Growing in Maturity

As we grow older in age most of us tend to grow in maturity.  What used to be humorous to us at ten years old seems silly and immature at thirty years old.  This is the natural course of life.  The older we get the more mature we become.  But do we view our spirituality in the same light? 

The idea of growing in spiritual maturity is not a new concept.  In fact, it may seem obvious to some of us that growing in spiritual maturity should be the natural course of our faith in Christ. But in the same way that we must work to become more mature in character as we grow older in age, spiritual maturity does not come naturally or easily.  Hebrews 5:12-14 speaks to this:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (ESV)

In this passage the writer of Hebrews is exhorting the spiritual maturity of his readers.  He desires that they grow in spiritual maturity but realizes that they lag far behind the curve.  They should be mature in their walks with Christ, but something has kept them as spiritual infants who need milk and not solid food.

In this week’s passage Paul and Barnabas are on the last leg of their first missionary journey where they revisit the cities where they have preached the Good News.  While in these cities they work to guide these new believers into spiritual maturity.  What did they do?  My encouragement to us all is to read Acts 14:21-28 before worshipping together this week and be prayerfully prepared for what God has in store for us.