Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Christian Maturity

What an exciting blog topic:  Christian Maturity.

When I was a kid I was taught that mature Christians go to church every Sunday.  They also attend Sunday School and read their bibles.  Sad as it may seem, I still run into adult Methodists who think that this is Christian maturity.  I am forever frustrated by the folks who think discipleship and spiritual formation are about learning more.

Attending church and Sunday School is great.  Reading your bible is great.  But often what we ended up with were Christians that knew more, but were not grown up in any sense of the word.  They had graduated from 8 years of bible study, they could pronounce Mesopotamia, but they were in no way mature.

Maturity, in and out of Christianity begins with a moving away from self.  Maturity is grasping a world view that is not about me.  Particularly in Christianity, maturity shows up on the scene when we begin to love others, when the focus of our lives begins to realize that we are here to care.  If worship and study lead to that, then fine.  But if they don't lead us to self-lessness, what are we being taught?

In my experience, the most mature Christians may never have been to bible study.  They may not serve on trustees or attend Sunday School.  Mature Christians love God and love others.  They are mission minded.  Not because they should be, but because it naturally flows from their hearts.  There is a conversion inside of them, not simply to Jesus, but a conversion to humanity, a conversion to every single human.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
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I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019
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