Category: Level: Advanced

steps stages of growth

The Biblical Five-Level Maturity Model – Part 3

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This is the third of a series of three posts on the five levels of Christian maturity found in the books of Timothy and Titus. In the first post in this series we discussed the first two levels of novice and deacon. In the second post we looked at elder level maturity. In this post we look at the last two levels: arch-elder and architect. The fourth level of maturity is arch-elder and Paul’s apprentices Timothy and Titus are examples of this level. Paul directed Titus to “appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5, NIV) on the island of Crete. Thus, we can say that arch-elder maturity includes the wisdom and discernment to identify godly people to be leaders. This also suggests that they can be entrusted with top responsibilities in multiple congregations, though since we are just looking at maturity level they may not have any formal responsibilities at Continue Reading →

Problems In Theological Education – Where Is The Theology Of Maturity?

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This post is a response to an article that a friend referred to on Facebook. You can find the article here but it is not necessary to read it to understand this post. The article addresses weaknesses in theological education. This post is focused on critique more than my usual posts. Problems in theological education are issues I have thought about for a long time. My summary observation is that the split between doctrine and practice that developed in the Middle Ages still has a big grip on Christian theological education (“TE”) and is crippling TE. In fact, the problem seems to be growing. The author of the article says that TE should help students become “the kind of people who are disciplined into humility” etc. so that they can love God and the world. But the reality is that theological education puts only a minor emphasis on this. Read Continue Reading →

sun, heaven, luminous

The Trap Of Seeking The Presence Of God

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The greatest blessing in the New Creation will be to see God and be close to Him. Nothing will be better than being in His presence. We long for this and endure sacrifice now so we can present ourselves as pure when Jesus returns and we see God. So shouldn’t we also seek God’s presence in this mortal life? Shouldn’t we desire as much of God as He is willing to give now? Of course we should. But there is a question as to priority. How high should we prioritize the presence of God? First we need to ask what we mean when we say the “presence of God.” If someone asks us directly what this means we might say we just want whatever He wills. But the reality is that we want the spiritual sweetness of being in the presence of God. Even just beholding the majesty of God Continue Reading →

spiritual marriage

What Is It Like To Live In Full Intimacy With God?

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We often hear about being intimate with God. We all want to be closer to God although it may be unclear to us what that really means. Today we will taste some of that life, and I suspect that this taste will fire our hearts and bring us closer to complete loving surrender to God. And if you are wondering how to motivate people to pursue Jesus then consider beginning with this kind of material. Once people see the treasure then they will be more willing to “sell all they have” in order to get the treasure. When people understand what God wants to do for them then they are much more willing to embrace your leading. John of the Cross was a 16th century Spaniard who pursued and loved God as much as anyone ever did. We are blessed that he was also a great writer and could express Continue Reading →

spiritual growth

Four Stages Of Christian Maturity – Considering Where We Are

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Over the centuries many Christian teachers have outlined what it looks like to become a mature Christian. These outlines, or guides, are helpful because they help us see what we are “aiming” for in our Christian life. In other words, they tell us what it means to become a mature Christian. The New Testament speaks many times about what it means to be “mature” or “complete” (sometimes the word “perfect” is used but it means complete in the Greek.) This idea that Christians grow spiritually and that we can describe what this looks like along the way is referred to as “stages of growth”. We could also refer to these stages as phases or processes. These stages are supposed to encourage us because they describe the good that is ahead for us. In other words, we know what to look forward to. The clearest descriptions in Scripture of some stages Continue Reading →