A Mature Christian is Not Envious of Other Christians.
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
I have seen stuff like this in churches my whole life! We are supposed to worship God, not preachers!
Another type of envy I have seen a lot is where one Christian will be envious against another Christian because of their talents, or their calling.
We are supposed to humbly serve God in whatever calling He gives us; with whatever talents He gives us.
1 Corinthians 12:14-31 “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.”
The More Excellent Way Is Charity.
A Mature Christian Has True Charity
1 Corinthians 13:1-7 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
True charity is not just giving to the poor. True charity is producing the fruits of the Spirit.
A Mature Christian Consistently Produces the Fruits of the Spirit.
If you compare charity with the fruits of the Spirit, you will see they match.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
A Mature Christian Bears the Infirmities of the Weak.
Romans 15:1-5 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
Some people are weak and feebleminded and struggle with things like depression, and anxiety. A mature Christian will be patient with these people, listen to them and comfort them.
A Mature Christian Views Trials as Training
James 1:2-7 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
I have realized that most of the trials in my life have been caused by my own ignorance. That is why the Bible says to ask God for wisdom in the passage above, because wisdom will keep us from falling into so many trials.
2 Perter 1:5-8 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”
However, we are not to tempt God by asking Him to send us trials.
Jesus showed us in the Lord’s prayer that we are to ask God to have mercy on us and not lead us into trials.
Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
The word “temptation” in this verse means to try and roots back to a Greek word meaning to test (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries # 3986 and then #3985 both in the Greek.)
The word “evil” in this verse can mean bad, hurtful, or even “figuratively calamitous; also (passively) ill, that is, diseased.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries #4190 in the Greek.)
Therefore, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus showed us that we should always pray that the Father has mercy on us and does not test or try our faith by sending us calamity or disease.
I have never heard this preached. God showed my family and I this a few years ago, and we have seen God protect us and deliver us from some situations that could have been very calamitous financially and health-wise.
Now, God will still test your faith some, (He still tests us some at times with little problems), so trust Him to meet your needs.
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
The more you trust God the more apt He will be to not try your faith, because you have already proven your faith to Him.
God never took everything away from Job again.
A Mature Christian has a Strong Prayer Life.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”
Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
Luke 22:40 “And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
1 Peter 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
A Mature Christian Trusts God and Does Not Worry.
Matthew 6:24-34 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
A Mature Christian Knows the Bible Well Enough to Teach Others .
Hebrews 5:12-14 “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
A Mature Christian Can Spot the Wolves.
Hebrews 5:12-14 “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
A mature Christian knows the Bible well enough to be able to spot wolves who are preaching heresy, being deceptive in their preaching, and are not living right.
They will not be led astray to destruction by a wolf.
To learn how to spot these dangerous wolves please read my post at http://shiningthelightministries.com/2021/06/08/kick-the-wolves-out-of-the-church/