TRACKING MATURITY IN TRANSITION PART 3

BY ISAIAH-PHILLIPS AKINTOLA

 

 2 Timothy 3:5

 Having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Have nothing to do with such people.

PRESUMING SPIRITUAL MATURITY

To presume, and generalize knowledge, and the progressive experience in spiritual subjects is to make one of the greatest errors in the art of spiritual journey. Spiritual things from biblical perspective are often not related to formulas. Secondly, when it comes to the issue of Spiritual maturity, you begin to talk about the reality of kingdom principle and Christ lifestyle which is alien to what many have come to believe and accept as Christianity today.

Most of the teachings and traditions being practiced in our Christian gathering and denominations are clear extension of the refined Roman-catholic spirit and Judaism, traditional practice. These two school of thoughts are the most influential customs that influences what is today known and called the Christian religion, and of course, they are not consistent with what Christ established as his ecclesia.  You must have noticed that these two-main influence, with many others carries a form of godliness but denies the power of true biblical value relationship.

 

A FORMULA OF RELATIONSHIP, WHICH ONE SHALL IT BE?

A formula by design, will always give a predicted result as long as your calculation is defined and precise in relating to your expected end result. However, in spiritual dealings and realities, you can accurately get all the formulas right and still not arrive at your predictive, expected result. Why? The father never intend to relate with his body of earth from a mentality or perspective of some formulas or laws.

Yes, in our early days of salvation experience, we might assume that the Father can be related to from a position of certain formulas. Example, I could still remember when I was growing in the Lord, often times when I pray regarding certain issues of need, I will usually get my prayer answered almost exactly the way I have requested it. I had somewhat mastered the formula of my approach to God in terms of what I desire him to do in my life, and to some level, it seems the father was playing along in relating to me in terms of those limited, somewhat religious mind frame I was using to approach him.

I was innocent, naïve, or even ignorant regarding the ways of the kingdom. In fact, back then, am not sure if I do understand what salvation truly mean and how to experience spiritual life within my new relationship with the Father. All I did was an extension of what I see many do around. I didn’t understand that there’s anything like spiritual development, or the right protocol value of approaching the things of the kingdom.

All I understood was the language of the word of faith; confess it and claim it, and then, a lot of hypes in my praise and prayers; and of course, a passionate sense of worship without necessarily understanding what i was doing as long as there’s result. I was result oriented and not principle and value focus like many back then.

If I can just pray the more and worship with more passion, God will answer my prayers. As you can see, my motive of doing those things was already predicated on what God can do for me, rather than, doing those things because I am a son, called and chosen to give glory to my father who has already given all things to me.

 

RITUAL OR SPIRITUALITY?

 The unfortunate thing however was, these powerful spiritual principles of approach back then were taught from a perspective of what I can gain, or get in return for my own personal benefit. Basically, this concept, or idea of spirituality is a user-friendly philosophy of spirituality’. Everything is passionately pursuit as long as it is going to personally bring me blessing, increase, promotion, and prosperity regardless of the alternative father may have in store for me.

As you can see, the principles were right, but the motives were completely wrong. Unfortunately, this is still how many are approaching the things of God which is formula based. This is an approach of a slavery, orphan spirit many are still expressing in their spiritual quest.  The father does not desire to deal with any of his children from this fallen, humanist, religious value. Formula is a deep reflection of the ministry of the law still operating in our lives.

We are called to journey in the redeemed nature of our spirit in true relationship; a relationship that is born out of trust, faith, and complete obedience to the ways and life of the kingdom of God.  The term relationship is one of the most abused and misunderstood words today both in the body of Christ and generally in society. And this is a deliberate, strategic plan from the kingdom of darkness to corrupt, dilute, and desensitize the power and value the word, like many others within the hearts of men.

 

 

 WHEN SPIRITUALITY MEANS SOMETHING ELSE

There’s no strategy as powerful as reducing or nullifying the meaning of something in the public domain until such a thing means something else from its original meaning of intent. This is one subtle way the enemy has tried desensitizing our spiritual sight and values, especially in this contemporary age. The battle to reduce the meaning of words, and discredit the power of God’s values and philosophy is an ever-increasing warfare in our time.

We live in a day where truth is viewed as relative philosophy. in order words, there’s, truth is no longer absolute. With such false frame of thought, anyone can give their own interpret to what they think is correct with regards to moral values or even biblical principles.  People now have the audacity to challenge the truth and value behind every word spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Keeping the true meaning and intention of words in its original, intended, context has become a critical to objective in maintaining the very essence and value of kingdom truth.

The purpose and value of truth is reduced if the words used in conveying such truth is not clear or understood to be saying what it is intended for. Therefore, if I say I love you, and you don’t understand the original meaning and purpose of the word love, you will certainly borrow the general meaning and value system society uses to measure the value of what I am saying to you. This is a very serious matter that needs those in the apostolic ministry to clarify, at list this is one of the core objectives of those in the office of authentic apostolic governmental ministry.  Words are no more words if they’ve lost their very essence, values, and core objectives.

RELATIONSHIP, A JOURNEY TO SPIRITUALITY

Therefore, to say that relationship is the very essence of our spiritual development is a serious statement when we capture the true essence of the word term relationship from divine meaning and perspective. Relationship is the single tread that ties the mystery of the Godhead together in that order of perfect unity that makes them one in three. My point is, there’s more to understand in the very nature and life of God in relating to relationship than we can understand with our unregenerated frame of thought.

The idea of formulating, rituals, and laws is easily understood from the carnal, humanist frame of thinking, but God does not live in such a realm. Even when he gave us the law, a type of formula, was for the objective of schooling us to understand certain fundamental principles required to build the necessary character values having been in living in a slavery, abusive lifestyle for a long season. It’s more challenging to manage freedom if one has been in bondage for as long as one can remember.

You need to set certain guidelines and rules in place in order to protect those coming into this freedom. Freedom can soon have turned to self-bondage when the right values and understanding of lifestyle has not been inculcated. This is what the Lord did when he gave the children of Israel the commandment of approaching him and relating to one another in the camp.

The moment we move into the art of living according to his eternal design, the good, elementary principle of formula and laws no longer suffices or applies to us because we’ve transited into the lifestyle of covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ, for this is the heart of our calling in kingdom order of relationship.

UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUALITY

Back to the point I was trying to make about the idea of maturity. I have highlighted all this explanation just to make this important point that I hope you’ll now be able to appreciate. You cannot presume or jump into conclusion when it comes to spiritual development and maturity. Therefore, to assume the fact that you stand shoulder to shoulder with your teacher at school, or boss at the workplace suddenly makes you equal with them. Or better still, to assume the fact that you have the same matured body features and figures with your parents suddenly makes you equally matured as your mother or father is indirectly placing a curse on your own head according to the word of God.

Maturity, in particular, spiritual maturity, is not merely defined by a person’s Age; if your definition of maturity, or the respect of individuals is merely limited to their age gap, or material acquisition and influence in society, then you’ve certainly proven that you lack the knowledge of basic life principles and the core values that drives human existence.

 I see this sense of disrespect within the body of Christ in the name of spirituality, especially on social media. If you have ‘knowledge’, such knowledge, regardless of how potent must function within an atmosphere of humility, honor, wisdom and respect. If your knowledge or quest for knowledge exhibit pride and arrogance, you have nullified the law that makes truth work within your life, and therefore, you will be rejected from accessing divine things.

The template that gives you the code to access spiritual revelation is a template of humility to those who are given the mission of spiritual apostolic stewardship. Because many have not been taught that spiritual things operate through the ministry of what could be liken to the ministry of certain folks within kingdom called gatekeepers, they assume they can just walk into the presence of the father to ask for anything in terms of spiritual revelation.

THE PROTOCOL OF BIBLICAL SPIRITUALITY

Spiritual things work through divine protocol and these protocols works through certain underpinning value systems that interfaces between heaven and earth. If you lack the knowledge of the ways of the Spirit, you will be denied access to the ascended life of God, or the things of his kingdom, especially in a position or atmosphere where there’s a corporate gathering of the Saints.

There are people within the body of Christ who are designed over regions to be portals of revelatory access. These elders at spiritual gates of nations, cities and communities regulates and carefully administrate the apostolic construction, or prophetic engagements that generally flows into regions and atmospheres according to heaven’s divine season. This is the idea behind the church and the angel position within the seven nations in Asia minor according to the book of Revelation. Those churches are planted to regulate the spiritual, socioeconomic, and political destiny of their cities for Christ. They are the original governing leaders of their communities.