I love talking to the people of the LORD. I had a great conversation before prayer last Tuesday about Christian maturity with a lovely woman of God. We talked about salvation, the Holy Spirit, about sanctification, and what constitutes Christian maturity.
Epaphras was a fellow worker of Paul. While Paul was imprisoned in Roman, Epaphras ministered to the church at Colossae in his stead. Then he brought a report of the health of the church to Paul in Rome. Paul was so cheered in his heart by what he heard that he wrote the wonderful epistle to the Colossians, which Epaphras took back with him to his flock.
Perhaps what Epaphras should be most noted for is his prayer life. Paul writes of him, “He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills. For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea and for those in Hierapolis.” [Col 4:12-14 Christian Standard Bible]
It was the desire of Epaphras, and of course Paul, that those they ministered to would stand firm in all the will of God, mature and full assured. That brings me back to the question of what constitutes Christian maturity. The word Paul used is teleios (tel’-i-os). It is sometimes translated as “perfect” and means to be complete in labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.
Maturity comes when we can stand firm in the will of God, no matter what His will brings into our lives. It means we are fully assured of the goodness of God even when beset with trials and surrounded by evil. It is so much more than merely years spent since our conversion – we can be saved for decades and still not be mature. Maturity requires determined cooperation with the Spirit of God in our lives to become more like Jesus every day.
Father, that is my prayer – that all reading this today will attain to fullness of Christ-like maturity in their lives. Amen.
