Stages of Faith

If, at the very beginning or during the process of our spiritual growth, someone tells us what we will have to go through and experience in the future, we will better understand what is happening and will be prepared for all the coming changes about which we were warned. This would be a very great blessing for each of us.

The faith of every Christian passes through certain stages of development. Each subsequent stage replaces the previous one and is based on what has already been experienced.

Wise people have studied this kind of growth and discovered that the path of every believer passes through six stages, which I will describe in this and the following chapters. These stages must be understood correctly so that we will not be surprised by the trials, changes, darkness, and disappointments in ourselves through which each of us will pass. When I know what awaits me ahead and what I need to attain, I see the goal and move toward it. My life is hidden in Christ, and I cannot explain how spiritual growth takes place within me, but by the spiritual person’s “outward appearance,” I can determine which stage he is in.

When the Lord shows me an ear of grain—what it was like and what it came to look like before the harvest—it becomes very easy for me to determine where I am and how I should move forward.

But spiritual development has its own laws. For example, wheat requires a certain amount of time for sowing, ripening, and harvesting, and every farmer knows these times. In spiritual growth, however, a person may stop, cease growing altogether, or return to where he came from. These are not very pleasant events, but if they take place within the body of Christ, there is hope for healing and restoration if believers continue moving forward. Growth can also become a rapid process if my heart is open to it, if I already know much, and if I continue learning new things. And if my neighbor tells me what is happening, shows me this path, and explains what I will encounter along it and what I should not fear, then I can travel very quickly along the trail that has already been blazed, seeing the blood and reading about the experiences of the pioneers.

Some of you may read about this progression and say that none of it is true because you have not experienced it. In that case, such people can confidently be shown that they have become stuck somewhere, because something is wrong with their spiritual growth.

But let us consider these six stages of faith in order.

I myself came to God out of the world, and I know what a worldly person experiences when he begins to grow. It is difficult for me to understand what a person born into a family of believing parents goes through, but he too is born again at some point and passes through the same stages of growth, though in a different way.

1. Becoming Acquainted with God. First Love.

At some point, all of us came to know God personally when He appeared in our lives in a wonderful way. It is like a brilliant flash of light in the kingdom of darkness. I saw how beautiful this light was and how great God is; I heard His call, and my heart responded to it. My new experience of being born again is unique and unlike anyone else’s, but it is present in my life, and I greatly enjoy telling others about it, reliving this joy each time and recalling new details of what drew me to Jesus. I have understood so little thus far, but I know the One Who died for me, and I can speak about it so passionately that those listening to me will become filled with joy or even shed tears of tenderness. I myself have heard many testimonies about how God saves, how He plucks a brand out of the fire and makes it His own. And I recognize this voice of God. The Lord gives me the ability to understand Him and heed the promptings of the Spirit.

At this stage, I am overwhelmed by a storm of feelings and emotions, and I tell all those close to me about what has happened to me. And if I possess the gift of persuasion, I can help others come to know God and lead them to Jesus. I have a new Friend. He is so wonderful! And I love Him so much!!! I am ready to speak about Him for hours, listen to others speak about Him, and rejoice in Him. I am ready to go wherever He tells me to go, and in every brother or sister I see a teacher and mentor for myself.

My knowledge is extremely limited, but I have an experience, deep feelings, and a storm of emotions that simply overwhelms me. I am alive; I have been born for God; I will live forever!!! God loves me, and I not only understand this—I know it!!! Oh, if only I could always remain in this state! If only everyone were like this! Then we could tell the whole world very quickly and help people find Jesus.

At this time, I greatly need a spiritual mentor who will teach me correct concepts, explain the order and teachings of the church to me, and help me move to the next stage. If there are no such people, I may become stuck at the first stage, make my experience the foundation of my faith, and live by it, constantly recalling in my stories what I experienced and how I found God. Oh, how wonderful He is! I do not yet have any theology, but I have Jesus, and that seems sufficient to me.

Spiritual literature can also become my mentor, and with its help I am able to move to the next stage of faith.

2. Discipleship.

The world of the Bible is so wonderful! I could not even have imagined how fascinating and instructive this Book is. And what wonderful works have been written by those who studied the Word of God and then decided to write books about their discoveries! I gladly learn from these people. I am ready to listen to anyone and everyone. I am deeply interested in learning everything new. How grateful I am to God for this abundant light of revelation, and how grateful I am to those who came to know God and shared this knowledge in their writings. Through these works, I become established in my faith. I understand that my church is the true church, that it has the most correct teaching, and that my mentors are the wisest people in the world. I have spiritual leaders and authorities whom I am ready to heed and follow wherever they direct me. And what a joy it is to attend and listen to various seminars! How wonderful it is to learn everything new and useful! And I continue learning.

The Bible has become my bread of life. I discover new dimensions within it, understand God even better, and marvel at how great and wonderful He is. I never grow tired of learning, and everything is very interesting to me. I know the One in Whom I have believed, and I believe that He is my Savior. And I already understand how He saves.

If, at this stage, I come across the materials of the School of Agape Love, I will gladly immerse myself in this field of study and sink my teeth into it, joyfully awaiting new lessons and revelations. It is so wonderful to learn at the feet of Christ!!!

But stagnant water becomes foul. There is a danger of becoming stuck at this stage of faith, which will involve remaining a perpetual student, meticulously analyzing every law and rule, and comparing all these discoveries with reality.

I risk becoming a Pharisee or a scribe. And that does not frighten me, because what could be better than the study of God? My whole life is devoted to this, and I am very strict about every kind of deviation from the proper course. I am ready to defend my convictions to the end, and no one can persuade me otherwise, because I have built my faith upon the Rock, and here I stand!!!

And I do not care what others think; I am more concerned with how it is written. No one will be able to change my mind. And I feel such a desire to make a banner that says, “I am right because I believe in God!” so that it may become the brightest testimony to the whole world and the entire church.

But God draws me onward, and He offers me the opportunity to share all of this with others, and I move to another stage.

1. Please read Mark 4:26–29; Deuteronomy 8:2–3; Isaiah 50:4; 2 Timothy 3:5–7; Matthew 10:24–25; Proverbs 2:1–9.

2. What new and useful things did you learn?

3. Why does knowing your path give you an advantage over not knowing it?

4. Do the stages of the spiritual growth of faith apply to unbelievers?

5. What part does God take in my spiritual growth?

6. Why am I not given an understanding of the process of spiritual growth from within myself? Why does this remain a mystery? If it were revealed to me, would I then be able to cultivate it in other people?

7. What should I do if I see that I have become stuck at a certain stage and am not growing any further?

8. Why does God not immediately give me the advantages of the final stages, but instead lead me along the difficult path of growth?

9. If everything we are studying here is unfamiliar to me, does that mean that I am spiritually dead?

10. How can spiritual growth be accelerated?