To present everyone mature in Christ

The King’s Church Vision Statement is taken from Colossians 1:28 “that we may present everyone mature in Christ”.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” English Standard Version

“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ” NIV

The Greek word that is translated as mature or perfect is teleios; this can also be translated as fully developed. We will not obtain full perfection until Jesus returns and we are fully transformed. See 1 Corinthians 13:12 and 1 John 3:2.

From what Paul writes here and elsewhere, it is clear there needs to be growth in the Christian life, a moving on to maturity. When we are saved, Jesus accepts us as we are but, because He loves us, He doesn’t leave us like that.

Salvation has a past, a present and a future.

If we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour then, in the past we were justified by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead (Romans 4 v 27). We have been delivered from the penalty of sin which is death.
In the present, there is an on-going work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit within us, delivering us from the power of sin.
In the future, we will be glorified when Jesus returns; we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is and we will be delivered from the presence of sin

Paul is writing that there is a need for each of us to become mature in Christ but also that we should be helping, encouraging and supporting each other in our Christian growth - that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Peter says a similar thing in 1 Peter 2:4-5 where he writes that we are being built into a spiritual house.
But, as we have already mentioned, this is the on-going work of the Holy Spirit in each one of us (see also 1 Corinthians 2: 6-11).

So, is there a contradiction here? Is it our responsibility or the work of the Holy Spirit? It is both.

Imagine an athlete who decides that he wants to compete in the 2020 Olympics. He cannot just turn up on the morning of the event. His trainers and coaches will put together a strict programme of training and competitions, dieticians will provide menus for him, strength and conditioning coaches, and physiotherapists, will ensure that his body is put through the appropriate regime of challenge and treatment, all of this planned to bring him to the peak of condition at the right time. But the athlete has a choice – he can choose to follow the programme or he can ignore it.

God has provided all that we need to grow in Christ: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God (see 2 Timothy 3:16); our own prayers and the prayers of others (see Colossians 1: 9-12 and 4:12); the fellowship, encouragement, support and guidance of those who journey with us.

Colossians 1:28 starts “We proclaim Him”. In verses 15:20, Paul has proclaimed Christ first: Christ first in creation; Christ first in the church; Christ first in new creation. If we want to grow and mature as Christians, it must be Christ first, Christ centred living. Hebrews 12:2-3

What does a mature Christian look like? Consider these verses:

·         1 Corinthians 13:9-12; 14:20 No longer children

·         Hebrews 5:11-14 Milk / solid food

·         Matthew 5:43-48 Maturity of attitude – love your enemies

·         Philippians 3:12-16  Pressing on – still growing

·         James 1:2-8 Perseverance (resilience)

·         Ephesians 4:11-16 Operating in their God-given ministry

A mature Christian will be outward looking. The verse does not say that my aim is to present me mature in Christ. The ability and willingness to give to others, rather than just receive, is another sign of maturity.

It also says that we are to present everyone mature in Christ, underlining our responsibility to reach out to those around us who are not yet Christians. The development of a person from non-Christian to mature Christian can be represented by:

  

As we consider the activities of the King’s Church. we need to ask ourselves the questions:
“Does each activity help to present everyone mature in Christ?”
“Where does it fit on this contact to growth line?”
“Is it the best (i.e. God’s will for us) at this time?”

Activities such as Messy Church and After Hours feed into contact and nurture, while the Sunday morning meetings support the growth of those who are Christians. As these meetings, and others, develop, we pray that God will help us to present everyone mature in Christ.