Ideally, you start at level 1 and move on through the other levels. All of us are called to continually strengthen and build all five levels. We seek to have all of our ministries of the church address one, or maybe two, of the levels. The journey will not be complete this side of heaven!
You're being invited to take the journey of a lifetime! In fact, it’s intended to be a journey that will occupy the rest of your life. The invitation comes from the One who made you, who knew before the creation of the universe that you’d be living your earthly life here and now on planet Earth. It's the journey of becoming all you were meant to be!
Because God is spirit, it’s essentially a spiritual journey. This journey toward spiritual maturity isn’t complicated. It's not easy, but it's not very difficult to plot out. We're going to describe this journey as a road made of five layers. Most good roads have several layers; you've seen those layers as you drive along the interstate, watching another lane being built or re-built. Let's look at those five layers.
ACCEPTANCE — God meets us where we are, loving us in spite of ourselves. He shows us His grace and mercy, being willing to forgive our sins. All we have to do is accept His willingness to accept us! He comes to meet us! MEETING CHRIST is the first step in our journey toward spiritual maturity.
CALLING — We each have a calling in life: to follow Christ and His will for our lives. He wants us to give Him leadership of our lives. We’re meant to live for Him! FOLLOWING CHRIST is the second step in our journey toward spiritual maturity.
DISCOVERY — We must be willing to take directions while we’re on God's journey for us. We’re supposed to be teachable! We must make a commitment to learn about God and His ways and to read His Word: the Bible. LEARNING FROM CHRIST is the third step in our journey toward spiritual maturity.
TRANSFORMATION — We can't stay where we are if we want to be on the journey that God has planned for us. We must be willing to change, to move on, to become more who He wants us to be! Christ invites us to draw near Him, becoming more and more like Him. BECOMING LIKE CHRIST is the fourth step in our journey toward spiritual maturity.
INFLUENCE — We’re meant to live for Christ, carrying out His purposes for us. We’re called to influence the world around us the way He would if He were personally present. He seeks to work through us! SERVING WITH CHRIST is the fifth step in our journey toward spiritual maturity.
Let's begin the journey!
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84:5)
