Ko te take o ia Karaitiana whānau, ko te tipu ake ki te mātauranga wairua i roto i te tama a te Atua, a, ka haere hei tama pakeke a te Atua i runga i te whenua. Engari āhea koe e pakeke ai i te wairua? What does the Bible say about spiritual maturity?
The amount of Bible knowledge doesn’t prove that you are spiritually mature
There are Christians, who have a lot of Bible knowledge and can quote almost every Scripture. But you can’t measure whether someone is born again and/or spiritually mature by the amount of Bible knowledge.
Look at the Scribes and Pharisees in the time of Jesus. They were familiar with the scriptures, but despite their head knowledge many of them didn’t know God.
Although they kept the laws and precepts of God in the presence of others and acted piously, many of them didn’t live according to the will of God. Kāore, their head knowledge only puffed them up and made them prideful, causing them to exalt themselves above the rest of the people and allowing the people to worship them (Panuitia hoki: What are the similarities between the leader of God’s people then and now?).
No reira, someone may have a lot of Bible knowledge but that doesn’t prove that the person is spiritually mature. It doesn’t prove that the person is born again and that the person knows Jesus Christ, te Word, personally and that the heart of the person belongs to God.
Because if the person lives the same life as the world and does the same works and bears the same fruit of the flesh, then the fruits testify that the person is not spiritually mature, but that the person is unspiritual and that the flesh is still alive.
Signs and wonders don’t prove that you are spiritually mature
Not every one that saith unto Me, Ariki, Ariki, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Ariki, Ariki, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matiu 7:21-23).
And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things (Mark 13:21-23, Matiu 24:24)
Signs and wonders are also not indicators that someone is spiritually mature. Jesus warns us, that before His coming, many false Christs and false prophets shall arise and do great signs and wonders. These signs and wonders shall be so great, impressive, and seductive and shall look like they are coming from God, that, if possible, they even could seduce the true sons of God (Panuitia hoki: ‘How do you recognize false prophets?')
We live in an age, where many Christians are only focused upon signs and wonders and are led by supernatural manifestations, signs, and wonders.
As soon as a preacher arises, who performs great signs and wonders and speaks about his or her supernatural experiences, many Christians run as sheep without a shepherd to the preacher and are impressed by the preacher.
They don’t examine the doctrine with the Word of God and don’t look at how (s)he lives and the works (s)he does.
Kāore, they are only focused on the supernatural manifestations, signs, and wonders that are performed by the preacher, who many times considers the Christians as merchandise and enrich himself or herself through the ignorance of carnal Christians, who don’t know the Word of God because they don’t read and study the Bible themselves, but have built their faith upon the words of people.
But signs and wonders are not part of the fruit of the Spirit and don’t prove that someone is spiritually mature.
The signs and wonders, which derive from the kingdom of darkness
On the contrary, when we look at the world, many supernatural manifestations and signs, and wonders take place. Look at occultists and look at reconnective healing, whereby people learn to heal mental and physical illnesses of people from an energy that everyone has access to. And many are indeed (mo te wa poto) whakaorangia. But these healings are not done in the Name of Jesus Christ and from the Kingdom of God, but from the kingdom of darkness (Panuitia hoki: 'Do you have to be born again to walk in the supernatural?’).
And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Teharonika 2:8-9)
The more power the devil gets, through the sinful lives of people, the greater the occult power on earth, from which great signs and wonders shall be done (Panuitia hoki: ‘The power of the devil is powered by sin', ‘The occult church', a ‘New age in the church?').
The signs and wonders should follow you and not the other way around. You should not undertake all kinds of carnal steps and follow methods to perform signs and wonder, because if you enter the spiritual realm from your soul (kikokiko) and use soul power, then you enter the territory of the devil unprotected and open yourself for occult powers, who will manifest in your life.
You are spiritually mature if you do the will of God
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hiperu 5:13-14)
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, na Ihu Karaiti; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hiperu 13:20-21)
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Kolosa 4:12)
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 Hone 2:17)
Āhea koe e pakeke ana i te wairua? You are spiritually mature if you stand perfect and complete in all the will of God and do the will of God.
A mature son of God is no longer a child, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but knows the truth and the will of God, through the Word, and discerns good and evil and walks after the Spirit in the will of God.
“Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother”
And Jesus answered them, e kii ana, Who is My mother, or My brethren? And He looked round about on them which sat about Him, ka mea, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother (Mark 3:33-35)
As soon as someone becomes born again and becomes a new creation the person has received a new heart, wherein the law of God (the law of the Spirit), which represents the will of God, is written (Heremaia 31:31-34, Hiperu 8:10).
I beseech you therefore, teina, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Roma 12:1-2)
By the renewing of the mind with the Word, the mind of the person shall also get to know the will of God and the mind of the person shall align with the will of God.
By walking after the Word and the Spirit, the person shall put off the old man a put on the new man, who is created after God in righteousness and true holiness and shall grow up and spiritually mature and live after the will of God, whereby the person shall do what pleases God.
The person shall not habitually live in sin and sin wilfully, nor allow and approve sin, and shall never compromise with the world and pagan religions and philosophies.
Kāore, a spiritually mature son of God shall never commit spiritual fornication with the world, but shall remain faithful to God and His Word, whatever it cost. Why? Because the son (both male and female) is born of Him and loves his Father and shall not do anything that hurts Him.
A spiritually mature son of God loves his Father and shall obey and speak His words and the words of Jesus, who spoke the words of the Father, and shall do what He has commanded to do and live after His will and bear the fruit of the Spirit, just like Jesus.
'Kia tote mo te whenua’
