Introduction
There are Christians we may know who have been in church for 20 years, and it shows. They show evidence of growth and reflect maturity as they passionately pursue Christ. There are also Christians we know who have been in the church for 20 years, and they have just remained a one-year-old Christian 20 times over. Despite being in church and believing the right things, the discipline and discomfort that maturity requires are not something they are too interested in. They would rather rest in the seat of religious consumerism than train like a soldier for spiritual growth and service. Today, Paul will address what it means to mature in our faith.

Today’s Scripture
Ephesians 4:14-16 (New Living Translation)

"Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

Explanation and Reflection
There are many essential characteristics of growing in our faith. Maturity involves a lot of key ingredients.

1. Maturity Involves Stability
   Every good harbor has seawalls and breakwaters to protect boats during storms. These sturdy structures diminish the waves' power so they can’t wreak havoc. Christian maturity can spot false teachings and diminish Satan’s powerful waves of lies. Mature believers not only do this for themselves but also aid in protecting others by being a “seawall” of truth.
2. Maturity Involves Discernment
   The most dangerous lies comprise 98% truth and 2% lies. That 2% doesn’t seem like much, but it can wreck a life, family, workplace, and church. Remember when our enemy, the devil, tried lying to Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11)? The devil used scripture. The evil one used 98% truth and 2% lies in the wilderness. Friends, don’t be fooled. The devil is cunning. Mature believers can identify the 98% of truth and 2% of lies. They then can put to death the lies so that the truth is not corrupted.
3. Maturity Involves Truth
   Maturity acknowledges that there is truth, and that truth is based on God’s Word. Things may be complicated and nuanced, but not everything is relative. Yes, there is gray, but black and white are also in our world. Maturity acknowledges this paradoxical reality and, with wisdom, navigates our time with Gospel truth. In an age of conspiracy theories, misinformation, and half-truths, it’s more critical now than ever for every follower of Christ to know the truth of God’s Word backward and forward. We should spend more time being discipled by the Bible and prayer rather than by social media or any news outlet. Mature Christians understand what is genuinely forming them and realign their lives to be formed by the Word of God.
4. Maturity Involves Love
   We have discussed tone before, but it must be restated: The proclamation of truth must be delivered with the gentle hands of love. Love without truth is emotional sentimentality. Truth without love is cold legalism. Jesus navigated life by telling people they were wrong and needed to change, yet after those discussions, they still wanted to be around Him. Many people whose lifestyles or ideas disagreed with Jesus still adored Him.
5. Maturity Involves Unity
   Some might see divisive people as leaders and mature. While this is true in some limited situations, mature leaders unite more than they divide. Those who are peacemakers are more mature than troublemakers (Matthew 5:9). Mature followers of Christ understand that trust is critical for the health and growth of the church and society. Therefore, these people seek to bring others together, not tear them apart. Yes, some division is necessary and unavoidable. However, there’s a big difference between being rooted in humble convictions and being an entrepreneur who tries to capitalize on hate and rage.
6. Maturity Involves Lordship
   Paul ends this passage by explaining that Christ is the head of the church and that this fact holds the church together. Some are in danger of having a Christian vocabulary, values, and ethics in this cultural moment but not truly being disciples. Going to church and having Judeo-Christian values isn’t the same as surrendering to Jesus's mission in our lives. His headship over all areas of our lives and our loyalty to King Jesus alone are critical for maturity and unity.

Maturity is hard. Most people don’t choose it, and it’s not something one can drift into. Our bodies mature because of our biology. We don’t have to think or do anything. That’s not the way spiritual maturity works. Spiritual maturity is a choice and involves strategic and intentional discipline day in and day out. Will you rise to the challenge of becoming mature?

Question of the Day
Here's a question for you to think about and apply:
Do you study God’s Word daily? If not, how can you get started? If so, how can you improve this study to take your maturity to the next level?