Page 104 - Discipleship Ministries Student E-Book

Once a person comes to understand the Gospel, he can then by faith believe in what Christ has done
for him and by faith trust in the Savior’s death and resurrection, receiving the gift of salvation in
Christ. The Bible says that on that day, he becomes a new creation in Christ.

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.
Stage 2:

Every new Christian starts out as a spiritual infant. As new believers, they are excited and eager to learn.
They know something has changed, and they may even experience a spiritual high, which is great. Their
unsaved friends often notice the difference, and infants are quick to announce their new faith to
whoever will listen. However, in many ways, they tend to make messes. They are oblivious to what this
new world is all about. They characterized by the word ignorance.

As an infant matures, he must learn a great deal. He learns to walk and talk. He learns to interact with
his environment and with a significant number of people. It takes a bit of time, but as he continues to
mature, he builds on what he has previously learned, and adds new knowledge on top of old.

Stage 3
As an infant moves into young childhood, their world tends to center on themselves. The old sin nature
is manifested in their demands for personal attention. They want what they want, and they want it
NOW!
The must learn to say “please” and “thank you.” They have to learn how to play with others and how to
give deference to others. It is a time where they have to conquer their natural nature to be self-
centered.

Spiritual infants move into the spiritual child stage of development. At this point, they understand the
basic language of faith. They can be excited about their faith, and in many ways, they are innocent and
cute. However, they still act childishly and are often rebellious and self-centered in many ways. They
need a great deal of guidance to learn how to walk with Christ on a daily basis.

Stage 4

As spiritual children grow up, they mature into the spiritual young adult stage. At this stage, they have
grown tremendously from where they started. They are eager to serve, think independently, and look
much like adults; however, they still have much to learn about responsibility and about how to care for
the spiritual needs of others. They are zealous for God and can be characterized as being “God-
focused” and “other-centered.” They are becoming intentional or strategic about sharing their faith and
will see people converted, but they are not yet able to reproduce disciples who can make disciples. They
serve intentionally but don’t make disciples intentionally. They want their independence, and in some
cases, they should have it, but they need continued coaching/parenting.

Stage 5
In the final stage of spiritual development, we became spiritually mature enough to reproduce disciples
– we become spiritual parents. A parent is obviously not just an adult, but has reproduced themselves.
As Christians, we are called to make disciples – to do our part to reproduce our faith in another. Adults
are able to reproduce, but that does not mean they are reproducing. I know many Christians who have
the ability to be spiritual parents but don’t make it a priority. Though they would like to call themselves
mature, I would say that they are not. Why? Because they have not prioritized their lives around the

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