” And one thing that makes believers mature is the fact that they welcome people who speak the truth in love to them. They cherish the truth of Proverbs 27:5-6 where it says, “An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”
You know, the sad fact is this particular caliber of spiritual maturity is not embraced as much as it should be. I mean, these days we tend to be lazily tolerant of sin. We shy away from telling a fellow believer that he or she is living contrary to the Word of God. We would rather be “friendly” than pay the cost of being true friends. We don’t like those uncomfortable conversations. It’s just easier to ignore foolish behavior in the lives of fellow believers. And as a result we have Christians in the body of Christ who are living with significant spiritual blind spots that are keeping them from knowing or reflecting the beauty of Christ in their lives. They are also producing chaos and destruction in their relationships.
Well, let me ask you, how many people would call you that kind of friend, someone who is loving enough and courageous enough to tell you when you are doing foolish, sinful things? If you have friends like that, thank God for them! And then go and thank them for putting themselves in a very uncomfortable position out of concern for your welfare. If you don’t have friends like that, make a resolution this year to get some! Ask God to give you Christian friends who are mature enough to confront you when you need it. And we ALL need it from time to time!
(3) The third evidence of spiritual maturity is FULL PARTICIPATION in the Body of Christ.
Look at verse 16 where Paul says that the whole body—the church—is, “joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.” Please note three key words that stand out in this verse: “whole,” “every,” and “each.”
Maturing believers understand the importance of these words. They know they are one of the individual parts and that they fit into the whole—called the body of Christ, the local church. They know that they are specially-gifted for service in the local church and so when they move to a new area, they join a local body of believers and get involved. They understand that Christianity is not a spectator sport so they are fully engaged in the ministry and mission of their local church.
You know, the human body contains an almost endless list of organs and cells and systems and sub-systems, each of which fulfills a vital function when it comes to keeping the body healthy.
How anyone could believe that we humans just accidentally evolved is beyond me! Well, the older I become spiritually the more I understand that the local body of Christ is just as complex. I mean, there are tons of jobs to do here, each of which contributes to the health of this local body of Christ, known as Redland Baptist Church. The comparison doesn’t work on all levels, but in a very real sense this church has parts that resemble those in an actual physical human body.
For example, there’s what I think of as our “digestive system,” those body parts who feed us nutritious Scriptural truth in Sunday School—and worship and the small groups that meet on here on Tuesdays and in homes during the week. Remember, as Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” To be healthy this church needs to be “fed” Scriptural truth so this body part is vital!
And then, there’s what I refer to as our “repair system,” those people who serve on the building and grounds committee and keep our facility looking good. They keep a constant watch on needed repairs whether it involves new carpet or a new roof or a new furnace. They keep the physical facility healthy so we can have a place to gather.
There’s also our “circulation system,” those body parts that circulate financial resources needed to purchase Bible study materials, and go on mission trips and finance youth ministry events. This includes the tellers who count money every week and Hugh who records giving and Bill who writes the checks and the stewardship committee that helps us make and keep to a budget
Next, there’s the heart of Redland, those people that keep our fellowship loving and strong by planning picnics and parties, preparing our midweek meal and cleaning up afterwards. This also includes those people who serve as deacons, men and women who preserve harmony in the body helping us to love one another so we can function together as one.
There is our staff, who don’t serve as a “head” but rather constantly point us all to the True Head—Jesus Christ—urging us to constantly follow His leading. And then there’s our reproductive system, people who enable us to reach others for Christ and in that way add to the family of God. This includes people who serve on the welcome center committee and our ushers. It also includes all the members who share the gospel—whether it be here in Montgomery County with their neighbors and co-workers—or on a mission trip to the DR or Morocco or those who share it through the Kairos Prison Ministry, or wherever God sends us. It includes all of you who serve at St. Martin’s soup kitchen or the Manna food bank or teach ESL or serve in UPWARD and other REC ministries.
I could literally go on and on and on and on. I mean you would not believe all the different things that have to be done in order for this church body to function and be healthy. But mature believers understand this principle so they are fully involved! They know that as members of the One Body—the local church—-we belong to each other; we affect each other; we need each other. They know that this “body” didn’t just accidentally evolve, but that God specifically designed us, gifted each individual body part—and because He did, each believer, no matter how insignificant he may appear, has a ministry to other believers. Maturing believers know that the Body grows as the individual members grow, and they grow as they feed on the Word and minister to and with each other. They’re not just hearers of the Word—they’re doers as well. Unfortunately this is another aspect of Christian maturity that is becoming more and more rare.
I say this because to me it seems that many Christians these days seem to think of the church as a place they can go and come from as they please. They go for worship but that’s about it. They don’t get involved. They don’t participate. In his book, The Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado gives us a word picture of this problem. He writes,
“Colorado aspens provide a living picture of the church. Have you noticed how they grow in groups, often on the otherwise bald sides of mountains? They are sun-seekers and root-sharers Unlike firs or pines, which prefer shade, aspens worship warmth. Unlike oaks, whose roots go deep, aspens roots go wide. They intertwine with other aspen roots and share the same nutrients. Think of it…Light lovers-root sharers-sounds like a healthy church doesn’t it?! Oddly though, some people enjoy the shade of the church while refusing to set down any roots. God, yes. Church, no. They like the benefits, but resist commitment. The music, the message, the clean conscience-they accept church perks. So they date her, visit her, enjoy an occasional rendezvous. They use the church. But commit to the church? Can’t do that. Got to keep options open. Don’t want to miss out on any opportunities.”
Well, let me ask you. Are you involved? Are you using your giftedness in a local church or are you just a spectator? Are you just dating the church or have you made a commitment to it?
Remember, the whole body—the whole church is healthy—-if it is “fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part.” You are each one of those parts! Someone once said, “Attendance is a poor substitute for participation in ministry.” And it is. God didn’t save you to set you on a pew; He saved you to serve. I’m not saying this to put down those of you who just attend. We are SO GLAD you attend. I’m saying this IN LOVE to help you see you are missing out if you don’t go beyond attendance. God gifted you to work in a local body of believers so don’t be satisfied with the pew! You’ll never be content or fulfilled just sitting there. You’ll never grow spiritually until you fully participate in a local church body because as Rick Warren says, “We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves.”
You know, I don’t have regular responsibilities on Sunday nights. It’s primarily a time when the rest of our staff have responsibilities for leadership. For example: AWANA is Peggy’s turf. COFFEE HOUSE is Bobby’s turf. FUEL is Kevin’s turf. Orchestra rehearsal is Bill’s turf. So unless I have a committee meeting or a counseling appointment I’m usually not here on Sunday nights. I’m at home working on the next week’s sermon. But once a month or so I make it a point to come on Sunday nights and just wander around watching the body at work. For example on my last visit I watched AWANA kids enjoying recreation in the ROC. I saw Cubbies doing crafts in CC’s classroom and TNT kids putting on the Nativity Story in the
chapel for their parents. I walked over to the Youth Barn and saw 50 teens enjoying their Christmas party. I walked through the Sanctuary and listened as our orchestra prepared for the Night of Carols. And as I did all this walking, I thanked God for all the giftedness that makes all those ministries happen.
I’ll say again, if you’re not a member—if you’re a member and are not active—don’t miss out on this stuff—get involved!
(4) And then, the final test for spiritual maturity is a growing capacity for LOVE.
Paul refers to this in the last part of verse 16 when he talks about the church, “building itself up in love.” The caliber of love he’s talking about here is one that always looks at people and responds to people in love. Let me describe it this way. When immature people are hurt by others—when people intentionally wound them with their words and actions—their response is to get even, to hurt back. They classify people who hurt them as “the bad guys” and want nothing to do with them.
But spiritually mature people are not like this. No, when they go through times like this their response is to love that person all the more and to wonder, “Why are they this way? What made them into this kind of person?” In other words they display a maturity that expresses itself in empathy and compassion.
I think this aspect of maturity is what John is talking about in his first letter when he says, “We know that we have passed from death to life, [we know we are making progress as Christians, we know we are becoming more like Jesus] if we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” [They’re still immature]. (1st John 3:14) The fact is spiritual growth and our capacity to love go hand in hand. The more we become like Christ—the more we love people—ALL PEOPLE.
Paco Amodar, a pastor in Little Village on Chicago’s west side, lives in a neighborhood rife with gang violence. He tells the following story about being invited to lead a prayer vigil for a young man who had been gunned down by a rival gang. “When I arrived at the vigil, a large crowd of young people—including many known gang members—had already gathered around the sidewalk where I would be praying. I wondered, ‘What should I do? What should I say?’ I felt fearful and inadequate. Yet I also knew that they had gathered for this prayer vigil. So amid my fears, I prayed silently, ‘Jesus, what do You want me to do here?’ As I looked out over the crowd, I realized most of these scary-looking gang members were just kids, mostly in their mid or late teens, with some in their twenties. I was old enough to be their father. They had surely been told repeatedly by authority figures how wrong their actions were and how foolish gang activity was. But as I looked at these hurting teenagers, I wondered, ‘What would Jesus say to these young people?’ I asked permission to speak from my heart. Then, following Jesus’ leading, I said, ‘Since most of you are half my age, I am the age of your fathers. Would you allow me to address you on behalf of your fathers? I know you have heard plenty of times that this back and forth violence in our neighborhood is complete nonsense. You’ve been told how destructive gang behavior is. But today, on behalf of your dads, I want to say to you what should have been said a long time ago. My son, my daughter, would you forgive me for not being there for you when you were little? Will you forgive me for not being there when you took your first steps?
Will you forgive me for not being there to play catch with you when you were young? Will you forgive me for leaving you when you most needed me?’ As the words poured from my lips, I could not control myself. Tears ran freely down my cheeks. To my surprise, many of them started to weep with me. Something special happened in that moment. Following the gathering they started to trust me even though I had no credibility in their world. I hadn’t shared their life, but I had shared their pain.”
Maturing believers—Christians who walk in close fellowship with Jesus—are like this pastor.
They are people of EMPATHY and COMPASSION. They have grown beyond the immaturity of referring to others as “THEM” or “THOSE PEOPLE” and instead think of them as “us.” In fact, think of it as a graph—where the more you think of people as “THEM” the less compassionate you are—and the more you think of people as “US” the MORE compassionate you are. I mean, maturing believers are always wondering about what a flashback would tell them about someone that does them wrong. They always look at people through the eyes of love, wondering what choices, what situations make people the way they are. Mature reach out to all people in love, doing all they can to help mend their woundedness and bring them to faith in Jesus.
Let me ask you: is this aspect of spiritual maturity seen in your life? Do you follow our Lord’s command and, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?” (Matthew 5:44)
At what level is your capacity to love?
LET US PRAY