The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity

On Being a Disciple—The Cycle of Spiritual Maturity
Colossians 1:9-12

John emphasized three attributes a disciple of Jesus is required to demonstrate: (1) abide in His word; (2) have love for one another; and (3) bear much fruit. Hopefully, each one of us can look into our lives (or have people we trust who will provide a spiritual mirror) and honestly evaluate how we are doing in these three foundational areas. However, how do we grow to become true disciples if we find ourselves deficient? Is there a process we can follow that will move individuals and a whole church family towards spiritual maturity and better service in the Kingdom of God? This is a question the elders and ministers have been wrestling with for several months as we have sought the direction of God to help this church family become all He has called us to be as ambassadors for His Kingdom.

Interestingly, Paul provides a prayer in the letter to the Colossians that shows his insight into the process of developing spiritual maturity. (Please read Colossians 1:9-12 before moving on with this article.) What we find in this prayer is what I will refer to as the Cycle of Spiritual Maturity. It is a prayer Paul has for the Colossian believers to grow in their understanding of Jesus and His ways, and the fruit that should come about as a result. Understand that Paul is writing to a body of believers he has not met (like us!) and he is trying to spur them on in their faith walk so they do not settle for a watered down version of discipleship and trust in Jesus. He will challenge them through the rest of the letter to avoid mixing faith in Jesus with empty philosophies and legalistic practices. Where he begins is a process that we at Garden Ridge need to consider carefully and weigh all our ministries and activities against to see if they are helping us or hindering us from becoming spiritually mature disciples. Activity, even spiritual activity, does not necessarily lead to spiritual maturity.

Paul begins with praying for the believers at Colossae to “be filled with the knowledge of His will.” Knowing God and His will provides the spiritual map everything else must follow in order to be pleasing to Him and true to His nature. However, knowledge of God’s will is not enough! It should produce spiritual wisdom and understanding (as Paul next prays for) so we can evaluate the things we face in this life according to His nature and will. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to everyday life situations. Understanding shows we grasp how the things we face in this world are really under the influence of God and His will. Having knowledge is a foundational start, but Paul’s prayer is for much more than knowledge! Can we apply that knowledge and demonstrate wisdom and understanding?

This leads Paul to pray for what the next step would be—(knowledge, wisdom and understanding become a part of who we are at our core)—Our Walk! As we learn to evaluate all of life through the eyes of God’s will, we develop disciplines and habits in our lives that constitute our WALK. However, even when His will becomes part of our core being, we have not arrived! He continues on with his prayer to call them to go another step forward by Bearing Fruit. In other words, this is a process meant to be shared. It is meant to influence others to draw them to a right relationship with Him.

The cycle then comes full circle (hence the term, cycle) by resulting in an “increase in the knowledge of God”. As one experiences the will of God in their daily life, through their walk, and in producing a harvest of good fruit, they learn about God at a deeper level and are pulled into the cycle at a deeper level. The beauty of this is that we never stop growing!

Over the next several weeks I will take each stage in this cycle and develop thoughts about them more completely so we can see how beautiful and powerful Paul’s prayer truly is. In the mean time, let us be praying that God will lead us to growth through the Cycle of Spiritual Maturity.

-Scott