That sermon was a doosey, with more still on the way. I don't say that to scare anyone, but it does go to emphasize that engaging in life with a local church is serious business. For many people, it's the "serious business" part of church membership that causes them to hold church at arms length. While God's expectations - or, rather, invitations - for his people when it comes to church participation feel high and steep, they also come with tremendous promise: a life of faith and spirit-empowered ministry that contributes to never-ending expansion of the kingdom of God.
Here's are some questions to keep you going this week as you continue to consider and reflect on how the "Maturity Commitment" can continue to play out in your life this week and beyond...
How has being a part of Oak Hills Church blessed you and your family? What are some specific ways you can point to or identify?
How would you describe spiritual maturity? What defines whether a person would be considered "spiritually mature" or not? What sorts of things (habits, activities, etc) do you expect to see in someone who is spiritually mature?
Maturity is a necessary pre-cursor to ministry - sort of a spiritual version of "work smarter, not harder." Spiritual maturity brings a greater sense of awareness of who God has created us to be, how we fit in to his overall mission in the world, and specifically what we are called to be about within the local church. When we are serving in a role that we are naturally and supernaturally gifted for, it rarely feels like work - it's joy! Consider what and how you are currently serving...does is feel like something you have to do, or something you get to do? What might this suggest about your current maturity level?
Our Core Practices speak to what goes into our ongoing growth and maturity. It can be really helpful to step back and take an honest assessment of where you are in each area as a key for moving forward. For each of the four big practices:
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5...Why did you score yourself the way you did?
What do you feel like is holding you back in each area?
What do you feel like would helpful for improving in each area? (Consider sharing your answers with the Pastoral Elders or Pastor Jason!)
What commitment will you make this week to support your continued growth?
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