Developing people into mature Christians is the work of a disciple-maker. This is the work of the church. All our programs, events, teachings, and ministries are to this aim. In Colossians 1:28, Paul declared these words.

Him we proclaim, warning everyone, and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Colossians 1:28

But how do you gauge spiritual maturity? If the end goal is to be mature in Christ, what metric do you utilize to measure Christ-likeness? 

It turns out not everyone is using the same measuring stick. Particular Churches and denominations produce different kinds of mature disciples. Some emphasize regular church attendance, giving records, a spiritual gift, ability, or talent they possess. Or a combination of some or all of these.  

Or, if you are like me, I tend to assess my spiritual life solely based on information. How much I’ve learned, how knowledgeable I am about something. If I had to evaluate my spiritual life based on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being very mature), I would typically base it off on what I’ve learned and what I know. 

I think, “Well, I been in church for 20 years, listened to hundreds of sermons, read lots of books, went to Christian Universities, and got Bible degrees, so I must rate higher on the maturity ladder.” If you’re like me, we kind of mistakenly assume knowledge and information is the primary gauge of Christian maturity. 

The mistake is when we design our churches solely using this metric. The main goal is to move people from here to there, from 1 to 10 on the information scale. So you have to listen to this sermon, or attend this meeting or be part of this class. Then what happens? We all tend to rate our church experience based on how well the information was distributed. We say, “how did the sermon go? How did the music make me feel? Or did the teacher cover the right information?

Now there is nothing wrong with sermons or worship sets. In fact, we should all grow in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-11; 2 Peter 3:18).

However, our most significant deficit in the American church is not the lack of quantity or access to information. We have a literate society, and with the gateway of the internet, we have access to the Bible and Bible studies and sermons. The biggest issue is not a deficit of information but a deficit of transformation. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia saying:

my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

Galatians 4:19

Paul is dealing with the issue of legalism in the churches in the region of Galatia. False teachers were bewitching the believers with their rules and regulations. They were elevating what they knew and not actually what Christ has done in them. Paul could have said in verse 19, “until we are adequately informed about Christ.” But he didn’t, he said: “until Christ is formed in you.” Later in his letter to the Romans, he described it this way.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

Romans 12:2

It’s possible to be informed about Jesus but not transformed by Jesus. The aim of discipleship is Christian maturity. Don’t fall in the trap of only measuring your discipleship to Jesus solely on knowledge or gifts.