Growing in faith is not a straight line, and it certainly does not end when you feel like you have "arrived." There is a stage of spiritual growth that looks less like comfort and more like responsibility. It is the stage of the spiritually mature believer, and it carries with it a calling to serve, give, and lead others toward Christ.
What Are the Stages of Spiritual Growth?
Think of spiritual growth like growing up in a family. Every believer starts out spiritually as an infant, needing a great deal of care, guidance, and support. From there, growth moves into a child-like stage where basic habits of faith begin to form. Then comes a young adult phase where serving others starts to outweigh receiving. Finally, there is the parent's chair: the place of spiritual maturity.
This is not a retirement seat. It is not a place of honor where you sit back and enjoy the fruit of your faith. It is a seat of service and responsibility. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:
"I'm not writing all of this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I'm writing as a Father to you, my children. I love you and I want you to grow up well, not spoiled." - 1 Corinthians 4:14 (MSG)
Are You a Spiritual Parent to Anyone?
Paul's words raise a challenging question. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone and seen them come to faith? If so, you have become a spiritual parent. And if you have not yet, the invitation is open.
The more intentional you are about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the more likely you are to see someone born into the kingdom of God. Spiritual parenthood begins with a willingness to reproduce your faith in someone else's life.
Paul modeled this directly. He told the Corinthians: "Be an imitator of me as I am an imitator of Christ." He was not asking them to do anything he was not already doing himself. That is the heart of spiritual maturity: living in a way that others can follow.
What Are the Marks of a Spiritually Mature Believer?
1. They Are Highly Relational and Intentional
Spiritually mature people think about relationships differently. When they meet someone, the first question on their heart is not about business or personal interest. It is: does this person know the Lord?
They are intentional about building relationships because they understand that discipleship happens in the context of real connection. They carry the gospel with them into neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and wherever life takes them. They are always looking for the open door to share what God has done.
2. They Are Generous People
Mature believers have a greater need to give than to receive. This is not natural. Children learn the words "give me" and "mine" very early. But spiritual growth moves a person away from that posture and toward open-handed generosity.
Paul pointed to the Macedonian church as an example. Despite being in poverty and facing great hardship, they gave beyond what anyone expected. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:2:
"They have been put to the test by much trouble, but they have much joy. They have given much, even though they were very poor."
Generosity is not about income level. It is about the condition of the heart. The greatest givers are often not the wealthiest people in the room. They are the ones who have learned that you simply cannot out-give God.
3. They Are Joyful People
Spiritual maturity produces a deep, settled joy that is not dependent on circumstances. This is different from happiness, which always has an outside influence. Joy is rooted in something far more permanent.
James 1:2-4 puts it plainly: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Trouble is not a sign that God is displeased with you. It is often the very path through which He grows you. Mature believers understand this and choose joy in the middle of difficulty.
What Produces This Kind of Joy?
- Your salvation. David prayed, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation." Knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God is a foundation for unshakeable joy.
- Singing and worship. Psalm 95:1 says, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord." Worship is not about the quality of your voice. It is about the posture of your heart.
- The Word of God. Jeremiah wrote, "Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart." When your mind is filled with the world's information and empty of Scripture, joy becomes elusive.
- Serving others. Paul told the Philippians, "You are my joy and crown." The people he poured into became his greatest source of joy. Serving others is not a burden for the mature believer. It is a reward.
4. They Trust in the Sovereignty of God
Mature believers hold onto Romans 8:28 not as a cliché but as a lived conviction: "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
This does not mean life is easy. It means that even in the hardest seasons, God is working. Looking back on difficult chapters, the spiritually mature can say with confidence: that was the best thing that ever happened to me. They trust that no weapon formed against them will prosper, and that God is always walking with them.
5. They Are People of Prayer
Mature believers move the kingdom forward through prayer. They pray consistently, not just in crisis moments. First Thessalonians calls believers to pray at all times, and that is exactly what the spiritually mature do.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He brought His closest disciples to pray with Him in Gethsemane. He said, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me." When He returned, He found them sleeping and asked, "You mean you couldn't keep watch with me for one hour?"
The lesson is clear. The commitments made in a moment of spiritual clarity will fade without a consistent prayer life to sustain them. Daily prayer is what keeps the spiritually mature grounded and growing.
6. They Are Filled with the Holy Spirit
Perhaps the most essential mark of spiritual maturity is a complete dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit. Mature believers are convinced that they cannot do what God is calling them to do in their own strength.
In Acts 1, Jesus told His disciples not to go anywhere yet. He said to wait. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8
They prayed for ten days. Then the Spirit came. One man preached for ten minutes and three thousand people were saved. That is what happens when believers stop relying on their own ability and start depending on God's power.
Paul's instruction in Ephesians is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and the reason He phrases it that way is because we leak. We get angry, we drift, we sin. The spiritually mature return again and again to ask God to fill them afresh.
Life Application
Spiritual maturity is not a destination. It is a daily choice to serve, give, pray, and depend on God rather than yourself. This week, take one concrete step toward living from the parent's chair.
Pick one person in your life and be intentional about sharing your faith with them. Pray for your neighbors by name. Give generously in a way that stretches you. Open your Bible and let the Word feed your soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you each morning before the day begins.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect on where you are in your spiritual journey:
- Am I a spiritual parent to anyone? If not, am I actively sharing my faith with the people around me?
- Is my generosity a reflection of trust in God, or am I still holding tightly to what I have?
- Where is my joy coming from? Is it rooted in my circumstances or in something eternal?
- Am I praying consistently, or only when things get hard?
- Am I trying to live the Christian life in my own strength, or am I daily asking the Holy Spirit to fill and lead me?
The parent's chair is not the easy chair. But it is the most important one at the table. And God is calling you to sit in it.
