Discipleship Part 4: Rethinking Growth and Maturity

Discipleship is naturally tied to growing spiritual maturity. Growing in our love and devotion to Jesus leads to maturity. However, like so many things in life, spiritual growth is not always up and to the right. There are seasons, growth spurts, dry valleys, and setbacks. If we think of spiritual growth as a straight line with an eventual finish line, we set ourselves up for failure.

Instead, listen to the very different picture Jesus paints for us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Jesus doesn't describe discipleship primarily as climbing a ladder, acquiring certain knowledge, accomplishing specific tasks or even automatic like a child’s physical growth. He describes it as remaining connected to Him. The branch doesn't manufacture fruit through sheer effort. It remains connected to the vine.

What if maturity is more about movement than arriving?

We often don't do this and end up turning discipleship into a measurement system. Think about how these questions are often the measure of maturity:

• How much Scripture do you know?

• How long have you been a Christian?

• How many Bible studies have you completed?

• How many spiritual disciplines do you practice?

Those and similar questions can be useful, but they don't necessarily tell us whether someone is becoming more like Jesus. A person can know a lot about Christianity and still struggle to live like Jesus. So perhaps we need to rethink what we mean by maturity. Maturity isn't simply moving farther away from the starting point.

Maturity is increasingly moving toward Jesus.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

Notice the language is: continue to live. We put down roots and stay in pursuit. Jesus transforms us dramatically as we continue to move closer and closer to him, as the author of Hebrews says, we “fix our eyes on Jesus…”. Rather than measuring people primarily by how far they have progressed along a predetermined checklist of good deeds, imagine a community oriented around Jesus as the center point, the destination.

Regardless of where we start, spiritual maturity is moving from that point towards Jesus. This means our spiritual maturity is not primarily about the appearance of godliness but more the internal work of our hearts' orientation towards Jesus.

Spiritual maturity isn’t a checklist, but a heart posture. Instead of a list of doctrines or behaviors that measure maturity, we ask a more probing question, “Am I moving towards Jesus or away?” Am I connected to the vine? Are my roots deep?

It will be visible; I am not the same person I was yesterday. You should see it in my lifestyle, finances, language, priorities, and relationships. However, we need to remove a legalism that holds each of us up to an arbitrary standard. Instead,

The standard is Jesus who we are becoming more like and our progress is measured against who we used to be.

Discipleship isn't self-improvement with Jesus added to it. Discipleship that results in our spiritual maturity is a life with Jesus. Connected to the one from whom we find our spiritual nourishment.

(For further reading, I am indebted to Mark Baker's work in this area, and you can find more from him here: https://www.centeredsetchurch.com/)

Reflection

• Where am I currently moving toward Jesus?

• Which verse discussed here is most challenging for you? Why?

• How would you now define spiritual maturity? How is it related to discipleship?