LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DEVINITY

Writing Assignment 2- Spheres and Stages of Discipleship

Submitted to Dr. Dale Mort,

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

DSMN 500-B06 LUO

Discipleship Ministries

by

Javier Melendez

June 26, 2017

 Introduction

The call to follow Christ is one filled with growth and change, and is a process which is

completely different for each and every person who decides that they would like to live their life

or their lives for Christ. In the book, Disciple Shift, by Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington, the

reader is provided with a five-step approach to the believer and his or her walk with Christ.1 This

detailed process allows each and every disciple with an opportunity to self-access where they

currently are spiritually, and will allow them to better understand why other fellow believers may

say or do certain things that he or she may not completely comprehend. Putman and Harrington

go as far as to create a visual diagram for the reader to further understand the five different stages

of discipleship.

Stage One: Dead

The first stage that they start with is dead, then infant, child, adolescent, and lastly parent.

It may sound contradictory to start with dead, but they started with dead because of the belief

that prior to accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, each and every person is spiritually dead. It is

not to say that at this stage, there is no believe in a God, however, there is not necessarily in

inherent belief of existence of a specific God, or belief in moral absolutes. At this stage, there is

no need for relationship with God or commitment in any way to God. People in this stage are the

prime ones that those in the more advanced stages are looking to reach and share the gospel with,

in hopes of having them accept Jesus as their Savior and allowing them to enter the second stage,

infancy.

1Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013
 Stage Two: Infant

The second stage is the infancy. During this stage, everything is new to this believer and

they have just excepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. During this stage the new believer has a

lot of questions that they are looking for direction and that they are hoping to find answers to.

Putman and Harrington had a verbal selection of describing the stage as infancy, which is one

that really helps the reader understand how delicate a stage this is in the life of the new believer.

During infancy, the believer will need a lot of help to grow and develop, and will have a lot of

questions which will require guidance from believers in more advanced stages. In 1 Peter 2:2-32

the writer even goes as far as describing how the believer requires spiritual milk to grow in their

salvation. Anyone who has had children can understand this at a deeper level as an infant

requires frequent feedings, and not able to consume large amounts all at once. In order to be

satisfied and for their bodies to be nourished, they must receive frequent feedings in small

amounts, which is much like the believer in this stage of development. The new believer is

overwhelmed by too much all at once, and benefits from multiple opportunities to eat and

grow and develop. They require mentoring provided by a spiritual parent, and will be able to

come to a more advanced stage through their constant feeding and being poured into throughout

this stage.

Stage Three: Child

The third stage is the child stage. Something markedly different about this stage is the

simple fact that at this stage, many are unable to progress beyond it. Putman and Harrington

explain that the believer at this stage may have only been a believer for a short time, or that they

may have been a believer for 60 years. This stage is clearly exemplified in Matthew 7:19-20,

2
Unless otherwise stated all biblical references are in the New King James Version
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their

fruits you will know them. In order for the believer to advance beyond this stage, it is important

that they have grown beyond just thinking of themselves, and their wants and desires, and that

they are able to pour into others and their development and growth in Christ. During this stage

the believer lives as a believer, but they are their own primary focus. They can be easily offended

by change in routine or can be unhappy with a sermon or worship song selection. Often, those in

stage three are less flexible in their way of thinking and are quicker to judge others or situations

due to their own views and opinions being their primary focus. In order to develop beyond this

stage the believer must be able to sow a seed into the lives of others, and not see their

involvement in the church body as something done for appreciation or recognition, but rather as

something that is necessary to enable the growth of others.

Stage Four: Adolescent

The fourth stage is the adolescent stage. During this stage the believer is at a place where

they are involved in ministries within their church, and are involved to some extent in the

discipling of others. The adolescent believer is at a place in their walk with God where they

know that God has plans for their life, and desire to follow the plan of God for their lives.

Believers at this stage are actively involved within the church body, and are excited to see and

promote growth within the church. Unlike the child stage, they are not bothered by changes

taking place within the dynamic of their church or congregation, but rather are driven to help

others develop and grow, not just thinking of themselves and what makes them feel most

comfortable, but rather, thinking of what benefits the entire church body.
 Stage Five: Parent

The fifth and final stage is the parent stage. During the parent stage the believer is firm in

their faith walk and are pouring into others from that parent role constantly. At this stage the

believer is God dependent and is not simply thinking of their own needs during their prayer time

with God, but are lifting up the petitions and needs of others, asking God to help them encourage

and help others that He has placed in their path. One of the most significant things seen in this

stage is being able to make oneself accessible to those who one is discipling, and also being able

to exhort and enable growth with Godly wisdom in every interaction with the younger

believer. During the parent stage, those in this stage are often overseeing different aspects of

ministries which open doors of opportunity for them to minister to those infant, children, and

adolescent Christians, which also sharing the Bible with those who are dead spiritually, helping

them come to know who Christ is and allowing them to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

Current Stage: Stage five

I am currently in the midst of stage five. I have had the opportunity to lead others to

Christ on quite a few occasions, exhorting and encouraging their growth in Christ constantly, so

much so for one of my former coworkers, that he is currently married to my sister in law after

developing his own walk with Christ and then getting to know one another in church. I also felt

led by the Holy Spirit to lead a class on a few different occasions for the youth in our church on

sexual purity and the connection between the choices the youth might be making that couple

positively or negatively impact their ability to achieve the plan of God for their life, through the

study of the life of Joseph. It was powerful to be able to teach them how through his faith in God,

and his constant, unwavering commitment to him, Joseph was able to be used greatly by God,

even when the enemy tried to make it seem as if God had abandoned Joseph, he never lost his
faith and always kept his eyes on God. I have also had the opportunity to use my knowledge of

technology to help advance the use of it within my church, helping to facilitate online Sunday

sermons, video announcements, and development of the use of social media as a tool to help

grow and reach younger generations such as millennials who are so dependent on these sources

for information and choices in their lives. I have been able to use social media myself to

encourage others in their walk, and have had others reach out to me with questions or asking for

prayer on a consistent basis. Second Timothy 2 verse 1 it states: You therefore, my son, be

strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. I rely on this verse in my family and church life as a

reminder that God will always guide my steps and strengthen me to accomplish what he desires

and has laid out in his plans for my life and walk with Him.

In Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer3, the reader is given the reminder of the

importance of the centrality of Christ in all one does. He reminds readers that, each day, with its

temptations by the flesh and the world, brings Jesus Christs suffering anew to his disciples.

This is exemplified through the visual created by Putman and Harrington of the four spheres of

life. At the center of the life of each believer, there must be a relationship with Christ as a

primary focus regardless of the circumstances of their individual life, family, community or

career. All spheres are interconnected; however, Christ must always be at the center of it all.

Conclusion

In order to submit to Christ one must follow the word of Paul in Romans chapter 12 verse

2 which states: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of

your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The

3 Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4. Minneapolis: First Fortress Press,
2003.
believer must submit and commit himself or herself wholly to development of plans which are

not their own, but those that are centered around winning souls for Christ and following His plan

and will regardless of where it may lead. When the believer is able to do this to the best of their

ability, he or she is able to truly fulfill the commission of God for their life.
 Bibliography

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4. Minneapolis: First Fortress Press,
2003.

Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013.

McCartney, Dan G. Baker Exegetical Commentarry on the New Testament: James. Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.

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

Stagg, Frank. New Testament Theology. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1962.