Disciples of Jesus are Growing People.

Our purpose as a church is growing disciples who make disciples.  So we need to ask ourselves, what does a disciple look like?  Though there may not be a complete and comprehensive description, we know that a follower of Jesus means much more than simply being a believer in Jesus.  To follow Christ means to seek to become like him.

Peter teaches us about being a disciple in 2 Peter 1:3-7.  In this passage, he notes that disciples are united in Christ.  Disciples acknowledge the depth of their own need and surrender themselves to Christ.  They are “in Christ” and participate in the divine nature.  Also, a disciple is a growing person spiritually.  There is a flow.  As a result of being united in Christ, disciples invest in growing in Christ.  As disciples, we understand the call to become more like Christ and pursue that growth with no excuses.

In 2 Peter 1:8-9, Peter goes on to explain why disciples need to be actively growing.  Growing keeps us from becoming ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Jesus.  If we are not growing in Christ, we are spiritually blind.  We’ve forgotten we have been cleansed from our sin.  If we are not actively remembering, we are forgetting.  Disciples of Jesus are growing people.

So if spiritual growth is so important, as a church, how do we know when it is happening?  If spiritual growth, according to the Great Commandment, means to grow in love for God and love for others, how do we measure that?

Willow Creek Community Church, near Chicago, conducted a survey to try to measure if their congregation was growing spiritually.  They found they were leading people to Christ, but once there, people were not growing much spiritually despite robust participation in church activities and programs.  So if church programming doesn’t necessarily lead to spiritual growth, what does?  1000 additional churches have taken this same survey and identified specific catalysts for growth as well as four distinct stages of growth.

The point is not so much which stage you are in, but rather, are you moving?  Disciples take responsibility for their spiritual growth.  Our top priority as a church is helping people grow into more devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. 

So as we seek to grow disciples who make disciples, we need to know what a disciple looks like.  Disciples of Jesus are growing people who take responsibility for their growth and pursue it.