DSMN Essay Spheres and Stages of Discipleship Assignment.edited

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Essay: Spheres and Stages of Discipleship Assignment DSMN 500: Discipleship Ministries (B02) February 01, 2024

2 Content Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..3 The Five Stages Discipleship…………………………………………………………………...4 Being spiritually dead…………………………………………………………………..4 Infant………………………………………………………………………………… .... 5 Child…………………………………………………………………………………….6 Young Adult…………………………………………………………………………….6 Parent………………………………………………………………………………… .... 7 Four Spheres of Discipleship……………………………………………………………………7 Relationship with God…………………………………………………………………..8 Relationship with the Church……………………………………………………………8 Relationship at Home……………………………………………………………………9 Relationship with the World…………………………………………………………….9 Personal stage of Discipleship………………………………………………………….11 Personal Sphere of Submission…………………………………………………………11 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………11 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….13

3 Introduction The purpose of Discipleship is mission.… Discipleship requires the recruitment and formation of believers who will continue the work of Jesus wherever they may be and are led… 1 Discipleship without Jesus Christ is choosing one's path. 2 It could be an ideal path or a martyr's path, but it is without promise. 3 Discipleship is not a separate action when someone becomes a believer in Jesus Christ. As the person begins to dig a little deeper into the progression of becoming a follower of Jesus, it is instantly accomplished that Discipleship is a continuing practice. These developments must be followed with intentionality and assurance. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 nd Corinthians 5:17, NIV) 4 This is different from the case when dealing with Discipleship! Slightly speaking, it is a long-lasting progression that has to be accomplished through meaningful improvement and mentoring. But rather than being a consecutive continuous development, many stages and spheres can be gained and accomplished. The process of Discipleship is a continuing development; its core is the connection between God and man. It will require a deeper eagerness to understand Jesus Christ on a much deeper standard fully; not having the understanding, a person may disregard the importance of connection moments. Christian believers lacking the divine depths to advance growth in spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ will miss out on chances to become a much better disciple, which consists of becoming disciple. The believer can only gain the fullness of Jesus Christ if they are eager for a fundamental understanding of Discipleship to produce more disciples. This journey will require time, a real commitment, and humility for the progression. According to the author, 1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013). 73. 2 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship , (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003). 4. 3 Ibid. 4 www.biblehubs.com

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4 he stated a person might enter alone in the Discipleship but most likely want to stay there. Humankind was established for dependency, especially to give God the glory and to have full enjoyment of him. Discipleship can be a typical growth that followers are skilled in to be like Jesus. For the shift to occur, this assignment will assert the five stages of Discipleship and the four spheres of Discipleship as summarized in the book. The Five Stages Discipleship God gives us a new identity in Christ, and it is as saved disciples that we grow into our new identity. 5 Leaders who view Discipleship through the lens of identity encourage and train people to live in response to the great identity God has given. 6 The Five Stages of Discipleship are determined by the spiritual dead, infant stage, child stage, young adult stage, and finally, the spiritual parent stage. Each of the five stages of Discipleship is different, and a certain uniqueness defines each. To determine the stages and accomplish the conversion, a disciple must work wholeheartedly past the progression. Spiritually Dead Ephesians 2:1–5 describes those "dead in [their] transgressions and sins." People in this stage have not yet accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. 7 They may reject God, they may be seeking God, they may call themselves spiritual, they may even claim to know God or call themselves Christians, but there is no actual fruit in their lives. 8 They may claim to know Jesus but do not have the Holy Spirit in them. 9 The central concept is that being spiritually dead means the person does not have Jesus in their life. This does not mean they have no faith in Jesus 5 Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington, Disciple Shift; Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples , (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013), 60. 6 Ibid, 7 Ibid, 8 Ibid, 9 Ibid,

5 Christ! Which means there is no sincere discipleship. This stage begins with someone's unbelief th,e one being rebellion against God. For this reason, much prayer and love need to be shown toward the people! They need to be shown the absolute truth about God, answer truthful questions about God, and speak life into them because God wants all his children to have a real connection with him. When we decide to have an honest conversation with people who have unbelief, this stage can help lead them to a life of salvation and help them move on to the next stage of Discipleship. Infant Stage First, Peter 2:2–3 describes people who are like newborn babies, craving spiritual milk so they can grow in their salvation. 10 People at this stage are spiritually alive; they have decided to follow Jesus, but that’s about as far as they have gotten! They can be brand-new believers, but this may also include longtime “Christians” who have remained stagnant in their faith. 11 Apostle Paul indicates individuals a matter of immaturity in his writings to the Corinthians when he stated, “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ (1 st Cor. 3:1-2, NIV). 12 Someone can pinpoint a person who is very much alive in Jesus Christ and has gotten to know him as their Lord and Savior, and that is it. They can become new or lifelong followers who have chosen not to engage in their beliefs. All followers of Christ start their Christian walk as a babe in Christ. Nevertheless, if they continue on the formula of the Word of God, they are classified as infants many years after their conversion. The Spirit guides these followers, but they are still divinely unaware and often have conflicting biblical faith with an earthly logical frame 10 Ibid, 62. 11 Ibid. 12 www.biblehub.com

6 of mind. Immature disciples are mainly self-indulgenced and pursue divine support from a leader, and they intend that the house of God will meet their expectations. Child Stage People in this stage continue to grow in their relationship with God and begin to grow in their relationships with other Christians. 13 They have learned enough of the Christian "language"—the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures—to converse with other believers. 14 A child often becomes careless, overbearing, and arrogant but becomes lacking in confidence, bashful, modest, and full of doubt or setbacks. It is feasible that believers with many years of attending Church can still be in the childhood stage of Discipleship, mature but still lacking after being converted. Relatively, “being spiritually mature is purposeful if the believer has matured from the time of growth to their present state of mind.” Young Adult Stage They are beginning to reorient their lives around God’s Word and his people and mission. 15 They are starting to understand that God has called them to give to the body of Christ, rather than take. 16 They are involved in ministering to others, putting the needs of others first, and being doers of the Word—not just people who hear it and accumulate head knowledge. 17 At this stage, spiritual young adults have entangled the perception of the heart of Jesus Christ for their lives and professed willingness by togetherness with other Christians. The young adults now appreciate the concern of the Christian commission as they start to work with other people in the Christian community. During this stage of progression, a Christian believer needs spiritual 13 Putman and Harrington, 65. 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid, 67. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid.

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7 mentors who will aid them in showing them where to assist and the know/how/when to create limits among themselves as they flourish in the church ministry. Parent Stage A spiritual parent has a solid understanding of God's Word, a deep, abiding relationship with God, and a desire to raise other disciples. 18 Spiritual parents live out God's Word daily and are kingdom-centered and God-dependent. 19 The believers have grown from being dead spiritually to focusing on God, becoming self-reliant in their thinking process, and concerned about daily living by faith. The believers are mature enough to help other people learn how to live out their lives entirely through the teaching of the Word of God. We know they are not without fault, but they are promenading with Jesus Christ very willfully. The parent stage knows that it is the only spiritual parent. Still, some try to be consistent as such, expecting their understanding to begin and recreate followers entirely and expertly. Spiritual parents live their lives as a demonstration of the heart of Christ; they are willful about initiating their connection with Christ by feasting on the Word of God. The people are looking forward to fulfilling the responsibilities of Christ. Like natural parents, spiritual parents understand life's difficulties, adversities, objections, and hardships of supporting divine, unformed believers. Their eagerness to put others' infant, child, and young adult needs before themselves makes them different. The existence of stages reminds us that inherent in our definition of Discipleship is the understanding that the disciples of Jesus grow and mature. 20 Four Spheres of Discipleship 18 Ibid, 69. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid, 73.

8 There are Four Spheres of Discipleship. According to the author, the disciple understands God’s commands and submits to his authority (head), is transformed by Jesus (heart), and joins Jesus on a kingdom mission (hands) in all of these areas of their lives. 21 The disciple is led by the center of Christ and is devoted to His holy will and must be willful in their correlation with God, their families, their personal home life, and their connection to the world. The four spheres are the main components of growth. Willingness and humbleness are the vital details and behaviors of a learner as they live out the four spheres of Discipleship. These spheres of Discipleship aid the disciple in fathoming the leading, heart, and hands of the connection among oneself, God, their Church, personal life, family, and the world. We know that one sphere is not better or more critical than the others; striving among all four spheres is imperative to be an influential, thriving disciple of Jesus Christ. Relationship with God The book of Matthew 22:37-38 speaks about having a relationship and understanding with God. Knowledge is not something that comes from within, but it comes from Jesus Christ and transformation. Romans 3:22 speaks on this righteousness given to all who believe through faith in Jesus Christ. 22 The heart of the sphere, the communication with God, is that the follower accepts that their primary focal point is the communication to Jesus Christ and that without being joined to Christ, they bid no understanding to other believers. The disciple cannot deliver positive fruit if not hooked to the root. From a communication perspective, acting ethically requires an ongoing awareness of the everyday operation of power and a willingness to engage others, which will help to cause self-transformation. 23 21 Ibid, 78. 22 www.biblestudytool.com 23 Thomas Kirkpatrick G. Communication in the Church: A Handbook for Healthier Relationship , (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, 2016) 120.

9 One of the many focuses is that the mind connects with Jesus Christ through a prayer life and studying the Word of God. A person can set their love to be exhibitive of life changes or producing fruit. Another focus is whether they are furthering God's kingdom by putting their hands and skills into action. The author Bonhoeffer declares at this stage that his call to Discipleship dissolved all ties for the sake of the unique commitment to Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer makes it clear that the entire humbleness to the heart of Jesus Christ is the primary focal point for this sphere. Relationship with the Church Scripture tells us that when we are born again, we become part of the family of God and have a spiritual Father and brothers and sisters in Christ. 24 It can be easy for us to accept the good news that we have a Father who loves us yet fails to relate to other believers as brothers and sisters, but the two are connected. As a family, the church families work together in many loving connections. God is the answer to brokenness, challenges, family loss, etc. Paul demonstrated for Timothy, his spiritual son, that the Church displays amiable and faithful likeness with people in Christ to make it easier for the kingdom. The faith of the people in the Church cannot set them apart from non-believers of the world but is a flare of luminosity to overcome the obscurity of the world the non-believer faced. This sphere gives what an honest connection with others should look like! During the discipleship development, the new believer must envision what it measures to be a part of the gathering and what God's Word advises about that stance. The world will know the disciples by their compassion for one another (John 13:35); accordingly, divine connections must be vested 24 Putman and Harrington, 85.

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10 and social abilities matured. It is by these connections that divine stature should be exposed and accomplished. Relationship to the Home As believers walked with Jesus, Paul knew they would need to exchange the world's understanding of self-centered love—what had been passed down to them from their parents and culture—and learn what it meant to love in the way of Jesus. 25 Paul knew that the Holy Spirit would empower them and give them direction through the Word, and he knew that it would be necessary to have models of godly family life in the Church, examples that people could look to and follow. 26 Paul implied that every believer cannot cut off connections, that the Spirit wants to control every person's life, and that the finest part to make believers is among our families. Ensuring the standards of having a solid family unity noticeable in the Church encourages the exact character of association in the home. Relationship with the World Paul wants us to understand that our relationship with Jesus affects how we live and work. 27 Paul also details this area: people are to work hard, not be lazy, and be sincere and gracious even to people who aren't that way in return. 28 He teaches disciples to be ethical and consistent and to live in such a way that even if someone does accuse them of doing wrong, the unbelievers will see their good deeds and glorify God. 29 Personal Stage of Discipleship The author is their inferior judge. It is essential to occur vividly with the sacred parenting stages of discipleship, but combining several attributes would be the most suitable phase. Chiefly 25 Ibid, 87. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid, 88. 28 Ibid. 29 Ibid.

11 tentative on the matter, the author has children as her spiritual sons and daughters; it was pretty amazing and demanding to see the stage of Discipleship. Discipleship is the heart of all commitments and activities made by the family. The Gospel is the heart of many families, and they are teaching their children always to follow God, to help serve other people among them, and to start speaking of God's Word. The author was given a passion by God for families and the desire to proceed to target the adherents of families but aimed to put more energy and time into guiding young families. Personal Sphere of Submission The personal sphere of submission and the focus of Jesus Christ, as presented in Bonhoeffer's Discipleship and the Cross, points out to the believer’s ordeal for the sole purpose of the Gospel; the feel of the personal sphere of submission and other Discipleship must be sensitive to the cross. In communication with Jesus Christ, the three uniqueness of becoming a follower of Jesus Christ are submitting, faithful, and all-inured to our Lord and Savior. In broad, the earthly explanation of submission stands for the rejection of self and a loss of character. Nonetheless, when a believer contemplates submission, they are contemplating submission to Jesus Christ's teaching. The meaning is simply being in submission to the ones placed over us in authority, from particular correlation to guiding authority. God is the head authority, and he instructs the ones he appoints. Conclusion Discipleship can only go away if it is applicable. There are different ages and stages we go through in life. It helps to acknowledge the progression and improvement of a person, so with that being said, there should be recognizable stages for believers in their spiritual life. Churches should be the centrality and part of Discipleship in the nation, yet they cannot regulate adherents.

12 Discipleship begins with a particular, hand-to-hand correlation between the believers and the Church, hinged upon personal help. We all need Church because Church reminds us of everything necessary, and when we say Church, we are not talking about a building. 30 But we are referring to the primary cumulative, flesh and blood Body of Christ. 31 Bibliography Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship , Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003. Earley, Dave and Dempsey, Rod. Disciple Making Is…: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013. 30 Erin S. Lane, Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe , (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 171. 31 Ibid.

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13 Lane, Erin S. Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe , Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014 Kirkpatrick, Thomas G. Communication in the Church: A Handbook for Healthier Relationship , Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, 2016. Putman, Jim and Harrington, Bobby, Disciple Shift; Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. www.biblestudytool.com www.biblehub.com

DSMN Essay Spheres and Stages of Discipleship Assignment.edited

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