Spiritual Immaturity: The Crippler of the Church

By Claudine Head

Immaturity has played a major part in the challenges of life. We say we love God, yet many believers really don’t want what He has to offer in terms of spiritual growth. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me” (Matt. 11:29). Being still long enough to learn is a challenge in the church community, especially when positions and titles are offered for little to nothing. Will we ever grow up?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781640966642

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Spiritual Immaturity

The Crippler of the Church

Claudine Head

Copyright © 2019 Claudine Head

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2019

This book is designed to provide information.

ISBN 978-1-64096-663-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64096-664-2 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

To my mother, Dorothy Dunn. What can I say? I love you, Mom. I thank you for being there for me. Seeing me through the difficulties of life. You always believed in me. Always supporting me in nearly every preaching engagement until you became ill. I love you, and I thank you from my heart.

To my husband, Bishop Dana C. Head Sr., who constantly kept me in prayer. Always proud of anything that I did.

To my children, Crissy, Kenneth, DJ, and David for always encouraging me. And to my New Hope and Life Family, what a blessing you’ve been to me, the church, and my family. You’ve weathered the many storms with me, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked the Lord to bless you and keep each of you close to His heart. To the faculty and students of New Hope and Life School of Religion Theology & Seminary, thank you. Each of you believed in us and made many sacrifices to attend the seminary.

How old are you? How old are you? Not your chronological age. What’s your spiritual age? What’s your mature age?

Many can’t answer these questions. One, because they never gave it much thought. We look around us, and we see people that are grown according to age. We look around in the church, and we see adults, singing, clapping their hands, serving in different auxiliaries. We see men in suits, women in their best Sunday-go-to-meeting outfits. However, if we had to look through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, would we see those we think are mature in spiritual diapers?

How does the Holy Spirit see each of us? What do we really look like in the church? Think about it!

Immaturity

Immaturity: not fully grown or developed; unripe; a lack of normal maturity.

Paul describes the habits of childish ways: When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man (mature), I put away childish things (1 Cor. 13:11).

Things do change as we transition in life. One thing we can be sure of is that the body will always be on God’s clock of aging. All of the antiaging formulas, skin stretches, Botox injections, and cosmetic surgeries in the world will never stop the aging clock of God. However, even though the body is aging, the mind still can lack maturity.

As we grow, we put away childish things. Our dolls, toy trucks, our bottles, and teddy bears are no longer needed. The same is true in the Christian life. New believers need care and guidance to help them learn how to grow in their faith.

As we mature and grow, we know how to seek God for guidance for ourselves and life situations. As we read and study God’s Word, we mature. We develop muscles and increase our strength. Even so, our faith will not be complete until we see Christ face-to-face.

Apostle Paul was a good example for us. He was born a Roman citizen, a privilege which worked to his advantage on several occasions during his apostolic ministry. Paul proved to be an apt pupil. He outstripped many of his fellow students in his enthusiasm for ancestral traditions and in his zeal for the Jewish law. As much as he knew intellectual, Paul was immature in his spiritual knowledge of Jesus Christ. This zeal found a ready outlet in his assault on the infant church of Jerusalem.

It’s no different today. Many well-meaning churchgoers or nonchurchgoers will launch an attack on the church and one another when spiritual immaturity