Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

I and many others have always been amused by this verse, because it states that once they got Saul out of town, everything got much better. We think of him as Paul, the Greek name he used after he started on his missionary journeys, and he indeed ended up writing half the New Testament, but at this point he definitely lacked spiritual maturity. He certainly had youthful vigor, which he had displayed before his encounter with the risen Lord by persecuting the Church, and as soon as he recovered from his blindness and weakness after that encounter he turned around 180 degrees and started preaching that Jesus was the Son of God. (verse 20) However, he was obviously confrontational and argumentative, just as he had been as a persecutor, and people couldn’t hear what he was saying because of how he said it. He hadn’t yet learned how to speak the truth in love, as he later wrote the Ephesians, (Ephesians 4:15) and was effectively a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,” as he wrote the Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 13:1) I’m reminded of the term, sophomore, which means literally, “wise fool.” It implies having knowledge without the maturity to apply it correctly. We all go through that, sometimes for brief periods and sometimes for much longer. We all need to strive for spiritual maturity, as Paul was writing in the Ephesians passage just quoted. Any parent loves their children even when they are infants, but they desire that they grow emotionally and mentally as well as physically, and if the parents know Christ they want their children to grow spiritually as well. None of us grow at equal speeds in all areas, and sometimes we injure people by demanding that they display the same growth in one area as they have in another. We need to be patient, as God is with us, but never give up on the push for spiritual maturity, for ourselves and for our loved ones.

This is closer to home than I like to think about sometimes. My intellectual growth was very rapid, and physically, at one point I grew 6 inches (15 cm.) in one year. However, my decision-making didn’t keep up! I became spiritually stunted, trapped in pride, and it wasn’t until I was already a husband and father that the Lord brought me up short and showed me my condition. I’d say my spiritual growth really started from that point. At 75 people expect maturity from me, but I’m mature enough to know I’m not perfectly mature! I have more growing to do, and will continue to need to grow as long as I am in this body, just as Paul realized. (Philippians 3:12-14) As a pastor, I am to coach other believers in their spiritual journey, and am to seek to encourage them in growth. That’s a major reason we all need each other! I am not to dictate or place myself on a pedestal, but I am not to be afraid to urge people to imitate me, just as Paul did. (1 Corinthians 4:16) At the same time I must remember that everyone is gifted differently, and not look for exact copies.

Father, thank You for this reminder. The subject is very deep, and I’m still growing! Help me indeed grow as You desire, and encourage others to do likewise, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!