Grown Folk Conversations – Part 1
9. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10. But, when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then, we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then, I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:9-13
Enemy of the Church
There is a silent enemy of the Church that we rarely talk about and yet it is as deadly as a demonic attack. It has the capability of wreaking havoc on any congregation if it is not dealt with. No it is not the devil. No, it is not sickness and disease even though they are very real and very traumatic. No, it is not Church gossip, even though gossip can be the results of this enemy. The sad thing about this enemy is that it attacks from within. This enemy is not caused by some covert action on the part of anyone but is often the actions of those who simply pay no attention to it. So, you ask, what and who is this deadly enemy? This enemy is called immaturity.
Immaturity is not new but with the advent of online platforms, it and its co-partner, ignorance, have both stepped up their game. Matt Chandler tells us that immaturity talks when it should be listening and is silent when it should be speaking. Another person stated that immature folk always want to win an argument even if it means losing a relationship. German philosopher, Immanuel Kant tells us, immaturity is the incapacity to use your own intelligence without the assistance of someone else. In case you think that age and education are the natural agents of maturity, you need to think again. The world is full of old fools and educated people who act like children.
In his letter to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul recognized this age old problem and exposed it as a barrier to spiritual growth. Paul used the backdrop of Love as the greatest force on earth but acknowledged that the great power of Love could be hindered through childish thinking. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. In order for any believer to reach maturity in the Love of Christ and Love for others, they must be prepared to grow spiritually. This is a grown folks conversation.
Here we are two hundred centuries later talking about the same enemy of Church and trying to admonish people to “please grow up.” It is not simply a matter of knowing better, it is a matter of action and doing better. So, what are the signs of immaturity? What do we need to look for if we are going to have a grown folks conversation? The key to this whole argument is Love. Either you are living it or not.
Oh we enjoy quoting 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings and at feel good ceremonies, but when it comes to developing an action plan, that is when many resort to baby talk and selfish ways. “I am not forgiving them for what they did?” “Why can’t I just be happy like everybody else?” “If I have offended you then I’m sorry.” All of these are baby phrases and are poor starters to growing in Christ. Some have avoided the grown folks conversation altogether by saying, “I don’t need to attend Church School.” Or they might say, “I’m just too busy to get into Bible Study.” Now you are making an excuse for the immaturity. The question is: what does God think about my immaturity?
Let me explain how this grown folk conversation works by simply saying that you nor I possess the kind of Love that God is demanding. It is God’s Gift and when it is acted upon, the Holy Spirit prompts us to display Love. So, the grown folks conversation at this point is that you need God working in you to display this kind of Love. Quit fooling yourself with the phrase, “I love everybody,” because you would be lying if you made that claim. When we really think about it, immaturity is a spiritual condition that can hinder you from becoming the strong believer that God would have you to be. Let me give several examples of immaturity that demonstrate how it can lead to failure.
Immaturity Has a Price Tag
Sampson was strong in body because of God’s Power, yet he never matured in character and in the ability to control his appetites. Immaturity ends up costing a person in the long run. He did not control his craving for food and that caused him to eat honey out of a dead carcass. He did not control his ego so he would create riddles just to show that he was smarter than others. He did not control his sexual appetite and that led him to a trap called Delilah. Sampson never got to the grown folks level in his prayer life. His last prayer to God was “let me die with the Philistines,” rather than confessing to God his sin and asking for forgiveness. Yes, Sampson was a mighty man but he was never strong enough to control himself because he never matured in the things of God.
Even Paul suffered from immaturity and did not know what he should have known but thought he knew everything. He had to learn the hard way that it was hard to kick against the goads. He started off persecuting the Church and destroying people who believed in Jesus Christ. Paul would admit that he knew in part. Rather than seeking to gain complete knowledge, he had a zeal but not according to knowledge. Then, one day on the road to Damascus, Paul got an education from Jesus Christ. In Acts 9, we find the zealous man lying on the ground and asking the question, “who are you Lord?” So, when the Apostle tells us about knowing in part and then coming to the fullness of the knowledge, he was not speaking remotely but first hand.
Why is it urgent that the Child of God mature in their faith? We can find an example from nature. Wild gazelles must learn to run within hours of their birth if they want to survive in the jungle and not be eaten by predators. Young lions must also learn to run if they are to survive in the jungle or starve to death. The beast of the wild have an incentive to survive and thrive, but what about humans? The urgency to survive and thrive for the Christian is two-fold. We also have predators that will consume us. Satan, our spiritual enemy is out to destroy us. The circumstances of life will also destroy us if we are not diligent in growing and learning how to live. Yet, these cannot compare to the number one incentive to grow and thrive. God is working in us to bring us to the fullness of the knowledge of His Will. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part … but, when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. Believers are born again, but they are incomplete and must grow in the Grace of God not for Salvation but for Sanctification. If you do not grow, then you are not honoring Christ. That is the price tag of immaturity.
What better way to measure maturity than with the love that God has granted to every believer? It is only when we evaluate how God’s love is working in our lives that we are able to measure our growth in Christ. As the Lord said, “they will know that you are Disciples by your love.” That love does not make noise to draw attention like a sounding cymbal or tinkling brass. That love does not claim to know everything about everything. That love does not try to prove that it has all faith. That love is not known by what it does but what it is. That love puts up with a lot and is always kind. That love never brags about what it does or who it helps. That love always behaves properly towards everyone. That love is for grown folks. That love is not provoked at the drop of a hat. That love does not celebrate the misfortunes of others but celebrates the Truth when it is revealed. That love is for grown folks that can handle it by God’s Grace. That love bears, believes, and hopes all things. That love holds on when everything else is crumbling around it. That love never fails and will never let you fail. It is that perfect love that completes the believer. Without that love, the life of the Child of God is incomplete, but with that love the Child of God is being perfected. Day by day, minute by minute, that love keeps working so that we put the childish way of doing things behind. This is the essence of the grown folks conversation. I no longer look at life the way I use to. I no longer try to compete for attention the way I use to. Love has taken hold of my life and has my soul in its grip and will not let go. I am free and yet I am bound by its power. Yes, love has matured me to the point that I now see that no matter what happens, God is in complete control. I’m grown up now. I know more now. I trust more now. This is a grown folks conversation so I don’t have time to deal with the petty because I’m searching for the Holiness of God.
Measuring Maturity?
So, what are some practices that will help us measure our spiritual maturity? It first begins with knowledge. We do in part because we only know in part. A believer must always be in the learning mode and not settle with just knowing in part. We acknowledge that Jesus has commanded each follower to take His yoke upon them and learn … for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:30.
Maturity also embraces worship. Do you realize that God is searching for true worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth? John 4:23-24. That’s right. Worship is more than a certain posture or a tune sang in praise. Worship is what we do with our heart to demonstrate our love for God.
Those who grow and mature spiritually must also be diligent in doing the work of the Lord. Those who really enjoy serving God will not allow circumstances or people to deter them from their duty. Hebrews 11:6, reminds us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The mature believer also displays the quality of never giving up. 1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that they bear all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and they endure all things. That is a grown folk conversation when you are determined to keep on going despite the disappointments, set-backs, and struggles. Why should we never give up? It’s simple: Jesus never gave up.
That also means that the mature believer must possess the patience that God gives them. They cannot be quick-tempered and jumpy. We are to let patience have its complete work that we may be complete. James 1:4. The mature follower of Christ is so focused on God finishing His Work. When completeness comes, what is in part disappears. Please remember that maturing is not an experience it is a process. You and I will not get there overnight, but we will get there.
This introduces us to the sixth quality of the mature believer: confidence. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that we are confident of this very thing that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. At some point in the future God will speak over us the word “finished.” We may only see a tiny bit of that work now, but the day will come when He will bring us into the fullness of Jesus Christ.
Finally, as mature believers in Christ, we are not threatened by the future nor are we condemned by the past. We are free from fear. 2 Timothy 1:7. Our God has given each believer a sound mind, power, and love. These are for the mature believers in Christ.