LifeGroup Questions: Applying the Teaching to Our Lives
- Most people probably think that they are more mature than they are in reality. Nobody wants to be immature or called a baby…In an honest evaluation after the sermon where would you place yourself in the stages of spiritual growth?
- Read 1 Peter 2:2. How have you “grown up in your salvation” in the past 3 months in our discipleship series? Be specific.
- If you’ve walked with God for many years, are you actively training the next generation of Christians? If not, why not? What is keeping us from discipling others?
- Think back to a time when you were in one of the earlier stages of spiritual growth: What would the Christ-follower you are now tell the person you were then?
- What aspect has needed the most training in your life? If you looked at where you spend the most training time in your life, would you call yourself a trained disciple? If you did an assessment of your kids training, would they be better suited to play soccer or basketball then they would to be a disciple?
- Looking back on your spiritual life, where have you struggled in your growth so far – are you stuck in a particular stage?
Feel free to download the resources for this sermon:
Audio (MP3)
Slides
Notes
DISCIPLE: The Way of Discipleship
“Stages of Growth as a Disciple”
Hebrews 5:13-14; 1 John 2:12-14
- Everyone in every stage needs to grow.
- Everyone in every stage needs love, Scripture, encouragement.
- Natural age is not equivalent to spiritual stage.
1. Spiritual Newborn: Beginning in Christ
- Positives: excited, discovering, hungry
- Tendencies: naïve, easily led astray, confused
- Needs: basic teaching, re-assurance, modeling
2. Spiritual Child: Young in Christ
- Positives: enthusiastic about knowing God, learning, serving
- Tendencies: self-absorbed, judgmental, inconsistent
- Needs: extensive teaching, challenged to serve, skill development
3. Spiritual Young Adult: Maturing in Christ
- Positives: biblically strong, faithful servant, missional
- Tendencies: pride, self-reliance, critical
- Needs: advanced teaching, gift development, someone to disciple
4. Spiritual Parent: Reproducing in Christ
- Positives: reproducing disciples, other-centered, sacrificial
- Tendencies: loneliness, cynicism, prone to burnout
- Needs: committed teammates, someone to coach, perseverance
Mature disciples are more concerned about the many who need to be reached and discipled than they are themselves.
Core CHRISTlike Characteristic: Connected to God through the Word and Prayer/Loving God
Podcast: Play in new window | Download