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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

SPHERES AND STAGES OF DISCIPLESHIP A PAPER
SUBMITTED TO DR. DONALD HICKS
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES
DSMN 500 BY
TERRELL PEARSON

CHICAGO, IL
FEBRUARY, 2015

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Introduction
In this paper I will identify the five stages of discipleship according to the growth process described in the book
DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church To Make
Disciples Who Make Disciples. These five stages are spiritually dead, spiritual infant, spiritual child, young adult, and parent.1 In addition I will also discuss what is called the Four Spheres of discipleship.2 Spiritually Dead
The …show more content…

God is a Spiritual Parent who nurtures and fights for His spiritual children as
His own.15

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Putman, Harrington, and Coleman, 67. Ibid., 67.
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Ibid., 68.
15
Adams, Vincent.
Imitating the Fatherhood of God: A Single Dad's Guide to Spiritual Parenting
. S.l.: Xlibris, 2012.
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The Four Spheres of Discipleship
The
four spheres of discipleship describe how a disciple grows in four stages:
The sphere with God and disciple, the church sphere, the sphere of family and the world The spheres help the disciple understand the head, heart and hands of God, family, church and the world.16 The sphere is designed help a disciple balance family life and ministry life. It also shows them how to integrate the four spheres within the five stages of discipleship. Below I will detail each sphere.
Sphere One: The Centrality of Christ
In the book
Discipleship,
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the author conveys that through simple obedience does one really understand the meaning of being a disciple.17 When referring to the head or God’s authority, true submission are evident. When dealing with the heart of the relationship between God and the disciple, there are visible changes in the person’s life called transformation. With the hands, the disciple ventures outside the walls of the church through evangelism.18 Sphere Two: Relationship With The Family of God (Church)
The second sphere of relationship is where we grow as