Once someone comes to an understanding and faith that Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation and turns to him in repentance, every believer begins a process toward becoming "mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28). To give us a clear, concise picture of what this maturity looks like, we use the acronym "W.I.S.D.O.M." While none of us have "arrived," we ask ourselves these questions regularly to see where we are and where we can grow:

W-orship: Do I have a right view of who God is and am I responding to who God is with all of my life? Am I meeting with his people on a regular, consistent basis to give him the praise he is due?

I-nstruction: Am I learning what God's Word has to say about who he is and how he wants me to live?

S-tewardship: Do I view my time, talent and treasure as God's or my own? Am I using these things wisely to further his kingdom purposes?

D-iscipleship: Do I have someone more mature in their faith than me from whom I can learn more about how to follow God? Do I have someone I am helping to grow in their walk with God?

O-utreach: Am I sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don't know the God of the Bible? Am I sharing that Jesus, the Son of God, lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for their sin and give them new life in him?

M-eaningful Fellowship: Do I talk about the things of God with other believers in order to build them up and encourage them? Am I obeying the "one-another" commands of the Bible?