Scripture

(Ephesians 3:14-21)

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(If you’re following the scriptures printed in our insert, I will be quoting verses from the ESV, so it won’t match up exactly to your NIV’s.)

Stages and Spheres of Discipleship

The Christian life demands self-examination. Matthew 7:5 says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” If we are going to mature to the point where we can help each other grow, we must take measures to improve and maintain our own spiritual health. Otherwise, we face obstacles such as presenting a false picture of Christ, and thereby turning others away from Him. It is only by reflecting the image of God that we can draw others to Him. Others will want to grow in Christ if they can see Him in us. That is a tall order. It’s impossible, except by the grace and mercy and promises of God. The stages and spheres described by Dave Early are helpful tools for a Christian to assess their spiritual health and growth.

Dave Early describes Five Stages

  Discipleship is a lifelong process which begins with salvation. In this journey with Jesus, a believer learns to submit to the process of sanctification. In Romans we read: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29) Chuck Smith says, “It’s a thrilling truth that doesn’t upset me at all. The fact that He chose me and began a good work in me proves that He’ll continue to perform it. He wouldn’t bring me this far and then dump me.”[1] It truly is an amazing concept that only our heavenly Father, in His abundant and profuse outpouring of love, could have thought of. I can’t even begin to imagine such a thing, but if it’s in God’s word, I believe it. “It is both comforting and humbling to know that we are all in a process of spiritual growth and that no one fully arrives at the destination of perfection in this life.”[2]

   Before salvation, the Bible tells us that we are dead. We read in Ephesians: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” (Ephesians 1-2a). This is stage one. This person is not born again. In this stage, a person may not believe in God. They may believe there are many ways to God. Some are hostile towards Christianity, others are tolerant. They may see religion as a crutch, “for people who need it to explain things,” as a friend of mine said. They may say, as another acquaintance of mine did, “I don’t get all this Jesus died for my sins stuff.” They may think that a loving God would never create hell, much less send anyone to it. (Which of course he doesn’t. That choice is up to us.) They often think that God will know that they are a good person, and take them to the next life. They frequently have beliefs about the afterlife involving spiritual levels, alternate dimensions, reincarnation and so on. Some are convinced that they are Christians and have an excellent connection with God. They may be longtime churchgoers. They may know a lot about Jesus, but they haven’t met him.

   “So what are the needs of people who are spiritually dead? First, they need love through honest friendships and relationships with believers.”[3] We need to love them, walk with them,  pray for them, and pray for opportunities to share our faith with them and answer their questions. We need to live lives in front of them that represent Biblical principles.

  Stage two is a babe in Christ. They have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It’s new to them, and they’re going to need spiritual food in order to grow. They need to read the Bible, the bread of life. Some Christians don’t grow up, and some fall away. Others, like the prodigal son, go away for a while. But the good Shepherd keeps looking for them, to bring them home again. The Bible will eventually correct a lot of thinking in our heads that is left over from before the Holy Spirit gave us new life. We will feed on the teaching and fellowship of the church. Babes in Christ often think of the church as something to meet their needs. They might decide to go to a church that has better music, or a big theatrical production. They might not even go to church. They may find the church to be hypocritical. They don’t know how important daily Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship are. They may struggle with anger, alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, or other sinful issues.

A small group can be very helpful for them. They need Christian friends, but are still drawn to their worldly friends and activities. It is important for us to tell them that they are on a lifelong journey with God and His family.

   The next stage, stage three, is a child in Christ. They are still focused on what they want and what the church can do for them. They may be highly critical of the church – the music, the pastor, the sermons, the people. They want recognition and appreciation, and lose interest or feel upset if they don’t get it.

   Eventually, they may grow into stage four, a young adult in Christ. This person is growing in Christ, seeking to do his will, participates in worship, witnesses, and cares for and about others. They have a regular Bible study and prayer time. They are finding their gifts and using them, and finding the joy that accompanies walking in obedience to God. Their love for God is growing and makes them desire to trust and obey Him more and more. They are growing in knowing who God is and the greatness of His love for them, which is increasing the way they love God in return. Their love for the church and the brethren is growing. They find ways to serve the church and the brethren.

   Stage five is the parent. These people are seeking God’s leading in helping others to grow in Christ. They start at home, leading their family devotions, and making their family a priority in which to love and serve. As God puts other people on their heart, they seek to find ways to help them mature in the faith. They seek opportunities to tell the unsaved about Jesus. They want to and work to see new believers baptized and in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. They pray for wisdom in how best to help each specific individual to grow. They strive to set a good example for all at all times, in everything they do. They are growing closer to God each day, and drawing closer to their home family and their church family as well.

Now these stages are not so clear cut as described. A lot of mixing and matching is seen. People don’t evolve the same way, at the same time, in the same areas - in faith, just as each child has their own timetable for growth and development. We’re all different, and that is God’s plan; he made us each a unique individual. Some grow faster, some slower. Some take longer to be freed from the ways of the world. But God will complete the work He began in us. We can be sure of that. We will work on the areas we need to work on as God reveals them to us. “To be like Jesus—that must become our obsession. We must want more of him who is our life. To know Jesus is to know eternal life, a life that never ends. It becomes more and more a desire as we grow in grace and knowledge. The more we learn, the more we want to learn, and the more we see how much we need to learn.”[4]

Dave Early also describes Four Spheres of the Christian Life

As disciples of Jesus, we have different relationships we need to grow in:

1. With God

2. In our homes

3. With God’s family

4. With the world

    Sphere 1 Our first priority, our lifeline, is our relationship with God. We read in the book of John: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) We need to realize that we really are nothing without Jesus. And we will surely die without Him, as the branch that is cut from the vine will wither and perish. Without being firmly grounded in His love, we are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1b) We need to spend time with Jesus to be filled with His love and His Holy Spirit, so that we can share it with others. Without that, we can talk until we’re blue in the face, to no effect. We can do all manner of good works, but fail completely in furthering the kingdom of God. We know that, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) Therefore we must learn to hear God’s voice, so that we can know which house He is building. If we’re working on another house, it’s going to be a work of the flesh, a lifeless thing, without the Spirit of God to give it life.

   In Ephesians five and six, Paul writes about home and family relationships. This is sphere two. The husband should lead his family, putting them first in his life after his relationship with God. He should lead the family in devotions, making their spiritual health a priority. He should put his wife before his children, and together they should raise the children to know the Bible and pray together, and to be faithful and functional members of a local church. This is sphere three. Face to face church. Real relationships with real people. Not a television church, or a radio church. These can be good supplements, but God designed us for personal relationships, and Jesus modeled this with his disciples. We should endeavor to always walk in God’s wisdom and Spirit – with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control – and teach our children to do the same. Then these same habits should be practiced in fellowship with other believers in God’s family, the church.

   Finally, sphere four is our relationship with the world. Sometimes we are the only Jesus that some people will ever see. We need to reflect Him to those at work and play, and be blameless before them, so as not to bring a stumbling block to them in coming to Jesus, but rather attract them to Him. We must be honest, clean, reputable, and fair in all we do. Above reproach, so that no one will have reason to disparage the family of God. Rather, people ought to “see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16b)

   These stages and spheres can help us assess our growth and development in the Lord, and take action in our lives to keep growing in love and service to our Lord and master. We are here to support, love, and encourage each other in this process.

   I close with our scripture reading from Ephesians 3:14-21:

   “¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

   ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according  to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Bibliography

Earley, Dave. “Understanding the First Step of Obedience,”                   in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission        with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic,        2013.

Guzik, David. Enduring Word Bible Commentary.

Putman, Jim, and Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman.                DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make                  Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,        2013.

https://www.gardenofedenchurch.org/