This week we will dig down a bit more on how important it is for every believer to have a vision of how far they can go in Christ, know where they are now, and see the next step. There are basically five levels of maturity in Christ that are revealed in the Scriptures:

1)   Believer – born again by faith in Christ and the atonement of His cross. This is the first step in the greatest journey we can ever take, but it is just the first step.

2)   Disciple – this is the beginning of spiritual maturity. A disciple lives to learn of their Master, to be like Him, and do the works that He did.

3)   Servant – this is where the main focus changes from learning of Him to doing His will and accomplishing His work.

4)   Friend – this is a call to a special companionship with Him and greater authority (see John 15:14).

5)   Sons of God – this is the high calling of God that Paul wrote about, that even the great apostle did not consider he had yet attained to (see Philippians 3).        

         Every one who is born again has been given the invitation and power to become sons of God. This is to walk in the highest place of relationship and authority with God on the earth. These levels are revealed in Scripture and become clearer as we begin to see and run the race for the high calling of God in Christ. We will elaborate on each of these so that the path can be more clearly seen, and so that we can more accurately evaluate where we are and what our next step is for maturing in Christ.

         The path to the high calling of God in Christ is not a safe path; rather it is a faith path. There are dangers, stumbling blocks, and traps all along the way. Even so, it is far more dangerous not to be on this path. As the Lord Jesus warned, those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but those who are willing to lay down their lives for His sake will find them. We are now well into the times when the only safe place is in His will. We will not be in His will if He is not our first love and if doing His will is not a chief pursuit in this life. However, one does not walk this path to be safe, but out of the ultimate love that would compel us to walk the path of the ultimate life.