Category Archives: SPIRITUAL STAGES Series (Metamorphosis)

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THE LOVING: The Second Stage of Spiritual Life

Spiritual Life Stage 2

THE LOVING

THE KNOWING from the last blog post, here, is the foundation for all things spiritual. A butterfly cannot become a butterfly without first living as a caterpillar. Reading Scripture, praying, studying God’s word, and following his teachings are all part and parcel to this basic understanding of believing the gospel of Christ and following Christ.

I believe most Christians live on this level and are content to stay here without going further still. Why? I think most Christians believe this is all there is. They don’t know more could be had, or they’ve been told to be suspicious of anything else. Another reason might be lack of interest, or another, a lack of ambition, or for want of effort. It’s not a deal breaker, for this isn’t about salvation of your soul.

But why wouldn’t you want more if you know there is more to be had?

THE LOVING

and How it Happens

Suffering has a way of taking you to new places spiritually; things like, you can’t do it, or you’re exhausted, you’ve been hurt, suffered a loss, or maybe you just want more in your spiritual life. These and the plain old desire to learn more can initiate a new search in a different area of spiritual life.

You want to know God. You want to know if God is enough. You crave authenticity in your spiritual being. You’re dissatisfied and feel somewhat incomplete or fake inside.

This is when you are moving into Stage 2, the transformation: A place where you begin to seek God to know him, and begin to have the mind of Christ, as Scripture says.

Whether at a dark place, a suffering state, or a seeking openness, you are ready to be  open and honest with God. You are going to a new level, no longer are you satisfied with ho-hum Christian living. Simply put, you want more. If this search is honest, real, and full of intention, I believe you will receive what you’re searching for.

TRANSFORMATION (During true seeking)

  • God comes close.
  • He enters your thoughts.
  • He gives you insights you didn’t have before.
  • His Spirit is transforming you to be more like Christ

THE COCOON

A Different Kind of Transformation

You’re that caterpillar in the chrysalis that’s transforming into a butterfly. No one on the outside can see what’s happening on the inside. This is a totally private undertaking. Not something you talk or brag about. It’s a quiet growing in an ever deepening awareness of God’s love, and of Christ’s sacrificial and all-encompassing love. You are becoming aware of the still small voice of God as he communes with you in your spirit. Spiritual love floods your whole being. The more you know God, the more you know love and experience love’s effects. It’s an amazing duality of you in God and God in you, words fail me to explain this adequately.

The Christian believer’s path has a destination and a purpose fueled by redemptive love. When you were lost in unbelief, you didn’t know what you didn’t know. Once you knew and responded to Christ, it empowered you.

It is in the knowing that you receive. It is in the believing that you are changed. It is in the loving that you begin to heal of the past, become free in the spirit, and more fully alive in your soul. And you begin to love differently than before. What God is doing inside you he is also preparing for you to share outwardly.

BECOMING FREE TO LOVE

A Natural Process of Christ Living in You

Love begets love. A seed of love sprouts in the heart then matures to a health-building, living organism that is strong, pure, humble, life-enriching, and whole. Love seeks not its own, and it cannot be silenced. Powered by Christ-love, this kind of love, by nature of its source, can’t help but love the unlovely and care for the poor, needy, and unlovely, and outcast…and the souls of all people.

A TRUE STORY

What Happens when You Get Serious About Living It

Three years ago I made a new friend when another church merged with my church. I was leading women’s ministry at the time. At our first WM meeting after the merger, I explained the functions of WM, some of our projects, and our purpose–to love God with heart, mind, and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves. One of the new ladies talked with me and offered her services to help with one of the projects.

Long story short, this woman had a lot of baggage and struggle in her life, but she had a heart for God and a keen mind for applying Scripture. We began meeting regularly and have continued to this day. Two summers ago she experienced a family wound that was unbelievable and has never remedied. But she grew and didn’t blame God.

A couple of weeks ago we had dinner at my house and she said something like this, “I’m so different now. God is so close. I sense his being with me, helping me. I wish I had known I could have this kind of relationship with Christ.” She has this inner glow and her walk with God is life-giving. Yes, she still struggles, but WOW.  She now has the tools to make it and stand on her own two feet.

That’s what I’m talking about, tapping into the closer walk with God. This includes being known by God and his transformational love.

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The next post is about LIVING. Knowing and Loving are the two stages before Living. Both steps are taken before the beautiful butterfly emerges to fly free.

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Access next stage here: THE LIVING: The Third Stage of Spiritual Life

 

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THE KNOWING: The First Stage of Spiritual Life

SPIRITUAL LIFE STAGE 1

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

CHRISTIAN LIFE could be summed up in three groups: The Knowing, The Loving, The Living. These three groups cover three stages of development, a metamorphosis of sorts. We will consider here the three developmental stages of a butterfly for our examples. Like a butterfly, you can’t have full maturity without going through all three stages, the same goes for spiritual living, although with spiritual living you can stay locked in a stage and never advance to the next level.

THE KNOWING:

THE BEGINNING STAGE –  THE CATERPILLAR

Your spiritual life begins at salvation, when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection, and you are repentant of your sins. With your heart, and in your own way, ask Jesus to be your Savior. At this point you have gone from death to spiritual life and have a new life in Christ, what Christians call being born again or being saved. You now are in a relationship with Christ–God the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Like that egg that became a caterpillar and now has an appetite, in this beginning stage you feed and feed, take in and take in, you consume the nourishment you crave and need in your spiritual life. One area builds on another:

  1. You Believe in Christ
  2. You Feed on Scripture and Spiritual material
  3. You Grow Spiritually

What happens in the knowing of Christ is an apprehending of a body of new knowledge and spiritual experiences as in acquiring, receiving, impressions, becoming and so forth. You have a new identity in Christ; it’s not something you take on but simply are. Christ lives in you. He is your hope.

To the unbeliever, the belief of a believer doesn’t make any sense. They don’t understand the inner transformation the believer has undergone. The way of faith is a deep, penetrating, life-changing, redemptive journey.

  • God loves-those who follow him KNOW his love.
  • God forgives-those who follow him KNOW his forgiveness.
  • God enlivens the soul-those who follow him KNOW his quickening as beloved new creatures.

Real spiritual life has its beginnings in faith intermixed with belief that says, I believe, truly believe in God and his Son, the crucified, risen, Jesus Christ, and have placed my trust in him. This belief travels from the mind to the heart where one’s belief connects with soul and being. This knowledge becomes part of their spiritual understanding and also spiritual being.

THE KNOWING goes two ways: Human and Divine: The believer is “knowing” more and more in his or her spiritual life. The believer is being “known” by his or her spiritual Father, Son, and Spirit in increasing ways. The relationship is forming into a “living” relationship. Knowing and being known are essentials being developed in this stage. Prayer is a vital part of this.

In conclusion, this is the “In Christ” stage. The individual is redeemed and changed. I would call this a time of “head knowledge,” where they are learning and constructing their biblically sound spiritual roots. (It involves the heart too) He or she is learning to pray, learning to study God’s Word, learning how to live a righteous life, and developing their spiritual walk to become a healthy, well-versed, spiritual Christian.

There are additional markers of faith within this stage but they will not be addressed here.

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Stage 2– THE LOVING: The Second Stage of Spiritual Life

Photo Credit: Maggie Wernet, Unsplash