Breaking Free from Spiritual Immaturity and Division

Listen, I need to have a real conversation with you today about spiritual maturity. Paul had the same conversation with the Corinthian church, and honestly, some of us need to hear it just as badly as they did.

The Reality Check: Are You Still a Spiritual Baby?

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, Paul says something that might sting a little: "However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but only as worldly people dominated by human nature, mere infants in the new life in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food."

Did he just call them babies? Yes, he did. And here's why, some of us have been in church for years, but we're still operating on spiritual Similac when we should be eating solid food.

You know the type. Sunday morning you're saying "Glory to God!" but Monday morning you're cussing somebody out. That's what Paul means by spiritual immaturity. If Christ has truly taken hold of you, the things you used to do, you just can't do anymore.

Three Enemies of Spiritual Growth

Paul identifies three specific things that stunt our spiritual development: jealousy, strife, and discord. Let me break these down for you.

Jealousy: The Growth Killer

Jealousy basically means "I want what you have," not understanding that every good gift comes from above. Here's the truth, if God did it for them, God can do it for you. But jealousy disqualifies you from what you want.

When you hate on others, you're actually taking yourself out of line for what they have. Instead, celebrate them. Say "God bless you!" Because you're next in line.

Strife: Watch Your Mouth

Strife comes through your mouth, words of contention. The Bible says wherever there's strife, there's pride. So you've got to watch your mouth. That bunky spirit, that raggedy attitude, we're not going there anymore.

Discord: Sowing Division

Discord is where you sow division in the body of Christ. We've got to be careful about creating division through jealousy, strife, and discord. You've got to deal with it.

The Fruit of His Presence: What Should Be Growing?

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what should be coming out of us if the Holy Spirit is really in us. The result of His presence within us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If other things are coming out of you besides these fruits, I've got a question: Is Jesus really in there? Because what's in you is going to come out of you.

Patience: How You Act While You Wait

Patience isn't the ability to wait, it's how you act while you're waiting. When you pull up to Popeyes and they say they don't have chicken, what's your reaction? "What you mean you ain't got no chicken? All you've got to do is fry chicken!"

I've never heard Chick-fil-A say they ran out of chicken. You've got one job, make sure we have chicken!

You're laughing because you know it's true. But that's exactly what Paul is talking about. Your reaction reveals your spiritual maturity level.

Five Ways to Measure Your Spiritual Heart Condition

Just like doctors use an EKG to measure your physical heart, you need to do a spiritual EKG. Here are five questions to check your heart condition:

1. Do You Love God?

This love should be reflected in how your time is distributed. Who you love, you spend time with. Matthew 22 says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. So the real question is: where's your time going?

2. What's Your Sensitivity to Sin?

Let me get personal for a minute. Back in 1998, that was a "long, long, long" time ago. I had just gotten a brand new Lincoln Navigator on 20s with chrome rims. I was on a historically Black campus with a ratio of 12 women to 1 man. I was rolling on campus, windows down, listening to Mystikal, not hitting the gas pedal, just coasting.

I had no sensitivity to sin. I used to feel clean, but I was dirty.

Then I had an encounter with Jesus, and everything changed. Now I can't do what I used to do. When people cuss, it scratches me. My taste buds changed, my eyes changed, my heart changed. That's when you know you're growing, when your sensitivity to sin increases.

3. How Quickly Do You Forgive?

You forgive quickly when you know your real mess. People ask, "Why do you give so much grace at Love First?" Because if you knew my whole resume, if you knew how many times I messed up, how am I going to be hard on you when God was gracious to me?

To live again, you must forgive again. To grow, you have to let them go. Some of you are holding onto some raggedy people who left a long time ago. They're living their best life, and you're still stuck because you haven't let them go.

4. How Quickly Do You Obey?

When God tells you to do something, how long does it take for you to move? I was praying and fasting once and asked, "Lord, is there anything you want me to do right now?"

He said, "Go to this man's house and give him a check for $5,000."

I said, "Devil, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!"

But I went. Turns out, he was preparing for a funeral and didn't have the money.

If you're asking God for a breakthrough, do you want God to be slow with you or quick? How you respond to Him is how He responds to you. You reap what you sow.

5. How Humble Are You?

The humble shall inherit the earth. You may not know that you need a heart transplant. You might have some clogged valves. You might need a stent. That's when you need to measure your heart condition, are you humble?

No Superstars, Just Servants

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7: "What then is Apollos and what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed in Christ...I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

One person sows seed, another waters. But here's what God told me: I created the soil, I created the seed, and I created the water. You created nothing. You're just instruments moving things around. I'm the one that makes everything grow.

This is a great word for Love First, it's not about me. God is blowing on this. I don't cause growth. It's Him. So don't elevate me so high. I'm not the king. I'm a servant of the King.

Though I'm on stage, it doesn't make me better than you. We're all servants to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. When I get to heaven, there's no preacher position because Jesus, the best preacher, is already there. I'm going to be unemployed when I get there, so I better know how to use my hands and serve the King.

The Challenge: Stop Elevating People

We make the mistake of elevating men and women, and when they disappoint us, we get mad at God. But God never told you to elevate them.

We love the vertical relationship, "It's me and Jesus", but what about the horizontal? Where you've got to stretch yourself for your brother or sister? That's where your faith walk really is.

I know you love God, but do you love people? How can you love God and hate people? That means you're double-minded and unstable in all your ways because you can't have it both ways.

Matthew 22 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."

Accountability: We Will All Give an Account

Second Corinthians 5:10 says, "We believers will be called to account and must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may be repaid for what he has done in the body...each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives, the use or misuse of opportunities."

We will all be held accountable for how we handled our time. It's not about money, it's about time. You can always get more money, but you can't get more time.

A Word for Single Believers

If you're single, listen up. First Corinthians 7:32-34 says, "An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided."

If you're a single man and not serving God, what are you doing with your time? If you're not serving God, I know what you're serving.

Single woman, single man, if you spend your time searching for a relationship instead of serving Him, you're going to find what you don't want. When you serve Him, it comes to you. When you go to it, you're going to find pain.

I'm saying this for your benefit, not to restrict you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best without distraction.

Your eyes don't work anyway. Let's be honest. Most people you pick turn out to be problematic because you picked with your eyes instead of seeking God first.

Your Work Will Be Tested by Fire

First Corinthians 3:12-15 warns us: "If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will be clearly shown for what it is, for that day of judgment will disclose it, because it's to be revealed by fire."

A goldsmith puts gold into the refiner's fire. They say you know the gold is finished when you can pull it out and the refiner sees his reflection in it.

Could it be that God is keeping you in the fire because He doesn't see Himself in you yet? Until God sees Himself in you, He's going to keep you in that fire.

When God looks at you, can He see anything like Him in you?

You Don't Have to Preach to Get a Reward

Here's something powerful: I was a decent athlete in college. I was MVP in track and football for a couple of years. Some of those years we didn't win the championship, but I got MVP.

Some of us are focusing on being an MVP instead of being a champion. The goal of a champion is the team.

On championship teams like the Lakers or Patriots, when they win, the janitor gets a ring. The water boy gets a ring. Everyone who played their role gets a ring.

Everyone who plays their role will have a ring. They will say to you, "You're a champion."

Matthew 10:42 says, "Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, truly I say he will not lose his reward."

Since you weren't on stage preaching, you gave water instead. Now you get a ring as if you preached with me. Every soul, every life transformed, you get credit when you're in the game.

[INSERT IMAGE: Team celebrating championship victory together] Alt Text: Team celebrating together showing unity and shared victory in ministry

I Need You to Survive

There's an old Hezekiah Walker song that says it perfectly:

"I need you, you need me
We're all a part of God's body
Stand with me, agree with me
We're all a part of God's body
It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me
I need you to survive"

You don't understand how encouraging somebody can change their day. You don't understand how hugging somebody can shift their entire perspective.

Somebody right now is on the verge of giving up, and this word, you saying "Brother, you're important to me. I appreciate you. I love you", that could save their life.

People are losing their minds, and you don't realize how important all of us are. We need each other. We can't do it without each other.

Revelation 12:11 says we are made overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Your story matters. Your encouragement matters. Your service matters.

Time to Release and Forgive

I challenge you right now. There are broken relationships where you've been hurt, and you're waiting for someone to apologize to you.

Today, I want you to release them. Say, "Father, I give them to You. I'm no longer going to hold onto this hurt. I'm no longer going to hold onto this pain."

Don't hold them responsible to apologize to you. You're healed. You're no longer a hostage to your past. You've let it go. You've given it to God.

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