To review: The marks of maturity are…

1. Valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things
2. Deadness to censure of praise
3. How to handle correction
4. Handling positive praise

The fifth and final mark of maturity is keeping pride out!

5. Pride

Immature people are especially susceptible to pride when they are used by God or promoted too fast.  In fact, God warns us about promoting people too fast for this very reason.

In articulating the qualifications for a bishop, the Apostle Paul makes the following statement.

1 Timothy 3:6 …not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

Listen to the New Living Translation.

1 Timothy 3:6, NLT  An elder must not be a new Christian, because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and the Devil will use that pride to make him fall.

Pride can develop easier when people are immature and praised.  God in His awesome goodness warns us not to promote people too quickly.

What are the marks of maturity?  What do we need to work towards in our own life?

-Valuing spiritual things more than natural things

-Not being side-tracked by criticism

-Learning how to handle correction and praise

-Keeping pride out

I trust that this will be a help as you make 2010 your year to GROW!

To review: The marks of maturity are…

1. Valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things
2. Deadness to censure of praise
3. How to handle correction
4. Last week we began to look at the fourth mark – Handling positive praise!

I left off last week by asking the question-  Does giving the credit to God minimize our gifts or anointing?  Absolutely not!  Jesus readily admitted that He was anointed.  He even told the people in Nazereth that He was anointed (Luke 4).  However, Jesus constantly acknowledged the Lord’s work and gave credit to God for the things He was used to do.  Notice some of Jesus’ statements in the Gospel of John.

John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Jesus did not allow the praise of people to inflate His heart and mind with pride.  He also did not commit to people just because they praised Him.

John 2:23-25, NLT Because of the miraculous signs he did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah.  But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew what people were really like.  No one needed to tell him about human nature.

Jesus lets us know that human nature can change in a moment if it is not grounded in the things of God.  Let me show you a vivid example of this.

In Acts 27, the Apostle Paul suffered ship wreck and ended up on the island of Malta.  Notice what the people thought of him and how quick they were to change their opinion.

Acts 27:3-6 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.  So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

What did the people say about Paul?  One minute the criticized him for being a murderer who got what he deserved.  The next minute they called him a god and wanted to worship.  Praise is often an expression of wonder not an indication of commitment.  That is one of the reasons why Jesus and Paul were not moved by it.

Next week we will finish up this blog series by looking at the fifth and final mark of maturity!

God wants us to grow up and mature!   To review -One mark of maturity is valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things.  Another mark of maturity is a deadness to censure of praise. The third mark of maturity we looked at was how to handle correction. Now let’s look at the fourth mark – handling positive praise!

4. Handling Praise

When you are gifted and anointed by God, people will be helped, encouraged, restored, healed, and blessed through your ministry.  When this occurs, very often you will receive praise.

“You are so anointed.”

“You are so special”.

“You are so wise.”

It is a good thing for people to be thankful but we must be careful to not take the credit and to recognize why we are able to help in the first place.

Peter and John give us a good example of directing the praise for good works back to God.  In Acts 3, they were used by God to raise the cripple man at the gate Beautiful.  God healed the man and the people watching were astonished.

Acts 3:9-12 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

The people started to elevate Peter and John because they were used to heal the lame man.  Peter quickly corrected their thinking.  “This did not happen because of us, It was God!”

Peter could have responded, “That is right, you better recognize this power we have.”  “We are some bad men.”  Peter could have taken the credit but because he was mature, he directed it back to God.

Does giving the credit to God minimize our gifts or anointing? How did Jesus and Paul respond to praise? We’ll look at the answer to these two questions in next week’s blog!

Thursday, February 04, 2010

This morning I got up energized and ready to go.  I think my internal clock has finally adjusted to Asia time.  We had a great day making disciples and training leaders.  In our first session I taught about the importance of checking the history and reputation of a potential leader before you promote them.  In the book of Acts the early church needed to select some ministry helpers because of a problem in the church.  The Bible gives us three essential characteristics for the selection of these leaders (Acts 6:1-3).

1. They were to have a good reputation
2. They were to be full of the Holy Spirit
3. They were to be full of wisdom

It is wise to check reputation of a potential leader.  Do they have a good reputation?  By asking a few questions, you can learn valuable information that will help you make a wise decision.

In our second session I taught about checking to see if the potential leader is a giver.  Do they tithe?  Do they give generous offerings?  The real issue is not about money.  It is an issue of the heart.  Jesus taught us that how and where we spend our money reveals what is truly on the inside (Matthew 6:21).  What a person does with his money tells you a lot about his priorities and what is in his heart.

In our last session we talked about the importance of checking a potential leader’s devotional life.  Do they read the Word of God consistently?  Do they study God’s Word?  Do they pray?  How often do they pray?  Do they worship God?  Do they hear from God?  The reason this is so important is because a person can only give you what is on the inside.  A person’s public ministry is a reflection of their private devotional life.

Jesus, Peter, and Paul were all effective in the ministry.  All three made it a priority to spend time with God (Matthew 14:23-24, 1 Corinthians 14:18-19, Acts 10:9-10).

At the end of class two people came up to me and asked for prayer.  The first lady thanked me and told me she was learning a lot.  I prayed with her concerning her need and the tears began to flow.  I was thankful that God was ministering to her heart.  The second lady could not speak English.  She took my hand and placed it on her head.  She seemed to need healing so I commanded her body to be well.  Praise the Lord for God’s healing power.

It is difficult to believe our time in Thailand is almost over.  Tomorrow is our last day.  I am truly thankful for the opportunity to train and develop laborers for God’s harvest.

Pastor Jim Herring

We had a great day of teaching and training today.  In the first session I taught about the value of working well with others.  Before someone is selected for promotion they should be able to work synergistically with others.  There are five groups that a potential leader must be able to work with:

1. The Pastor
2. Other leaders
3. Coworkers
4. Those under his leadership
5. Members of the congregation

Working well with others has a lot to do with having a servant’s heart and good attitude.

In the second session I taught about how a potential leader responds to correction.  Nothing reveals the heart and maturity of a person than their ability to receive correction.  If a potential leader is unable to receive correction they are not ready for promotion.  The Bible gives us lots of information about correction in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:17, NLT    People who accept correction are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore it will lead others astray.

Proverbs 12:1, NLT   To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

Proverbs 15:12, Today’s English Translation   12 Conceited people do not like to be corrected; they never ask for advice from those who are wiser.

Proverbs 15:31-32, Today’s English Translation    31If you pay attention when you are corrected, you are wise.  32 If you refuse to learn, you are hurting yourself. If you accept correction, you will become wiser.

All leaders need to both give and receive correction.  I gave practical tips to follow when you find yourself in either situation.

In our last session I ministered on being profitable to your leader.  In 2 Timothy 4, Paul told Timothy to bring John Mark because he was profitable for the ministry.

• Are we profitable for ministry work?
• Are we beneficial?
• Are we helpful to the Gospel work?
• Do we contribute a necessary part to the ministry?
• Are we a valuable part of the church?

Many people are content to simply take from the church.  Only those who have made themselves vital should be considered for leadership promotion.

What makes a person vital in the ministry?  – their care, commitment, contribution, and character!

We enjoyed fellowship and lunch with Keith and Sharon after school.  It is always fun to spend time with them hearing what God is doing in Thailand.  I am so proud of the work they are doing in this nation – lives are changing and disciples are being made.

We also had a special treat that night.  A local mall sponsors a Thai Boxing contest.  We enjoyed watching these agile and talented fighters.

See you soon!

Pastor

This morning we had church at 10am.  I got up early looked over my notes and spent some time in prayer.  I always pray for five things when I minister the Word of God.  I pray for:

1) Revelation knowledge to flow freely

2) Boldness

3) To preach with accuracy

4) To preach with simplicity

5) To help the people apply the Word of God on a practical (everyday life) level

This is what I prayed for this morning.  I also spent some time praying for our church and my wife as she ministers the Word of God.  I am excited to hear the good reports from home!

When we arrived at the church, everyone greeted us with smiles.  Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles”.  The praise and worship was excellent and people were drawn into the presence of God.  When it was time to minister, I began to share what the Lord placed on my heart.  I ministered a message on “How to Experience a Financial Breakthrough.”  The people were very receptive and time went by fast (it always does for me).  This is a very needed message in Thailand .  People need to know that God wants them to prosper and be blessed.  It is exciting to know that we can have a part in transforming people’s lives financially.  At the end, Brother Keith gave an altar call and people responded for salvation.  Praise the Lord!

Love and Blessings

Pastor Jim Herring

3.  Handling Correction

I want to point out that we should be dead to “unfair” criticism.  What if the criticism is fair?  Needed?  Necessary?  A mature person is also able to receive correction without getting offended.

Proverbs 9:8  Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

A mature person is able to recognize the need for correction.  He or she is receptive and willing to make adjustments.  In addition, a mature person is thankful for the correction.  On the other hand, immature people usually don’t like correction.

My son is young and he does not like correction.  Guess what?  He gets correction anyway because he needs it.  When we correct him, sometimes he complains, disagrees, whines, argues, gives us a mad look, blows steam, and sometimes he even blames us for what he did wrong.  Immaturity does not like correction.  Unfortunately, you can get a similar reaction correcting immature believers – some blow steam, argue, give you a mad look, avoid you, and blame you for what they did or failed to do.

The good news is God wants us to grow up and mature!  One mark of maturity is valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things.  Another mark of maturity is a deadness to censure of praise. Next week we’ll look at how to handle positive praise. We’ll take a look at how Peter, James, Jesus and Paul responded to positive praise!

2. Deadness to praise

Another mark of maturity is deadness to praise.  We have all faced criticism, some we deserved and some we didn’t.  When we are dead to unfair criticism, we do not get sidetracked.  In addition, we have all been praised for something.  If we are dead to praise, we will not allow pride to sprout in our life.

There are many people in the Bible who faced unfair criticism.

• Moses
• Joseph
• Daniel
• Jesus
• The disciples
• Paul

Notice what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.”

Paul did not allow the praise or unfair criticism of others to negatively affect his life.  He sought to please the Lord.  His words were not a declaration of carnal independence.  They were mature words expressing a universal inability to please everyone.  Paul could allow the words of others to discourage him, or he could pursue his purpose.  Thank God he chose the pursuit of his purpose.  In addition, he did not allow the praise of men to inflate his heart and mind with the toxic air of pride.  Paul sought to obey and please the Lord.  He was mature and God-conscious.  Immature people are often more self-conscious.

You’ve just taken a look at how to deal with un-fair criticism, but what if the criticism is fair! Come back next week and I’ll show you how to handle correction.

What are the marks of maturity?

Is it saying Amen! loud when the preacher makes a good point? Is it having a custom fit Bible cover and highlighter?  Is it having an I Love Jesus bumper sticker on your car?  I trust you answered no to each of these!

In Brother Hagin’s book, Growing Up Spiritually, he gives two characteristics of Manhood or maturity. I want to enumerate them and expand on them a little.

1. What’s Important

Another way of saying that is, valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things.  Notice what the Bible says in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

God wants us to set our mind on things above. When we mature as a believer, we value spiritual things more than natural things.  You can see why many people in the Body of Christ are not mature.  They are more focused on the things of this world than they are on spiritual things.

Obviously, we have to give some attention to the things of this world.  We must work, cook, clean, buy groceries, do laundry, cut grass, and take care of our families. However, some people spend all their time investing in natural areas and no time (or very little time) investing in their spiritual development.

In addition, some people are focused on making money, getting a new car, a new house, or a new toy.  There is nothing wrong with pursuing these things as long as they don’t overtake our desire for God and His things.  Are we just as focused on sharing our faith with others, inviting people to church, prayer, giving, serving, and growing spiritually?

Moses is a great example of choosing spiritual things over natural things. Moses grew up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He had all the benefits of royalty: money, education, and prestige.  Despite all these benefits, notice what the Bible says about him.

Hebrews 11:24-26, NLT  It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give him.

Moses thought it better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt. What does that mean?  Moses valued spiritual things above earthly things.

Here is a truth I want us to remember: we cannot put earthly things above spiritual things and expect to grow spiritually.

Please understand: God wants us to prosper and enjoy things in this life. However, He does not want riches to be our primary focus.  He wants us to have money but He does not want money to have us.

For some people, money may not be what pulls them away from spiritual development.  It could be hobbies, other interests, home improvement, or sleep. Sorry, I had to include the last one.

What you focus on and spend time doing reveals what is truly important in your life.  If you spend time reading things that will build you up, you value growth.  If you spend time praying, you value spending time with God.

A mark of maturity is valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things. Invest in spiritual growth and development and you will grow!

Make this year your year to grow!  Watch for part 3 next week as we look at the second characteristic of maturity!

It can be frustrating to deal with someone who refuses to grow up and take responsibility for their own development.  God wants us to have fun but He also wants us to mature.

Ephesians 4:11-15 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

God gave the ministry gifts to help the saints mature and develop into a “perfect” man.  The word perfect is better understood as mature.  Notice the New Living Translation of this verse.

Ephesians 4:13, NLT until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

God wants us to be mature and full grown in the Lord.  This clearly indicates that spiritual growth is a process.  No one is “born again” fully grown.  We must choose to grow and develop.  In the natural, the passage of time will cause you to age automatically.  You don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older.  However, maturity is different.  Age does not make you mature.  It simply gives you the opportunity to mature.  What you do with your time is the determining factor in your spiritual development.

God wants His church to grow up!  Many have been spiritual babies and children for too long.  Now is the time for us to press into spiritual growth and development.  The time is short and there is lots of Kingdom work that needs to be done.  Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Mat 9:37)”.  It is time for the church to grow up so we can labor in the harvest field.

Addressing this very issue, Kenneth Hagin made the following statements in his book, “Following God’s Plan For Your Life”.

“We live in a day when we don’t have time to play church or to fool around with the devil’s games in our lives.  The last days are upon us.  The end of all things is at hand.  Critical years lie ahead of us, for there is a great work to be done and a great harvest of souls to be reaped.

Never has it been so important for us to be free from all that has bound us in the past.  Never has it been so crucial for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and for each of us to follow God’s plan for our lives.  It’s time to shape up, friends. It’s time to get serious about serving God and to be everything God wants us to be.

As you walk in obedience to God, your past failures and shortcomings which have hindered you from walking in the Spirit won’t be able to keep what the Lord has ordained for you from coming to pass.  If you do your part by preparing and obeying, all the carnal plans of man and all the demons in hell won’t keep His plan from being fulfilled.  Nothing will be able to detract or offset what God has proclaimed for your life!”

God wants us to get serious about our purpose, calling, and spiritual growth.  In order to grow, we must stay in the Word of God, spend time in prayer, and sit under the ministry gifts.  Trying to grow without these three is like trying to survive without food and water – it won’t work.  The truth is– we all need development.  We all have areas where we need to discipline our flesh and renew our mind.  None of us have arrived yet.  We must all make the quality decision to grow then we must enforce that decision on a daily basis.  What you do today will affect your tomorrow.  Author John Maxwell summed it up well, “Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily.”

As 2010 is quickly approaching I want to challenge you to make this year your best year yet! In future blogs we will look at ways to help make this possible—I don’t want to be the same in June as I am now—I want to grow in Christ.  Let’s decide to be all He created us to be and make a difference in our world!