10 “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own? Luke 16:10-13
Yesterday I wrote about the teenage years and how there is a parallel to a person’s spiritual maturity.
As a part of that blog I wrote, “How do you know you are a spiritual teenager?" Today, I want to answer a second key question. "How long does the Spiritual Teenager season last?"
Answering this question can be confusing because my answer is kind of fuzzy. You become a real life teenager when you turn 13. I don’t care how mature you are as a 12 year old…you’re not a teenager. The same is true when you turn 20. You’re no longer a teenager. Ready or not, you’re now an adult.
However, there is no “age” in your spiritual maturity that signals that you’re now a Spiritual Teenager. You become a spiritual teen when you begin to spiritually feed yourself. Then, as a self-feeder, God begins to give you responsibilities to see if you can be trusted. It is in this season of maturity that God begins to give you responsibilities and this will continue for the rest of your life.
So, in this season of maturity, God gives you responsibility. Yet, God in no way intends on your remaining a Spiritual Teenager.
Why? Because, very few people want to follow a Spiritual Teenager.
Think back on a real-life teenager. A lot of their sentences include their favorite words: “I”, “me” and “ my."
The same is true in this season of spiritual maturity.
A key reason for so much consumer Christianity is due to the fact that there are so many Christians who never mature beyond this point.
A lot of Christians use the words “I”, “me” and “my” as they make key spiritual decisions. This doesn’t totally frustrate me because everyone goes through this season of life. What does frustrate me is when people realize this, yet choose not to grow up.
So, how long you remain a Spiritual Teenager depends on you. The Spiritual Teenage season ends when you become a Spiritual Adult.
Let me describe what a Spiritual Adult looks like. A Spiritual Adult, like a Spiritual Teen, is a self-feeder and is given responsibilities to show God they can be trusted. AND…They understand that life, church, and ministry aren't all about them and their preferences. A Spiritual Adult falls in love with a vision, mission, and values of a ministry and not a style of music or preaching. A Spiritual Adult partners with the ministry he is a part of. He no longer sits and evaluates but chooses to take ownership for his church family. In short, the Spiritual Adult sees beyond himself and sees the church as one body with many parts…Realizing that he is a specific part within the whole.
Tomorrow, I’m going to share how you can move through this season quickly.
Blessings,
Pastor Matt