Stages and Processes of
Discipleship
The Diamond of Discipleship
Rick Warren: Purpose Driven Life
► First
Base (101) Committed to membership
 The process of knowing Christ
► Second
Base (201) Committed to maturity
 The process of growing in Christ
► Third
Base (301) Committed to ministry
 The process of serving Christ
► Home
Plate (401) Committed to missions
 The process of sharing Christ
A.B. Bruce: Jesus’ Staged Discipleship
(The Training of the Twelve, 1871)
► Come
and See
 Characterized by: Establishment
► Come
and Follow Me
 Characterized by Preparation
► Come
and Be With Me
 Characterized by Mission
► Remain
in Me
 Characterized by Empowerment
Wesley’s motif: “States of Man”
(“The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption”)
NATURAL STATE
LEGAL STATE
EVANGELICAL
STATE
Man sleeps in death
Is awakened
Is a child of God
Neither fears nor loves
God
Fears God
Loves God
Has no light in things of
God
Sees the painful light of
hell
Sees the joyous light of
heaven
Has false peace
Has no peace
Enjoys true peace
Has fancied liberty
Is in bondage
Enjoys true liberty
Sins willingly
Sins unwillingly
Does not sin
Consequence…
Neither conquers nor
fights
Consequence…
Fights but does not
conquer
Consequence…
Fights & conquers; is
more than conqueror
Wesley’s motif: “States of Man”
(“The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption”)
► Evangelical
State divided into Stages
(1 Jn 2:12-14)
 First Stage: “Babe in Christ”
► Little
child having experienced birth in Spirit
► They
are so far perfect as not to commit outward sin by way of
their saving grace renewing them in the image of God
 Next Stage: “Young Man”
► Disciple
of Christ becoming aware of remaining sin
 Last Stage: “Adult Son or Father”
► When
entirely sanctified and heart purified by expulsive power
of love cleansing inborn sin.
Wesley’s Process Motif of
Salvation
►
The idea of sanctification in Wesley
 Narrow sense, sanctification finds its place between justification
and glorification
 Broader sense, it can refer to the whole process of remaking the
image of God in us
►
Gradual advance is a key concept in Wesley’s soteriology
 Often expresses our relationship to God in idea of “degrees”
►
Wesley interspersed instantaneous grace within gradual
growth
 Ascending step model of salvation applied to Methodist societies
Wesley’s Ten Stages of
Salvation
1.
Prevenient grace
2.
Convincing (convicting) grace
3.
Saving Grace follows
4.
Assurance of Salvation follows
5.
Growth in Grace
6.
Second Repentance
7.
Entire sanctification by grace
8.
Assurance of entire sanctification
9.
Continued growth in grace
10.
Glorification is final stage
AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
(by Dr. David Cubie)
THE PROBLEM—SIN
THE TRANSFORMATION
THE PERFECTION
AS REBELLION/DEED
Sin “properly so-called” (Wesley)
Willful transgression of known law of
God
“Dead in trespasses and sins”
SALVATION
Initial sanctification
Acquired depravity eradicated at
justification
“To the saints which are in Christ
Jesus…”
“To those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (I
Cor. 1:2)
“Partakers of the divine nature” (I Pet.
1:4)
REGENERATION
Spiritual new birth/babes
No willful transgression
Victory over the deeds of sin
He …does right…loves brother (I Jn 3:410)
AS DEPRAVITY/NATURE
“Death”
“Mind of the flesh”
“Hostility”
“Inability”
ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION
“cleansed their hearts by faith” Acts 15:9
“sanctify you entirely” (I Thess. 5:23)
HEART PURITY
Matt. 5:6-8, 43-48
Luke 6:32-36
John 7:37-39; 17:17
James 1:8; 4:8
AS SYSTEMIC
conditioning / deprivation / effect
The result of sin
Heb. 12:1 (lay aside every weight and
the sin which clings closely)
Rom. 12:2 (be not conformed…)
RECONDITIONING
Transformation of character
Ongoing maturing
Made into his likeness
“He disciplines us…that we may share
his holiness” (Heb. 12:10)
Rom 12:2; I Jn. 3:2-3
CHRISTLIKENESS
The perfection of suffering and glory –
Fletcher
Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:10-11; I
Jn. 3:1-3
Heb. 5:8 “made perfect through
sufferings
Heb. 12:23 “the spirits of just men made
perfect”
McDonald’s Dynamic Marks of
Authentic Discipleship
McDonald, G. (2007). The disciple making church: From dry bones to spiritual vitality. Grand Haven, MI: FaithWalk Pub.
►A
Heart for Christ alone
►A
Mind Transformed by the Word of God
► Arms
of Love
► Knees
for Prayer
►A
Voice to Speak the Good News
►A
Spirit of Servanthood and Stewardship