Ko te take o ia Karaitiana whānau, ko te tipu ake ki te mātauranga wairua i roto i te tama a te Atua, a, ka haere hei tama pakeke a te Atua i runga i te whenua. Engari āhea koe e pakeke ai i te wairua? What does the Bible say about spiritual maturity?
Does the amount of Bible knowledge prove you are spiritually mature?
He Karaitiana, who have a lot of Bible knowledge and can quote almost every Scripture. Heoi ano, you can’t measure whether someone is born again and/or spiritually mature by the amount of Bible knowledge.
Look at the Scribes and Pharisees in the time of Jesus. They were familiar with the Scriptures, but despite their head knowledge, many of them didn’t know God.
Although they kept the laws and precepts of God in the presence of others and acted piously, many of them didn’t live according to the will of God. Kāore, their head knowledge only puffed them up and made them prideful, causing them to exalt themselves above the rest of the people and allowing the people to worship them. (Panuitia hoki: What are the similarities between the leader of God’s people then and now?).
No reira, someone may have a lot of Bible knowledge, but that doesn’t prove that the person is spiritually mature. It doesn’t prove that the person is born again and that the person knows Jesus Christ, te Word, personally and that the heart of the person belongs to God.
Because if the person lives the same life as the world and does the same works and bears the same fruit of the flesh, then the fruits testify that the person is not spiritually mature, but that the person is unspiritual and that the flesh is still alive.
Do signs and wonders prove you are spiritually mature?
Signs and wonders are also not indicators that you are spiritually mature. Jesus warns us that before Tona haerenga mai, many false Christs and false prophets shall arise and do great signs and wonders.
These signs and wonders shall be so great, impressive, and seductive and look like they are coming from God, tera, if possible, they even could seduce the true sons of God. (Panuitia hoki: ‘How do you recognize false prophets?')
Ehara ko nga mea katoa e ki mai ana ki ahau, Ariki, Ariki, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; engari ia e mea ana i ta toku Matua i te rangi i pai ai. He tokomaha e mea mai ki ahau i taua ra, Ariki, Ariki, he teka ianei i poropiti matou i runga i tou ingoa?? and in Thy name have cast out devils and in Thy name done many wonderful works? Ko reira ahau korero ai ki a ratou, Kaore au i mohio ki a koe: mawehe atu i ahau, e nga kaimahi i te kino (Matiu 7:21-23)
Then if any man shall say to you, Na, ko te Karaiti tenei; rānei, na, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, mehemea ka taea, even the elect. But take ye heed: nana, I have foretold you all things (Mark 13:21-23, Matiu 24:24)
We live in an age where many Christians only focus on signs and wonders and are led by supernatural manifestations, tohu, me nga mea whakamiharo.
As soon as a preacher arises, who performs great signs and wonders and speaks about his or her revelations and supernatural experiences, many Christians run as sheep without a shepherd to the preacher and are impressed by the preacher
Many Christians don’t examine the doctrine with the Word of God
They don’t examine the doctrine with the Word of God and don’t look at how the preacher lives and the works (s)ka mahia e ia.
Kāore, they only look at the supernatural manifestations, tohu, and wonders that are done by the preacher, who many times considers Christians as merchandise and enrich himself or herself through the ignorance of carnal Christians, who don’t know the Word of God because they don’t read and study the Bible themselves, but have built their faith upon the words of people.
Heoi ano, signs and wonders are not part of the fruit of the Spirit. They don’t prove that someone is spiritually mature.
The signs and wonders, e ahu mai ana i te rangatiratanga o te pouri
I runga ke, when we look at the world, many supernatural manifestations and signs and wonders take place. Look at occultists and look at reconnective healing, whereby people learn techniques to heal mental and physical illnesses through an energy that everyone has access to. Many people are indeed (mo te wa poto) whakaorangia. But these healings are not done in the Te ingoa o Ihu Karaiti and the power of the Holy Spirit and from the Kingdom of God, but from the kingdom of darkness. (Panuitia hoki: 'Me whanau koe ano ki te haere i te atua?').
And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Ara ia, Ko tona haerenga mai i muri i te mahi a Hatana me nga mana katoa me nga tohu me nga mea whakamiharo me nga mea whakamiharo (2 Teharonika 2:8-9)
The more power the devil gets in- and through the sinful lives of people, the greater the occult power on earth. From this occult power, many great signs and wonders are done. (Panuitia hoki: ‘Ko te mana o te rewera ka whakatauhia e te hara', ‘Ko te whare karakia', a ‘Tau hou i roto i te hahi?').
The signs and wonders should follow you and not the other way around. You should not undertake all kinds of carnal steps and follow methods and apply techniques to do signs and wonder, because if you enter the spiritual realm from your soul (kikokiko) and use soul power, then you enter the territory of the devil unprotected and open yourself for occult powers that will manifest in your life.
When are you spiritually mature according to the Bible?
You are spiritually mature if you stand perfect and complete in all the will of God and do the will of God.
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 (Hiperu 5:13-14)
Na, ko te Atua o te rangimarie, nana i whakaara ake i te hunga mate to tatou Ariki, a Ihu, that great shepherd of the sheep, na te toto o te kawenata mau tonu, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, na Ihu Karaiti; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amine (Hiperu 13:20-21)
EPAPRAS, Ko wai tetahi o koutou, He pononga na te Karaiti, Tenei te oha atu nei ki a koutou, mahi tonu i nga wa katoa mo koe i roto i nga inoi, kia u ai koutou i runga i nga hiahia katoa o te Atua (Kolosa 4:12)
Ka pahemo atu te ao, me tona hiahia: tena ko te tangata e mea ana i ta te Atua e pai ai, e noho tonu ana ia ake ake (1 Hone 2:17)
A mature son of God is no longer a child, makahia ki te, a ka kawea mai me nga hau katoa o te whakaakoranga, na te ahua o te tangata, me te tinihanga tinihanga, kei te whanga ratou ki te tinihanga, but knows the truth and the will of God, na roto i te Kupu, and discerns good and evil and walks after the Spirit in the will of God.
“Whosoever shall do the will of God, ko taku teina tenei, me toku tuahine, me te whaea”
And Jesus answered them, e kii ana, Ko wai toku whaea, or My brethren? And He looked round about on them which sat about Him, ka mea, Nana, toku whaea me oku teina! Ki te mahia hoki e tetahi ta te Atua i pai ai, ko taku teina tenei, me toku tuahine, me te whaea (Mark 3:33-35)
As soon as someone becomes born again and becomes a new creation, the person receives a new heart, wherein the law of God (Te Ture a te Wairua), e tohu ana i te hiahia o te Atua, is written (Heremaia 31:31-34, Hiperu 8:10).
Koia ahau ka tohe atu nei ki a koe, teina, na te aroha o te Atua, kia tapaea atu o koutou tinana hei patunga ora, tapu, e manakohia ana e te Atua, ko to mahi whaitake. Kaua hoki e rite ki tenei ao: engari kia puta ke koutou i runga i te whakahoutanga o to koutou hinengaro, kia whakamatauria ai e koutou te mea pai, me te manakohia, me te tino tika, te hinaaro o te Atua (Roma 12:1-2)
Na te renewing of the mind me te kupu, the person’s mind shall also get to know the will of God.
Ko te hua, the mind of the person aligns with the will of God.
By walking after the Spirit according to the Word, the person shall Whakanohia te koroua a Whakanohia te tangata hou, who is created after God in righteousness and true holiness and shall grow up and spiritually mature and live after the will of God, whereby the person shall do what pleases God
A spiritually mature son of God is faithful to God and His Word and walks in His will
Kaua te tangata habitually live in sin and sin willfully and not allow and approve sin. The person shall never compromise with the world and pagan religions and philosophies.
Kāore, a spiritually mature son of God (Nga tane me nga wahine) shall never commit spiritual fornication with the world, but shall remain faithful to God and His Word, whatever it cost. He aha? Because the son is born of God and loves his Father and shall not do anything that hurts Him.
A spiritually mature son of God loves his Father and shall obey and speak His words and the words of Jesus, who spoke the words of the Father, and shall do what He has commanded to do and live after His will and bear the fruit of the Spirit, rite tonu ki a Ihu.
'Kia tote mo te whenua’
