Title: Mature Faith (Ephesians 04:11-16)
Contents On the second Sunday of the new year 2006, I pray that the grace of Ebenezer may be with all the saints. The past year has been a really eventful one. Nevertheless, I thank God for the grace of Ebenezer who helped me up to this point. Please be sure to include a plan for the maturation of your religious life in your New Year's plan.
Words about growth and maturity are recorded 6 times in a short bible verse of only 4 verses in the text. To be perfect, to build up, to be mature, to fullness, to grow up, to grow up, etc. Although the expressions are different, they are all about growth and maturation.
The mode of existence of life is change and growth. If there is no change and no growth, it is dead. Being alive in itself means change. When a child grows up, it means change. Our church has also changed a lot, and the inside appearance has also changed, and personally, the way my hair keeps going up and falling out has changed a lot. There are two types of growth, one is quantitative growth and the other is spiritual maturity.
1. The goal of growth
What is the goal of faith growth? In verses 13-15 we read, “And we will all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, until we reach the stature of the stature of the stature of Christ. lest we fall into deceitful temptations and be tossed and tossed by every wind of doctrine; but, speaking the truth in love, you may grow up in him in all things.” Growing up to him is the goal of faith growth.
Romans 8:29 says, “In order that those whom God foreknew may also be conformed to the image of his Son,” the goal of maturity in faith is to become like the image of the Son Jesus. That is, the mature faith goal of faith is Jesus. The goal of faith growth is to resemble the heart of Jesus, to resemble the person of Jesus, and to reach the image of Jesus dedicated.
1 Corinthians 4:16 says, “I urge you to become imitators of me.” This is not an exhortation to imitate Paul, but rather to imitate Christ as Paul imitated Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, just as I am imitators of Christ.” In other words, becoming like Jesus is the goal of faith growth. David's confession in the book "President David" by Choi Kwang-shik, "The Lord is my shepherd, I will not lack" is interpreted to mean that David's faith was to imitate God's spirituality every day.
2. Methods of maturation of faith and its process
The process and method in which our faith matures is when we first participate in a moving worship service. Without a life of worshiping God, we cannot expect maturity of faith. Next is prayer life. When we ask and pray to God, our problems are also answered, but our faith grows and matures. In addition to early morning prayer and all-night prayer, we must not neglect personal prayer. Also, in order to mature in faith, we must live a life of meditating on the Word. When you set a set time every day to read the Bible and meditate on the Word, your faith is supposed to grow. Copying the Bible is one of the best ways to do it. In addition, our devotion, service life, and donation life make our faith grow. Our faith matures when we pay tithing as well as the Sunday offering.
Martin Luther (M.Luther) said, “A belief who knows the customs and doctrines of the church well but does not practice it is a high blood pressure patient.” George Muller, who received answers to prayers 50,000 times, said, “A believer without action is a believer with lips, and a believer with a faith that is put into practice.” He said, “Faith grows at the fingertips.” In other words, our faith grows as we serve and serve.
As we go through life, there are times when we encounter difficulties, anguish, and pain that we did not expect. God also grows our faith through suffering. Suffering and suffering are also a way for faith growth and maturity of faith. So David confessed in Psalm 119:71, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” Looking at David's pain and suffering, he ran away because he was hated by Saul, and he ran away after meeting Absalom's rebellion, but it was an opportunity to learn the word of the Lord through his suffering.
There is a famous herring story from the writings of the historian Arnold Toynbee. Herring caught in the northern seas of England is sold at a very high price when it comes to London alive, but the problem is that the herring with a high temper dies while it comes from the North Sea to London. But one man brings herring to London alive. People were curious and asked how to do it, and he said that he brought a catfish to the aquarium carrying herring. If a catfish eats one or two herrings, they stop eating it, but if the herring runs away to avoid the catfish attack, they come to London alive without dying. Suffering made herring immortal. Suffering is not all good, but our faith and character grow when we are disciplined, tense, and strive through suffering.
Take the case of the apostle Paul. After the Damascus incident, Paul had 'eye disease'. When I prayed for someone else's illness, I was healed immediately, but my own illness could not be healed. I asked God three times, and the answer God gave me was 2 Corinthians 12:9, "He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you. “That’s what you said.
3. Evidence of mature faith
② Faith must not be shaken. Verse 14 says, “so that we may not be driven and tossed by every wind of doctrine, succumbed to the trickery of men and the deceitful temptations of men.” Some people welcomed Jesus as well, while others told him to kill him. But the Lord always carried out his mission without wavering.
If you go to Hawaii, pass Waikiki Beach to Hanauma Bay. Here I saw two sights. I saw a fisherman on a rock on the beach, drowning in the waves and struggling for a long time before finally swimming over the rock. But next to him was a surfer waiting for a high wave and enjoying riding the wave instead of being swept away by it. Although the waves are exactly the same, some people struggle with the waves, while others enjoy riding the waves. Dear saints, I hope that you will not be a person who stumbles through hardships, but will overcome hardships and become the owner of faith that is not shaken by any hardship.
③ There must be a sign of service. Verse 16 says, “It works according to measure, making the body grow and build itself up in love.” To work according to the measure means to serve. When faith matures, there should be a sign of service. Paul served according to his ministry, and Jesus served even to the point of giving his life. In Mark 10:45 it says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” As our faith matures, we need to serve more people. I hope to serve more people. Maturity is service