The Process of Growth | Stage Theory

Devotional

Day 1: The Foundation of God's Grace in Our Growth

The spiritual journey is not a path we walk by our own strength or willpower. It is a work that God Himself begins and promises to bring to completion. Our growth and transformation are entirely dependent on His initiating and sustaining grace, not on our ability to perform or achieve. This truth frees us from the anxiety of comparison and the pressure to measure up, anchoring our identity in what Christ has done for us, not what we do for Him. We are invited to rest in the assurance that He is the author and perfecter of our faith. [40:58]

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

Reflection: As you consider your own spiritual walk, where do you most often feel the pressure to perform or prove yourself? How might accepting that this is God's work from start to finish change your approach to that area today?

Day 2: Transformation by the Spirit's Power

Authentic change in the Christian life is not the result of mere willpower or self-improvement techniques. It is a profound work of the Holy Spirit, who reshapes us from the inside out. This transformation occurs as we behold the glory of the Lord, allowing His presence and character to gradually reform our own. The process is one of dependence, not of striving, as the Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ. Our role is to position ourselves before Him in openness and trust. [41:36]

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you currently trying to change through your own effort? What would it look like to shift your focus from striving to beholding—to simply gazing upon Christ and inviting the Spirit to do the work?

Day 3: The Ultimate Goal is Love, Not Information

Spiritual maturity is not measured by the accumulation of biblical knowledge or theological insight. While learning is a vital part of discipleship, the true evidence of growth is a life increasingly characterized by Christ-like love. God's purpose is to build us up into a community that loves authentically and serves selflessly, reflecting His heart to the world. The goal is not to know more, but to love more deeply and freely. [42:52]

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV)

Reflection: Where have you noticed a gap between your understanding of biblical truth and your ability to live it out in love? What is one practical way you can express Christ's love to someone this week, moving from knowledge to action?

Day 4: Our Identity as Beloved Precedes Our Obedience

Our worth and value are not rewards we earn for spiritual progress; they are gifts we receive as God's beloved children through Christ. Before we ever took a step on the journey, we were fully loved and completely accepted in Him. This foundational identity liberates us from the need to perform for God's approval or to compare ourselves with others. We are free to grow from a place of security and belovedness, not for it. [44:01]

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

Reflection: When you think about your standing before God, do you more often feel like a beloved child or a diligent employee trying to earn favor? How can you actively receive and rest in the truth of God's unconditional love for you today?

Day 5: Navigating the Wall of Powerlessness and Dependence

There are seasons in the spiritual journey where we encounter a profound sense of powerlessness—a "wall" we cannot overcome by our own strength or understanding. This is not a sign of God's abandonment but often a tool He uses to deepen our dependence on Him. In these difficult times, He lovingly deconstructs our faulty programs for happiness to rewire our hearts for true life in His kingdom. The path through is one of trust, not of comprehension. [01:11:10]

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Reflection: Can you identify a current or recent struggle that feels like a "wall" you cannot get past? Instead of trying to solve it, what might it look like to simply acknowledge your weakness to God and ask for His sufficient grace to meet you there?

Sermon Summary

The night before Jesus’ betrayal established a meal—communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper—that centers thanksgiving, remembrance, and shared presence with Christ. Celebration of the bread and cup underscores sacrificial love and forgiveness and invites communal prayer and openness to God’s grace. A practical note opens space for different traditions by offering grape juice and wine options to honor varied worship practices.

Spiritual growth requires a clear frame: growth begins and ends in God’s grace, relies on the Spirit’s power, rests on identity as beloved, and aims toward love rather than mere knowledge. When stage models become scorecards, they provoke anxiety, shame, or pride; the right frame resists performance and affirms dependence on God’s initiating and completing work. Scripture anchors this frame (Philippians 1:6) and emphasizes transformation by the Spirit from one degree of glory to another.

Historical patterns offer navigational maps. Ancient stage theory, developed in monastic contexts, moves through purgation (confronting sin), illumination (learning the way of Jesus), and union (deeper communion with God). Modern accounts adapt this blueprint for everyday life. The critical journey presents a multi-stage arc: recognition/discovery of God, initial discipleship and learning, a productive stage of contribution, a deeper inward journey often marked by a “wall” or dark night, and finally a liberated outward life of love.

Early stages brim with excitement and learning but risk becoming cycles of information consumption. Mature contribution requires experimentation, character formation, and communal needs—not merely a spiritual-gift checklist. Many stall at consumer discipleship; others burn out when few serve. The inward stage confronts powerlessness, deconstructs false “programs for happiness,” and cultivates dependence on God. The wall and dark night can obscure understanding while producing profound interior renewal; withdrawal, judgment, or over-intellectualizing become common pitfalls.

Post-wall transformation produces greater freedom to love—even toward difficult people—because dependence on grace softens self-centered defenses. Practical invitations include honest self-checks for shame or pride, asking the Spirit for one next step, engaging community for prayer, and experimenting in service. The practice of communal worship, prayer ministry, and occasional communion availability supports movement from learning to loving.

Key Takeaways

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Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
*And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.*

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
*And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.*

Ephesians 4:15–16 (ESV)
*Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.*

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Observation questions

According to Philippians 1:6, who begins and completes the work in us?
What does 2 Corinthians 3:18 say is the source of our transformation?
In Ephesians 4:15–16, what is the ultimate goal of our growth?
The sermon described a common pitfall where people confuse information with maturity [43:12]. What does this look like in practice?

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Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that God—not us—is the one who begins and completes the work in our spiritual lives?
How does the transformation “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18) contrast with a self-driven approach to spiritual growth?
The sermon mentioned that some people get stuck in “consumer discipleship” [56:45]. What might keep someone from moving from learning to contributing?
What does it mean that the body of Christ “builds itself up in love” (Eph 4:16), and how does that differ from simply accumulating knowledge?

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Application questions

Have you ever felt anxiety, shame, or pride when comparing your spiritual journey to others [39:01]? What would it look like to recenter your identity in God’s love rather than performance?
The sermon described a “wall” experience where we confront powerlessness and learn dependence on God [01:11:10]. Are you in a season like that now? What would it look like to trust God rather than trying to “scale the wall” on your own?
If you’ve been in a long season of learning [55:53], what’s one step you could take to experiment with serving or using your gifts in a low-pressure way?
How can you support someone in your community who might be in a “dark night” season—feeling alone, doubtful, or deconstructing [01:14:41]—without trying to fix them?
The goal of spiritual growth is love, not just knowledge [42:20]. Is there a relationship in your life where God is inviting you to love more freely, even if it’s difficult?
What’s one area where you might be over-identifying with your role or contribution at church or work [01:05:18]? How can you hold that role more lightly, remembering it doesn’t define your worth?
The sermon encouraged asking the Holy Spirit for “one next step” [01:21:32]. What’s one thing you sense God might be inviting you into this week?

Sermon Clips

Which brings me to stage five. Right? So if by the grace of God, you make it to the other side of the wall, not by your power because you can't, but by his grace, what he will do through the wall experience is form you more and more into a person of deep love for others. What you'll become is a person with a deeper freedom to love other people, even if you don't like them and even if they're not nice to you. But God cultivates in us this deep love for others, and part of this is because we, at some level, become more and more like him, more and more shaped by his grace, and more aware of how dependent we are on his grace so then we can live in more freedom to love other people. [01:18:02] (50 seconds) #LoveThroughGrace

Often, the people you admire in church, you're like, wow. They have something. They're probably like somewhere on the other side of the wall by the grace of God. And you see it in them and you're like, I want that, but the truth is you can't get that. Only God can bring you there. Now I'm not gonna I'm just gonna ignore stage six because again, like, it's basically stage five, just better. My goal at Wellspring is that if you stick around here for a few decades, like, that you get to stage five. That is my goal, that we become a deep people of love. But the truth is none of us can force it. [01:19:03] (49 seconds) #GodCarriesYouAcross

Because if you did, that's probably an indication that there's a part of you that is really tempted by more of a performative frame when it comes to the spiritual life. That should be a sign for you. It should be like an alert on your dashboard. Something is wrong. It's by God's grace, by the spirit's power because he loves us and wants us to become a people of love. So I just would ask, like, if that pops up for you, there's a part of you that either feels proud or ashamed, really camp in this identity place of who are you before you even really work on the stage part. Make sense? [01:20:17] (43 seconds) #GuardAgainstPerformance

High achievers sometimes will, with unbelievable delusion over unbelievable amount of time, keep trying to scale the wall and running into it and running into it, and if your face hurts, that's probably you. But the point is actually that God is trying to teach us that we we need him. He's trying to rewire our programs for happiness so that they are aligned with who he actually is, not who we think he should be. Not not who we think we should be, but who we actually are. Now each person has this really unique experience at the wall. [01:12:26] (44 seconds) #DependOnGod

be very careful of associating your internal experience with God's abandonment. God does love you. And actually, this is the primary thing you have to hold onto in this season is that God might be using bad circumstances to actually refine and bless you, that actually God is loving you through this season even if it feels totally other. Second, do not pull away from community. There are these moments as a pastor, just honestly, where, like, I don't have a lot of faith some days. [01:15:31] (44 seconds) #LovedNotAbandoned

Often in church environments, we do this interesting exchange where we think if we know more, we are more mature. That is not true. There is no biblical text that will say, oh, oh, you're very smart. You must be very mature. You have to be very careful here. Right? The fruit of maturity is not information, it is actually love. Right? So you have God's grace, spirit's power. The goal is love, not information. [00:43:02] (31 seconds) #MaturityIsLove

And then back to us and our identity that we are actually beloved children when we begin the process, not because we've completed the process. Right? That's when you know you're in a performative mentality. You're trying to earn the love of God. The love of God starts at the beginning, and your identity is grounded in God's love from the beginning, not because you rocked it and got to stage five or whatever. [00:43:34] (32 seconds) #BelovedFromTheStart

The wall is kinda like their unique contribution, and what they say is generally, people will get to some point in their spiritual life where they encounter a wall that they can't go over, they can't go around, they can't dig their way under, they can't dynamite. Like, there is no way around the wall. And what Gulich and Hagburn talk about is how God uses this wall on the spiritual journey to cultivate in us a deep sense of powerlessness and therefore dependence on him. [01:10:39] (38 seconds) #WallTeachesDependence

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The Process of Growth | Stage Theory

Devotional

Day 1: The Foundation of God's Grace in Our Growth

Day 2: Transformation by the Spirit's Power

Day 3: The Ultimate Goal is Love, Not Information

Day 4: Our Identity as Beloved Precedes Our Obedience

Day 5: Navigating the Wall of Powerlessness and Dependence

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Process of Growth | Stage Theory

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