In all our time on this earth, we have never seen a time like this where evil is so rampant and the church so weak and ineffective in her response. With the capitulation of the North American church to the demonic dictates of governments with their medical tyranny, many people are wondering what the future holds for believers. The answer to this question depends on your choices. Are you going to follow the masses or are you going to stand up and fight for faith? If you choose to fight for your faith, then here are 4 pillars of spiritual maturity we found are necessary to build you into a fighting force that can, and will, overthrow the enemy.
The Manhood of the Church
To understand the importance of these pillars, we first have to understand what they are for. These 4 pillars support what we refer to as the manhood of the church and the manhood of Israel. When we refer to the manhood of something, we are stating the fullness, or full maturity, of that something. In this instance we are saying the manhood of the church, the adult functioning body of Christ, manifesting His character fully on this earth.
We repudiate completely the demonic liberal mindset of inclusivity and multiple gender recognition that has been plaguing the earth for some time. However, we want it to be clear that manhood, in this context, refers to both masculine and feminine. Regardless of gender, anyone can choose to grow into spiritual maturity, and have the fullness of Christ dwell in them, should they choose to stand on these four pillars. The choice is yours. The demands will be difficult, but the reward of standing on these pillars will be a spiritual maturity and character that is rare to see these days.
The Pillar of Biblical Salvation
The first of these four pillars has to do with salvation. In order to begin the journey of faith, we must accept Jesus in the proper manner, through the jagged teeth of the Law first; and not through a sloppy message of grace that glosses over our sin and wrongdoing. If we merely accept Jesus as Savior without a deep acknowledgement of our own trespasses, then we will not have a firm foundation for maturity. ‘Self’ will still rule over us, instead of the Holy Spirit, and we will make a mockery of faith to unbelievers. We see this all too often in modern Christians precisely because they have never understood the biblical message of salvation properly.
Ray Comfort, Evangelist
A very experienced evangelist, Ray Comfort, has examined this pillar at length. He discovered that to come properly to God, an unbeliever must face the basic moral Law God gave to us on Mount Sinai and written on our hearts; at birth. By challenging people’s innate sense of their own ‘goodness’ they can see that they have failed to keep the moral Law of God. We are all guilty of this trespass, and can only escape the punishment for our failure by accepting the only sacrifice that can cover it. Only Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to pay the price for our sin. He paid the debt for our lawless behavior by saying, on the cross, “It is finished.”
We encourage you to learn more about the biblical gospel message and how to deliver it by going to Ray Comfort’s Living Waters website.
The Pillar of Hearing God's Voice
In order to grow in faith, once we have accepted our sin, accepted Jesus as our sacrifice and begun the process of continual repentance, we need to learn how to listen to God’s voice and obey it. This is not an easy step. Like any relationship, it takes time and practice to learn God’s many ways of connecting with us. God is not a statue or an idol of our own making but a living being with thoughts, feelings similar to our own. Because we have a ‘self’ nature, our thoughts and feelings are not like God’s thoughts and feelings, but we still can relate to Him in the same manner we relate to other humans.
Mark Virkler, Teacher
What this means is that we can talk to God and hear from Him if we learn how to listen. One man who has great experience and wisdom in this area of learning how to listen and hear the voice of God is Mark Virkler. Mark has made available online some great material to help those growing in faith and how to recognize the many ways in which God communicates. Of course, learning to listen to God is critical, but once we learn to hear what He is saying, it is important we also learn how to obey His voice. Without obedience, listening to God will be of no benefit to us.
We encourage you to learn more about how to listen to God’s voice by going to Mark Virkler’s Communion with God Ministries website.
The Pillar of Inner Healing
As we build a relationship with God by continual repentance of ‘self’ and listening, and obeying, His voice, He will inevitably lead us to the third pillar. That pillar is one of inner healing.
Since we live in a very fallen world, inevitably, in childhood, we will all experience spiritual, mental and emotional pain. When we are little, we do not have the skills or ability to process that pain, and so it becomes an unhealed wound in our souls. As we age, those wounds will become infected and bitter as our ‘self’ and the demons feed on our anguish. We become unhealed wounders, perpetuating the hurt inflicted on us in childhood. God knows this and has given us tools and wisdom on how to deal with those wounds.
John and Paula Sanford, Healers
Two experienced and wise individuals, John and Paula Sanford, pioneered the work of inner healing from the 60’s to the 90’s. Although they have passed, anyone can find their spiritual heritage in the Elijah House Ministries, which continues their work of inner healing and training people to become inner healers. Finding the inner healing we all need is critical to becoming a mature believer spiritually. Without removing the roots of pain within each of us, we will remain spiritually stunted.
We encourage you to learn more about inner healing and how to receive it by going to the Elijah House Ministries website.
The Pillar of the Wilderness
If you are standing on these three pillars of becoming spiritually mature, then there is but one pillar left. That pillar is called the wilderness. This is a time in a believer’s life where God strips us down to the very basic elements of who we are. In this barren place, we finally face who we really are and the ugly reality of the ‘self’ nature rooted in each one of us. If we finally address and repent of this anti-spirit within, we will then be ready to have the complete character of Christ formed in us. It is like a caterpillar moving into the chrysalis (the wilderness) and coming out transformed like a butterfly. We become transformed into the adult image of Christ.
A Testimony of the Wilderness
The wilderness is not for those who are not standing on the other three pillars first. To be stripped of who we think we are, to lose family and friends, belongings, reputations and anything we put our trust in is difficult. We cannot think of a more demanding process, but if we persevere and become the overcomers Jesus is calling us to be, the reward will be the spiritual maturity we long for. Our story is but one of a handful of people who have chosen this path and we encourage others to follow our example.
The Challenge to Become a Spiritual Adult
Take the challenge of becoming adults in Christ and come into the manhood of the church.
These 4 pillars of spiritual maturity are simple to understand, but require a good deal of effort on our part if we want to reach the goal of having the full, perfect, and mature character of Jesus formed in us.
“You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 AMPC
Unless, or until, many believers choose to follow the path God has given us, for adulthood in Christ, the church will continue to prove herself weak and ineffective in battling the enemy. However, if those that claim to want more of God actually stand on these pillars and grow in faith, then the future looks very bleak for satan and his demons. This overcoming church will bring back our King!
Blessings,
Homer and Wanda
Somehow, after reading this post I sense a benediction in my heart. One that not only fully agrees with what was said, but one that feels deeply an end is near/here, and newness is upon us. It feels like a farewell of sorts, like the Apostle’s message to Timothy – I have fought a good fight and finished my course. Just perhaps it is what is intended, after we have matured into Christ, and gained the appropriate spiritual muscles, we too will be able to triumphantly move into the Promised Land.
As a wise man once said, “veeeerrry interestink.” After we posted this Wanda echoed this very sentiment; calling the post a benediction as well. Of course the Spirit is flowing in you both to bring out a truth I did not see at first. Yes, there is coming a time shortly when the new wine and new oil will be harvested in the earth, and the firstfruits company will come forth.
In many respects we are saying goodbye to the old, the “what once was,” in order to embrace the new Jesus is bringing about on His earth. May we be found standing firmly in faith on these 4 pillars so He can truly bring us into His land, the Promised Land at the proper time.
Blessings to you, our dear sister. More is coming. 😉
Thank you Homer and Wanda for sharing this. I definitely want to study some of John and Paula Sanford’s teachings. Hope all is well. ❤️
You are very welcome Dawn. We are grateful that our small blog is a blessing to the Body of Christ. We pray you will find what you need from what John and Paula learned in their years of inner healing ministry.
May our Father bless you richly with the fullness of His peace.
Homer and Wanda