MATURITY: A PATHWAY TO GREAT HEALTH

MATURITY

Introduction

Maturity means full development. Maturation refers to physical growth and development. An apostle in discussing the expected maturation of the early church used the illustration of the physical human development as an example. He said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.” (1 Cor. 13.11. RV) This is comparing a state of immaturity with a state of complete -perfect or full development (maturity). The childish (immature) state is largely characterized by underdevelopment of the various abilities: locomotion, sight, abstraction, speech and language, reproduction etc. Paul also referred to this stage in spiritual life as the state of being a novice –GK ‘neofuto~’ ‘neophutos’ (1 Tim. 3.6). Physically, maturity may come in some aspects of life while we are immature in others. There is chronological maturity which does not translate to mental maturity hence the adage “a fool at 40 is a fool forever.”  The Hebrew writer refers to such a state when he said that when Hebrew Christians by reason of their age in Christ ought to be teachers –matured, they were still looking for milk of the word! (Heb. 5.12)

Maturity requires we move from dependence ­­­­----- dependence ---- Interdependence The new child is very dependent on the parents for survival. By the teenage years the child is eagerly looking forward to his independence from authority, supervision, commands, and from home. At the young adult stage the young individual hopes to be truly independent, free to obey no one but himself while getting ready to marry. Maturity involves making the transition from independence to interdependence as we come to realize that life is not about us but about God and what he wants us to do for one another.

Requirements

• Physical as well as spiritual maturity needs time to actualize.  For example a child repeatedly in trying to acquire the skill of walking, falls and tries yet again until he perfects the act/ develops the skill. Time is needed to perfect his act and is therefore an essential ingredient of the acquisition of this basic aspect of maturation.  The writer of Hebrews observes that “For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. (Heb. 5.12). It is therefore established that maturity needs time.  Problems come when after a physical fall, a child gets so discouraged that he becomes fixated on the stage he is trying to progress from and he stays in that stage without further efforts. Sometimes the failure experience is so bad (traumatic) that the child regresses to an earlier stage.   Many Christians too may stop growing towards maturity mainly because they encounter difficulties (which coincidentally are designed to help them grow). The other factor involved in time is the readiness that precedes learning of certain skills. It is observed in young children that when children are exposed to certain learning experiences before they are physically matured for that experience, they do not succeed. One must therefore be ready for a particular stage of development before he can benefit from the exposure to the training.  Jesus said that there were many things he wanted to tell the apostles but they were not ready at that time. (John 16.12) Maturation training that begins too early will not succeed but training that begins when one is ‘maturationally’ ready produces rapid growth and development. In other words, if an individual is not ready to grow by the virtue of: poor attitudes (for instance lack of willingness to drop selfish childish ways), lack of faith in God and His words (1 Cor. 2.14), love of the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 5.44), etc., then maturity will take almost forever for him.
• Maturity is also affected by the environment one grows in.  There is a critical stage in the life of organisms that affect their maturing process.  The influences at the early stages of development can have a lasting effect (both positive and negative) on the development of an individual.  Churches that are warm and accepting with a lot of fellowship always have a lasting positive influence on the maturation of new members than churches that are cold, formal and with a lot of bickering and strife.
• Maturity depends on the totality of the experiences that informs it. If one has a mentor or an older matured person to imitate, then maturation becomes possible faster and surer.  Jesus mentored his disciples provided opportunities for them to mature under His guidance. (John 17.12, 19) He will do so today if we also follow His words and guidance.  In a church where there are older members who are immature without recognizing and accepting it, a lot of unwise decisions that will be inimical to the body will be taken.  Many times the body will be polarized and divided along personality groupings. The Corinthian congregation was infantile in thinking and behavior “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able; for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk after the manner of men?” (1 Cor. 3.1-3) and were therefore taking unwise decisions. Paul tried to help them overcome infantilism and mature by his epistle to them. By our fruit men shall know us. If the congregation is characterized by strife, jealousy, quarrelling, etc., it is not a matured church.  Members are still immature. Paul said to Corinthians that a matter that one least esteemed in the congregation can solve spiritually, the so called older brethren messed it up because they were so carnal! Many congregations have conflicts and other problems that they allow to degenerate into carnal situations. These situations show lack of proper spiritual maturity in the church. One aspect of maturity is accepting the facts staring us in the face and then resolving to go Jesus’ way to work out the issue.
• Maturity is enhanced when the disciple of Christ decides to renounce self “So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounces not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14.33) Jesus was talking about the utter impossibility of trying to mature in Christ without dropping the ‘sack’ of self and childish ways. To illustrate, a baby is naturally infa-centric as he is at the center of his universe.  Everybody exists to cater to his needs.  If he doesn’t get what he wants he yells and sometimes throws a tantrum to get the attention he believes he deserves. This is how a child is expected to behave.  An adult on the other hand who hasn’t dropped this tendency will be a problem to both himself and all around him. He is described as ego-centric. In this immature state the individual believes that his spouse, neighbours, employer, employees, friends, and family exist to serve his interest. He is at the center of his world.  Churches with this type of individual suffer a lot because they see the church as an entity that exists to serve their interest.  They therefore complain that the church is not doing enough for them, has not helped them enough in their self-inflicted trouble, and generally have what might be described as ‘give me’ disease.  It may not cross their minds to say ‘what can I do for my congregation’ instead of saying ‘what can my congregation do for me.’  This individual is self-dominated, self-enslaved, and believes (like Diotrephes) that:
•  all things must and can be done according to his will
•  he is always right and never wrong
•  he is number one –instead of God!

This type of individual finds it hard to listen to others. He refuses opinions that are different from his own.  He compares himself with others and feels that he is better than those he is ‘materially’ (-education, money, physical attributes, social standing etc) more endowed.  He finds it difficult to acknowledge his mistakes. He manipulates others in order to get his way. He goes behind and back bites those he wants defeated and plants seeds of disunity generally while pretending to be upholding general good.

An adult that is spiritually matured or is maturing in Christ however is theo-centric (God-centric). He believes that God has created him to be a servant like Jesus himself. Paul learned to become mature in Christ by surrendering to Christ’s guidance. He said “I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf” (MKJV Gal 2.20) He later said that the troubled Corinthians should imitate him as he is an imitator of Christ.

Being matured implies that:

a.   We exhibit self-control or spirit-controlled lives -even in situations that are very vexing.  We learn to react like glass to water thrown against it rather than like sponge that soaks the water thrown at it changing its own constitution.  We are proactive and not reactive. We base our behavior and process our thinking on the basis of the principles learned from the scriptures and not on ‘how we feel’, or ‘what is advantageous’ or ‘what seems right’ “ We are able to control anger. There is a way that seems right ….”The wise man says, ‘Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths’ Prov. 3.5, 6.  Paul, in pains and in prison, learned about those who were making things more physically and socially difficult for him. His matured reaction was that though they, in their immaturity, were hurting him, he focused on the good they were doing -preaching the gospel, thereby keeping his emotions in control. (Phil. 1. 15-18). Self must be denied, crucified, and disowned if we will truly grow up in Christ.

b.   In the church, many times we compete against one another instead of working together.  Maturity is that state in which we realize that the enemy is Satan and we need to work together against him.  Joe Beam in his book Seeing the Unseen says

“Sometimes I picture Jesus sitting in heaven –chin in hand, as He leans on the arm of His throne-watching His followers war against each other. Long past frustration, He just waits, knowing that someday one of us will look up. When one day a Christian warrior, stooping to wipe the blood (of his brothers) from his eyes, looks toward heaven, He stands up and signals. Pointing and gesturing, He calls that warrior’s attention to something just beyond the dust of our battle with each other. When the warrior turns to see what Jesus is pointing at, he notices Satan and his army, slaughtering the people of the earth, undeterred, no longer even looking to see if we’re coming against them.  In my mind, I see this Christian warrior snapping a sharp salute, nodding his head to communicate his understanding of what Jesus wants, then rejoining the battle to kill his brothers.  He’ll get to Satan’s army, just as soon as he wins the battle within the church. (P. 197)

Conclusion

Self is our greatest enemy in attaining the maturity in Christ.  It is the source of all that is wrong with us (James 4.1-3). This is why Jesus did not mince words in telling us what to do with self! (Luke 14.26ff) To mature in Christ is to painfully admit that we are:

 Limited; sometimes right and sometimes wrong; able to help others, but also need others’ help; under God’s authority; sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding etc.  We must have answered the question ‘who is number one? Shall I remain ‘number one’ or abdicate the throne of my life to He who is really “Number One” The answer to that question will determine the position one attains regarding maturity in Christ.

Abiodun Adegoroye serves as a preacher @ Kado church.

adegoroyeabiodun@yahoo.co.uk.