A few weeks ago, my little family went to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, ID. I love theme parks and thrill rides of all shapes and sizes. As my boys age, they anticipate going and enjoying the rollercoasters and atmosphere. There is one problem… height. My children, although genetically similar, are not made the same. Theo can go on more rides than his brothers; in fact, Theo has been able to go on even the most extreme rides since he was four. Most thrill rides operate on a height-based system. Cooper laments that he is five and older than he used to be. However, that is not the measure of going on the ride. You must be 48 inches tall, and there is no way around it. And so every time we approached another ride, Cooper would stand next to the measurement sign, hoping he would be tall enough this time. On the last ride of the day, Theo was tall enough, Cooper was tall enough, but Milo was one inch too short… and his little heart broke… he didn’t measure up.
Similarly, maturity has nothing to do with age. We have all met those individuals whose maturity never surpassed their shoe size. I have met teenagers who are mature and responsible, and I have met 50-year-olds who have not grown up yet. Spiritually, some people have gone to church their whole life but are still infants in their understanding. Simultaneously, there are new Christians who are wise in their actions and insight.
I’ll never forget it; I was trying to find someone to lead an opening prayer. When I approached a spry 83-year-old, he responded, “I’ve led enough prayers in my life, it’s someone else’s turn.” Flustered, I went to find someone else to say a blessing for an evening gathering. The following person was a 68-year-old Bible class teacher. Certainly, he wouldn’t say “no,” but that is precisely what he did, telling me, “I already teach, give someone else the opportunity to serve.” So, I ended up leading the prayer.
You could call it selfishness, bitterness, or shortsightedness, but I call it immaturity. It is not seeing the whole picture. It is scrutinizing the world through a lens focused on yourself. There are a lot of people who view church through a “Me First” lens. They wonder what they get from a sermon, service, or relationship. Their reluctance stems from feeling abused in their responsibility. They are concerned with everyone pulling their own weight. We must admit this is a very anti-Christian way to think… they are immature.
Ephesians 4:13-15 NLT: “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. 14 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. 15 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.”
As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he states that the goal is for everyone to attain unity and become mature in the Lord. He further emphasizes that this measures up to the standard of Christ. Some will interpret this as an impossible goal, but Jesus informed his followers that we would all have to pick up our crosses and follow him. He is and has always been the measure of Christian maturity- he is the author and perfector of our faith- so we must become like him.
Jesus would never put himself above the body; Paul states as much when he writes, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:29-30 ESV). Yet, these individuals that I mentioned earlier did that very thing. They rejected an opportunity to build up and encourage others through prayer, petitioning God on behalf of the saints gathered. However, if you want to frame the practice of congregational prayer, they choose to place their personal opinions above those of the body.
Can you imagine Christ thinking that he had served enough and fulfilled his capacity without completely emptying himself? This is the measure we should aim towards; perhaps we might not feel like it, wish that someone else would stand in our place, or even bemoan that we feel overused and overworked. The reality is that we should desire to nourish and cherish the body of Christ so that we may continue to grow to our fullest potential.
Maturity is not measured by how long you have been a Christian; it is displayed by how much you are willing to be Christ-like. How much are you willing to give of yourself so that you may serve others? We shouldn’t serve so that we gain recognition. We should turn down the opportunity to encourage the body. Our goal is to ensure that each person matures and grows, including ourselves. If we are building each other up into the completeness of Christ, then we know that we will Measure Up.