Grow up in Faith | Pr. Raph | Dec 14, 2025

Video Intro:

Hebrews confronts us with an honest question: are we growing up, or are we still living on spiritual milk? Maturity doesn’t happen accidentally—it’s trained through consistent engagement with the Word and practiced faith. God’s goal isn’t just personal improvement, but a mature, equipped people who build up the body of Christ. A mature church multiplies disciples, walks in unity, and grows in spiritual quality, not just numbers. 

One of the clearest signs of that maturity is generosity—not giving out of fear or obligation, but out of gratitude for grace already received. When grace shapes the heart, generosity naturally follows.

Ultimately, growing up in grace always leads to love. Maturity shows up when childish ways fall away, and the most significant evidence of that growth is selfless love. God doesn’t want us stuck with spiritual training wheels—safe, familiar, but limiting. There comes a point where He says, “It’s time to trust Me with more.” More responsibility, more authority, more impact. The call is clear: don’t stop at the foundation—go on to maturity. God has more ahead, and He’s inviting us to grow into it.

Introduction

God calls each one of us to dwell—not temporarily, not occasionally—but permanently in a state of rest. The rest of God: a deep, abiding peace that flows from living by the faith of God, walking in the provision of God, and standing in the fullness of His promises.

Today, let the Word of God have full effect in your life. Let it speak for itself

Hebrews 4:11-12 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

This morning, we are coming under the living Word. We are inviting it to penetrate, expose, energize, and transform. As we open the Scriptures, may they open us. The Word separates what we do (joints) from who we are (marrow).

Let the word define the difference between feelings and faith (Soul versus Spirit). Between behavior and identity (Joints versus Marrow).

And if you find fault, then respond to the solution given by God. Do not hide like Adam (Genesis 3:8–10), but jump into the waters to meet Jesus like Peter (John 21:7).

Hebrews 4:16 (AMP):“Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”

The Word of God is calling us to a life of confident trust in God’s presence. In moments of weakness, doubt, or fear, the Word invites us not to retreat, but to draw near—to come honestly, boldly, and without shame into the presence of God. 

We are summoned to the throne of grace, where mercy meets our failure and grace meets our need.

Maturity

As we come to chapter 5 of Hebrews, the author confronts spiritual immaturity among some readers. 

Hebrews 5:12–14 (ESV): “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Maturity in the Christian life does not come passively; it is cultivated through obedience, through repetition, through engagement with the Word of righteousness. 

Milk is a symbol of nostalgic food; some call it comfort food: food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically high in sugar or other carbohydrates and associated with childhood or home cooking. Have you ever woken up in the night craving a salad? I am sure it was for ice cream instead.

But the only way to grow is to embrace change.

God does not allow His children to remain stuck in comfort, familiarity, or environments that limit growth. When seasons shift, doors close, relationships change, or favor feels different, it is not accidental.

Stop resisting transition and interpret stirring as preparation, not punishment. God is faithful to close doors only when He intends to open better ones, and He often removes the option of going back so that forward becomes the only path.

The very winds that seem threatening are the ones God uses to lift His people higher.

trained by constant practice

Maturity is not merely about personal holiness (though necessary), but about being trained in the word of righteousness and to serve the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-15 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

The word “equip” in the NT (Greek: katartismos) means to train, adjust, or perfect through practice.

Like athletes who practice movements until they are perfected, we must practice spiritual disciplines and grow into effective ministers.

Marks of a Mature Church 

Multiplying Disciples (Quantitative Growth):  

v. 15 … we are to grow up in every way

Measured in souls saved, churches planted, and people baptized.

Growth is not just about size—it is about rescuing souls, populating heaven, and advancing the Kingdom.

This year, 2025, in all Vine Churches, we baptized 35,250 people.

Growth in Unity:

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith…” (v.13)

A bag of potatoes = superficial unity (just being in the same place). Mashed potatoes = true unity (only achieved through fire, breaking, and mixing)

Unity requires the fire of trials, the breaking of ego, and being blended into one body.

“Unity is not just being in the same room; it’s being melted into the same purpose.”

We ended 2025 with 30,989 Lifegroups worldwide and 1,320 churches planted and connected.

Qualitative Growth: 

To mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (v.13)

A good example of quality, or spiritual maturity, is gratitude. Have you ever noticed that young children are not naturally grateful? They often need to be taught to say, “Thank you, Grandma, for the gift.” Left to themselves, they tend to assume that everything should go their way and happen on their timeline. That sense of entitlement is a mark of immaturity.

In contrast, a spiritually mature person is someone who has been trained—through consistent engagement with the word of righteousness—to recognize and respond to grace. 

What I mean is this: unless you grow in your awareness of the unearned, undeserved grace and goodness of God—His favor, His love, His righteousness freely given in Christ—you will instinctively relate to God on a merit-based system. You will think in terms of what you deserve, what you’ve earned, or what you’re owed.

That kind of relationship breeds frustration and self-righteousness, not thanksgiving. But when you see that all is grace, gratitude becomes the joyful response. Gratitude is a sign of maturity because it reveals a heart shaped by the righteousness of Christ.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Let me ask you: do you believe some churches are more spiritually mature than others? Yes or no?

Some churches walk in greater revelation, deeper obedience, and fuller expressions of grace. That means some churches, from God’s perspective, display a higher level of spiritual quality—not in worth, but in maturity. 

And spiritual quality is not a fixed status—it’s a growth process. 

But here’s the critical question: how do we measure the quality of a church? Let me suggest that a practical answer is the church's generosity.

The same is true for the individual believer. Your spiritual maturity is directly connected to how you give. If you give out of fear, guilt, or to try to manipulate God for blessings—that’s spiritual immaturity. That’s how children behave. They only give if they get something back. 

But those who have genuinely experienced the grace and generosity of God grow to become generous like their Father. They offer not to control, but to bless.

Mature people give generously.

How do I know you are growing in grace? Paul says, 

Paul compared the two churches’ maturity based on their financial participation.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Referring specifically to financial giving

2 Corinthians 8:7 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.”

The more you receive grace, the more it transforms your heart—and that transformation always shows up in your generosity.

If you’ve been walking with us, hearing the message of grace, and yet remain stingy or resistant to giving, then according to Scripture, the quality of your Christian walk is still lacking. 

And no, I’m not assigning value to money itself. I’m talking about the value of your participation in God’s work through generosity.

In Mark 12:41–44, Jesus observed not just what people gave, but how they gave. He commended the widow who gave out of her poverty and said she gave more than all the others. That means He still pays attention to how and why we give. Your offering speaks volumes about your spiritual maturity.

Have you ever heard the accusation, “You’re giving your tithe just to feed the pastor?” Yes, pastors and their families eat too. They have needs just like everyone else. But here’s what they often miss: when you give, you are offering to the Lord. And it is from the Lord that your reward comes.

So in the name of Jesus, I declare over your life today: every curse has been broken. You are not under a curse—you are under a blessing. 

May the Lord open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing without measure (Malachi 3:10). I speak over you that the enemy is rebuked. You are already blessed in Christ. You do not give to get—you give because you have already received.

Grown-up people grow in love

Maturity culminates in love. Selfless love.

1 Corinthians 13:11-13 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

If we only have the revelation of how much the Lord has blessed us, it has changed us. 

If we had only a glimpse of how the Lord sees and believes in us, that could change all our expressions of love.

go on to maturity

Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

Do not stop growing up.

But what are these elementary doctrines? He gives us six foundational truths, grouped in three pairs. And here’s where we need to stop and ask ourselves some honest, searching questions.

Have I truly repented of dead works, or am I still trying to earn God’s favor by what I do? 

Do I still operate with a performance-based mindset, or have I learned to trust in Christ’s finished work?

Do I understand the significance of my baptism, or was it just a religious moment with no lasting transformation?

Have I embraced the call of God over my life—stepping into the ministry and mission I’ve been commissioned for—or am I choosing to spectate over participating?

Do I live with the hope of the resurrection, or is my heart tied only to this world?

And when I think of eternal judgment, am I still unsure of my salvation, or am I pursuing God’s reward?

These six truths are the starting point. They are the foundation, but maturity is the building over the understanding of each one of these truths. 

While I was in Brazil recently, I visited my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids. My nephew is eight years old now, but he’s grown so tall that at first glance, you’d think he was twelve. He’s a big, strong boy—and full of energy.

He showed me his bicycle. It still had training wheels on it. The bike no longer matched his size or his potential. He was far beyond it physically. In fact, as I watched him ride, I could tell he didn’t even need the training wheels anymore. But they were still there—just in case.

The first step in the training process is to learn how to fall safely and then get back up and try again. That's the only way someone can turn a weakness into a skill.

How easy it is for us, as believers, to hold onto spiritual “training wheels.” This is precisely what the author of Hebrews was confronting: “

By this time you ought to be teachers, but you still need milk…” (Hebrews 5:12).

There comes a time in every believer’s life when God says: It’s time to grow. Time to mature. Time to take the training wheels off. What training wheels are still on your faith? Is it fear? Is it spiritual passivity? Are you holding onto shallow understandings of grace or righteousness? God has more for you—but you have to trust Him enough to let go of the wobble and ride forward in maturity.

At some point, God wants to give them car keys. But car keys require maturity. The vehicle has greater power, greater potential. You need to be trained. You need responsibility. You need to have grown.

God is ready to entrust us with greater things—kingdom-level responsibility, wisdom, discernment, spiritual authority—but He’s waiting to see: are you still riding with training wheels? Or are we ready for the keys?

Hebrews 6:4-6 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.