March 2, 2017

We have been talking about spiritual maturity. One of the problems with the Western Christian church is its immaturity. No one would question its intellectual prowess or even its religious appearance. But those things do not equate to spiritual maturity.  The Church has gotten a bad reputation because society as a whole sees it as having never grown up or matured as a follower of Jesus. To put it another way, the church or the body of Christ, is to be a reflection of Jesus.  The litmus test of maturity is when people interact with you (the church). Do they see Jesus and feel like they have been with him, or do they experience something else? In past blogs and sermons we have looked at what spiritual maturity looks like, what it is not, and today I would like to give the necessary steps one can implement on the path to spiritual maturity.

Becoming spiritually mature is not unlike the process required in our natural body. We require food, breath, personal hygiene, exercise, family, accountability, responsibility. We will briefly look at each one.

Food

We need to have a daily diet of good quality food. Living on dessert (which I would find preferable) would not be advisable. In order to be non-offensive, sometimes the church gives “Bible Light” for spiritual food. We need all the teaching of God’s word to mature.

Breathe

Unless we have a healthy intake of oxygen, we are going to be stunted in our brain. This is a good analogy for prayer. We need to have the life of prayer flowing in our lives as much as oxygen to our lungs and brain. To mature we need to breathe. We need to pray.

Good health and good hygiene go together

Cleanliness is a sign of a healthy mind. You can be poor, but you don`t have to be dirty. If you want to mature physically, personal hygiene is important. But so is spiritual cleanliness. It is through a constant attitude of repentance that we maintain a clean spirit. An unclean spirit will impede and even halt one’s spiritual progress.

Exercise

If muscles are not exercised they will atrophy. Teaching without putting into practice what we learned is like eating protein shakes, but never working it out.   1 Timothy 4:7 “Keep yourself in training for a godly life.” Hearing the Word, but not putting it into practice will make one fat, lazy, and critical.

Small groups

All kinds of study have shown that physical maturation happens best in family.  The Bible says that God sets the lonely in families. Isolation will stunt your growth, yet more and more Christians are opting for occasional as the new regular attendance.  Hebrews 10:24,25

Accountability

Maturity happens as we learn to take ownership of our life, our responsibilities, our failures and successes. There is protection from physical harm as we learn from others in our natural life. How much more in our spiritual life.  A child learns “hot” and “don’t touch” by loving parents. A Spiritual person learns equally important hot issues from loving Spiritual parents.  We mature as we are being discipled and disciple others. 1 Corinthians 4:15,16

Stewardship

A mature person is one who is living beyond themselves. They see their lives as an opportunity to give and not take, to share and not clutch, take responsibility for the well-being others, not see others as a means to their own agenda. As we learn to give, to share and care for others, we mature and develop into a living example of Jesus. Phil 2:1-11

God wants us to mature. Don’t be fooled. A mature Christian is not without problems or challenges. However, these are not to be feared. For the mature in Christ they are an opportunity for greatness, for great advancement, for Christ to be revealed to a skeptical and cynical world.

This coming Sunday, I will expand on these ideas, and help us to get on a path so we won’t be stunted in our spiritual maturation. Happy growing up!

Request for Concentrated Prayer

We want to thank all those who responded to the call for prayer and financial assistance to meet the last big outstanding bill on the renovation project for S.H.A.R.E.  We are happy to report we are half way there of meeting out 34,000 dollar bill.

If you have not responded, (any amount is appreciated) and are feeling led to give a special offering towards this, you can do it by interac, cheque, or by visiting our website. I know that moving S.H.A.R.E. to our building was the right thing to do. We have paid off most of the cost of renovation. We just have this last piece to go. Please pray and consider ways you can participate in this miracle.

Clearwater Bible College on Tour

On Sunday, March 19th @ 10:30am Clearwater College (formerly Living Faith) students will be visiting us on their ministry tour.  This year’s theme is Reflecting His Image.   Please consider bringing a friend to this faith building event.

Billets are needed for the wonderful young people, 1 Couple, 3 men, 1 woman. If you are interested in billeting please contact the KCF office at 250.352.1722.

Reading the Bible

If you follow the monthly reading program, you can successfully read the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice this year.  I have attached this month’s prescribed reading to this newsletter. Start something new and watch God's word make a difference in your life.

Calendar of Events

• Clearwater College on Tour, Sunday, March 19, 10:30am at KCF.
• Jr. Teens meet Fridays, 4 to 5:30pm at KCF.  Ages 11 – 14
• Bright Lights, Club for Kids meet Saturdays, 1 - 3:15pm at KCF.  Kindergarten to Grade 4

Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Pastor Jim