We are a people of Spiritual Destiny!

We are living in the Decade of Destiny, when God is bringing the Body of Christ into a new phase of spiritual growth where we are standing in the FULL STATURE OF JESUS CHRIST…FULLY MATURED…OPERATING IN THE SAME POWER AND ANOINTING AS JESUS!

When we talk about this “Decade of Destiny” in which we are living, we are not simply using a “catchy phrase” someone has made up. It is not a slogan…mere words. It is a reality! We are liv­ing in the greatest time of spiritual destiny the Church has ever experienced!

This is the most exciting time to be alive, and I wouldn’t want to trade places with Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul or any other great man of God in any other period of Church history.

I believe we are the generation that will usher in the return of Jesus Christ! Since the beginning of time, God’s ultimate intention for the Church has been to bring us into a position of FULL SPIRITUAL MATURITY, where we are living in the SAME powerful, spiritual dimension as Jesus.

Now, in these final days before Christ’s return, we are going to see WITH OUR OWN EYES the fulfillment of the Church actually being brought to the FULL STATURE of Jesus Christ!

Say aloud: “Spiritual Destiny!”

When we talk about the Church growing to the FULL STATURE of Jesus Christ, we are not talk­ing about some man-made doctrine or theology.

We are not talking about some hypothetical, mystical occurrence which is going to happen someday “in the sweet by and by.”

We are not talking about a high spiritual ideal that is impossible for us to reach.

Growing up to the full stature of Jesus Christ is God’s plan and purpose for us today. It is God’s will for us!

It is not just a possibility…it is a REALITY! God is going to accomplish His plan and purpose in us during this Decade of Destiny!

Say aloud: “I am part of God’s Spiritual Des­tiny, and He has a plan and purpose for me!”

GOD’S DESTINY FOR US IS THAT
WE GROW UP INTO “A PERFECT MAN”!

Open your Bible to Ephesians, chapter four, and read verses 9-16. Mark these verses in your Bible, and in the margin write the words, “God’s spiritual destiny for the Church.”

We are going to go very deep into the Spir­it…beyond head knowledge…into a spiritual breakthrough, where we understand clearly what God is revealing to His Church today.

God has placed the fivefold ministry in the Church for a specific purpose…to bring us to a position of “perfection,” whereby we are doing the work of the ministry and building up the Body of Christ.

Look at verses 11-12:

Paul said:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12

Now look at verse 12 in the Amplified version, which gives a clearer understanding of the origi­nal Greek:

His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), (that they should do) the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the Church).

Ephesians 4:12, TAB

Circle the word “perfecting” in this verse.

For more than forty years, I have been teaching and preaching this basic truth that every born-again believer is a minister…that not just the preacher behind the pulpit is responsible for doing the work of the ministry, but every believer is called to minister in his own sphere of environment.

This truth has been the foundation of the Proof Producer message I have been preaching to more than 500,000 Nationals in the nations of the world. Today we are seeing the Body of Christ—lay leaders and Christians around the world—tak­ing their position as ministers…Proof Producers! The Church has begun to see this truth and is now living in the reality of this verse.

Now the time has come when God is bringing us into a NEW PHASE of spiritual strength and FULL MATURITY, where we are entering into an experience of the truth in verse 13.

Paul said:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and all of the knowledge of the Son of God
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13

Circle the word “perfect” in this verse.

God’s purpose is to cause us to grow unto A PERFECT MAN. Individually and corporately, we are to grow until we reach this position in Christ as “a perfect man.”

In Christ’s prayer for the Church, He prayed:

And the glory, which thou gayest me I have given them; that the may be one, even as we are one:  I in them  and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

John 17:22-23

Christ prayed that we would be MADE PER­FECT IN ONE. By His Spirit, we are ALL joined together into ONE BODY. Paul told the Corinthi­ans, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:13).

He said, “he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (I Corinthians 6:17).

Every born-again believer is joined together BY GOD’S SPIRIT unto Christ, Who is the “Head” of the Church. God’s purpose in this Decade of Destiny is that we grow together IN UNITY until we reach full spiritual maturity, where we have been incorporated and joined together into ONE…into “a PERFECT MAN.”

Beloved, it’s time for us to GROW UP…to get the bottle nipple out of our mouths!

It’s time for God’s endtime people to rise up in a degree of maturity that will shake the world before Jesus comes!

WE MUST HAVE A FRESH VISION OF GOD’S ETERNAL, ULTIMATE INTENTION FOR THE CHURCH!

Before we go one step further in this revelation, we must have a spiritual breakthrough, where our spiritual eyes are opened to see what God has planned and purposed for us.

The Church of Jesus Christ, at its current level of understanding, cannot come into this experi­ence where we are PERFECTED…fully matured…standing in the full stature of Jesus Christ. Something must happen!

Being changed into Christ’s likeness and grow­ing to the full stature of Jesus Christ has been considered as a goal that is either impossible for us to obtain, or that we will obtain when our bod­ies are changed into incorruptible bodies…into Christ’s likeness…at the time of the resurrection.

There are many who teach that we will never be able to reach “perfection”…that since we are only human, it is all right to sin occasionally. They set a standard of Christian living based upon man’s limitations instead of the Word of God.

Within the Body of Christ, there is such a limit­ed vision of God’s plan and purpose for His peo­ple. The vast majority of Christians today do not even know what God’s eternal purpose for the Church is. They only see God’s purpose as it relates to their salvation and their being raptured into heaven at the coming of Christ.

Many are at such an immature stage of spiritu­al growth…they are so consumed with what God can do for them, and obtaining His blessings and getting their needs met…that they cannot see God’s ultimate purpose for their lives and what He wants to accomplish through them.

Before we can move into the position of “per­fection”…full spiritual maturity…that God has planned for us, the Spirit of God must so move upon us that we will receive a new fresh vision of God’s eternal, ultimate intention for us today.

There is no possible way for us to grow up into the full stature of Jesus Christ until we have God’s vision and clearly see His plan and purposes.

Before you can receive this revelation into your spirit, God must open your spiritual eyes so that you will be able to see beyond the limitations that have been built in your mind…beyond the limited experience of the Church today…beyond your own limited experience…to see and know what God has planned for us in these final days before Christ’s return.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). As long as we remain in a posi­tion of SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE, where we can­not see or understand God’s plan and purposes, we will remain as immature spiritual babies, unable to fulfill the spiritual destiny God has called us to.

Satan’s objective is to keep us in this position of SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE. He knows that if we do not know God’s purpose for the Church and all that He has planned to accomplish in and through us, we will not be able to take possession of our spiritual inheritance. Satan doesn’t want the Church to reach the full stature of Jesus Christ because he knows he is defeated and fears what will happen when the Church takes its position as full-grown sons of God!

The children of Israel wandered in the wilder­ness for forty years and eventually were defeat­ed…disinherited and dispersed to the nations, because they lost the vision of the spiritual des­tiny God had called them to as His chosen peo­ple. He had planned to bless them above all other nations and, through them, to establish His will and kingdom upon the earth.

They lost the vision of their spiritual destiny, and failed to take possession of their spiritual inheritance and all the things God had prepared for them.

OUR EYES MUST BE ANOINTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Within the Church today, there are very few Christians who really understand that we are liv­ing in a time of spiritual destiny, when God is going to bring to a culmination ALL that He has planned and purposed for His people. They do not realize the spiritual destiny God has called them to fulfill and, as a result, are unable to grow and develop into full maturity.

Without this vision, the Church will never be able to stand in the full stature of Jesus and oper­ate in the same dimension of power and authority!

Paul prayed for the believers in the Ephesian Church:

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Ephesians 1:17-18

This is my prayer for the Church today.

The “eyes of our understanding” must be opened! We need the Holy Spirit to come upon us and open our spiritual eyes to see and know what God has called and purposed for us in this end time hour.

In His letter to the Church of Laodicea, Jesus told them, “Anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:18).

Today, before we can come into an experience where we have grown unto full stature, where we are a FULL MANIFESTATION of all that Christ is and all that God has planned and purposed for us to be, our eyes must be ANOINTED by the Holy Spirit!

Paul prayed, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (verse 18).

Until our spiritual eyes are opened…

We will never be able to KNOW the hope of the HIGH CALLING of God…

We will never be able to see or understand our spiritual destiny as God’s people…

We will never be able to grow up to the full stature of Jesus Christ!

The cry of my heart for the Church today is for God to ANOINT OUR EYES so that we will be able to KNOW all that He has called us to.

Before you can receive this revelation into your spirit where you can understand the spiritual des­tiny God has called you to, the eyes of your understanding must be opened.

Right now, before you go one step further in this lesson, I want you to place your hands on your eyes, as a point of contact, and ask God to anoint your spiritual eyes with the Holy Spirit…to take you beyond the limitations of your natural mind…beyond man-made doctrines…to reveal His vision of all that He has planned and pur­posed for the Body of Christ in this Decade of Destiny.

Take time right now to spend some time with the Lord in prayer.

This is not just another lesson for you to read and lay aside. God wants to bring you into an experience…into a new phase of spiritual strength and FULL MATURITY, where you are a FULL REPRESENTATION of Christ to the world.

I pray for you right now…wherever you are…in the Name of Jesus, that God will ANOINT your spiritual eyes, that the spiritual cataracts will fall off, and that the eyes of your understanding will be opened so that you will KNOW what God has planned and purposed for your life, and that you will enter this new phase of spiritual growth, where you have reached full maturity.

GOD’S SPIRITUAL DESTINY FOR US IS THAT WE BE A FULL MANIFESTATION OF CHRIST TO THE WORLD!

Even before the foundation of the world, in the Father heart of God. He desired  to have a peo­ple…sons and daughters who would bear His image His likeness… who would, share His very life, His nature, His purpose, His vision, and be fully conformed in his will!
Paul told the Ephesians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6

Before the foundation of the world, “according to the good pleasure of His will,” God planned for the “adoption” of children through Jesus Christ. He desired to have a people through whom He would manifest His power and glory to the world. This is your spiritual destiny and mine, and He is going to accomplish it!

God’s ultimate intention for us is that we be His very own children…CONFORMED…changed into the image of Christ.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: And whom he called, them he also justified: And whom he justified, them he also glorified_

Romans 8:29-30

From the beginning, God planned to have a family…a vast multitude of sons and daughters who would stand in the FULL STATURE of Jesus Christ…possessing His life, His anointing, His power and authority, His faith, His mind, His wis­dom, His righteousness, His love.

He planned for us to be changed and trans­formed into Christ’s image, where we would be a FULL MANIFESTATION of His life to the world. Beloved, this is your spiritual destiny!

Jesus Christ was the “firstborn among many brethren”! Throughout the ages, God has been working by His Spirit, calling out and preparing for Himself a people. He has been changing…mold­ing and conforming us into Christ’s image.

Today, in this Decade of Destiny, He is bringing us, by His Spirit, into FULL SPIRITUAL MATURI­TY, where we will reach the full stature of Jesus Christ and will take full possession of our rights and privileges as His sons.

God’s ultimate intention for us extends far beyond the redemption and salvation of our souls. Christ’s finished work on the cross and man’s deliverance from the bondage of sin is just the beginning…the first step toward what God has planned to accomplish in and through us.

THIS IS THE TIME APPOINTED BY THE FATHER FOR THE CHURCH TO GROW UP!

The time has come for us to GROW UP…to take our position as fully-matured, full-grown sons of God!

Paul told the Galatians:

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were chil­dren, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a ser­vant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:1-7

Through our relationship and union with Christ, we are God’s children, joint-heirs of all that the Father has. However, as long as we remain chil­dren…spiritual babies…we will not be able to take our position as sons who are entitled to full rights and privileges of the Kingdom of God.

According to Jewish custom and tradition, the heir, as long as he was a child, was no different than the slave. He remained under tutors and governors until THE TIME APPOINTED BY THE FATHER. (More about this next week.)

During this Decade of Destiny, this is the time appointed by the Father for the Church to grow up “UNTO A PERFECT MAN”!

Paul said, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4).

Just as in the “fullness of time” He sent Christ forth into the world to redeem us, THIS IS THE TIME He has purposed to bring forth His peo­ple…His spiritual sons and daughters…into full maturity!

Paul said:

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.

Ephesians 1:9-10

Beloved, we are living in the fullness of time, in the climax of the ages, when God has purposed to bring ALL THINGS together and consummate them in Christ. Praise God! We are part of this spiritual destiny!

IT’S TIME FOR US TO BECOME FULL-GROWN SONS…IN THE FULL STATURE OF JESUS!

Now let’s look closely again at God’s purpose for the Church today. When Christ ascended into heaven, He placed the fivefold ministry within the Church for the PERFECTING and FULL EQUIP­PING of the saints. Through the fivefold ministry, the Church is to grow until it reaches the full stature of Jesus Christ.

Paul said:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13

God has planned for you to grow up until you come to a place where you have been MADE PERFECT!

I realize there are those within the Church who preach and teach it is impossible for us to ever be “perfect” in this life. And when you look at the level of spiritual experience of the majority of Christians today, including the leadership within our churches, it is easy to understand why it is hard to believe this could be possible.

In your own life, you may look at your weak­nesses, failures and limitations, and think it is impossible for you to reach this place of “PER­FECTION.” Not only is it possible, but God, through Christ, has made every provision for it.

When Paul said we are to grow up to “A PER­FECT MAN,” what did he mean? What was this perfection he was referring to?

The word “perfect” in this verse is translated from the Greek word “teleios,” which signifies “having reached its end”; “complete, mature, full grown, of full age.”

Look at verse 13, translated from the Amplified version, which gives a clearer understanding of the original Greek. Speaking of the Church, Paul said:

(That it might develop) until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehen­sion of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God; that (we might arrive) at really mature manhood—the complete­ness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own per­fection—the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

Ephesians 4:13, TAB

The “perfection” Paul was referring to is the position of maturity we reach when we have come to full age…where we stand complete…full grown. This full maturity is nothing less than Christ’s own perfection!

When he said we are to grow unto “a perfect man,” Paul was speaking of the full maturity the whole Body of Christ is to reach in Christ, as well as the full maturity of each individual member of the Body. He said, “Till we ALL come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.”

God’s purpose for the Church today is that we be MADE PERFECT…brought to a point of com­pleteness in Christ where we have reached full spiritual stature…the same stature as Jesus Christ!

This is not something which we can cast aside or overlook simply because we do not understand it or because we do not feel we can reach this position as fully-matured sons of God. This “per­fection” is not dependent upon our abilities or upon anything we possess, but upon His Spirit working in us to accomplish God’s purposes.

Jesus told His disciples, “Be ye therefore per­fect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). To our natural under­standing, this is impossible or beyond our com­prehension. That is why we must have God ANOINT OUR EYES with the Holy Spirit—that the eyes of our understanding will be opened so that we will KNOW what God intends to accom­plish in us.

Paul prayed, “The eyes of your understanding be enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

Christ would not have commanded us to be “perfect” unless there was a way for it to be accomplished in our lives. By His Spirit, His very life is within us. As we are united together with Him, He has planned for His life to grow and develop until it is fully grown and mature, where we are manifesting His life, His mind, His will, His power to the world. Just as a natural child bears the image of his father, we are to bear His image and likeness.

GOD’S PURPOSE IS THAT WE BE MADE
PERFECT…FULLY MATURED!

Jesus prayed for the Church, that we would “be made perfect in one” (John 17:23). Paul told the Corinthians:

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

ll Corinthians 13:11

He was urging the believers in Corinth to GROW UP…to come to a position where they were mature…full grown. It was his desire to so nurture these believers that they would all come to this completeness and full maturity in Christ.

He said:

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which wor­keth in me mightily.

Colossians 1:28-29

Paul said he LABORED…not in his own strength, but according to the power of God work­ing mightily in him to PERFECT…to bring them to this place of full maturity.

This is the purpose for which God has placed the fivefold ministry into the Body of Christ…FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS! This must be the goal of every pastor, every teacher, every evangelist, every prophet, every apostle, if the Body of Christ is to reach the full stature of Jesus Christ.

Their vision must not be just to preach well-delivered sermons that stir up the people and receive a good response, but that they preach the “meat” of the Word that will cause the members of the Body to grow up, to reach full maturity.

Could it be that is one of the reasons the Church has not yet grown to full maturity?

Epaphras, Paul’s co-laborer, prayed that the believers in the Colossian church would “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12).

Paul told Timothy that the Scriptures were given for the purpose of PERFECTING us.

He said:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thor­oughly furnished unto all good works.

II Timothy 3:16-17

God’s purpose through His Word is to make us PERFECT…to mature and fully equip us to do His will. One of the reasons the Church has not grown to full stature is that the vast majority of Christians has not made the Word of God a vital part of their lives. The Word has not taken root deep within their spirits.

The apostle James wrote to the Church:

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4

God’s purpose, through the trials and tests He allows to come into our lives, is that we BE MADE PERFECT…brought to full completion… matured…full grown…LACKING NOTHING! Instead of whining and complaining when trials come, the apostle James said we are to “count it all joy”…to rejoice, knowing that God will not only make us victorious IN OUR TRIALS, but through them He is working in us to perfect us. It’s time for us to grow up!

Peter wrote:

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

I Peter 5:10

In every test and every trial that we go through, God is working to strengthen us and bring us to a place of full maturity, where we are immovable and able to stand firm against every attack, and to endure every hardship in 100 percent victory!

CHRIST WAS MADE PERFECT THROUGH HIS SUFFERING!

Jesus, Who took upon Himself the form of flesh and blood, was MADE PERFECT through the sufferings He endured. Although He was pure and undefiled…without sin…it was necessary for Him, through the sufferings He endured, to be perfected…brought to a place of completion and fully qualified as our great High Priest.

Paul wrote:

For it was an act worthy (of God) and fit­ting (to the divine nature) that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their exis­tence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect (that is, should bring to maturity the human experience necessary for a perfect equipment for His office as High Priest), through suffering.

Hebrews 2:10, TAB

The perfection in this verse is not referring to Christ’s character as the Son of God, but to His position as High Priest…the “Author” of our salva­tion. Though He was the Son of God, it was nec­essary for Him to be perfected through the human sufferings He endured.

There was no sin or shortcoming within Christ. He was made perfect through His conformity to God’s will. It was through His sufferings and His obedience unto death that He was perfected and fully qualified for His work as Savior. Only after making satisfaction on the cross for our sins, could Jesus be exalted to His position of supreme power and authority at the right hand of the Father.

Paul said concerning Christ:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled him­self, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:7-11

In bringing “many sons into glory,” it was nec­essary for Christ to endure the sufferings of the cross. Through His ultimate sacrifice, He has made it possible for us to grow to full stature as God’s sons and take possession of our inheri­tance.

And because Christ was MADE PERFECT, He became the Author of our salvation!

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

Hebrews 5:9

Oh, God! Anoint our eyes that we will be able to see clearly Your plan and purpose for us today!

FULL STATURE IS NOT A REMOTE POSSIBILITY…IT IS A PRESENT REALITY!

As we look deep into the heart of God, we see that before the foundation of the earth, He planned that Christ would come to earth, bear man’s image, suffer the pain and agony of the cross, and offer Himself as the supreme sacrifice for our sins. It was His great desire and determi­nation that we might share His life and grow to full manhood as His sons, reflecting the same image as Christ.

Through Christ’s supreme sacrifice, He has already fulfilled everything necessary to make it possible for us to be perfected…to reach the full stature of Jesus Christ.

This perfection…this full stature…is not some­thing which is a remote possibility, or something which can be achieved through our own self efforts. It is a PRESENT REALITY today which God has made possible through Christ.

Whereas this one (Christ), after He had offered a single Sacrifice for our sins (that shall avail) for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, Then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet. For by a single offering He has forever com­pletely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.

Hebrews 10:12-14, TAB

God has already made full provision for us to be perfected…fully matured! Not only has He made it possible through Christ for us to reach full stature, He has placed His life…the Holy Spirit…within us to accomplish and bring us to this position where we are full grown…to the full stature of Jesus Christ!

We grow through our union with Christ. Grow­ing up unto the full stature of Jesus Christ is the result of the CONTINUOUS work of the Holy Spir­it, as we continually surrender and yield ourselves to Him. This continual working of the Holy Spirit in our lives enables us to receive His life, and conforms and changes us into Christ’s image. It is BY HIS SPIRIT we are able to grow to the full stature of Jesus. Paul told the Corinthians:

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

ll Corinthians 3:18

Say aloud: “God’s purpose for my life is that I be PERFECTED…that I GROW UP to the FULL STATURE of Jesus Christ, where I am manifest­ing His mind, His will, His power and anointing to the world!”

GOD IS CALLING THE CHURCH TO LOOK BEYOND WHERE WE ARE TODAY!

Beloved, this is the time God is bringing the Church to FULL STATURE. He is bringing to pass and fulfilling His ultimate intention for the Church. However, before the Church can come into an experience where we are standing in the full stature of Jesus Christ, we must have God’s vision.

Look again at God’s destiny for the Church. Paul said:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a per­fect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we hence­forth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc­trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-15

God’s purpose for us is that we mature and develop into “A PERFECT MAN”…that we GROW UP unto the FULL STATURE OF JESUS CHRIST. Paul said we are to “grow up into him in all things.” God has planned for us to grow up in the whole man…in His knowledge, His holiness, His righ­teousness and all the characteristics of Christ.

Think about it. Christ TODAY, seated in a posi­tion of supreme power and glory at the right hand of the Father, is a representation of what God intends for us to become!

The major reason the Church today has not yet reached this position of the full stature of Jesus Christ, and the members of the Body of Christ have not taken their place as full-grown sons of God, is because we have failed to see and under­stand God’s ultimate, eternal purpose for the Church. We must ask God to anoint our eyes so that we will have His vision!

The majority of Christians sitting in our pews have lost the vision of the divine destiny God has called us to. Their energies have become focused upon escaping the pressures and trials in this world and they are concerned with “surviv­ing”…somehow making it through to heaven.

By His Spirit, God is calling the Church to look beyond where we are today…beyond our fail­ures…beyond our limitations…beyond our man­made goals…to see the awesome spiritual destiny He has called us to.

WE MUST PRESS FORWARD TO FULL STATURE!

Our spiritual destiny in these final years before Christ’s return is A PERFECT…FULL-GROWN MAN…the FULL STATURE OF JESUS CHRIST AS HE IS TODAY!

We must not settle for anything less! God will bring us into this new phase of FULL SPIRITUAL STATURE, but we must press forward…exert every ounce of spiritual energy before we can begin to experience the spiritual growth God has planned for us in this hour.

Regardless of where you are in your spiritual experience, you must not be satisfied or content to stay where you are. You must not allow your­self to be lulled into a state of spiritual complacen­cy, where you are content and feel you have arrived at a place of spiritual knowledge and maturity where you no longer need to develop.

To reach full stature, you must ask God to give you a fresh vision of the spiritual destiny He has called you to. You must then keep that vision before you and set your heart and mind to PRESS FORWARD in the Spirit to reach it.

Paul set this goal of full stature before him, set his face like a flint and exerted all his energies during his lifetime to reach this goal.

He said:

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high call­ing of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.

Philippians 3:12-15

Paul did not consider himself to have reached perfection…full spiritual stature in Christ…but, like an athlete in a race, he set his eyes on it as his goal and concentrated all his energies toward obtaining it.

The word “perfect” in verse 12 is translated from the Greek word “teleiomai,” which means “the culminating and complete perfection.” He was referring to the full spiritual maturity that God has called every believer to obtain.

Paul said, “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before…” The Greek word used for “reaching forth” is the word used to describe an athlete who throws himself forward in the race with all his energy and straining to the very utmost.

He said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The word “press” is translated from the Greek word “dioko,” which means “to pursue, to speed for­ward earnestly.” Like a runner in a race, Paul was pressing forward in hot pursuit toward full stature, not in his own limited strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the time God is bringing the Church into the full stature of Jesus Christ. Like Paul, we must set our eyes on this goal and PRESS FOR­WARD…forgetting and laying aside everything else…and pressing forward in the Spirit to reach it.

IT’S TIME FOR US TO LAY ASIDE CHILDISH THINGS!

Beloved, we don’t have time to get sidetracked. It’s time for us to GROW UP…to lay aside our “childish,” immature attitudes and to grow into full spiritual maturity.

Paul said:

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away child­ish things.

I Corinthians 13:11

It’s time for us to put away childish things…to put down the bottle nipple…to stop feeding only on the milk and listening to those teachings that make us feel good or appeal to our carnal nature.

If we are to grow up to the full stature of Jesus Christ, we must start digesting the “meat” of the Word that will cause us to grow strong.

It’s time for us to start exercising spiritual dis­cernment instead of following after every new doctrine that comes along. We must stop whining and complaining about how the devil is attacking us, and move to an offensive position, where we have him on the run!

As long as we remain spiritual babies…chil­dren…we cannot fulfill God’s will upon the earth. It is time for us to take our position as FULL GROWN sons and daughters of God, who are a full representation of Christ to the world.

In exhorting the Hebrews, who were spiritually immature, to press forward to full stature, Paul said:

Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your (spiritual) hearing and sluggish, even slothful (in achieving spiritual insight). For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.

Hebrews 5:11-12, TAB

When we take the mask off, this is the spiritual condition of many of the Christians sitting in our pews Sunday after Sunday. They have become so accustomed to feeding on “milk,” they cannot handle “strong meat.”

Paul continued by saying:

For every one who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (that is, of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought and action,) for he is a mere infant—not able to talk yet!

Hebrews 5:13, TAB

In contrast to spiritual “babies” who continue to feed on milk, are those who are “full grown” and feed on the solid “meat” of the Word.

Paul said:

But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.

Hebrews 5:14, TAB

It’s time for the Body of Christ to start feeding on the “strong meat” of the Word. It is time for pastors to stop spoon-feeding and serving “milk” to their members, and to start feeding them some meat that will help them grow to full stature!

LET US GO ON!

Paul exhorted the Church to press on toward this full stature. He said:

THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ, the Messiah, advancing steadily toward the completeness and per­fection that belongs to spiritual maturity.

Hebrews 6:1, TAB

By His Spirit, God is bringing us into a new phase of full spiritual maturity, where we have reached the full stature of Jesus Christ. To reach this goal, we must go beyond our limited experi­ence…beyond the simple, elementary foundation of the basic fundamental teachings and doctrine of Christ.

In this series of lessons, we are going to PRESS FORWARD TO FULL STATURE. We are going to take an honest look at the spiritual immaturity that exists within the Church and in our individual lives and allow God to deal with them. Step by step, we are going to PRESS FORWARD in our desire to reach our goal of full stature.

Growing up to the full stature of Jesus Christ is dependent upon our knowledge…the revelation we have of Him. We grow and are changed into Christ’s image and reach full stature as we grow in knowledge of Him. Next week, you will learn how God has planned for you to stand in the FULL STATURE of Jesus Christ as a full-grown son, with full sonship rights, and learn about God’s plan for the full ADOPTION of sons.

This week, allow God to anoint your spiritual eyes so that you will KNOW your spiritual des­tiny…that God’s purpose for you is to bring you to a position of spiritual maturity, where you have reached the full stature of Jesus Christ.

Knowing that this is God’s time to bring the Church into this new phase of spiritual growth and full maturity, you must determine to PRESS FOR­WARD…to make every possible effort…to spiritu­ally strive toward reaching full stature. As a runner in a race, you must set this as your goal and concentrate all your energies toward obtain­ing it!

KNOWING that God has not only purposed and planned for us to grow up to the full stature of Jesus Christ, and that He has also made every provision for us to obtain it…

LET US GO ON…

LET US PRESS FORWARD…

LET US CONTINUALLY PURSUE THIS GOAL…

until we stand as “a perfect man”…full grown into the full stature of Jesus Christ!

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