10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Basic Discipleship
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
This material is copyrighted c2002 and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.
To order a copy of Basic
Discipleship,
please visit our Publications section.
PHASE 7
GROWTH TO MATURITY
SESSION 7
(A
Self Evaluation Session)
Part 1
Remember that this session and the last are connected closely to the next. Each deals with Christian growth and maturity.
You will notice from the titles that this session and the next are a two-part series. I attempted to combine them into one session but was unable to adequately cover this important material without making the session too long. Hopefully the continuity of thought will not be broken as the disciple works through these sessions.
Do not assume that the five marks of spiritual maturity covered here constitutes all the marks there are. These are merely five obvious and clear marks. It is hard to imagine anyone lacking in either of these areas and still being legitimately considered spiritually mature. It is equally hard to imagine any one possessing these marks and not being legitimately considered spiritually mature.
A main objective with these two sessions is that your disciple evaluate himself. Encourage him to do so. He need not necessarily tell you how he scores, although the two of you may want to discuss certain aspects of it in confidence. If that happens, it should be strictly for the purpose of accountability and encouragement.
Discipleship Minister, you too should evaluate yourself in light of these marks. It is a certain fact that none of us have fully arrived. Spiritual growth is a life-long matter.
There is a danger that material of this sort can make a judge or Pharisee out of good people. Beware! Caution your disciple. We cannot but see traits in those around us, but God forbid that we become judgmental!
This is weighty material. Handle it with care. Pray that it will bring growth in your disciple and bring him ever closer to the point of engagement in this great work of discipleship.
When was the last time you prayed with your disciple? Have you shared your heart with him about your hopes for his future? Remember, we're getting very close to the end of this course.
Certain earmarks tell you where a person is in his/her natural development in life. It is easy to observe that some are babies, others are small children, others are adolescents, some are physically mature or immature, others are emotionally immature and others are senior citizens with all it physically entails.
What tells us that a person has become mature? It's not too hard to tell. As we size up those around us (which makes a difference in how we interface with them) we consider their physical development, the emotional level, whether or not they are mentally handicapped, their ages and other such factors. We don't treat babies the same way we treat senior citizens or wise and responsible people the same way we do fickle and untrustworthy people. One's maturity level makes a difference.
The parallel is there in the spiritual world. As the last session made clear, God expects His children to mature, grow up and act with spiritual responsibility. There are five characteristics, any one of which would suggest maturity in a person. Each is just as applicable to the spiritual realm as it is to the physical realm.
As you work through the remainder of this session evaluate yourself. Honesty with self is very important to forward progress. If you really want to be a useful vessel in the service of God, see where you are. You know from the last session the unfounded basis of judgment used by too many. Look at yourself in light of true marks of spiritual maturity. Be careful to keep your eyes on your own self. You will find it much easier to evaluate those around you instead of yourself. That would be a big mistake. Too many great (?) Christians are there, modern Pharisees of the rankest sort!
Spiritual
Maturity Mark #1
OBJECTIVITY
Objectivity is looking at a matter and approaching a situation honestly, as is it, without distortion or bias. An objective person is one who sees, thinks and acts on the basis of truth and reality apart from subjective factors.
Look up three synonyms of objective and list them in the spaces
provided.
Impartial
Unprejudiced
Unbiased
To learn how God feels about objectivity in His people, look up the
following scriptures and fill in the blanks.
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).
"I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect
angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one
before another, doing nothing by partiality" (1
Timothy 5:21).
Factors That Can Interfere With Objectivity
Match the following scripture passages with the factors that have the high potential of interfering with our objectivity and impartiality.
1. Self interests
(4) Proverbs 14:29
2. Persons
(3) Proverbs 18:13
3. Preconceived notions
(2) James 2:1-9
4. Anger
(1) Ecclesiastes 7:7
5. Deliberate deception
(5) Romans 3:13
Food for Thought
1.
On the following scale, locate yourself.
Subjective< 1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8
9 10 >Objective
2. Can you truthfully say that the truth prevails and you have the same standard when your children, parents or family is involved and when they are not?
3. What does anger do to your objectivity?
4. Do you think anyone who practices a double standard for whatever reason is really mature and trustworthy regardless of his/her age?
5.
Are you making progress toward becoming a truly objective person?
Spiritual
Maturity Mark #2
HUMILITY
True humility is a totally honest appraisal of self. As Jesus
demonstrated humility is not weakness. One can be very mighty in spirit and
still be humble.
Humility is the opposite of pride which involves
self-exaltation. The strength of pride in each of us makes it extremely
difficult to face the reality of who we are. True humility does not inflate or
deflate when considering self. Humility is honest and agrees with the reality of
what one really is.
No believer is spiritual who is dishonest with self. Facing up to self is
a significant and big victory for anyone. It is a strong indicator of major
growth.
Pride and Humility Mark You with God and Man
Pride is your worst internal enemy and the greatest threat to your
spiritual welfare. Conversely, humility is your greatest internal friend. To
give you a more accurate view of your own self, read the following scriptures
and fill in the blanks.
1.
"For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud
and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be
brought low" (Isaiah 2:12).
2.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
3.
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
4.
"For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast
thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why
dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
(1 Corinthians 4:7).
5.
"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke
14:11).
6.
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty
spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with
the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs
16:18-19).
7.
"By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and
honour, and life" (Proverbs 22:4).
8. "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).
9.
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering" (Colossians 3:12).
Food for Thought
1. In terms of humility, in your own privacy, write a one-page evaluation of yourself.
2. Now that you have finished the one-page evaluation, are you pleased with what you saw?
3. How apt would you be to listen to another Christian who manifests the spirit of humility (or lack thereof) that you manifest?
4. What is your reaction to others who are too high on themselves?
5. Do you think someone is really spiritual and mature simply because he/she thinks and says he/she is?
6.
On the following scale, locate yourself.
Pride<
1 2
3 4 5 6
7 8
9 10 >Humility
The final three earmarks of spiritual maturity will be considered in the
next session which is a companion to this session.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"