But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. – Hebrews 5:14

No parent wants their kid to stay stuck as a baby. They can’t wait to watch them take their first step, say their first word, and lose their first tooth. Yet imagine if you just stayed there; riding the highs of applause for baby steps. God doesn’t want us stuck in the baby stage spiritually either!

In the infant stage, some people are ignorant to what God’s Word says about how to live a life that pleases God. But in the maturing stage, people not only learn what the Bible teaches but they apply the Bible to their life.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; – Ephesians 4:14

Maturing people know better so they live better, and their life and habits look different than the world. You are growing as a disciple when your life starts looking different from the world.

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (NIV)

In the infant stage, some people are still trying to figure out good from evil. They’re tossed to and fro. But in the maturing stage, people are training themselves to distinguish good from evil. They study God’s Word on their own and they’re applying God’s Word to their life.

When people are in the maturing stage, they also start to recognize lies from the enemy they’ve believed that have held them back from God’s purpose. Maybe they’ve held onto the lie they can never do enough to earn God’s love, but the Word says:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9

Or maybe they believe that they can never be free from their past, but it says in John,

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. – John 8:36

As they study God’s Word, they learn to reject and replace lies with the truth that God speaks over their life. By this, they deepen in maturity, trust, and faith in God.

• Mature people study God’s Word on their own.
• Mature people attend church faithfully.
• Mature people grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).
• Mature people recognize their lifestyle should reflect God; not the world.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. – Galatians 5:22-25

God doesn’t want us to get stuck in the infant stage; He wants us to grow up! Reflect on today’s verses and ask God to help you enter the maturing stage.

Over the next several days we will look at four stages of discipleship. Pay close attention to your own life and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are in your walk with Jesus so you can take your next steps and grow as a disciple.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. – Hebrews 5:13

The first stage for a new believer is the salvation stage. Salvation is amazing! If you have given your life to Christ, you are a new person! You have been born again! The Bible often compares this stage to that of an infant. I call it the infant stage.

You’ve seen a newborn—they’re helpless! Babies rely on the food, comfort, and care of their guardian. They don’t know how to cope with life, so they cry and stretch out their arms to be held. They don’t understand why things happen; all they think about is how they feel—me, me, me.

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Newborn believers live by their five senses and not by faith. Their spirit has been born again, but their mind has not been renewed by the Word of God. That is why it’s so important for a new believer to begin to feed on the milk of the Word of God.

1 Peter 2:2-3 says Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Every Christian needs the milk of the word of God. But we don’t want to get stuck on milk and stay in the infant stage of Christianity. The milk of the Word of God will shine a light on some big areas of your life that need to be changed (language, relationships, bad habits, music and movie choices).

Romans 12:2 reminds us to keep growing, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Some of you are stuck in this infant stage. The Word of God is pointing out areas in your life where you need to change, but you continue to live like the world. You haven’t let your inner heart transformation be reflected in your lifestyle choices. Your life looks just like the world. Maybe your next step is cutting off bad influences and getting in a godly community of friends. Maybe it’s changing your language. Maybe it’s to stop looking at pornography, or getting drunk with your friends, or having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Today, take your next spiritual step by reflecting on today’s verses and asking God to help you see areas of your life that need to be surrendered. It’s time to move to the next stage in your relationship with God!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. – Matthew 16:24

When you hear the term “follower,” you probably immediately associate it with a social media number or popularity gauge. Because being a “follower” can be reduced to following someone’s social media account, we might consider ourselves as “followers” of Jesus being that simple: I prayed a prayer years ago, so therefore I’m a follower of Jesus.

Did you know it is possible to be a Cultural Christian but not actually be a follower of Jesus? How do you know if you are truly following Jesus or simply “following” the patterns of Cultural Christianity?

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ – Matthew 7:21-23

Cultural Christians are fans of Jesus; they may listen to Christian music, wear Christian t-shirts, and go to church services, but they’re not saved. They have never been truly born again. People can literally do Cultural Christian things and not even know Jesus!

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. – Romans 10:9-10

If you have never prayed and asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, today is the day! Jesus wants to come into your heart and transform into a new person. No matter what you’ve done, God loves you, wants to save you and be the Lord of your life!

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. – 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Maybe you are saved but are still living as a Cultural Christian and not a true disciple of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3 talks about people who will barely make it into heaven and all of their work on earth will be burned up. They won’t have any rewards in heaven because they were Cultural Christians rather than followers of Jesus. True disciples follow the life of Jesus and teachings in scripture.

Disciples follow Jesus. They don’t just sing worship songs; they follow Jesus. They don’t just pray; they follow Jesus. They don’t just read the Bible; they actually do what the Bible says and follow Jesus. Disciples follow the life of Jesus and the Word of God. It’s time to build your life as a disciple of Jesus!

No matter where you are in your walk with God, it’s not too late to move from Cultural Christianity to living as a true disciple of Jesus! Reflect on today’s verses and pray that God would show you how to start living as a true disciple and how to take your walk with the Lord to the next level and move from being a fan to a follower.