How mature are you as a Christian?
Do you allow the offenses of others to swerve you from the path of perfect behaviour before God? How you react when annoyed or opposed or criticized determines your level of maturity in spiritual terms.
There are 5 patterns of Christian maturity which reflect how we react to reproof and maltreatment and are as follows:
I. When you do wrong and are being reproved for your sin, do you get angry and through your reaction, end up committing more sin?
When the preacher’s message pricks your conscience, do you become annoyed and walk out of the church because you are hurt and cannot absorb the truth?
When the teachings in the Bible, as a two-edged sword pricks your heart and exposes your weaknesses and failings to you, do you fly into a rage and assault the preacher, which the murderers of Stephen did in Acts Chapter 7?
This was the situation in the case of King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 when he jailed the Prophet Hanani who criticized him over his military alliance with Syria.
II. When you do wrong and are being reproved for your sin, do you patiently bear the reproof, confess and repent of the sin?
This was what King David did when he was reproved by the Prophet Nathan for the sins of adultery and murder in the Bathsheba affair.
Unlike the murderers who were enraged at the preaching of Stephen, the 3000 souls who heard the preaching of Peter on the Day of Pentecost, repented and converted, and were added to the church.
III. When you do well but suffer for the good you have done, do you become angry at those who hurt you or become bitter toward God? If you do, then your reaction will degenerate into sin against God.
Are you not able to take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions and in distresses for the name of Christ? (2 Corinthians 12:10)
If you are an obedient Christian, your obedience to God must be challenged and tested by difficulties. Moses and Aaron obediently took God’s message to Pharaoh which resulted to harder work and worse oppression for the Hebrews. Sometimes, hardship results from our obedience to God.
Are you following God but suffering for it or your situation has become worse than before? Shedrach, Meschach and Abednego stood for God and His Word and never wavered in their obedience to Him. As a result, they were thrown into a fiery furnace on the orders of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel Chapter 3.
A true Christian will certainly suffer for doing good in an evil world (Luke 6:22).if your life is becoming miserable as a result of your obedience to God, do not think that you have fallen out of His favour. Obedience to God must be tested.
IV. When you do well and suffer for the good that you have done, but bear it patiently, then your behaviour becomes acceptable with God and will attract a blessing. Paul and Silas, imprisoned in a Philippian jail for preaching the Gospel of salvation were not bitter toward God but despite their pains, prayed and sang praises to Him at midnight. God sent an earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison and their bonds were broken.
Matthew 5:10-12 says,
‘’Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’’
V. When you do something good and are suffering for the good that you did, do you do good to those who rose against you? If you return good for the evil done to you, then you are a child of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).
When you love your enemies; blessing them that curse you; doing good to them that hate you and praying for them that despise you and persecute you, then you are following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who died to provide salvation to those who crucified Him on the Cross.
While suffering and dying, He asked His Father to forgive those who cruelly and unjustly crucified Him. Are we exhibiting this Christ-likeness in our reactions to opposition and maltreatment? Examine your behaviour and responses to reproof in the light of the 5 patterns of spiritual maturity discussed above.
Are you spiritually mature?
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng
Lagos, Nigeria.
Do you allow the offenses of others to swerve you from the path of perfect behaviour before God? How you react when annoyed or opposed or criticized determines your level of maturity in spiritual terms.
There are 5 patterns of Christian maturity which reflect how we react to reproof and maltreatment and are as follows:
I. When you do wrong and are being reproved for your sin, do you get angry and through your reaction, end up committing more sin?
When the preacher’s message pricks your conscience, do you become annoyed and walk out of the church because you are hurt and cannot absorb the truth?
When the teachings in the Bible, as a two-edged sword pricks your heart and exposes your weaknesses and failings to you, do you fly into a rage and assault the preacher, which the murderers of Stephen did in Acts Chapter 7?
This was the situation in the case of King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 when he jailed the Prophet Hanani who criticized him over his military alliance with Syria.
II. When you do wrong and are being reproved for your sin, do you patiently bear the reproof, confess and repent of the sin?
This was what King David did when he was reproved by the Prophet Nathan for the sins of adultery and murder in the Bathsheba affair.
Unlike the murderers who were enraged at the preaching of Stephen, the 3000 souls who heard the preaching of Peter on the Day of Pentecost, repented and converted, and were added to the church.
III. When you do well but suffer for the good you have done, do you become angry at those who hurt you or become bitter toward God? If you do, then your reaction will degenerate into sin against God.
Are you not able to take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions and in distresses for the name of Christ? (2 Corinthians 12:10)
If you are an obedient Christian, your obedience to God must be challenged and tested by difficulties. Moses and Aaron obediently took God’s message to Pharaoh which resulted to harder work and worse oppression for the Hebrews. Sometimes, hardship results from our obedience to God.
Are you following God but suffering for it or your situation has become worse than before? Shedrach, Meschach and Abednego stood for God and His Word and never wavered in their obedience to Him. As a result, they were thrown into a fiery furnace on the orders of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel Chapter 3.
A true Christian will certainly suffer for doing good in an evil world (Luke 6:22).if your life is becoming miserable as a result of your obedience to God, do not think that you have fallen out of His favour. Obedience to God must be tested.
IV. When you do well and suffer for the good that you have done, but bear it patiently, then your behaviour becomes acceptable with God and will attract a blessing. Paul and Silas, imprisoned in a Philippian jail for preaching the Gospel of salvation were not bitter toward God but despite their pains, prayed and sang praises to Him at midnight. God sent an earthquake which shook the foundations of the prison and their bonds were broken.
Matthew 5:10-12 says,
‘’Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’’
V. When you do something good and are suffering for the good that you did, do you do good to those who rose against you? If you return good for the evil done to you, then you are a child of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).
When you love your enemies; blessing them that curse you; doing good to them that hate you and praying for them that despise you and persecute you, then you are following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who died to provide salvation to those who crucified Him on the Cross.
While suffering and dying, He asked His Father to forgive those who cruelly and unjustly crucified Him. Are we exhibiting this Christ-likeness in our reactions to opposition and maltreatment? Examine your behaviour and responses to reproof in the light of the 5 patterns of spiritual maturity discussed above.
Are you spiritually mature?
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng
Lagos, Nigeria.
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