The Pathway of Discipleship: Seeking, Submitting, Pursuing, and Reproducing
Big Idea
Fulfilling the Great Commission involves seeking the truth, submitting to God, pursuing the things God loves, and reproducing more disciples.
The heart of Christianity is discipleship. Every Christian who chooses to follow Christ goes on a journey of growth and transformation. There are four crucial steps that direct this journey—seeking, submitting, pursuing, and reproducing—even when the road of discipleship may differ from person to person. Each action has a biblical basis and has a different result. We will examine each of these phases in this blog article, supported by biblical examples, and analyze the significant effects they have on a disciple's life.
Seeking: Searching for the Truth
The first stage of the discipleship process is "Seeking." Finding the truth, coming to grips with who God is, and learning His plan for your life are the main goals of this phase. It occurs when the desire to find solutions to life's most important questions arises.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7, ESV)
Results of the Search:
Knowing and Comprehending: As you look for the truth, you learn more about God's Word, His nature, and His purpose for humanity. This results in a closer connection with God.
Conviction and Faith: Seeking God's truth frequently produces an increasing conviction of sin as well as faith in Christ as the Savior.
Finding God's truth also gives one's life direction and purpose. You start to comprehend your purpose for existing and how to act in accordance with God's intention.
Submitting: Giving Up Control to Christ and His Body
The next stage of the discipleship process is "Submitting." One must give their life to Christ after seeking out and understanding the Gospel's truth. This phase is confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior and frequently includes joining a local church body for accountability, fellowship, and growth.
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9, ESV)
Findings after submission:
Salvation is the fundamental outcome of submission. One is reborn and becomes a child of God through placing their faith in Christ and confessing Him as Lord.
Community and Accountability: Becoming a member of a local church gives you access to a caring group of people who can encourage you in your faith journey while also serving as a place for you to become spiritually fed and grow.
Spiritual Development: As you study and put the Bible's teachings into practice in your life, you will experience spiritual development as you submit to Christ and His body.
Pursuing: Actively Serving Christ and His Church as a Goal
The third stage of the discipleship process is "Pursuing." Following a person's submission to Christ, serving Him and His church comes naturally. Pursuing a life that actively loves God and loves others will naturally lead into a life of service for our Savior.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)
The outcome of pursuing:
Spiritual Maturity: As you consistently work to put God's Word into practice and develop your faith, you will become more spiritually mature as you actively serve Christ and His church.
Fruitfulness: Pursuing leads to a life that produces fruit for God's Kingdom. By serving others, you honor God and make a difference in their lives.
Serving Christ and His church might make you feel joyful and fulfilled because you will know that you are a part of something bigger than yourself.
Reproducing: Investing in Others for Spiritual Development
The last stage of the discipleship process is "Reproducing." The call to invest in others and foster their growth in Christlikeness comes as a disciple matures and deepens their connection with Christ. Making disciples who make disciples is what reproduction is all about.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)
Reproducing results in:
The expansion of God's kingdom is facilitated by reproducing disciples. A chain reaction of spiritual growth results from your investments in others, who then invest in more people.
Reproduction leaves behind an enduring spiritual legacy. Your influence on people can last beyond your own lifetime, even generations beyond your death.
Teaching and mentoring others helps you grasp God's Word more fully, which in turn develops your faith.
Conclusion
People are transformed into mature followers of Christ through a lifelong journey known as the discipleship pathway, which consists of Seeking, Submitting, Pursuing, and Reproducing. Every stage is crucial and builds on the one before it. Seeking results in submission, submission results in pursuit, pursuit results in reproduction. Each action has deep and lasting effects that ultimately carry out the Great Commission given by Jesus Himself.
You will discover knowledge, conviction, and purpose as you search for the truth. Salvation, community, and progress are all experienced when you submit to Christ and His church. You grow spiritually, produce fruit, and experience joy by proactively pursuing Christ's invitation to serve. And finally, by investing in others, you leave a spiritual legacy, advance the spread of the Kingdom, and gain a deeper comprehension of the Bible for yourself.
Keep in mind that these steps are cyclical rather than linear in your individual journey of discipleship. You continue to seek for, submit to, and pursue as you reproduce, growing closer to Christ and having an effect on the world. In order to become the disciple that God has called you to be, embrace the discipleship journey and let it mold you.
Questions for Reflection
Give an example of a period in your life when you actively sought the truth. What spurred you on, and what did you learn about God while doing that?
Talk about the significance of placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior. What impact has belonging to a local church had on your spiritual development?
How do you presently serve Christ and His church? How has your active engagement in service impacted your spiritual development and connection with God?
Consider the notion of producing disciples who produce disciples. Can you recall a person who made a commitment to your spiritual development and how it affected you? How can you start investing in others to encourage their growth in Christlikeness?
