DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING Growing In My Faith and Walk With Jesus.

Pastor Sherard

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I. THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR IN YOUR GROWTH.

Eternal Fitness

The Pastor is like your spiritual fitness trainer -

He knows how to get you to the place you want to go

He desires to get you to the place of you want to be

You have to follow his prescribed plan

Ephesians 4:1-ff

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

until we 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,

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

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.

Ephesians 4:15 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

Ephesians 4:16 ESV

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.

KEY PRINCIPLE: YOU ARE NOT DESIGNED TO SELF - DISCIPLE

II. GOD EXPECTS YOU AND I TO GROW

A. In Our Understanding of the Gospel of Grace

1. God saved you by His grace alone

2. God sanctifies you by His grace alone

3. Those who are saved will be growing in their decision-making for godliness

B. From Immaturity – Maturity

QUESTION: What are marks of being a spiritual infant?

Spiritual Immaturity is: the intentional and deliberate choice not to grow

1. Marks of Spiritual Immaturity

1 Corinthians 3:1 ESV

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:2 ESV

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,

1 Corinthians 3:3 ESV

for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

1 Corinthians 3:4 ESV

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

a. They do not listen

1 Corinthians 3:1 ESV

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.

Hebrews 5:11 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

b. They are not committed to growth

1 Corinthians 3:2–3 ESV

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

c. They do not know how to grow

Hebrews 5:13 ESV

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

d. They look like nothing has happened within them

1 Corinthians 3:3–4 ESV

for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

QUESTION: What are marks of being spiritually mature?

Spiritual Maturity: the intentional and deliberate choice to put oneself in the position where they can develop Christ like character

2. Marks of Spiritual Maturity

IF MATURITY IS BEING LIKE JESUS THERE ARE CERTAIN REALITIES THAT WILL BE TRUE FOR THE MATURE

a. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically Spending Time In the Word

Reading it

Studying it

Memorizing it

Living it

b. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically Communing With the Lord In Prayer

Mark 1:35 ESV

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

c. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically skilled in spiritual discernment (choosing right over wrong)

Mark 1:37–38 ESV

and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

Hebrews 5:14 ESV

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

d. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically Using Their Gift(s) In the Church for the Growth of the Church

1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

e. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically Killing Sinful Passions

Colossians 3:5 ESV

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

f. They Are Deliberately and Characteristically Driven By Two Passions:

1). UNITY

Ephesians 4:3 ESV

eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

2). LOVE

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

KEY POINT TO REMEMBER: Paul was expecting to see spiritual maturity after the first 3-5 years

III. WHAT IS NECESSARY IN THOSE FIRST 3 TO 5 YEARS TO MOVE FROM IMMATURITY AND MATURITY?

A. A Christian Discernment of the Vision of Maturity

We need to be very clear about what the Lord is calling us to. Like any journey, if we are not clear about where we are headed we will either, never start or, if we start, we will move aimlessly never knowing if we have arrived or are circling the same trees.

B. A Conscious Decision To Be Vulnerable About Immaturity.

1. When we know where we are headed we can now take a deep and honest look at what is keeping us from our destination.

2. If we never do the hard and challenging work of pointing out those things (actions, attitudes, desires) that are contrary to our spiritual growth we will never truly grow or change.

3. We have to, first, know that where we are is not the right place to be in order to be passionate about getting to the mature place. But if I always justify my wrong place I end up making it a happy place and a place of contentment.