DISCERNING SPIRITUAL GROWTH

A very special friend from the Philippines wrote to ask help with a lesson she and the ladies where she lives plan to do next month.

She wrote: Dear sister Beth,

Greetings in Christ name. … HOW WE CAN IDENTIFY OR TELL THAT A CERTAIN MAN/WOMAN IS MATURE ENOUGH IN HIS CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIVING? or maybe you can modify this question. …You know it’s really a sole problem in the church now, claiming to be as a Christian but can not be seen in how she or he lives for it….mature already in age…but the attitude matters. ….

This is quite a challenging topic for anyone. My first reaction was to remind my friend how the Lord sees us and how we see ourselves may be very different. The article below copied and adapted from an online source became a good introduction to the whole subject.

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” (2 Chr. 16:9).
Since God is Spirit (note John 4:24) one might wonder how He could have physical eyes, or does He? The fact is, however, that the Bible frequently refers to His eyes. Actually this phrase, “the eyes of the LORD,” occurs no less than 21 times in the Bible.
“… He that formed the eye, shall he not see” (Psalm 94:9). We may not be able to understand the actual seeing mechanism of spiritual eyes; nevertheless, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Pro. 15:3).
The prophet Zechariah reminds us not to “[despise] the day of small things,” for they will be observed by “the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zech. 4:10). The phrase is used first of all in connection with those terrible times when “the wickedness of man was great” and “the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:5, 11). Yet God could still see righteous Noah there. “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8), and he and his family were saved through the awful worldwide Flood.
The last usage of the phrase is in Peter’s epistle, quoting Psalm 34:15: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12). We do well to remember always that one of the great names of God is “Thou God seest me” (Gen. 16:13) and then conduct ourselves accordingly, aware that our God is indeed watching us with deep love and concern.

When we look at ourselves or each other, how should we see? Even in our limited human state we ought to do our best to view one another through the eyes of the Lord. Our hearts ought to be compassionate to the needs as well as the faults of others in the body of Christ.

HOW DO WE SEE, IDENTIFY OR EVALUATE SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN OTHERS AS WELL AS IN OURSELVES?
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:20).
1 How many years have they been in the church?
2 Where or how did they begin their Christian life?
3 Where (or what situation) are they now?
4 What are the changes for the better so far?
5 Can the changes for good be readily seen?
Other questions we might consider:
6 What IS a mature (full grown) Christian according to God’s definition?
7 What are some specific standards that God gives for what a strong Christian should be doing/saying?
8 Why would it be harmful for immature or weak members to be in positions of leadership?
9 How can I evaluate my own growth progress daily, and what exactly am I aiming for?
10 What are some of the dangers of becoming complacent or self-satisfied?
11 Is ‘Spiritual Maturity’ all we’re aiming for, or is there something more?
12 Why is spiritual weakness such an increasing problem in the Lord’s Church today?

Viewing our own growth, or the growth of others in our congregation will help us understand the level of spiritual growth each has attained. We have to remember that the children of God mature or go on unto perfection at different rates–some faster and some more slowly. We know that some who are new to the church and some older ones who have not grown like they should would still be considered babes in Christ. They may not consider themselves to be babes, but onlookers can see the fruit they bear and the works they do and understand their spiritual status. We should treat those differently than we would treat some who are able to endure stronger teaching.

As the apostle Paul told those in Corinth, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal” (1 Cor. 3:1).

Using these verses as a standard of evaluation, let us list what these immature Christians were doing and not doing.
1 They were not able to endure strong teaching.
2 They were not spiritual.
3 They were carnal.
4 They were babes in Christ.
5 They needed to be fed with milk
6 They could not take strong meat, because they were not able to bear it.
Proof/evidence that these Christians were still not spiritual:
7 They were envying.
8 They had strife.
9 They had divisions.
10 They were carnal and walked as men.
11 They were divisive—with each taking sides against another.
12 They followed men rather than God.

This is only a beginning for evaluating those who have not grown spiritually as they should. Within this group of babies you may find members who have been in the church a long time or a short time. The time they have been in the church is not as important as the fact that they are still very much underdeveloped Christians. In the medical field a label sometimes attached to very young children is FTT or ‘Failure to Thrive.’ FTT is a strong signal for an underlying cause but also imminent death.
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man” (1 Cor. 2:9-15).

For a deeper study, your class might need to consider other problems within the Corinthian church. Probably the most outstanding issue was the man who was living with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:1). A student who goes through the book little by little can find other things wrong with the Corinthians’ spiritual growth and list those. Then, instead of applying those problems to another Christian brother or sister, use those to evaluate our own personal growth. We all should ask ourselves, “Am I doing any one of these things or even a less noticeable form of the same things? Did I used to do these things and have now determined to change, etc.?”

“I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren” (1 Cor. 6:5-8).
“For this cause (not discerning the body of Christ during the Lord’s Supper) many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:30-31).
Keep in mind these were called babies! They were not mature Christians even though they may have been older. Are these things part of our congregation? Are we part of the problem that exists in the church worldwide today?

–Beth Johnson

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