LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Written Assignment 2 – Spheres and Stages of Discipleship
Submitted to Dr. Gary Waller
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500 – D06
Discipleship Ministries
by
Jerrold Hinton
November 14, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction ....................................................................................................................3
The Stages and Spheres of Discipleship ........................................................................3
My Current Stage of Discipleship .................................................................................6
Submitting to the Centrality of Christ ...........................................................................8
Bibliography...................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
Discipleship is a process that combines daily Christian living practices with a complete
acceptance of the Triune God into our lives. The resulting individual and communal lifestyle will
reveal the ultimate values of faith in Jesus Christ: loving all others as we should love ourselves
(even enemies), practicing unrestricted forgiveness, and sharing God's written Word.1
Discipleship and its counterpart, spiritual formation, are based on entire reliance on God through
redemption by Jesus' sacrifice and empowerment for everyday living through the Holy Spirit's
indwelling.
The Stages and Spheres of Discipleship
In our reading assignment Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make
Disciples Who Make Disciples, Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington and Robert Coleman emphasize
the "Spheres" and "Stages" of discipling models they established to help Christians gauge where
they are in their faith journey and address areas where they need to improve in their relationship
with God and the world.2 This section will provide an overview of these Spheres and Stages, as
well as their responsibilities in discipleship formation.
Level 1: Spiritually Dead
Anyone who has not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior is in this stage. Level 1
encompasses many people. This can include individuals who are opposed to God, those who
pretend to be spiritual but have no relationship with Jesus, and even those who claim to be
Christians but only in name. Spiritually dead people require genuine friendships and interactions
to be introduced to Jesus. They must regard ourselves as living gospel epistles. Our words will
1 Dave Early, Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making is… How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and
Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2013), 22.
2 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church
to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Exponential Series (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013), 37.
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not entice them as much as our deeds will. They are in desperate need of clear, unequivocal
answers regarding God's Word, as well as an invitation to accept and follow Jesus. This must be
done in a loving atmosphere.
Level 2: Infant
Christians who are like newborns make up this level. They have embraced Jesus Christ as
their Lord and Savior, but that is it. New converts and Christians who have been saved for a long
time but have never put forth the effort to deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus fall into
this category. They are referred to in Hebrews as infants who only drink milk and not eat meat.
Although the Holy Spirit is at work in the newborn, they may be confused by negative
worldviews or just unaware of the truth of the Bible. Christians require care, protection, and
guidance at this point. They need to be taught and modeled the Christian teachings as they
discover how to study and know Christ for themselves.
Level 3: Child
Christians in Stage 3 continue to mature in their relationship with Christ and with the
body. Even if they are making progress in their spiritual development, they may still be self-
absorbed. They are frequently ignorant that they are self-centered, and their beliefs are often
rigid. They may show pride and overconfidence, or they may show shyness, nervousness, self-
loathing, and a defeatist attitude. Strong relational links to a mature believer are essential for
Christians at this point. They must continue to learn about who they are in Christ, how to form
personal connections with other believers, and what they can anticipate from other believers at
this level. It is here that they learn that compliance is preferable to sacrifice, and that they must
trust God and obey Him even when they do not want to.
Level 4: Young Adult
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Young adults are making considerable progress in their Christian lives. They are shifting
from a self-centered mindset to one that is focused on God and the kingdom. They have reached
a point when they have realized they have been called to serve the body. They are involved in
ministry at this point and understand that whatever they do is for God, not for man. They are
enthusiastic about God and their relationship with Him, and they want to be used by Him to
bring about change. They are growing less judgmental of others' flaws and more forgiving of
their own. They have realized there is a link between God's grace and kindness. They are
developing their gifts, talents, and abilities in this place and putting them to effective use for the
kingdom. They require ongoing training and an understanding of how to assist the people they
lead.
Level 5: Parent
This is the point at when Christians become actively involved in disciple spiritual
reproduction. They are responsible disciples who have grown in their knowledge of the Bible.
They are now putting God's Word into practice daily. Their lives have been devoted to Christ,
and their sole purpose is to honor God and advance His kingdom by training up new disciples.
They see the importance of developing and having a balanced life: God first, then their spouse
and children, then the church and others. They are continually concerned about how they reflect
the Gospel and demonstrate a desire to develop people for the kingdom.
The Four Spheres
Our relationship with God, our relationship with God's family and the church, our home
life, and our relationship with the world are the four realms of discipleship. A disciple
understands and submits to God's mandates in each sphere, is transformed by Jesus, and joins
Jesus on a kingdom mission in every aspect of their existence. Every aspect of a disciple's life is
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transformed as he or she abides and grows in Christ. The most crucial realm is one's connection
with God; progress in this area has an impact on all others. A steady reliance on God keeps the
disciple in check and serves as a reminder that we are saved by grace, not by efforts. We develop
and learn to love our brothers and sisters in Christ as we travel with Him in the second sphere. In
the discipleship process, the third sphere is crucial. We can use the questions listed in each sphere
in connection to the head, heart, and hands to assess where people are in their walk and what
their needs are as disciple makers.
My Current Stage of Discipleship
"Don't judge me," one of my daughters, Tiffany, would remark jokingly when posed a
serious subject. To answer this topic, I would have to go back to the first week of September in
2019 for anyone to appreciate my current state of discipleship. As I was driving and touching my
neck because it felt tight, I detected a lump on my neck. I was under the impression that all I
needed was a neck massage. My wife, who was in the car with me as we drove through
Maryland, decided for us to head to TJ Maxx a few minutes later. I noticed a mirror in the store
and decided to examine my neck. On the right side of my neck, I detected a lump. I asked my
wife if she thought my neck looked bloated, and she agreed. We returned home after leaving the
store, and this new knowledge weighed heavily on my thoughts. Something jolted me awake at
2:00 a.m. that night, and it sounded like a voice speaking to me as if I were face-to-face with
someone. The voice urged me to get up, go to Fort Belvoir's emergency room, and not to stop for
gas. I got up, showered, and followed what I believed to be the spirit's instructions. My vitals
were taken after I arrived at the emergency room, and the doctor examined me and performed the
standard tests. After a few hours, the doctor entered my room and informed me that he had
spoken with the Chief of the ENT clinic about me. The clinic's director wanted to see me and
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told me I did not need an appointment. They were expecting me to arrive within the next fifteen
minutes. To make a long story short, the next day, while under general anesthesia, I had a biopsy
performed. A pathologist diagnosed me with squamous cell carcinoma a few days later. He
informed me that a representative from the oncology clinic would contact me with further
instructions. There is no indication of the cancer disease after 33 rounds of radiation, multiple
chemotherapy treatments, and a half-dozen PET scans. I was out of work for around 6 months
due to this short-term disability. My wife would not let anyone into the house, and she would not
let me leave the house unless she was taking me for treatments. I still have immunotherapy
treatments every three weeks and go to physical therapy once a week for my neck. Because of
my high-risk status during COID-19 season, I stay away from crowds and strangers.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, our church activities have been halted. There is
only one opportunity for fellowship and worship every Sunday. There are limited opportunities
to share the good news at work due to government restrictions. I have committed to reach out to
my children and family members to usher them closer to Christ. God has opened the way for me
to attend Liberty University to improve my ministry at this time, and my Christian growth will
continue for whatever comes when the COVID-19 restrictions are removed. Unless the Holy
Spirit opens the door of opportunity, there is no outlet or forum accessible in which to disciple
others.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..." according to
Scripture (Ps 127:1). True discipleship is dependent on God. A call from the Lord is the
foundation for fruitful discipleship. I continue to improve myself physically and spiritually,
knowing that I have a lot to offer the vineyard - God, in his infinite wisdom, has delayed my
divine arrival. My throat is still healing from the radiation, so I am not there yet. When I try to
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speak loudly, my voice strains, and my wife points this out to me. God knows what I am and am
not capable of. I would like to believe that the divine delay is preparation, equipping me with the
emotional and intellectual resources I will require. It is all because I have asked the Lord to
direct my steps according to His word as He prepares me.
Submitting to the Centrality of Christ
The first sphere, The Centrality of a Relationship with God, would be the most important
in terms of Christ's centrality. The first two chapters of Ephesians were cited in Putman's book
DiscipleShift as support for this realm, our connection with God. This is the center that holds
everything together and connects all the spheres. In three questions, DiscipleShift focuses the
head, heart, and hands: Is the individual being discipled in a personal relationship with Christ?
Has his or her heart been changed? Is there evidence of change in his or her life? Are these
individuals willing to follow Christ's lead?
When followers begin to follow the suffering Lord, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's says that they
will identify their cross in solidarity with Christ. Bonhoeffer wrote, “Thus, suffering becomes the
identifying mark of a follower of Christ. The disciple is not above the teacher. Discipleship is
passive suffering or having to suffer. That is why Luther could count suffering among the marks
of the true church.” Bonhoeffer mentions the Augsburg Confession, “Those who do not want to
take up their cross, who do not want to give their lives in suffering and being rejected by people,
lose their community with Christ. They are not disciples. But those who lose their lives in
discipleship, in bearing the cross, will find life again in following the community of the cross
with Christ. The opposite of discipleship is being ashamed of Christ, being ashamed of the cross,
being scandalized by the cross.”3 There is no discipleship without Christ at the center.
3 Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples
Who Make Disciples, 47.
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A Christian who is fully submitted to Christ loves God with all their heart, soul, and
mind. Bonhoeffer wrote, “Everyone enters discipleship alone, but no one remains alone in
discipleship. The promise for those who follow Christ is that they will become members of the
community of the cross, they will be people of the mediator, people under the cross.” By
submitting to Christ, one acknowledges that he or she must suffer his or her personal cross while
remaining in fellowship with other Christians. He or she is solely responsible for his or her own
salvation and Christian walk.
Bibliography
The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, NASB.
Dave Early, Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making is… How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2013), 22.
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Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, Exponential Series (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2013), 37.
