We closed out our Body of Christ series this week with a topic that seemed very fitting: excellence.

Not the corporate buzzword kind—I’m talking about the biblical standard that flows directly from our pursuit of God’s holiness.

We covered the essentials of this formula: God is holy. We are called to be holy. And when we pursue holiness, we produce excellence.

The Greek word for holy is hagios—meaning sacred, pure, consecrated. It’s the same root word for “saints.” By definition, if you’re a saint, you’re called to holiness. Excellence isn’t optional—it’s embedded in who we are.

But let’s be clear: pursuing excellence doesn’t mean a perfect track record. You’ll face resistance. You’ll take some L’s. Excellence is proven in the presence of friction, not the absence of it.

The practical piece? Maintain a heart posture toward God. Submit. Obey. Don’t despise small beginnings. Stay faithful in obscurity.

Commit today to the pursuit. Press toward the mark. Let excellence be your offering to God.

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This week we asked the question: what does spiritual maturity actually look like? It’s not about how long we’ve been saved, it’s how much we grow in Christ:

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

— Ephesians 4:13

That word for “mature” is teleios—a Greek word meaning complete, perfect, whole, and that involves four levels:

Knowledge: You need to know the Word—the principles, the doctrines, the kingdom fundamentals. As Hosea 4:6 warns, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Wisdom: Knowledge applied. Discernment. The ability to take what you’ve learned and actually live it out.

Character: This is about embodying Christ—not just knowing about Him, but living like Him. Loving your enemies. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Endurance: The hardest level. Faith that lasts. Joy that persists through trials. Pressing toward the mark even when you’re exhausted.

Paul summed it all up nicely in his letter to the Colossians:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

— Colossians 1:9-12

Here’s the accountability piece: Jesus cursed the fig tree even though it wasn’t the season for figs. The lesson? We don’t get to say “I’m not ready yet.” Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

Maturity isn’t about perfection—it’s about progression. It’s about being obedient to whatever God is asking you to do right now, today, in this season. The goal is to be the most submitted version of you today, while you ‘press on’ to the complete, perfect version of you tomorrow. That’s teleios.

Teaching notes (Google Doc)

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