Understanding the levels of spiritual growth.

There is a need for us know the level of our spiritual maturity. Knowing that assignments are handed over to us based on our spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit knows your capacity in spiritual matters hence the handing over of certain spiritual assignments. This calls for us to improve from which ever level we are now to the next level of our spiritual life.
The bible recorded that a lot of heros of faith at one time or the other grew from one level spiritual life to a higher level.

But the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.
1 Samuel 2:26 AMP.

The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].
Luke 1:80 AMP.

And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.  And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2:40‭, ‬52 AMP.

As we can see from the above scriptures that Samuel, John the baptist and Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ all had a samultaneous growth of spiritual and physical starture, therefore we ought to pay attention not only to our physical growth but also and more importantly to our spiritual growth.

There are six known levels of spritual growth i have seen and we will take them one after the other.

1. The babyhood or the nurturing level.

  like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment],
1 Peter 2:2 AMP.

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,
1 Peter 2:2 NLT.
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
1 Corinthians 3:1‭-‬2 NLT.

At this level, believers are to be cared for, nurtured and pampered, they are to be feed with milk of word in the foundation class. This is the level to get it right in building up of the believer. Any error in this level will eventually show up in the character and the lifestyle of the believer. At this point no matter your age physically, you are still a baby that needs to be feed with the right spiritual nutrition to match your spiritual growth. Anything less than this will result to an imbalance of spiritual growth.

2. Childhood level.
Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.
Galatians 4:1‭-‬2 NLT.

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all;  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Galatians 4:1‭-‬2 KJV.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
1 Corinthians 14:20 KJV

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Ephesians 4:14‭-‬15 KJV.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Ephesians 4:14‭-‬15 NLT.

At this childhood level, believers are not allowed to take responsibilities in matters of the kingdom, just as parents do not allow the children to take over the family business until they get a proper traninng in the required field. As believers who are still in childhood level, you need to watch your teachers in the kingdom and follow their footsteps as they follow Christ. You need to ask those questions in your heart no matter how rediculious it may seem. At this point answers will be given to you that clear your doubt about this new kingdom you belong to.

3. Manhood level.

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Hebrews 5:12‭-‬14 NLT.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
1 Corinthians 13:11 NLT.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Ephesians 4:11‭-‬15 NLT.

At this level of spiritual growth, you are espected to start taking responsibility in the kingdom, assignments will be handed over to you and results are espected from you.if you actually grew from the previous levels, you will not have any issues in taking up positions of authority at this level. You will start influencing the younger generation of believers and you will start to speak the truth in love to others arround you.
Your reasoning capacities will change and you can engage any opposite person with word of God.

4. Friendship level.

And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
James 2:23 NLT.

O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?
2 Chronicles 20:7 NLT.

And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord , to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Genesis 18:17‭-‬19 KJV.

This is the level that you will be previllaged to have acess to informations that are classified. The Holy spirit haven seen your committment and dedication to your relationship with Him, He will then decides to arm you with informations that He has not given anybody. The truth is that at this level of frienship, you must earn His trust by your constant fellowship. You cannot wish it, you are work it out by making all the neccessary effort to make Him your friend just like Abraham did.

5. Servanthood level.

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.  He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.  The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.  But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.  The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.  I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,  why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.  To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.  Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.  I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.  For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:13‭-‬46 NLT.

“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning,  as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.  The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!  He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready. “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into.  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.  If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.  I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.  But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?  The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful. “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.  But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
Luke 12:35‭-‬48 NLT.

This is the level that your service is required, this where results are needed. Here you do not talk the talk, you are required to work the work. This is the level that no excuses is allowed, you are promoted by your results. This is also the level you will know if you are goat or a sheep as classified by Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

6. Sonship level.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galatians 4:6‭-‬7 KJV.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:10‭-‬12 KJV.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:14‭-‬19 KJV.

At this level of spiritual maturity, you are now a Son, your rights and previlages are in your finger tips. You are now a joint heir with Christ. Your inheritance knowledge is not be questioned which makes your word becomes power. Your dominion and authority over the kingdom darkness has been activated. Now you can decree a thing and it shall be established. In the kingdom of darkness when they mention the names of the people that are given troublems Yes Troublems(troubles and problems combined) your name will be in the roll call. Now you can successfully handle any spiritual case handed over to you.

Now that you have seen the dIfferent levels of spiritual Maturity and You can easily identify your level now and you can also judge for your self if there is any need to upgrade your spiritual life to the next one.
But you must also understand that there are prices to pay at any level you aspire to go to. These prices are constant which you cannot bypass if you actually wants to upgrade your spiritual life.
These prices includes:
1.The study of His word.
2. Payer and fasting.
3. Your ability to obey His instructions
4.Your physical service to humanity.

For those of us that feels that the prices to upgrade to the next level is hard, there is still an option to down grade but i bet you the price is even harder. The truth is that you need to make a choice weather to upgrade or to down grade because you cannot be at a spot. Our master said that people in that category are not allowed in His service. You are either hot or you are cold. So make your choice.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:15‭-‬16 KJV.

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
Revelation 3:15‭-‬16 NLT.

In conclusion, the ball is your court, the choice is yours and the responsibility is on you to decide if you want to grow up spiritually, stay at the level you are right now or even to down grade to a lower spiritual status.
God bless you as you make your choice today.
Have a wonderful supper Sunday.
#spiritual growth.
#upgrade.
#stay where you are.
#downgrade.
# Service to humanity.
# take responsibility.
# you can add your own.