Reaching Real Maturity -
by Pastor John Fredericksen
Spiritually
speaking, Paul considered Timothy his "son in the faith" (I Tim. 1:2).
And, like any parent, he had noble aspirations for his loved one. In the
Book of II Timothy, he is very specific about four things he wants
Timothy to become for the Lord.
First,
he wanted him to be a good servant of the Lord (1:6). God had given him
a temporary spiritual gift that was not to be wasted, but consistently
used in the local church, where he would have opportunities and the
obligation to use this divine enablement.
Paul
also wanted Timothy to become a good soul-winner (1:8). Apparently,
there were real dangers in doing so for Timothy, and there was a danger
he might shrink away from this essential task. He might allow the fear
of men, and their reactions, to prevent him from sharing the gospel. If
Timothy did not grow beyond such a fear, his lack of action would
essentially be saying he was "ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."
What a reminder for us today as well!
Next,
Paul wanted Timothy to be a good student of the Word (2:15).
Specifically, he wanted him to diligently apply himself to the study of
the Scriptures so that he would be able to rightly divide the Word.
Finally,
Paul wanted Timothy to faithfully hold fast to the distinctive
doctrines taught only by the Apostle Paul (1:13,14), to continue in them
without wavering (3:14), and then teach them to faithful men who would
stand with him in dispensational truth (2:2). In Paul's eyes, it would
only be as Timothy achieved these four goals that he would be a
spiritually-mature saint.
In
a practical sense, each of us today can gauge our own spiritual
maturity by measuring ourselves against these four goals that Paul had
for Timothy. If we are consistently using our God-given capabilities for
the Lord in our local church, then we've taken a step toward spiritual
maturity. If we are bold and faithful in giving out the gospel to lost
souls, we have taken another step toward maturity in Christ. If we are
willing to endure hardship in ministry for Christ, without stopping our
service, we have taken yet another step in maturity. If we are
unwavering in our loyalty to the distinctive dispensational truths of
God's Word, as taught exclusively by Paul, we have taken still another
important step toward spiritual maturity.
When
young children begin to walk, they take one wobbly step at a time.
Sometimes they fall down. The important thing in their development
toward physical maturity is the process of getting back up when they
fall, undeterred, and continuing to walk on toward greater stability.
Dear saint, if you've fallen down in one of these four areas of growing
in Christ toward spiritual maturity, get back up and start walking again
in the right direction. Your Heavenly Father is watching and waiting to
be pleased of what you choose to do next.
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i Kow Whom I Have Believed
The Preserved and Living Word of God
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