15| Four Stages Of Spiritual Growth | Patterns of Spiritual Development I

Every faith journey is different, but are there discernible patterns that are common among us? Law was good, but it could never transform It was good, it taught you that we live in a moral universe, you weren't designed to live under a baby-sitter for ever, meant to mature and live by the Spirit It's openness to God that transforms, Jesus is the path to openness in God, in his death, he demonstrated his absolute trust—his absolute openness—to God and to resurrection life in God There often will come a point where you have to get off the paved path. Often times it's suffering or some sort of inner conflict, or a product of the Christian culture that we're living in today. "If you ask anybody, 'What's the activity that you had that made you who you are?' no one says, 'You know I had a really great vacation in Hawaii.' No one says that. They say, 'I had a period of struggle. I lost a loved one. I was in the Army. And that period of struggle or that period of toughness made me who I am.'" This idea of the dark night, some period where your faith seems inadequate or your suffering makes you ask, "Where is God?" is one of the key characteristics in the pattern of spiritual development Every journey is different, but are there discernible patterns to the spiritual journey? This can help us normalize our journey! We are not alone. "It hurts to become real" -The Velveteen Rabbit SCRIPTURE This development is actually normalized in Scripture We are all being changed (2 Corinthians 3:18) What matters is becoming new creation So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. Law-NT Paul: law is a baby-sitter (Galatians 3:24) Law was good, but it could never transform It was good, it taught you that we live in a moral universe, you weren't designed to live under a baby-sitter for ever, meant to mature and live by the Spirit It's openness to God that transforms, Jesus is the path to openness in God, in his death, he demonstrated his absolute trust—his absolute openness—to God and to resurrection life in God Development in the nation of Israel Jesus: Kingdom of Heaven: Mustard seed NT Wright: every generation must wrestle with… "We must stop giving 16th century answers…" PSYCHOLOGY James Fowler Stage of Faith M. Scott Peck The Road Less Traveled http://www.whale.to/b/peck1.html -Stage I Chaotic, Antisocial Antisocial in that it's all "me" (perhaps Hedonistic) -Stage II Formal, Institutional, Fundamental Boundaries good Dark side: very either-or, all-or-nothing. Have difficulty explaining, or comforting when experiencing suffering. -Stage III Skeptic, Individual, Questioner Life is more gray than previously acknowledged -Stage IV Mystic, Communal Open to God Notice, Every pattern or theory of development we're going to talk about today ends in some sort of "union" It's possible, or probable to be in more than one at once. Not linear. We may be in both or all at different times. Exercise:  In the midst of a painful thought, relationship or memory, asking God: "How can you be so good?"