Christian Maturity.....

 

Dear friends,

On Christian maturity….

We have discussed characteristics a little these past few weeks. But what identifies and separates ‘descriptions’ of character as ‘Christian’ from the understanding we have of human characteristics?  Perhaps most of us might agree that they seem pretty much the same! So what are we really saying and what are we really looking for? It’s the defining, constituting aspects  – the stuff that makes character come into being - that we’re after. And they  are all dependent on specific actions. That which is referred to as Christian character is no more than that good human character and function that the One God desires for and of all human beings.

And what do the Scriptures teach us about Christian maturity? We look to Ephesians Ch 4:12ff for some guidance. Then next week we must look at what it means that God is love and how that applies in our lives. And then at year’s end, that enlightening truth that says God is light. Then perhaps some illumination will come. Believe it or not, maybe even more like science fiction than academic theology!

But Ephesians 4:12 onwards talks about:

To attain…..to the stature of the fullness of Christ;

No longer as children, tossed about

Carried here and there by doctrine

by the cunning of men

Their craftiness in deceitful wiles.

 

Speak the truth in love.

 

No longer live as sinners do

Darkened in their understanding

Alienated from God because of their ignorance

Due to their hardness of heart; callous, and greedy;

 

Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.

 

Think on these verses carefully. Note the contrast, clearly and carefully described; and the middle road, where we call reality for what it is, as kindly and as gently as we can, but without changing the truth of it. And the final clause, that speaks of an ongoing process of renewal.

When God called Israel, it was to create a people with a mission who would exemplify the grace of God in their lives and so spread it to all; SALVATION = DELIVERANCE! NOW. What happened? Long story short, the mission derailed. God gives up on Israel and comes in the form of the Son.  And the mission that the Son leaves us with? That soon devolves into divisiveness and weak spirituality which continues today. In all fairness, there are marvelous contradictions to such a claim all around us. Godly people. Seek their company and walk with.

But much of what we have left, is talk. Call it what you will. Talk; about scripture as THE WORD OF God. Quote it all you want, study it all you want, pray over it all you want. Your prayers won’t be answered. I could go on. No need.

The answer is simple, but we human beings continue to choose otherwise and so these good things that God wants for us do not happen. But we can change that today. No one needs to play spiritual leader with special gifts etc etc. We are all blessed by God if we all open our lives –  mind, body and spirit, to God. 

You have heard me mention Branch Theology and Jesus’ words about I am the vine you are the branches. That’s all it comes down to. No talking about connectedness but being actually connected. Linked. Joined at the hip. Close. We know how to pick up our cell phones and talk to a friend. We make time. We spend energy, we question, we argue, you challenge; do the same with God and learn the friendliness of Jesus, Lord of our lives. Watch what happens. Learn how to listen carefully and use the strength of God given will that we all have. If we spend 5 minutes talking to God, spend one hour listening.

I have no cues, no clues, no instruction because we are all different and God speaks to each one of us differently, BUT…..the end result will aways be the same. If it is not, it just means that we are kidding ourselves about having God in our lives. We’re just hearing what we want to hear and claiming God said it, is all.

The essentials are simple, as they have always been.

Christian maturity starts with being willing to believe that God is. This willingness puts you on to the first step of a new plane of being – of existence.

Then you practice the use of positive will. As I’ve said before, we all use our individual will all of the time. To get up, to sit down, to be silent etc ad infinitum;  where mind, body, and spirit is concerned.  Seems like most of the world is good at using its will for wicked, cruel objectives that exploit and harm. God calls us to do otherwise.  That is the community that God wills. If we go against that, we will indeed be able to serve the prince of this world and do evil, but the power of good will remain elusive to us.

This takes community effort. We are challenged to be exemplars; struggling, failing, continuing and finally succeeding.  It is a process. You don’t get to be a knight in shining armor because you can afford the armor! And we learn, a little from the Bible, a little from the church, a little from sincere friends, Christian or otherwise, but mostly from what transpires between God and ourselves; of being in synch with God’s will for our lives.

How will we know? Because the outcome is always good. There is no other end result.  If it is not good, we have not been listening. Go try again. That’s all it comes down to. Then when we get it correct, our will is in synch with God’s will and we may ask what we will and it will be happen. This is why so much of prayer asking just remains as asking, as though God is some great vending machine and if we put in the right number of coins we will get the candy bar we want.   

And it’s not about the amount of faith we have or believe we need to have. Faith is not quantifiable. As Jesus said, mustard seed sized faith is more than enough! Learn how to energize it. That is the key!

And what remains? The actualizing of love in our lives for all whom we encounter, in some way or shape or form. Again, love is not quantifiable. Love that is given is love known. And the end result is light. A light which takes all darkness away from our lives.

I want to finish the year with these ideas that you all can chew on next year. And then we can let them carry us onto a different plane. All of my life, God has continued to teach me, despite my stubbornness and my really not wanting to have anything to do with all of this religious stuff, that God is quantifiable. God is very different from most of what is said and taught, and God is always seeking to make a difference in our lives. Beyond faith, beyond belief, beyond sacrament, beyond ritual. Salvation is deliverance - in the here and now. And then it takes us beyond. Walk with Jesus,

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you always. G.