Spiritual maturity is a communal endeavour rooted in the body of Christ, where hearts are braced and united through interwoven relationships. By discovering the sufficiency of Jesus together and standing shoulder to shoulder, believers form a resilient front that remains steadfast against deception.
God doesn't merely want older Christians but fully mature ones. Maturity doesn't come automatically with time, and it's never meant to happen alone: we grow up, but we grow in Christ together.
Key points
God calls us to grow up. Paul spent himself to present everyone fully mature in Christ, not a light sprinkling of Christianity, and so should we.
Together we are encouraged in heart and united in love. As we're knit together, our love becomes stronger than our differences. The lone wolf stays immature.
Together we discover the treasures we have in Christ. We need each other to grasp that Christ is enough, rather than drifting into self-reliance and performance. Kai and his wife Sam are living proof that Christ can restore a marriage.
Together we become less easily deceived. Deception sounds clever and spiritual, so we test ideas against scripture and keep Jesus at the centre.
Together we stand firm. Maturity looks like believers standing shoulder to shoulder, not scattered and disconnected from the body.
Key scriptures
Colossians 1:24–2:5: Paul's labour for the church, written from prison
Colossians 1:27–28: Christ in you, the hope of glory, and presenting everyone fully mature
Colossians 2:2: hearts encouraged, knit together in love
Colossians 2:5: standing shoulder to shoulder as a solid front
Colossians 1:15–16: Christ, the image of the invisible God
Philippians 4:1: "You are our crown"
Takeaways
Stop measuring your faith by years attended, and join a life group or serving team.
Test what you hear against scripture, together with other believers.
Stay connected when relationships get hard: forgive quicker and be less easily offended.
God doesn't merely want us to become older Christians. He wants us to become fully mature Christians. Maturity doesn't arrive automatically with time, even after 20 years of church attendance. It's an invitation to grow up.
And this growth is never meant to happen alone. Paul wrote to churches, not isolated believers, because God's picture of maturity is a people growing together: encouraged in heart, united in love, discovering Christ together, guarding one another from deception and standing firm shoulder to shoulder.
"We grow up, but we grow in Christ together."
Key scriptures
Colossians 1:24–2:5: Paul's labour for the church, written from prison, most likely in Rome
Colossians 1:27–28: Christ in you, the hope of glory, and the goal of presenting everyone fully mature in Christ
Colossians 2:2 (Amplified Bible): hearts braced and encouraged as they are knit together in love
Colossians 2:5 (Amplified Bible): standing shoulder to shoulder and forming a solid front
Colossians 1:15–16: Christ, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation
Philippians 4:1: "You are our crown"
God calls us to grow up
Growing up, Kai was known simply as Jens's younger brother. He followed his brother everywhere, wanting to be part of his world, only to be told, "You're too young. You need to grow up."
Growth is normal in life. Children grow, and students eventually graduate. Yet in our faith we often assume maturity just comes with time. Paul rejoiced in suffering, not because he enjoyed pain, but because he was spending himself so that the church might know Christ more deeply. He served, taught, admonished and contended, all to present the word of God in its fullness, not a light sprinkling of Christianity on top.
"Christianity is not following Jesus from a distance."
It is Christ himself living within us by his Spirit, transforming us every day into his likeness. Everything Paul did pointed to one destination: presenting everyone fully mature in Christ. This was no side project. He gave his life for it, and so should we, not contending merely for church attendance but for maturity.
Together we are encouraged in heart and united in love
Paul begins with the heart and with relationships, not with more knowledge. The picture is of a wall braced by a buttress. Our hearts, the most vulnerable part of us, are strengthened as we are knit together in love.
We are in one another's lives and know one another's names.
We carry and encourage one another. We do life together, the ups and the downs.
Immaturity says, "I'm actually better off alone." It's the lone wolf who stops going to life group because the counsel didn't help. Relationships aren't easy, but if we lean in, our love becomes stronger than our differences: rich and poor, Afrikaans and English, black and white.
"We stay longer. We forgive quicker. We become less easily offended."
Together we discover the treasures we have in Christ
This community has a purpose. It's not a shallow togetherness but a treasure hunt to uncover Christ in each of our lives, and you can't run that race alone.
Kai shared that he would never have passed his engineering degree without his study mates, phoning each other in turn until someone knew the answer. In the same way, we need each other to understand that Christ is enough. We all drift towards self-reliance and performance, trying to achieve what can only be received by grace.
Each of us is a trophy of grace. Kai and his wife Sam are living proof that Christ can restore a marriage even where all hope is lost.
"We are living, walking, breathing reminders to each other that Christ is enough."
Together we become less easily deceived
Deception never introduces itself. It sounds clever, confident and spiritual: "fine-sounding arguments". That's why we need teaching, admonishing and mature believers who help us test what we hear.
We open our Bibles together and submit our ideas to scripture.
We point one another back to Christ.
Paul didn't make the false teaching the centre. He made Jesus the centre, opening his letter by exalting Christ. When we know the real thing, the counterfeit is easily recognised.
"Don't add anything to my Jesus. I know who my King is."
Together we stand firm
Paul encouraged rather than condemned, delighting in the Colossians' discipline and firm faith. He wanted them to keep going: digging into the word, praying, gathering, supporting one another and worshipping.
His picture of maturity is not scattered believers on a battlefield, but people standing shoulder to shoulder, forming a solid front.
We should not expect to grow into full maturity while deliberately remaining disconnected from the body of Christ. The same brother who told Kai to grow up became the one who stood by him in his darkest moments, and is still his best friend. That is the picture of community.
Takeaways
Stop measuring your faith by years attended and pursue full maturity in Christ.
Join a life group or a serving team if you've been on your own.
Greet someone you've never greeted before and invite them for coffee.
Test what you hear against scripture, together with other believers.
Stay connected when relationships get hard: forgive quicker and be less easily offended.
Reflect and discuss
Have you assumed that time in church equals maturity? What would growing up in Christ look like for you now?
Where are you tempted to be a "lone wolf" in your faith, and why?
Who has helped you discover more of Christ? How could you do that for someone else?
What "fine-sounding arguments" try to add something to Jesus in our culture today?
Are you feeling disconnected or on the edge? What is one next step to knit in again?
A written record of the teaching. Search it with your browser’s find (⌘F / Ctrl+F).
Good morning. How are you lovely people? Are you good? Happy Women's Day.
Almost forgot. We could never forget. We could never forget. How you put up with us, I do not know. I was just looking at my own life. Smelly, stinky, I break things. Sam, you are amazing.
So, growing up, I was always known as Jens's younger brother. I think I went through most of my school career and half of the people at the school actually just didn't even know my name. They'd just go, "Oh yeah, you are Jens's… but hey, yeah, we'll just call you Junior." That's basically how I got along. And my brother was cool. He's about a foot taller than I am. He's got dark hair. He's strong. He's powerful. He's witty. He was popular. He was into skateboarding and surfing. He was kind of a rebel but not a delinquent. So that was super, super cool. And it always felt like I was living underneath his shadow.
And a friend once, in a very honest moment, turned to me and said, "You know, can't you be cool like your brother?" I mean, what a mate. It's as if he figured out in that moment that he'd chosen the wrong brother to be friends with.
And when I was really young, I would follow him absolutely everywhere and be like, "Boetie, can I come? I want to come with you. I want to do what you're doing. I want to be part of your world and your friend group and everything." And he'd always be like, "Get away. Get away from me. You're too young. You can't do what we're doing. You need to grow up. You need to grow up." And then I'd go crying to my mom. And my mom would say, "Please just include Kai, just for a little bit." And he'd be like, "No more. I don't want him with me. He's too young. Get him to grow up." That's how he sounded. At least in my mind.
You see, there comes a point in our lives where growth is needed. And if you want to take part in the fun stuff, you actually need to grow up. You know, children grow. Students, you might be on the five-year plan of a three-year degree, but eventually you're going to have to graduate one day. You're going to have to get out there into the real world. So growth is normal. Yet when it comes to our faith, we often assume that maturity arrives automatically, just with time.
"I've been a Christian for 20 years. Yes. I was part of the church back in the old tent. The original tent, the OG tent. That's when I started coming here. Pretty good. Hey, or even the school hall. I've been coming to church my whole life."
But God does not merely want us to become older Christians. He wants us to become fully mature Christians. He wants us to grow up, not as an insult but as an invitation to grow up, to grow up in Christ together.
And that's the heartbeat of this passage that we're going to read today. Paul is writing this letter from prison, most likely in Rome, and he's in chains because he's been proclaiming Jesus throughout the world. But he's not concerned with his own well-being. He's concerned with the Colossian church, that they might become fully mature in Christ, that they would grow up and that they would grow in Christ together.
So as we read, actually, let's stand. Why not? Let's stand as we read the scripture this morning, just to do something a little bit different, and because I'm going to read it with a lot of passion and highlight certain parts, you're going to be with me in this moment.
So it's Colossians 1:24, and it's entitled "Paul's Labour for the Church". It says: "Now I rejoice in what I'm suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness, the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one that we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
"I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is."
You may sit. You may be seated.
So this is Paul's labour for the church. This is what he labours for. And he starts with "I rejoice." Woohoo! I'm super stoked. I'm happy. What are you rejoicing in, Paul? In suffering. Oh, why? That's weird.
But Paul's not celebrating pain for its own sake. He's not some masochist (shout out, got that from you in your preach) who enjoys suffering. He's suffering for the church. He's willing to spend himself so that others may know Christ more deeply.
And he's not only suffering. Look at what he's doing. He's serving. He's teaching. He's admonishing, which means warning, for you Garsfontein boys. We'll pick on you today because Affies won yesterday. Well done, guys.
He's contending. He's like, "This is it. I want to do everything in my power." These are strong words, because Paul is saying, "I'm using every single tool that God has given me to do what? To present the word of God in its absolute fullness." In its fullness. I love that word. It's not like this half-truth, or a sprinkling of Christianity, like a light sneeze of seasoning on top of my meat, you know. It's fullness. The whole counsel of God.
The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The mystery that Paul speaks about is the fullness that we have when Christ lives within our lives. That's the hope that we have, the hope of glory. Christianity is not following Jesus from a distance. It's not merely attending church for 20-odd years. It's Christ himself living within us by his Spirit. It's Christ himself transforming us every single day into his likeness.
And then we reach the heartbeat of the passage. "He is the one that we proclaim, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." You see, everything that Paul does, from his preaching, his teaching, his admonishing, his warning, everything points towards one destination: to present everyone mature in Christ. In other words, that we would grow up, that we would grow in Christ together.
"To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy that Christ so powerfully works in me." Paul isn't casually interested in their growth. This isn't some side project or some side hustle. "Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. Oh, I'm not too worried about it." No, he is giving his life for this purpose. And so should we. So should we.
As elders, as preachers, as teachers, as home group leaders, as worship leaders, we're not merely contending for church attendance. We are contending that everyone would be presented as fully mature in Christ.
Paul says in Philippians, "You are our crown." You are our crown. Wendy said it last week: the only thing that we take to heaven with us is you guys. You're going to see me in heaven. Remember this face. Come and say hello. That cuts deep, guys. Cuts deep.
So today we're going to ask, what does full maturity look like? And thankfully Paul answers that question for us in chapter 2. But notice, before we get any further, that Paul isn't writing to an isolated Christian. He's writing to a church. Actually, he's writing to a bunch of churches: the church in Laodicea, the church in Colossae. Because God's picture of maturity is not one person growing alone. God designed us to grow in Christ, but together. We grow up, but we grow in Christ together.
So, four quick hallmarks of what full maturity looks like. Point number one: together we are encouraged in heart and united in love. Paul says in Colossians 2, "My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love." Isn't it interesting that Paul starts with the heart and with relationships? He doesn't begin by saying that maturity is simply knowing more, having more wisdom, more knowledge.
And the Amplified Bible puts it this way: that their hearts may be braced, comforted, cheered, encouraged as they are knit together in love. This gives us such a powerful picture. Think of the bracing that strengthens a wall, like a buttress that comes up against it. Paul pictures our hearts, the most vulnerable part of us, being strengthened as we do what? As we knit together in love.
The support doesn't come from just standing alone, like I'm an island. It comes through close, interwoven relationships. We are in one another's lives. We know one another. People know your name. We carry one another. We encourage one another. I love the saying, we use it often: we do life together. Together. We do life together, the ups, the downs.
But immaturity says, "I'm actually better off alone. You know, it's quite cool being on my own." I remember growing up and thinking, wouldn't it be cool to be like a lone wolf? Hey, I think that was when I was going through my brother's phase. Hey, Rory. Thinking, "Well, fine. All you people getting offended over here, I'm just going to go on my own. I'm not going back to life group. I don't need them. That counsel that I got just didn't help me, so what's the point? I can do this on my own."
And we know that relationships aren't easy. I mean, you women have to live with us men. Am I right? Hey, happy Women's Day again. Thank you for putting up with us.
But if you lean into this, our love for one another will become stronger than our differences. Rich and poor, Afrikaans and English, black and white, different backgrounds, different personalities, but one in the body of Christ. And one of the first signs that we are growing up is actually that we just remain connected. We remain together. We stay longer. We forgive quicker. We become less easily offended. Because when God calls us to grow, he gives us the gift of community, so that we grow in Christ together.
Secondly, together we discover the treasures we have in Christ: "that you may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Notice the connection: encouraged in heart, united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding.
This community has a purpose. We have a mission. Paul's not describing some shallow togetherness, like some commune that is all about love and unity and world peace and all those wonderful things, saving the dolphins. We're a people that are on a mission. We have a purpose.
It's like he's invited us on this treasure hunt, to go and see and uncover Christ in each one of our lives. And you cannot run this amazing race alone. This is not Survivor. You need a team. And Paul is speaking to a church, to a people learning that Christ is enough, because he knows that we need each other to understand this deep truth.
I would never have made it through my engineering degree had it not been for my study mates. If I didn't know something, then I'd phone Shane. And if Shane didn't know, then he'd phone my brother, because my brother didn't want to tell me. And then if he didn't know, then he'd phone Lee. And then if none of the four of us knew, we'd phone Geraldine, because she was the smartest person in the class. And then if she didn't know, then we'd just say, "Okay, we're just going to try and get method marks." But that's how we passed. You know, we need each other to get through those massive textbooks on mathematics, applied maths, I don't know, all that stuff that I still don't understand.
And we need each other to understand that Christ is enough, because the sufficiency of Christ is something that we need to remind ourselves of over and over again. Why? Because we all have this tendency to be drawn towards self-reliance. We have this tendency to try and perform, to try and achieve what can only be received by grace. And we need the body of Christ to remind us, guys, Christ is enough. Christ is enough.
And each one of us has a story of grace. Our lives remind us of his character, the goodness, the kindness of his character. We are all trophies of grace. When we see Dennis worshipping in front, we see living proof of a heart transformed. When you see Sam and me stand in front, we are living proof that Christ can bring redemption and restoration into a marriage even where all hope is lost.
We are living, walking, breathing reminders to each other that Christ is enough. Christ is supreme. Christ is sufficient. Together we discover the treasures that we have in Christ. We grow up. We grow in Christ together.
Thirdly, together we become less easily deceived. "I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments." Nobody walks up to you and goes, "I'm about to deceive you. Listen carefully now. Hello, my name is Heresy." Nobody does that.
Deception sounds clever. It sounds confident. It sounds spiritual. That's why Paul calls it fine-sounding arguments. And that's why we need the church. We need teaching. We need admonishing. We need warning. We need mature believers that can help us test what we hear.
"He is the one that we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom." In a healthy Christian community, we test what we hear together. We open our Bibles together. We submit our ideas to scripture. We point one another back to Christ. Because when we know the real thing, the counterfeit becomes easily recognised.
And that's why Paul begins his letter by exalting Christ. People were saying to the Colossian church, "You just need to tweak this little thing over here. You need to add this. You've got a picture of Christ, but it's not the full picture. Let me tell you what it really is." And so Paul doesn't start by attacking the false teaching or by making that the centre of attention. He makes Jesus the centre.
To basically put it into South African English, what he does is he starts it off and says, "Howzit, everybody? My name is Paul. I would love to pray for you. Here's this most incredible, powerful prayer. Now, Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In him all things were made, for him and through him. This is our King." That's who he is.
Because when we understand who Christ is, and we have a picture of who Jesus is, then everything falls into place. And when we hear that heresy, when we hear those things that try and add to Christ, we go, "Ah, that's deception. That's not true. Don't add anything to my Jesus. I know who my King is." Because when we grow up and we grow in Christ together, we become less impressed by what sounds good and more enraptured with who Jesus is. We love you, Jesus. We love you, great King.
Fourthly, and lastly, together we stand firm. "I delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is." Now, Paul uses a very clever pastoral move. It's actually a pretty good parent move as well. He doesn't start by attacking them and disciplining them and saying, "You guys need to become more disciplined." That's my mom. Sorry. No, it's not you, Mom. I know you're listening online. I love you. It's my teacher. Thanks, Rory. You're helping me today. I love it. "You need to stand firm. You need to be more disciplined in your spiritual disciplines."
No, he encourages them. He says, "I delight to see your discipline. I delight to see how you're standing firm." Why? Because he doesn't want them to add anything. He doesn't want them to get into condemnation. But he does want them to continue standing firm. Continue digging into the word. Continue praying. Continue gathering. Continue supporting one another. Continue worshipping.
Listen to how the Amplified Bible puts it: I'm delighted to see your good discipline as you stand shoulder to shoulder and form a solid front. This is Paul's picture of maturity. Not isolated believers scattered across the battlefield, but a people standing together shoulder to shoulder, encouraged in heart, united in love, discovering together the treasures that we have in Christ, helping one another recognise deception, forming a solid front.
So perhaps this morning you've recognised a disconnect. Perhaps the Holy Spirit has been saying to you, "It's time to knit in again. You cannot be on your own." Maybe it's time to join a life group or to connect into a serving team.
Maybe you've been coming here year after year and you're sitting in the same place, greeting the same people, and God is saying, "Open your eyes. Open your heart to the community that is around you. Greet someone that you've never greeted before. Invite them to coffee. Form a connection." Whatever the next step is, Paul makes it clear that we should not expect to grow into full maturity whilst deliberately remaining disconnected from the body of Christ.
So the same brother that told me, "Kai, you need to grow up," is the same brother that helped me in life. He gave me advice. He stood by my side during some of the darkest moments, and he's still my best friend, and I absolutely love and adore him. And that's the picture of community. That's the picture that God wants us to get today.
I have many spiritual brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in this congregation and in this community. Clint taught me how to have a devotional. Rory showed me how to regain our inheritance in our marriage and in our lives. Stephen, I'm a product of Stephen's preaching. So if I don't do well, it's Stephen. You know, he sits with me every time and goes, "Oh no, that's not very good. Change this. Scripture wrong there. Didn't get it right."
Pete, where's Pete? I call him P. I cannot believe how different we are, but how deep our friendship is, and how he's taught me how to be a friend across the generations and across cultural divides.
Are you feeling disconnected? Are you skirting on the edge? "So that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." Church, can we make that our aim? Can we grow up? Can we grow in Christ together?
Paul made it his life's work. Can we make it our life's work to encourage one another? United in love, encouraged in heart, discovering the treasures that we have together in Christ, helping one another recognise… to this end. Amen.
