Boikaelelo jwa Mokeresete mongwe le mongwe yo o tsetsweng la bobedi ke go gola go ya kgolong ya semoya mo borweng jwa Modimo le go tsamaya jaaka morwa yo o godileng wa Modimo mo lefatsheng.. Empa u hōlile neng moeeng? What does the Bible say about spiritual maturity?
Does the amount of Bible knowledge prove you are spiritually mature?
Ho na le Bakreste, who have a lot of Bible knowledge and can quote almost every Scripture. Leha ho le joalo, 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. Che, 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. (Bala hape: What are the similarities between the leader of God’s people then and now?).
Ka hona, 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, Lentswe, 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 Ho tla ha hae, 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, hore, if possible, they even could seduce the true sons of God. (Bala hape: ‘How do you recognize false prophets?‘)
Ha se e mong le e mong ea sa tsoang ho nna, Morena, Morena, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Morena, Morena, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils and in Thy name done many wonderful works? Mme ke tla ipolela, Ha ke a ka ka le tseba: depart from Me, lona le sebetsang ka lebaka la bokhopo (Mattheu 7:21-23)
Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; kapa, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, ha ho ka etsahala, even the elect. But take ye heed: bona, I have foretold you all things (Tšoaea 13:21-23, Mattheu 24:24)
We live in an age where many Christians only focus on signs and wonders and are led by supernatural manifestations, Matšoao, le limakatso.
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)o etsa joalo.
Che, they only look at the supernatural manifestations, Matšoao, 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.
Leha ho le joalo, 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, tse tsoang mmusong wa lefifi
Ho fapana le moo, 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 (ka nakoana) fodile. But these healings are not done in the Lebitso la Jesu Kreste and the power of the Holy Spirit and from the Kingdom of God, but from the kingdom of darkness. (Bala hape: ‘Na u tlameha ho tsoaloa hape ho tsamaea ka matla a phahametseng tlhaho?').
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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Bathesalonika 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. (Bala hape: ‘Matla a Diabolose a tsamaisoa ke sebe‘, ‘Kereke ya boloi‘, le ‘Mongwaha o motjha kerekeng?‘).
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 (nama) 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 (Baheberu 5:13-14)
Jwale Modimo wa kgotso, ya tsositseng Morena wa rona Jesu bafung, that great shepherd of the sheep, ka madi a selekane se sa feleng, A le etse hore le phethehe mosebetsing o mong le o mong o molemo ho etsa thato ea hae, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, ka Jesu Kreste; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Baheberu 13:20-21)
Epafrase, ke mang wa lona, mohlanka wa Kreste, oa le lumelisa, ka mehla ba le etsetsa merapelo e tiileng, le tle le eme le phethehile, le feletse thatong yohle ya Modimo (Bakolose 4:12)
And the world passeth away, le takatso ya teng: empa ya etsang thato ya Modimo, o hlola ka ho sa feleng (1 Johanne 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, ka lentsoe, and discerns good and evil and walks after the Spirit in the will of God.
“Whosoever shall do the will of God, Ho tšoana le abuti oa ka, le ausi oaka, le mme”
And Jesus answered them, ho bua, 'M'e oa ka ke mang, or My brethren? And He looked round about on them which sat about Him, mme a re, Bonang Mme le Banabeso! Etsoe mang kapa mang ea etsang thato ea Molimo, Ho tšoana le abuti oa ka, le ausi oaka, le mme (Tšoaea 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 (molao wa Moya), e emelang thato ya Modimo, is written (Jeremia 31:31-34, Baheberu 8:10).
Kea le rapela ke hona, baena, ka mehauhelo ya Modimo, hore le hlahise ’mele ea lōna e le sehlabelo se phelang, Ho halalela, e amohelehang ho Molimo, e leng tšebeletso ea hao e utloahalang. Mme le se ke la ipapisa le lefatshe lena: empa le fetohe ka ntjhafatso ya kelello ya lona, le tle le lemohe se molemo, le ho amoheleha, le phethahetseng, thato ya Modimo (Baroma 12:1-2)
By the nchafatso ya kelello ka Lentswe, the person’s mind shall also get to know the will of God.
Ka hoo, the mind of the person aligns with the will of God.
By walking after the Spirit according to the Word, motho o tla tlosa monnamoholo le aparang motho e motjha, 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.
Che, a spiritually mature son of God (banna le ba batšehali) shall never commit spiritual fornication with the world, but shall remain faithful to God and His Word, whatever it cost. Hobaneng? 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, joalo ka Jesu.
‘E be letsoai la lefatše’
