How do you know if someone is a mature disciple of Jesus?

Luke 6:43-45 (ESV)

43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

5 Stages of Spiritual Development

1) Spiritual Death

2) Spiritual Baby

3) Spiritual Child/Adolescent

4) Spiritual Adult

5) Spiritual Influencer

#1) SPIRITUAL DEATH (Ephesians 2:1-5)

• A person that is spiritually dead is one who does not have a relationship with Christ, has not surrendered his or her life to Him, and has not accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

Characteristics of a Spiritual Dead Person:

A) Express their distrust and doubts in the Word of God

B) Claim to be an atheist, agnostic, cultural Christian or believe that all religions are equal and all lead to God.

C) They are easily attracted to worldly attitudes and places that bring pleasure to their flesh.

D) They frequently express themselves in a derogatory and negative manner against the church of Christ.

E) They don’t know the Gospel and show disinterest in everything that has to do with God.

The needs of the spiritually dead:

A) A relationship with a spiritual mature Christian that lives according to the gospel.

B) A person that can explain the Gospel in a simple and straightforward way.

C) On every opportunity to be encouraged to have a relationship with Jesus.

D) A trustworthy person that they can be accountable to.

• They don’t need a person that judges and criticizes them because of their condition.

#2) SPIRITUAL BABY (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

• Everyone that commits their life to Jesus begins as a spiritual baby.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NLT)

12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Characteristics of a Spiritual Baby:

A) Their dependence on attention.

• A baby in Christ must be fed pure solid milk.

1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV)

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

• Pure = adolon = unadulterated, uncontaminated
• Spiritual = logikos = rational, reasonable

Luke 18:17 (ESV)

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

1 Corinthians 14:20 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

• Spiritual babies need attention but also need to be fed the Word of God in a unadulterated, uncontaminated form.

B) They may not see the need to be disciples, or to grow in maturity and purpose in Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-14 (NLT)

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

• We reach spiritual maturity when there’s unity in our faith & knowledge of Jesus.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Matthew 9:20-23 (ESV)

20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,

Malachi 4:1-2 (ESV)

1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

• wing = kanap = wing, skirt; hem; edge, fringe.

When a baby in Christ does not mature or doesn’t feel the need to be discipled, people will try to trick them.

C) They usually mix both their Christian life and the worldly life together.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

• A spiritual baby struggles discerning what is good and what is not.

Matthew 13:18-23 (ESV)

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

D) They can be very critical of the church and other people.

Matthew 7:1–5 (ESV)

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 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.

Romans 14:1-13 (NIV)

1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.2 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ ”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

E) They are happy to be Christian, but Christ is not their priority in their lives.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 22:37–38 (ESV)

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Colossians 3:1–2 (ESV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Luke 9:23–24 (ESV)

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

To be a disciple of Jesus you must:

1) Denying yourself

2) Taking up your cross

3) Follow Him

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

CONCLUSION

The needs of a Spiritual Baby:

A) A mature or influential person to guide them.

B) People who surround them and support them in their process.

C) Encourage them to read the Word and explain to them what scriptures mean.

D) For people to take care of them so they don’t become discouraged or distracted.

1 Thessalonians 2:7 (ESV)

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

• They don’t need people who could distract them, that are negative, or assume they can grow on their own without direction or care.

• Where are you in your spiritual development?