…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… Ephesians 4:13
Having pondered the reason why people who call themselves Christians are not unified under the name of Jesus Christ, I have come to identify 4 common issues that I believe thwart maturity in Christ, the kind of maturity that results in unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. (Ephesians 4:13)
- Entertainment Culture
The next time you attend church, take a moment to look around at your fellow parishioners. Are they engaged in the church service? Are they taking an active part in the service? Or are they just sitting, staring forward? How about you? Yes, we bow our heads when the pastor prays and we sing the songs with the choir or worship leaders (or at least move our lips so we appear to!) But are we engaged in the activities taking place, or just observing from our “bleachers” like a spectator at their favorite sports event?
I suspect most people have fallen into the entertainment culture trap. We “watch” the service in the same fashion that we watch our T.V. Then we walk away judging the pastor and the service by its entertainment value. If we are well entertained then it was a fine service. If the music stirred our emotions, or was nostalgic enough to stimulate our senses, then we give our nod of approval. But oh, the disappointment and complaints if the message was not amusing or captivating enough to meet our approval, or the songs were not our favorite choice! A process of learning or studying is simply non-existent when such scrutiny prevails. We may gain a few interesting facts or some small piece of knowledge, but miss our opportunity to mature in the Word.
2) Passive Learning
Passive learning is the least effective form of education, focusing on the teacher giving information while the student sits and listens with no interaction of their own. Statistically, in such environments the student’s long-term retention averages 10% or less of the information presented. Can a person learn passively? Fortunately we can. It is, after all, the common model of education in most school settings. But it is not highly effective and when congregations are taught passively, the opportunity to mature is greatly repressed. This is one reason why larger churches have embraced the small home group model for mid-week discipleship. I encourage you to participate in any such opportunities!
3) Country Club Mentality
I have stated before that I believe conformity within specific congregations to be a good thing as it allows us opportunity to fellowship and grow in Christ with like-minded believers; however, I have identified believers that “seek ye first the church” rather than seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). This is a religious trap that prevents the believer from maturing because all attention focuses on the activities and events of that particular church rather than working in unity as the body of Christ doing His work here on Earth. In some cases, study of the Word is the primary focus of that particular church and maturity can happen, especially with churches that encourage individual study outside of corporate study, but it does not mature to the point of “unity of the faith” when the individual church keeps itself in the spotlight rather than Jesus Christ.
4) Spiritual Pride
Pride – Satan’s first weapon and one of his most deceiving. It is most heart-breaking to see those whom have attained to some knowledge in the Word then become “puffed up” and, convinced they now know everything, fail to follow through the process of applying the knowledge to enable the maturing process (I Corinthians 8:1). Here is a hint for you – maturing in Christ always involves growing in love. Pride always robs the opportunity to love (I Corinthians 8:11) and commonly tears down rather than builds up as it looks to promote self rather than others.
These 4 issues are not exhaustive by any means, rather are just touching on the surface of problems facing the body of Christ today. Let’s continue to encourage the body to stand unified in Christ! A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:24). Brick by brick we can tear down walls that divide the Kingdom of God into isolated compartments and ensure the “eye doesn’t say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.'” (I Corinthians 12:21).
Take this opportunity to look at yourself to see how you are fairing in these areas. If God’s purpose depends on the body maturing to the point of unity, then maturing in Christ is crucial in preparing ourselves to fulfill our individual purpose in the Kingdom of God. Spend time with the Lord asking Him if any of these issues are affecting your relationship with Him.
Now, get excited! There is nothing more amazing than maturing in the Word of God. When you are ready, click here to take a look at a few more issues that can be a hindrance to your maturity.
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