The purpose of every born-again Christian is to grow up to spiritual maturity in the sonship of God and walk as a mature son of God on earth. But when are you spiritually mature? What does the Bible say about spiritual maturity?
Does the amount of Bible knowledge prove you are spiritually mature?
E i ai le au Kerisiano, who have a lot of Bible knowledge and can quote almost every Scripture. Ae peitai, 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. Leai, 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. (Faitau foi: What are the similarities between the leader of God’s people then and now?).
O lea la, 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, le Upu, 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 Lona afio 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, lena, pe a mafai, they even could seduce the true sons of God. (Faitau foi: ‘E faapefea ona e iloa perofeta pepelo?‘)
E le o se tasi e fai mai ia te au, Alii e, Alii e, o le a ulufale i le malo o le lagi; Ae o le na te faia le finagalo o loʻu Tama o loʻo i le lagi. E toʻatele o le a fai mai ia te aʻu i lena aso, Alii e, Alii e, Tatou te le o valoia i lou igoa? and in Thy name have cast out devils and in Thy name done many wonderful works? Ma ou te fai mai ia te i latou, Ou te leʻi iloa foʻi oe: alu ese mai ia te au, o outou e galue i le amioletonu (Mataio 7:21-23)
Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, o Keriso lenei; pe, faauta, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, pe ana mafai, even the elect. But take ye heed: faauta, I have foretold you all things (Mareko 13:21-23, Mataio 24:24)
We live in an age where many Christians only focus on signs and wonders and are led by supernatural manifestations, faailoga, ma mea ofoofogia.
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)na te faia.
Leai, they only look at the supernatural manifestations, faailoga, 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.
Ae peitai, 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, lea e maua mai i le malo o le pouliuli
I le sili atu, 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 (le tumau) faamalolo. But these healings are not done in the Igoa o Iesu Keriso and the power of the Holy Spirit and from the Kingdom of God, but from the kingdom of darkness. (Faitau foi: ‘E tatau ona e toe fanauina e savali i le sili atu?'').
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: E oo lava ia te ia, o lona afio mai e tusa ma le galuega a Satani ma le mana uma ma fa'ailoga ma vavega pepelo (2 Tesalonia 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. (Faitau foi: ‘O le mana o le tiapolo e malosi i le agasala‘, ‘O le Lotu o Meaalofa‘, ma ‘Tausaga Fou i le Ekalesia?‘).
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 (tino) 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 (Eperu 5:13-14)
O lenei, o le Atua o le filemu, na toe faatuina mai lo tatou Alii o Iesu nai e ua oti, that great shepherd of the sheep, e ala i le toto o le feagaiga e fa'avavau, Ia faaatoatoaina outou i galuega lelei uma e fai ai lona finagalo, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, e ala mai ia Iesu Keriso; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amene (Eperu 13:20-21)
Epaphras, O ai se tasi o outou, O Se Auauna a Keriso, saluteth you, Ia galue i taimi uma le fiafia mo oe i tatalo, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Kolose 4:12)
And the world passeth away, ma lona tu’inanau: a o lē fai le finagalo o le Atua, e tumau lea e fa‘avavau (1 Ioane 2:17)
A mature son of God is no longer a child, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but knows the truth and the will of God, E ala i le upu, and discerns good and evil and walks after the Spirit in the will of God.
“Whosoever shall do the will of God, o loʻu uso lea, ma lo'u tuafafine, ma tina”
And Jesus answered them, fai mai, O ai loʻu tina, or My brethren? And He looked round about on them which sat about Him, ma fai mai, Behold My mother and My brethren! Ua fai lava e le finagalo o le Atua, o loʻu uso lea, ma lo'u tuafafine, ma tina (Mareko 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 (O le Tulafono o le Agaga), O le a fai ma sui o le finagalo o le Atua, is written (Ieremia 31:31-34, Eperu 8:10).
Ou te le fiafia i ai, Uso, e le Faaola o le Atua, ua outou tuuina i ou tino se taulaga ola, paia, talia i le Atua, o lau galuega talafeagai. Ma aua le taliaina i lenei lalolagi: Ae ia outou liua mai le faʻafouina o lou mafaufau, e mafai ona e faamaonia le mea lelei, ma taliaina, ma atoatoa, finagalo o le Atua (Roma 12:1-2)
By the renewing of the mind Ma le upu, the person’s mind shall also get to know the will of God.
O le faaiuga, the mind of the person aligns with the will of God.
By walking after the Spirit according to the Word, e tatau i le tagata tuu ese le toeaina ma ofu le tagata fou, 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
The person shall not 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.
Leai, a spiritually mature son of God (alii ma tamaitai) shall never commit spiritual fornication with the world, but shall remain faithful to God and His Word, whatever it cost. Aisea? 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, e pei lava o Iesu.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
