“Stages Of The Disciple’s Growth” #1 Message Notes (2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Pastor Curt Audet 1/4/26)
Message Series: The Master’s Plan For Making Disciples
BI: Lean in to and embrace growth being a disciple-making disciple of Christ.
From the beginning to the end of a Christ-followers life, growth is to be hoped for, worked towards and fully anticipated and expected. Our primary text this morning asserts and insists upon it:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The idea of change in our lives from the point we were before we learned about Christ Jesus our Lord and the time we finish our walk with the Lord on this earth, is a necessary given. Why? Because our growth as disciples of Christ is largely completed by the intentional Holy Spirit power of God at work within us. See the New Creation we are in Christ in its fuller context:
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once[even] regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (v.16-21)
Because of the work of God He is doing in us, we cannot help but grow. We live in our lives not as we would at a spectator sport, but rather being actively engaged in being led by the Holy Spirit of God. The life of the Christian is one of engaging surrender to God’s work in us.
16 . . .Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If [then] we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)
How Does The Holy Spirit Help The Disciple Grow?
The Word Of God
Self-Evaluation
Embracing Biblical Education
Solicited Input From Others
Wisdom-Responses To Life Circumstances
So if God is at work in our daily lives—even implanting the Holy Spirit of God within us when are saved, why is it that we may not experience any spiritual growth in our lives? Why is it that you may not experience spiritual growth for months or even years? In its shortest answer, ‘because we choose not to surrender to the Spirit of God’. Evaluate yourself as I list here specific reasons for no spiritually healthy growth in your life.
Reasons For ‘No Growth’
Directionless (Not seeking God’s Word for counsel)
Discouragement / Bitterness (False profession or false expectations of the faith)
Distraction (Entertainment or workaholism or undisciplined life)
Deadness (Never born-again; still lost)
Distance (From relationship with God; focusing on external religion)
Disobedience (Quenching the Spirit; refusing to put on/put off)
Dependence (On ourselves rather than the Holy Spirit and word)
No where in the Bible are we told be called ‘Christians’. The terms are always ‘followers of Christ’ or ‘disciples of Christ’. Nowhere in Bible does Jesus call you to be a ‘Christian’. The term itself was generally spoken of Christ’s disciples by those who mocked them. In Antioch, the Apostle Paul served alongside the vibrant disciples of Christ in that ancient city and were jeered at as ‘Christians’. Look! Those are the followers of the dead Jesus Christ! Ha! Ha!
Later, when the Apostle Paul was in chains before King Herod Agrippa II (Acts 11:26; 26:28; See 1 Peter 4:16 too.), he too demeaned the term. Often we call ourselves ‘Christians’ with little understanding that this means that we believe in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven by Jesus Christ of our sin, and importantly, we are disciples—or, active, moving followers of Christ. Being a ‘Christian’ should never be a passive ID card separating ourselves from among the world’s religions. We cannot simply be another variety of ‘faith-holders’. We are called to be the disciples of crucified, buried, risen again and returning King Jesus Christ!
Furthermore, a disciple is a follower of King Jesus who embraces the ‘great commission’ He has given to us:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Let’s look now as we recognize the expected growth of the disciple of Christ and see the choices we have to make to avoid unfruitfulness.
Stage 1 – SPIRITUALLY DEAD; Must Be Born Again. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
“You were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
The first stage of every person who begins to seek Christ is his or her natural state. In this stage you are a lost person needing to be saved. You are a woman without spiritual life needing to be ‘born-again’. This is a man who is in desperate need for revival.
“While we [are] still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly . . .God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (See Romans 5:6-11)
Be careful, thoughtful and honest with yourself about this important reality state of our lives. This is why Christ had to die on our behalf. To accomplish your salvation.
Stage 2 – SPIRITUAL INFANT; Needs Guidance. (John 3:3-8)
This stage brings you to spiritual life.
“I say to you, unless one is born again [you] cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to [Jesus], “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and [born of] the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Without your placing your faith in Christ, not another stage of discipleship is possible, fruitful or effective
Stage 3 – SPIRITUAL CHILD; Self-focused. (Galatians 4:19)
19 My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! (Galatians 4:19)
“We [must] 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, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:13-16)
In our early spiritual development, it is important that we develop a good and healthy diet and discipline. In physical human child development, the child is guided by his or her parents. Parents teach values, educational skills, life skills and self-control for the child to grow. This is where older-in-the-faith disciples come alongside of newer believers to help them in spiritual human child development. Disciples teach biblical values, wisdom educational skills, life skills and personal self-control and Christ-like character for the spiritual-child to grow.
If you’ve been a Christian for a while and sense that you need more structured discipleship in specific areas of your life or in Biblical knowledge and wisdom, seek out a solid, mature believer to ‘disciple’ you along. If you are an older believer, mature and strong in the faith, make yourself available to disciple younger and newer ‘spiritual children’.
Next week we will pick up on part two. Take your notes now and look at the diagram on the backside of the notes. You will immediately notice the first three stages that we talked about already. I’m asking you to between this week and next week, evaluate which stage you are in The Discipleship Process:
You see that anyone who comes to Christ, and is then ‘in Christ’, he or she is a new creation. The old ways of living outside of Christ in a lost condition is changing! Salvation has come! Sanctification—or, ‘holy living–is coming! I urge you to lean in to and embrace the growth of being a disciple-making disciple of Christ!
I commend to you the ministry Discipleship.org. This team pulled together disciple making leaders to map out a common disciple making process for churches and church leaders to use. This is my source for this diagram. The model shows people moving from spiritual deadness to conversion, where a person starts as a spiritual infant, and then on up through becoming a spiritual parent and a grandparent who makes disciple makers. This is the ‘Culture of Disciple-Making’ we are intentionally learning and growing in together. It is an exciting journey we are taking together!
Closing Prayer
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