Conditions, Secrets, and Results of Believers' Spiritual Maturity

 

Conditions, Secrets, and Results of Believers' Spiritual Maturity

Phil 3:12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already made it, but I press on to take possession of what was taken possession of me by Christ Jesus.

Phil 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken possession of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead.

Phil 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

James 5:7 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and he perseveres until he receives the early and late rains.

 

Category	Item	Meaning	Distinction	Example	Application	Related Scripture
Conditions	Continuous Growth	Continually growing in divine life without stagnation	Ongoing process  vs. one-time experience	Like plants needing continuous sunlight and water to grow	Daily fellowship with the Lord, Bible reading, prayer, meeting attendance	Eph. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 Cor. 3:5-9
	Pursuing Earnestly	Actively and earnestly pursuing Christ, never being self-satisfied	Active pursuit vs. passive waiting	Paul's attitude of forgetting what is behind and straining forward	Setting spiritual goals, continuous spiritual exercise	Phil. 3:12-15; Heb. 6:1
	Holding Truth in Love	Taking Christ as reality, growing into Christ in love	Christ-centered vs. moral cultivation-centered	Seeking Christ's heart and will in all things	Making Christ the standard and goal in all aspects of life	Eph. 4:15
	Holding Fast the Head	Receiving supply and coordination from Christ as the Head	Corporate pursuit vs. individual pursuit	Growing together with all saints in church life	Active participation in church life, coordinating with saints in service	Col. 2:19
Secrets	Submission of Will	Completely submitting one's will to God	Submissive will vs. stubborn will	Like a flock lying down beside the mountains in rest and submission	Seeking God's will in everything rather than insisting on one's own	Song 4:1,4; Exo. 32:9; Acts 7:51
	Resurrection of Will	The submitted will being strong in resurrection	Resurrection strength  vs. natural strength	Like David's tower storing weapons for spiritual warfare	Being able to stand firm in spiritual warfare, resisting enemy attacks	Song 4:4; Eph. 6:10-18
	Patient Waiting	Like a farmer patiently waiting for crops to mature	Patient waiting vs. impatient expectation	Farmer waiting for spring and autumn rains, patiently tending crops	Having perseverance in spiritual exercise, not being hasty for results	James 5:7; Rev. 14:4,14-15
	Christ Being Formed	Allowing Christ to be completely formed within us	Christ's image vs. self-image	From regeneration onward, the Lord continuously works transformation within us	Manifesting Christ's nature and character in daily life	Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29
Results	Individual Maturity	Individual reaching maturity in Christ	Mature believers vs. spiritual babes	Believers who can eat solid food, no longer drinking only milk	Being able to bear spiritual responsibility, feeding younger believers	Eph. 4:13; Heb. 5:12-14; Matt. 5:48
	Corporate Maturity	The church as Christ's Body reaching corporate maturity	Corporate maturity vs.  individual maturity	The church reaching the measure of the stature of Christ's fullness	Functioning coordinately with all members in the church	Eph. 4:13
	Full Expression of Christ	Christ being fully expressed from within us	Expressing Christ  vs. expressing self	All of life and conduct witnessing to Christ's beauty	Living out Christ in work, family, and society	Eph. 3:16-17; Col. 1:27
	Hastening the Lord's Return	Becoming firstfruits to hasten the Lord's return	Preparing for the Lord's coming  vs. merely waiting	Becoming the first mature harvest in the field	Actively preaching the gospel, perfecting saints, building up the church	Rev. 14:4,14-15; James 5:7
	Victory in Spiritual Warfare	Being able to stand firm in spiritual warfare	Victorious warfare  vs. defeated experience	Using the shield of faith to resist the enemy's flaming darts	Standing firm in trials, overcoming various spiritual attacks	Eph. 6:10-18; Song 4:4

  

Core Truth Summary:

Definition of Spiritual Maturity: Christ being completely formed within us, we being completely transformed into His image

Cycle of Maturity: Conditions → Secrets → Results → Deeper Pursuit

Key Scriptures:

• Matt. 5:48 - "You therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"
• Phil. 3:12-15 - Paul's example of earnest pursuit
• Eph. 4:13,15 - Reaching unto a full-grown man, growing up into Christ in love
• Gal. 4:19 - "Until Christ is formed in you"
• James 5:7 - Parable of the farmer's patient waiting
• Song 4:1,4 - Description of will's submission and resurrection

Practical Focus: 

Balancing individual pursuit with corporate building, combining will's submission with resurrection strength, harmonizing patient waiting with active growth

 

*Please refer to the 2025 Memorial Day Blending Conference. General Topic: Preparation of the Bride. Chapter 3: Maturity of the Bride.