Stages of Growth

The life of every person in the developed world is divided into certain stages: birth, daycare, kindergarten, school, vocational school, technical college or university, military service, work, starting a family, raising children, career advancement, professional development or the search for a promising job, retirement, old age, and death. Something may be absent from one person’s life, or something unusual may be present. All of this is called a person’s life. Each stage of life is tied to a certain age and transitions into another. The first stage implies the inevitability of the last, and every sensible person living within this framework seeks to fill his or her time meaningfully with something worthwhile and interesting.

The life of a believer is also divided into stages. These stages do not end with death; rather, as one transitions into another, they form spiritual maturity and receptiveness, raising the growing person to a higher level. Unlike earthly life, where the transition from one stage to another is inevitable, in spiritual growth a person can stop and cease developing, remaining at the same level for life. A person can also choose the wrong direction and, as a result, fall into heresy and regress.

If in earthly life we consider a person’s normal development to be a gradual transition from one stage to another, then for some reason this principle is distorted or neglected in spiritual life. And the one who has managed to grow becomes incomprehensible to many and spends his life in spiritual loneliness, dreaming that someone else will reach his level and be able to communicate with him in spiritual unity and understanding.

What I am trying to describe now is not my invention or discovery, but God’s plan for the brief probationary period of a person’s spiritual life. And the Lord loves His children with everlasting love, regardless of the stage of spiritual development they are in, even if they have stopped growing. They are His children, born to live forever, who have faith in God and are already learning here on earth the principles of heavenly life. Do not be discouraged if you see that your spiritual growth has stopped; perhaps this is a springboard for moving to a new level. But everything depends on you. The more a believer grows in Jesus, the more fiercely the enemy of the human soul attacks him, and the stronger the attacks of the world become—and not everyone can or wants to endure this. The war does not cease for a single minute; all the forces of darkness concentrate on those who are growing spiritually. But God protects His children, and nothing can harm them. They are safe as long as they believe in God’s power and in His promises to care for them and protect them from evil, if they entrust all their cares and their very lives to the Almighty.

Spiritual life includes the following steps: hearing, awareness, being born again, learning and accepting the truth, first love, searching for spiritual authorities, accepting the foundations of doctrine, missionary activity, serving others, the dark night of the soul, reevaluating one’s values, spiritual friendship, searching for one’s place in which to use one’s abilities effectively, reevaluating spiritual values, leaving behind what is unnecessary, the second dark night of the soul, and agape love. In essence, these are six stages of faith that everyone is capable of completing. Perhaps I have missed something or formulated these stages incorrectly; if so, I ask for your grace. In spiritual growth, it is impossible to jump from the initial stage to later ones while bypassing the intermediate stages, just as it is impossible in the earthly cycle of growth. This is not because I decided it should be so, but because God’s plan and the harmony of development are found in it. Another distinctive feature is that some people grow slowly or stop developing, while others pass through these stages very quickly and move upward with confidence. Believers who are in the middle understand the condition of those who are at the beginning of the journey, but they do not always understand—or do not understand at all—the motives of those who have outgrown them.

Most often, growth stops at the dark night of the soul. A person does not want severe trials; he is frightened by darkness and the unknown, resists the fire through which he must pass, and stops developing, expanding the boundaries of the place where he has stopped. The entire church reaches this level, while further progress takes place only on an individual basis.

The ultimate goal of development is agape love. Upon reaching it, a believer does not stop growing but discovers limitless opportunities for God to carry out His plans through him. This is precisely the goal Christ sets for every person who belongs to Him, so that everyone may know what to strive for without stopping at what has already been achieved. And Jesus offers Himself as their Helper, while respecting each person’s desires and honoring his choice. What amazing love!

Spiritual growth is impossible without Christ. Without a personal relationship with Jesus, all truth will be accepted only by the mind, without touching the heart. But this is like building a house on sand, without a foundation. It looks beautiful, just like solid buildings, but only until the first trial or disaster, during which it collapses.

Agape love is also unique in that it is available at any stage of faith, but it is given as immediate help to show a person a better prospect for growth. However, it does not take full possession of the heart because the person is not yet ready for it. He cannot independently make this gift the driving motive of his life simply because he does not understand the obligations and responsibility involved. But in the process of growth, as he strives toward this goal, he reaches it and becomes ready to accept love in all its fullness, becoming a part of it. This can be compared to a child in a family. He sees the advantages of family life, lives in the love of his parents, enjoys their tenderness and protection, and depends on their care, but he is not yet ready to start his own family because he has not yet grown to that point. Yet even as a child, he begins to dream about the wonderful family he will have. I think each of you had similar thoughts in childhood and has observed them in your own children. But the moment comes when a person becomes mature enough to start a family and enters into marriage in due time.

In the same way, in our spiritual development we strive to attain the full stature of Christ. And at a certain stage of this growth, God Himself places responsibility upon us, gives us the gifts and talents necessary for service in the church, and endows us with special power and influence at His discretion.

When I am ready to receive something greater because the time has come, but I do not ask God for it and hide my hands behind my back, I risk stopping in my spiritual development for many years and treading water in the same place, becoming an outside observer or a critic of various events.

The choice is mine, and God will give me exactly what I choose. I choose love and move toward receiving greater love, which is the more excellent way.

1. Please read Mark 4:26–32; 2 Peter 1:3–11; Hebrews 5:12–14; Ephesians 3:16–21; 6:10–18; Philippians 3:13–18; 4:6–7; Hebrews 13:20–21; Romans 5:1–5; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Revelation 22:17; Ephesians 4:13–16.

2. Did you learn anything useful for yourself?

3. What did you understand?

4. Is the expression “the dark night of the soul” clear to you?

5. Do you see spiritual growth in your life?

6. Do you have spiritual goals that you dream of attaining?

7. What role does love play in spiritual growth?

8. Do you believe it is possible for an ordinary person to come to know agape love and live in this state?

9. How can I determine what spiritual level I am at?

10. What does God do in my spiritual growth?