1 John 2:12-13. Eight Moves Toward Christian Maturity. This is the first stage of spiritual maturation. There are different ways of conceptualizing and articulating steps for moving people toward saving faith in Jesus, and then further into Christian maturity. This is the first stage of spiritual maturation. Maturity is not instantaneous. Before I outline the list, please know I’m not claiming to be ‘mature’. Growth is development or improvement toward a goal called "maturity" (or, in the Bible, "perfection"). 3 Participation in Ministry Those who don’t undergo a proper gestation period are still born. Their purpose is aborted. A man who is 70 years old may still be a spiritual baby. I’m just saying there’s something broken in our dialogue and in our characterization of spiritual maturity. But a baby is expected to grow and develop. Stages of Spiritual Maturity The purpose of this set of documents is to properly lay out the stages of spiritual maturity that will occur in an individual s life if they are willing to grow in relationship with God the Holy Spirit, God the Son and God the Father. A man who is 70 years old may still be a spiritual baby. He must go through many stages of development before he is physically and mentally able to do these things. The Three Stages of Spiritual Maturity ... repetition of know speaks to its importance with the implication being a father is one who has grown to that place of maturity in the faith, a place of a deep, dynamic, and ever growing relationship with God. This is a critically important stage of development. The stages of spiritual growth: a complete list and exposition. That journey leads from First Awakening, through Believing and Belonging, and into Service and Leadership. Individuals in this stage are typically egocentric. Your spiritual growth and health are vitally and eternally important. Those who don’t undergo a proper gestation period are still born. As they began walking down the street they saw an old man sitting near a fence. As Christians, we often wonder if we are reaching a level of maturity or are we lagging behind. Eight Stages of Spiritual Growth Stages of Spiritual Growth Discipleship Stage Stage Description Manifestation of Fruit Maturation Discipleship Tools Applied 1 Repentance Change in the disciple’s life when s/he gets saved. You can’t skip this stage. Discipleship 2 Enlightenment one Learning about the one who made the change in your life. 5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity…That Actually Show You Lack It. This article takes its cues from The Trellis and the Vine. Even a baby that is born prematurely will spend time in an incubator. As in all things we can go to the Bible for the answer. Stages of Spiritual Maturity The story is told of a group of tourists who were getting off their tour bus to walk through an beautiful, old village. Peck identifies four stages of spiritual development as opposed to Fowler’s six (see table). I’m not even claiming I understand the issue entirely. Even a baby that is born prematurely will spend time in an incubator. Their purpose is aborted. I remind you, fathers and mothers: you have a … This is a critically important stage of development. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. As it is with the natural world, so is it with the spiritual world. Before we get too far in the text, I want to say that these stages do not refer to the physical age or gender of a person. These are stages of spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is a similar concept but is far more important. In his book 1981 book Stages of Faith, James W. Fowler developed a theory of six stages that people go through as their faith matures based on the Piaget stages and Kohlberg stages.The basic theory can be applied, not only to those in traditional faiths, but those who follow alternative spiritualities or secular worldviews as well. For instance, if a two-year-old child is still not walking, there is cause for concern. As we look at each one of these stages, see where you fit in the “growth chart”, and remember that our goal is to GROW toward true maturity in Christ. When one is "born again" as a child of God, he is spiritually immature. These are stages of spiritual growth. Foundation is a book that will help you go in the right direction. There are different ways of conceptualizing and articulating steps for moving people toward saving faith in Jesus, and then further into Christian maturity. In the mid 1980’s, author and founder of Agape International Spiritual Center Michael Beckwith introduced a simple model for understanding the Four Stages of Spiritual Growth and Development. Each one describes a different stage of spiritual growth and maturity, and relates to a stage of normal physical growth and maturity. This article takes its cues from The Trellis and the Vine. John gives us three stages of spiritual development in this section: "children," "young men" or teenagers and "fathers" or adults. John speaks of the ‘little child’ as the one who understands that his sins are forgiven. That stage is very important and in understanding it, we all say ‘Amen.’ The ‘young men’ are those who have overcome the wicked one. Peck calls the first of his stages the Chaotic-Antisocial. In the New Testament, five different Greek words are used to describe the various “stages” of the Christian life.