Before we move to Step Two, you need to understand something very basic about the three levels of spiritual maturity, found in I John 2:12-14:

The Spiritual Father – The most mature of the three levels are the fathers, who by their very name have sired children. Fathers also walk free of crippling sinful habits and satanic strongholds and care to the point of sacrifice for others around them.

The Spiritual Young Man – The middle maturity level is that of the young man, who has “overcome the evil one.” When a believer allows Christ to demolish his or her strongholds (heal the root of the issue, not repeatedly confess the fruit) to freely serve and grow, they become bold in their faith and reach people for Christ in true freedom.

The Spiritual Child* – This basic level of spiritual maturity is characterized by knowing he or she is saved by the work of the cross. They are no longer scared of God because they deeply understand that they are loved unconditionally.

*Do not confuse the Spiritual Child with consumer Christians, who expect goods and services in exchange for brief excursions with volunteerism and small financial gifts to the church. These are selfish infants. Genuine Spiritual Children actually show a substantial amount of maturity for the Western church. Selah.

Everyone in your cell groups should be introduced to these three levels of spiritual maturity and become very honest with other members of their group about their current level… and what they’re willing to do to move to the next level of maturity. This is the beginning of the new culture of discipleship that will result in natural group multiplication, so help them see these three levels of maturity very clearly before you move on to step two!

OK! Ready to learn about Step Two? Continue Here