The sermon this morning touched on missions involvement and giving, pointing to the Matthew 28 and Acts 1 verses, and it got me to thinking. I read on Chip Ingram's website a week ago that Barna was commissioned to do a survey of spiritual growth among pastors and lay people. One point of interest is that pastors often do not put out a measuring stick of what spiritual maturity should look like, especially because they do not want believers to just become better "rule-followers." I totally agree...but still how to show lay members to focus of their growth.
This may be way too simple, but here's a thought:
If Christ gave us those three commands and a job description, why aren't those the measuring stick of spiritual maturity, both for individuals and for the church corporate?
1. How much am I truly loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
2. How much am I truly loving neighbors, those whom God has placed around me to influence, as I love myself?
3. How much am I leading others to be students of Jesus (regardless of my vocation)?
4. How much am I telling the story of how Jesus has impacted my life to those around me?
You cannot have 3 and 4 without 1 and 2 first. 3 and 4 can become "rule-following," but if you love God and others first, 3 and 4 become a natural overflow of your life instead of rules to check off.
I need to let this marinate a bit further to find real, practical application, but I do think there is something to these 4 items as a goal for spiritual maturity.
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