This Sunday I will sketch four stages of growth for a follower of Jesus. They are inspired by a book called Disciple Shift and its predecessor Real Life Discipleship. You can read through a helpful summary of the stages here (this author uses five instead of four, but it’s the same idea).
Stage 1 – Dead. Apart from Jesus all people are dead “in your transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1).
Stage 2 – Babies. At the moment you put your faith in Jesus you are “born again” and become a spiritual infant, needing to be fed the “pure spiritual milk” of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:1-2).
Stage 3 – Youth. As you grow in the Lord you become more independent and start venturing out on your own, but you still need direction and support from those who are training you.
Stage 4 – Parent. There is not a biblical category for a spiritual “adult.” Rather, the mature believer is actively reproducing. So you have not reached spiritual maturity as a follower of Christ until you have become a spiritual parent – helping a non-believer to be born again; helping a baby Christian grow in the Lord; helping a young believer become more like Jesus and eventually become a multiplying spiritual parent.
In different relationships you will play different roles in different seasons. But understanding these stages of growth and coming alongside people to help them move forward is a critical part of making disciples!