Indicators of Christian Maturity
Developing Critical Christian Skills
One who calls himself a Christian, but who does not wish to grow to be more like Jesus should seriously examine himself to see whether he is really in the true faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Just because one has responded to an invitation after a great message; just because one has wept at an altar; just because one has joined a church or been baptized does not mean one is a true Christian. A living baby does not remain a baby forever. It grows!
As Christians mature in the Lord Jesus Christ, they learn and grow and attain (by God’s grace) certain Christian skills. These skills are wrought in us by the Grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, He accomplishes these things by enabling us to exercise self-discipline (a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit). The following list of Skills of Christian Maturity are not listed in order of importance. Neither is the list complete. My prayer is that it will be a starting place for Christians who have a serious desire to grow in the Lord.
Consider the list prayerfully. Ask God, “Lord, is this an area where You would wish me to experience growth at this time in my life?” And listen to Him!
You may wish to evaluate your current skill level (maybe “1 to 5” with “5” being a strong “yes”) , then evaluate when God might want you to start working on that skill (maybe “1 to 5”—“5” being a strong “now”) . Remember—growth is a process. It cannot be done all at once! But far too many professing Christians are not giving evidence of any growth at all! Listen to God!
Mature Christians must be trained, ready, willing, and able to obey God in the implementation of these skills as God leads.
Steve and Vickie Hall
February, 2007
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Work on this now? |
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Bible Study |
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Find what other Bible passages say about a particular topic or verse |
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Find whether a statement is in the Bible, and if so, where it is found |
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Find all the verses where the same Greek or Hebrew words are found in the Bible |
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Find what other Bible students have to say about this passage |
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Discover my understanding of a verse by personal paraphrasing |
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Identify and memorize passages of Scripture |
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Know how to find more information about Biblical places and people |
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Know how to do Greek and Hebrew word studies on Bible words |
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Understand the basic principles for correct Biblical interpretation |
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Recognize and point out when others use Bible verses out of context |
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Recognize and point out when others twist the meaning of Bible verses |
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Manage my time effectively in order to make time for effective Bible study |
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Bible Knowledge |
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Have an understanding of the general flow of Bible history |
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Name the books of the Bible from memory |
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Identify the major sections of the Bible |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about sin and salvation |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about the Bible itself |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about the end times and the return of Christ |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about baptism and the Lord’s supper |
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Understand and communicate basic Bible doctrine about Satan and his demons |
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Prayer |
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Know how to recognize God’s voice and listen to Him |
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Learn the Biblical principles for effective prayer |
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Practice the virtue of waiting on God |
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Pray effectively for others (intercession) |
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Know how to find God’s will and live and pray according to it |
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Discern how and when to pray aloud for others in their presence--and do it |
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Pray Scripture back to God |
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Manage my time effectively in order to make time for an effective prayer life |
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Praise |
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List attributes of God from memory |
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Sing songs of praise to God from memory |
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Discern between songs of praise and songs with other Christians themes |
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Discern the difference between praising God and enjoying good Christian entertainment |
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Praise God no matter how I’m feeling emotionally |
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Learn to read music in order to be able to sing new songs of praise |
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Find and read passages of praise as an act of worship to God |
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Become comfortable with expressing praise through my body language (kneeling; lying prone; uplifted hands; clapping hands; dancing before God) |
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Become comfortable praising God with uplifted voice |
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Manage my time to make time for effective personal worship and praise |
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Spiritual Gifts |
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Understand the overall teaching of the Bible about Spiritual Gifts |
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Understand the basic motivational spiritual gift God has given me |
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Understand the correct uses of my spiritual gift |
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Exercise my spiritual gift to bless the church and glorify God |
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Realize the potential misuses of my spiritual gift |
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Know how to appreciate and learn from others with different spiritual gifts |
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Practice ministry gifts as God opens doors. Stay alert for new opportunities. |
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Expect God to give manifestation gifts according to His perfect will and timing |
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Family Relationships |
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Understand basic Biblical principles for being a Godly spouse, child, or parent |
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Identify and memorize the specific felt needs of my spouse, children, or parents |
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Distinguish between my own felt needs and my family’s felt needs |
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Avoid the trap of misdiagnosing the needs of others |
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Study Christian writers who have written material for practical applications of love for my family |
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Practice both saying “I love you” and demonstrating love. |
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Practice Biblical love for family members even when that love is not reciprocated |
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Listen to family members in order to identify my own blind spots |
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Learn Biblical principles of authority and submission and how to extend these principles to relationships with authorities in church, school, work, and government. |
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Relationships with Other Christians |
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Use Scripture to encourage other believers |
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Lovingly confront other believers whom we have discovered to be in sin |
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Recognize the danger that sin in a professing believer has on weakening the body of Christ and seek to deal with it in a Biblical manner |
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Lovingly apply the Biblical principles of church discipline in the body of Christ |
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Give wise counsel to those seeking it |
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Draw out wise counsel from other Christians |
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Be sensitive to the emotional, spiritual, and material needs of others |
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Focus on how I can meet the needs of others, instead of how they can meet my needs |
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Recognize the importance of fellowship, Bible study, and worship with other believers |
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Use my spiritual gift to bless other Christians |
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Stand boldly on convictions even when others do not understand |
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Tithe to support God’s church and ministry to others through the church |
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Conquering Sin Problems |
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Identify the sins that are most likely to cause me to stumble |
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Memorize Bible verses that will give me victory over temptations in these areas |
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Recognize situations that may trigger temptations and learn to avoid them |
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Reject my tendencies to rationalize, excuse, or explain away the sin problem |
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Refuse to accept defeat, no matter how many times I have fallen |
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Ask for a significant person in my life (spouse, parent, best friend) to hold me accountable and ask me probing questions |
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Realize the horrible destructiveness of sin and the danger of minimizing it |
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Learn how to let my sources of irritation help me to recognize my own selfishness |
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Take it seriously when a family member or church member tries to help me recognize a personal sin problem that I may be minimizing |
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Relating to Culture and Society |
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Take a strong and assertive public stand for Christian values |
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Identify the Biblical position of candidates running for public office |
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Be courageous in the face of criticism and intimidation |
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Learn names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers of elected officials who represent me |
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Communicate effectively with elected officials |
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Thank them when they stand for Biblical principles |
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Stay informed of current issues that require a Christian response |
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Learn new ways to be effective “salt” and “light” in the confused and sinful world all around us |
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Identify ways the world is encroaching on and influencing the church |
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Warn other believers of the dangers of conforming to the world |
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Recognize secular humanist propaganda that comes through television, movies, music, schools, news media, etc. |
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Spiritual Warfare |
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Know all the weapons given in Scripture for spiritual warfare |
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Put on the whole armor of God—effectively and regularly |
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Regularly make use of the weapons God has provided for defense against the enemy as well as to attack the enemy |
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Personal Evangelism |
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Share effectively what the Bible has to say about sin and repentance |
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Share effectively what the Bible has to say about grace, faith, and eternal life |
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Share effectively what the Bible has to say about the nature of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ |
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Share effectively what the Bible has to say about commitment and Lordship, in contrast to emotional experiences |
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Know how to share the entire Gospel in a meaningful and effective manner |
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Know how to use illustrations to clarify various parts of the Gospel |
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Know how to be alert and recognize opportunities to share the gospel with people God brings into my life |
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Steer conversations to spiritual things and to a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ |
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Missions |
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Learn what the church has done and is doing throughout the world to carry out the Great Commission |
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Get a burden from God for a particular area of missions for personal involvement |
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Support specific missions through prayer and giving |
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Be open to leadership from God for other involvement in missions, including serving as a missionary |
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Basic Christian Apologetics |
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Be ready and able to answer common questions asked by sincere skeptics |
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Be ready and able to share basic evidences that point to God as Creator and that expose evolutionism |
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Be ready and able to share basic evidences that point to the trustworthiness of God’s Word (e.g., archaeology, fulfilled prophecy, ancient manuscript evidence) |
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Know how to present the powerful evidence God has left us to convince honest skeptics that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. |
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Fiery Trials |
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Learn why God allows us to undergo trials, testings, adversity, affliction, and persecution |
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Respond to fiery trials according to Biblical commands and promises |
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Be prepared in advance to face trials from God’s perspective |
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Give Biblical answers to others who ask, “Why is this happening to me?” |
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