10 Stops

Every weekend we gather together at church.  That is great, but we can easily forget why we go to church and what the church is trying to accomplish.  Churches can easily lose sight of their vision and purpose of engaging people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This last weekend we were reminded of our calling to gather as the people of God so that we can experience new life through Jesus Christ.  But what about the church itself?  What is it trying to accomplish?  Read again this week Matthew 28:19-20.  We are reminded that the church is designed to “make disciples.”   Disciples or followers of Jesus are “made” which means there is intentionality and it does not happen by chance.  There is a process that we go through and steps to be taken as we grow in our relationship with Jesus.

George Barna in the book “Maximum Faith” describes 10 Stops Christians experience on their journey to spiritual maturity.  When we go on the ultimate adventure of growing up in Christ and experiencing the fullness that God has planned for us, we discover that there are stops on the journey to wholeness.  When we are aware of these stops and recognize them as a part of the process toward maturity, the stops don’t paralyze us but we see them as a normal part of the process of growth.  Look them over and take a self assessment of where you are.  Pray and ask God to help you break through this next year to continue to grow in your faith.

10 Stops

1. Ignorance of the concept or existence of God
2. Aware of and indifferent to sin
3. Concerned about the implications of personal sin
4. Confess sins and ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior
5. Commitment to faith activities
6. Experience a prolonged period of spiritual discontent
7. Experiencing personal brokenness
8. Choosing to surrender and submit fully to God: Radical Dependence
9. Enjoying a profound intimacy with and love for God
10. Experiencing a profound compassion and love for humanity