Ephesians

Growth by Stages

Did you ever watch a child grow up? If you are a parent, you know from firsthand experience that growth follows a pattern of discernible stages. The same is true of the Christian life. There is a definite progression evident in the Christian life, and definite characteristics of each stage along this line. We grow stage by stage, and we can measure our growth by looking in two different directions. We can look back to the childishness of immaturity, noting our progress away from immature attitudes and outlooks, and we can also look at our present situation and see if the factors that indicate growth are now present.

Growth does not come by trying. You cannot say, “Now I am going to try to grow.” Children would love to do this, but they cannot. So how do you grow? By making sure that factors for growth are present in your life. Paul explains it in Ephesians 4:14: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

In that verse Paul characterizes a childish, infantile attitude. In this description, we recognize two characteristics of childishness and immaturity. First, there is fickleness. Children have a short attention span. You cannot interest them in one thing for very long; soon, something else captures their attention. Children are flighty, inconsistent, and unstable.

Young Christians show this same kind of instability—and so do Christians who are chronologically old, but spiritually immature. There is a flightiness and instability to their lives that Paul describes as being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). They dash in a dither toward every new religious fad, they seem more excited about the latest religious book than about the one Great Book, they rush from seminar to conference, hanging on to the words of the latest Christian guru, they change their spiritual and doctrinal mindset as often as they change their socks. With them, prophecy becomes a hobby, and spirituality becomes the latest craze. That is a mark of spiritual immaturity.

Spiritual babyhood is also manifested in a lack of faithfulness and dependability. Immature Christians may take on a task in the church, but before long their interest wanes and they become discouraged and disinterested. Soon, they don’t show up at all, or they call and ask, “Could you get someone else to do this?” That is always a mark of immaturity, and it contrasts with the fruit of the Spirit called faithfulness (see Galatians 5:22).

Christian immaturity is also marked by sporadic attendance at worship and Bible study. Most new Christians begin their Christian lives with an eagerness to join in worship and fellowship with other Christians. They love to hear the Word of God, and can’t get enough of His truth. But after a while, their immaturity asserts itself as a growing apathy, a loss of attention, a loss of interest in the things that once gave them joy and excitement. And they begin to fall away from regular attendance and close fellowship with other Christians.

The second mark of childishness is a lack of discernment and awareness of danger. We clearly recognize this mark of childishness in our children. They may play in dangerous situations and be quite unaware that there is anything threatening them. They don’t hesitate to walk into the street, or pet strange dogs, or stick fingers into electrical outlets!

In the same way, immature Christians seem unaware of the spiritual dangers around them and sometimes fall prey to spiritual traps. Peter exhibited exactly this kind of immaturity when he swore undying allegiance to the Lord just hours before the crucifixion—then denied Jesus three times when the pressure was on (see Matthew 26:33-34,69-75). He had no idea of the perils that awaited him, and all his earnest but immature zeal was worth exactly nothing when the chips were down.

In immature Christians, you often see an uncritical acceptance of whatever comes. They don’t test what they hear against Scripture. They are not skeptical and discerning. Instead, they listen to anybody who sounds good and who can quote Scripture.

Mature Christians have learned to walk with the Lord in fear and trembling, conscious of their own weakness and fallibility. They realize that the enemy is subtle and can easily trap them. So they test every claim, delving into the Scriptures, seeking wise counsel, covering every decision with prayer. They put their trust in God and His Word, not in any glib-sounding human preacher or teacher.