Stages Of The Disciple’s Growth #2 (1 John 2:7-17)

“Stages Of The Disciple’s Growth” #2 Message Notes (1 John 2:7-17); Pastor Curt Audet 1/11/26

12th in the 13 Message Series: The Master’s Plan For Making Disciples

BI: Expect and embrace spiritual growth in your life.

God cannot, will not and must not bring His redemptive power, and Holy Spirit to bear upon our human souls only to leave us in the same unchanged, debased, worldly mind; the same fleshly, carnal passions. When we come to Christ by faith, we should expect and embrace spiritual growth in our life.

From the beginning to the end of a Christ-followers life, growth is to be hoped for, worked towards and fully anticipated and expected. Last week’s text in 2 Corinthians 5 insists upon this:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This graphic designed by the ministry website discipleship.org shows the progression of change that occurs in the healthy disciple of Christ.

Last week we began to look at each of the stages of growth in the Disciples Of Christ.  I asked you to use the time between last week and this week, and evaluate which stage you are in The Discipleship Process: Where are your in spiritual discipleship development?

Where did you decide? Its important that we recognize the expected growth of the disciple of Christ and see the choices we have to make to avoid unfruitfulness.  We looked at the first three stages:

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. Be 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.  Jesus say emphatically: 

^“Unless [you are] born again [you] cannot see the kingdom of God . . .  I say to you, unless [you are] born of water and the Spirit, [you] 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.”

Without your placing your faith in Christ, not another stage of discipleship is even possible.   

Stage 3 – SPIRITUAL CHILD; Self-focused. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

“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)

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’.  Circle where you are at.

Which Stage Do You See Yourself In Your Discipleship Development?

Stage 1 – SPIRITUALLY DEAD; Must Be Born Again. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Stage 2 – SPIRITUAL INFANT; Needs Guidance. (John 3:3-8)

Stage 3 – SPIRITUAL CHILD; Self-focused. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

Stage 4 – SPIRITUAL YOUNG ADULT; Kingdom Focused. (1 John 2:13-14)

Stage 5 – SPIRITUAL PARENT; Disciple Maker (1 Corinthians 4:15)

Stage 6 – SPIRITUAL GRANDPARENT; Making Disciple Makers  (2 Timothy 2:2)

These stages show people moving from spiritual deadness to conversion, where a person starts as a spiritual infant, and then developing on into 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.  This our the exciting journey we are taking together!  Look at Stage 4:

Stage 4 – SPIRITUAL YOUNG ADULT; Kingdom Focused. (1 John 2:13-14)

The dead man becomes alive. The infant woman becomes a child. The the child is now developing into a young adult who recognizes Jesus’ call to seek first the Kingdom of God from which then, all other priorities will follow in a healthy way.  This stage is seen in 1 John 2,

⁷Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹²I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for [Jesus’] name’s sake. ¹³I am writing to you, fathers, because you know [Jesus] who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴I write to you, fathers, because you know [Jesus] who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

The key things we see in this stage are elements of maturity that find their place in a now responsible disciple of Christ.   If this is you:

• You see that loving one another is the best way to love God. (v.10)
• You grasp that Jesus is God the Son, the 2^nd person of the Trinity. (v.13,14)
• You recognize that you must surrender to the Holy Spirit against Satan’s influences to sin. (v.13,14)
• You are gaining strength because your faith is built firmly on God’s Word. (v.14)
• You see God’s Kingdom as more valuable than this world’s kingdom. (v.14)

Keep in mind that the spiritual development is not related to how young or old we are in terms of physical year; and, may not correspond to how long we have been ‘in Christ’.  We should grow in these qualities of maturity, but we only do as we cultivate, expect and embrace the spiritual growth in our life.

The next two stages grow in maturity in the same way as this Stage 4 – Spiritual Young Adult.   The differences are based on building knowledge in God’s Word, discernment in how to live and recognition of the way to best invest the years we have remaining.

Stage 5 – SPIRITUAL PARENT; Disciple-Maker. (1 Corinthians 4:15-16)

When Jesus called us to His accomplish the Great Commission, just like the multiplication called for in physical families, we cannot remain Christ’s disciples alone.  Go into all the world and make disciples.  We must multiply. We must become disciple-makers. If this never happens in the lives of His disciples, God’s plan of salvation ends in one generation.  The Apostle Paul both urges us to imitate him as he actively made disciples.

¹⁵ For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ I urge you, then, be imitators of me. (1 Corinthians 4:15-16)

In most cases, parents plan to begin having children.  Even though this is a very difficult and time consuming and life altering endeavor, most parents know having children is a blessed thing.

In spiritual parenthood, there is work, responsibility, gathering of knowledge, spending time and energy and resources.  What is involved in ‘making disciples’.   Simply put:  Evangelism, and teaching the word in the context of relationship.  Here’s some things that ‘making disciples’ isn’t:

6 Things Discipleship Isn’t (By Hunter Beless; TGC; 3/15/25)

Set meetings for breakfast or coffee. 

How about pull weeds together? Or clean the church together?

Convenient for anybody.

Time and opportunity needs to be made.

A one-way street. 

We are encouraged and blessed by those we pout into.

Reserved for seminary grads, spiritual giants, or perfect people.

Discipleship is for all of Christ’s disciples.

An either-or situation.

Sometimes you disciple, and other times you are discipled.

Optional.

Its commanded and planned by the Lord.

Stage 6 – SPIRITUAL GRANDPARENT; Making Disciple-Makers. (2 Timothy 2:2)

I want to put this image in your memory.  I have these two batons emblazoned with 2 Timothy 2:2 on them.   Fittingly, I’ve asked the elders—Paul and Ken—to begin the slow and consistent passing of the baton to another person near you until everyone in this room has had it pass through their hands. This symbolizes the passing of the Gospel message to us, and then through us to others.  Here’s what the verse on the batons say:

“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Jesus was a disciple-maker starting with the 12 disciples—perhaps well known among themselves as the ‘least likely to succeed’ as disciple-makers.  But God gave them strength, the Holy Spirit within and the Word of God in their hands.  The Apostle Paul was a disciple maker.   But, right from the start, it was on his mind to form the new disciples to be disciple-makers themselves.

You may be a disciple of Christ.  I call you to be a disciple-maker and in time and training, be a ‘spiritual grandparent’ and make ‘disciple-makers.  This coming Saturday is our 2^nd discipleship workshop.   Be a part, bring your questions, invite someone to come along with you.  This is the ‘Culture of Disciple-Making’ we are intentionally learning and growing in together.  It is an exciting journey we are taking together!

Upcoming Discipleship Training Opportunities (Email curtis.audet@vvbcil.com for information about these opportunities.)

1/17/25 Creating A Culture Of Discipleship Workshop #2  10 am in the Everett Room

1/25 – 4/12/25 The Explorers New Believers Bible Study 9 am in the Sparkies Room

Closing Prayer