READY, SET, GROW: Going Deeper: From Believing in Jesus to Becoming Like Jesus
The Big Question: How do I grow as a Christian, go deeper in my walk with God, intentionally invest in my spiritual development, and help others grow too?
There comes a point when many Christians begin asking:
Is there more?
Maybe you believe in Jesus. You attend church. You pray. You read your Bible—at least sometimes. You know the familiar stories and verses.
But something in you wants to go deeper.
What does deeper actually mean?
More Bible knowledge? Longer prayers? More church involvement? Knowing complicated theology?
Those things can contribute to spiritual growth, but none of them alone is the goal.
The goal of Christian growth is increasingly becoming like Jesus.
Paul describes God's purpose for believers as being:
“conformed to the image of his Son.”— Romans 8:29
So spiritual maturity isn't primarily about how much Christian information you've accumulated.
It's about what God is forming within you.
READY: Growth Is Expected
Think about a newborn baby.
Everyone celebrates the birth.
But if that baby never grew, eventually celebration would become concern.
Something similar can happen spiritually.
Coming to faith in Christ is the beginning of new life—not the end of spiritual development.
Peter writes:
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”— 1 Peter 2:2
And later:
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”— 2 Peter 3:18
God intends for us to grow.
But here's an important distinction:
We don't practice spiritual disciplines so God will love us more.
We pursue God because He already loves us in Christ.
Prayer, Scripture, worship, service and Christian community aren't ways of earning God's acceptance.
They're ways of placing ourselves before God so He can continue shaping us.
SET: Look at the First Disciples
Read Mark 3:13–15.
Jesus appoints the Twelve, and Mark tells us why:
“that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.”
Don't miss the order.
Be with Jesus.
Then:
Be sent by Jesus.
Before the disciples were sent to do something for Jesus, they were called to be with Jesus.
They walked with Him.
Listened to Him.
Asked questions.
Watched Him pray.
Saw how He treated people.
Witnessed miracles.
Made mistakes.
Received correction.
Learned.
Failed.
Got back up.
And gradually became more like their Teacher.
That's discipleship.
It isn't simply mastering a curriculum.
It's learning to live with Jesus until His way increasingly becomes your way.
GROW: How Do I Actually Go Deeper?
Going deeper usually doesn't require discovering some spiritual secret.
It requires becoming increasingly intentional with things Scripture has already given us.
Get Into the Word
Don't only read Scripture to finish a chapter.
Learn to study it.
Ask:
What does this reveal about God?
What does it reveal about humanity?
What does it reveal about Jesus?
Is there something to believe, obey, confess or change?
How does this passage fit into the larger biblical story?
Then sometimes simply sit with a passage.
Read it again tomorrow.
Memorize it.
Think about it while driving.
Pray its words back to God.
Biblical meditation isn't emptying your mind.
It's filling your mind with God's truth and dwelling on it.
Psalm 1 describes the person who meditates on God's instruction day and night as a tree planted beside streams of water.
Deep roots produce lasting fruit.
Develop a Real Prayer Life
Prayer can easily become a list:
God, help me with this.
Please fix that.
Take care of them.
Amen.
Those prayers aren't wrong.
But there's more.
Praise Him.
Confess sin.
Thank Him.
Ask questions.
Pray Scripture.
Intercede for others.
Sit quietly before Him.
Bring Him your confusion.
Tell Him when you're angry.
Tell Him when you're afraid.
Ask Him to reveal areas of your life that aren't surrendered.
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16).
If Jesus intentionally made space for prayer, His disciples shouldn't treat it as optional.
Obey What You're Learning
This may be one of the biggest differences between knowing Scripture and being formed by Scripture.
James writes:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”— James 1:22
You can know enormous amounts of theology and remain spiritually immature.
At some point, knowledge requires a response.
If Scripture teaches forgiveness:
Who do I need to forgive?
If Scripture teaches generosity:
Where am I being generous?
If Scripture teaches humility:
Where is pride showing up in me?
If Scripture tells me to love my enemy:
How am I treating difficult people?
A powerful question to ask after every Bible study is:
Because this is true, what should be different about me?
Spiritual Disciplines Aren't the Destination
There are practices Christians have used for centuries to intentionally pursue God:
Scripture. Prayer. Worship. Fasting. Solitude. Silence. Giving. Service. Confession. Fellowship. Sabbath. Scripture memorization.
But be careful.
You can turn spiritual disciplines into a spiritual scorecard.
I read five chapters today.
I prayed for thirty minutes.
I haven't missed church.
Those practices matter.
But the question isn't simply:
“Did I do my spiritual disciplines?”
Ask:
“Are these practices helping me know God and become more like Jesus?”
The disciplines are tools.
Jesus is the destination.
DON'T JUST CONSUME: Serve
Spiritual growth becomes distorted when Christianity becomes entirely about what I receive.
My sermon.
My worship experience.
My Bible study.
My encouragement.
My growth.
Jesus consistently turned His disciples' attention outward.
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”— Matthew 20:26
At some point, growing Christians move from asking:
“What am I getting?”
toward:
“What can I give?”
Use your gifts.
Meet needs.
Encourage people.
Serve your church.
Serve your community.
Make room for people who cannot repay you.
Spiritual maturity should increasingly make us look like servants.
GO: Stop Walking Alone
Here's where growth becomes discipleship. You need people ahead of you, beside you and behind you.
Someone Ahead of You
Find mature believers whose lives demonstrate something you want to develop.
Ask questions.
How do you study Scripture?
How have you remained faithful through difficult seasons?
How did you learn to pray?
What mistakes have taught you the most?
What is God teaching you right now?
You don't need someone who appears perfect.
You need someone faithfully following Jesus.
Someone Beside You
You also need Christian friendships where honesty is normal.
People who can ask:
How is your walk with God—really?
People who celebrate with you, correct you, pray for you and remind you of truth.
Proverbs 27:17 says:
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Someone Behind You
And eventually, you should be helping someone else.
You don't have to know everything.
You simply need to be willing to share what God has taught you.
“Come study this with me.”
“Let's pray about that together.”
“Here's something God has been teaching me.”
“Let's figure this out in Scripture.”
That's discipleship.
PASS IT ON: Don't Just Give Answers—Teach People to Seek
This is especially important.
When you're discipling someone, resist the temptation to become their spiritual answer machine.
If they ask:
“What does the Bible say about this?”
Sometimes your best response might be:
“That's a great question. Let's find out together.”
Open Scripture.
Show them how to use cross-references.
Teach them to consider context.
Ask them what they notice.
Let them wrestle with the passage.
Encourage them to ask questions.
Show them how to find trustworthy resources.
You're not trying to make someone dependent upon you.
You're helping them learn to depend upon God, His Word and His Spirit.
Eventually, they should be equipped to help someone else do the same.
DEEP ROOTS | Sanctification
Here's the theological concept behind much of what we're exploring together:
Sanctification
Sanctification is God's ongoing work of making His people increasingly holy and Christlike.
Paul writes:
“We all ... are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”— 2 Corinthians 3:18
Notice:
“being transformed.”
Growth is a process.
That means you aren't going to become spiritually mature overnight.
There will be seasons when growth feels obvious.
There may be seasons when your roots are growing underground and you don't see much happening.
There will be victories.
There will also be failures that send you back to grace, repentance and dependence upon Christ.
But God isn't finished.
Philippians 1:6 reminds believers that the One who began a good work in them will carry it toward completion.
So participate intentionally in what God is doing in your life today.
YOUR DEEP DIVE: Study How Disciples Grow
This week, spend time with:
Psalm 1 — What characterizes someone deeply rooted in God's Word?
John 15:1–17 — Where does spiritual fruit actually come from?
Acts 2:42–47 — What practices shaped the early Church?
Romans 12:1–21 — What does a transformed Christian life actually look like?
Galatians 5:13–26 — What is the difference between works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit?
Ephesians 4:11–16 — What does Christian maturity look like, and why do we need each other?
Philippians 2:12–16 — What is our responsibility in spiritual growth, and what is God's role?
Colossians 3:1–17 — What should believers put off and put on?
2 Timothy 2:1–7 — What does multiplication in discipleship look like?
Then ask yourself four questions:
What is God teaching me?
What needs to change in me?
What will I intentionally practice?
Who can I bring along with me?
THE BIG IDEA:
Abide → Become → Bear Fruit → Multiply
ABIDE
Stay close to Jesus.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” — John 15:4
BECOME
Allow God to transform you.
Don't settle for knowing more about Jesus.
Become more like Jesus.
BEAR FRUIT
Let what's happening inside you become visible outside you.
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.
MULTIPLY
Invest what God is teaching you into someone else.
Paul tells Timothy:
“And the things you have heard me say ... entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”— 2 Timothy 2:2
Look at the generations of discipleship in one verse:
Paul → Timothy → reliable people → others.
That's multiplication.
And it changes the question from:
“Am I growing?”
to:
“Am I growing in a way that helps someone else grow?”
That's a much bigger vision of Christian maturity.
You aren't investing in your walk with God simply to become a better-informed Christian.
You're putting down deeper roots so you can produce fruit.
And you're producing fruit so that through your life, others can encounter Jesus, grow in Him and eventually help someone else do the same.
READY, SET, GROW
Get in the Word. Get curious. Live it out. Pass it on.
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