A Stage Model for a Deepening Christlikeness: Part 3 - Passive to Patient

"But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed."

— Luke 5:15-16

The Third Slice

I appreciate the ongoing engagement with this model and welcome continued discussion. If you didn't see the first two, you can find the first one here: Stage Model Intro.

As a reminder, I introduced the model this way... Picture a pie chart made up of four concentric circles with six slices. The core circle is Jesus. We start with the outer circle and move towards Christ with each circle representing a step towards Jesus. As we move inward, we transcend and include the previous circle.

Models are limited. The process isn't linear nor consistent nor even. We find that biblical words like those used in the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace...) are wonderful but are so common they are easily glossed over. Thus, we are purposely using words that hopefully will evoke emotion and thought because of their freshness.

ONE SLIGHT CHANGE

Since I last wrote, we made one change you may notice. The line between the second and third circles is thicker. We showed the model to the co-author of The Critical Journey, and she pointed out that often the journey between those two circles involves going through the wall. To illustrate this, we decided to make that line thicker. As I mentioned in the last post, when we come to the wall we can't go around or through or under or over it. We must go through it, and how we do that is a mystery, but it involves surrendering to God's work for it is impossible without him moving us.

With that change noted, we can dive into the next slice. I must admit that this slice is different from the rest for it gets into a level of detail the others don't touch. It also provides you with the invitation to play with the model. Dan, Andrew, and I have spoken of creating it with blank slices to allow people to add their own. The two main rules to follow if you choose to do that are as follows:

1.    Each circle moving inward will be seen as progress, and

2.    When you move in from the second to the third circle (closest to Jesus), those in the second circle will feel uncomfortable and won't be sure if you are progressing or backsliding.

With that, you can go for it!

Now, let's dive into the third slice.

PASSIVE CHURCH ATTENDANCE

As mentioned above, this is the most behaviorally descriptive slice. It begins with people who are characterized by infrequent engagement in a spiritual community. Perhaps they go to church on holidays, or they are "cultural Christians". Maybe they watch an online service every so often or listen to a sermon podcast. They probably had some kind of religious background or education and have a vague belief in God. If you asked them, they would say they are Christians or believe in God, but if you asked them for more details, they would be hard-pressed to give a satisfying answer.

STRATEGIC EVANGELISM & PRAYER

Then something happens. Of course, God is moving, but they have some kind of encounter that manifests in outward changes. They attend a Bible study or meet someone who intrigues them or have a dream or are otherwise stirred, which leads them to meet Jesus and exhibit deep change. They start attending a spiritual community regularly and get discipled and change their behavior according to the Christian sub-culture values stressed to them (maybe stop drinking and cursing and lying...).

They are excited about Jesus and want everyone to know him. They make lists of people who don't know Jesus and make plans to share the gospel with them (and do it) and pray for them. They are intentional and strategic and attend workshops and conferences and retreats and go on short-term mission trips and want to see the world reached for Christ. They probably look down on people who aren't sharing. They feel guilt and shame if they talk to a stranger and don't tell them about Jesus. Rest is for after we die. The world is broken and lost, and we need to tell everyone the Good News. Every minute more people are dying and going to Hell! How can we just sit around enjoying ourselves? They experience a good bit of cognitive dissonance because their life doesn't match up to what it should. Obedience is really important. Overall, life is exciting, and God is moving, and answers to prayer are happening. This stage can continue for a lifetime. Often, as they grow, they will start using their gifts in ministry. They may go to seminary and/or go into full-time ministry or volunteer for different organizations and/or start leading Bible studies and may even become missionaries.

PATIENT FERMENT

For some, the description above will fit them, more or less, until they die. For others, the day will come when that life doesn't work anymore. Something happens that doesn't fit the paradigm. Prayers aren't answered; God seems distant; disappointments mount; trying harder doesn’t fix it. This is the wall which I wrote about above. It is illustrated in the thicker line in the graphic.

On the other side of the wall, we will find a growing sense of patience and trust in God's working. Our heart for people to know Jesus doesn't change, but something in us is more settled. We see and hear people and are with them with Jesus. The anxiety we formerly felt is diminished significantly. We may or may not see as many "decisions for Christ", but when people are with us, they experience the love of Christ in their soul and that fragrance may be life or may be death, but we are okay in that, and we can trust Christ with them. At times we are bold and at other times we are silent and at other times everywhere in between. We don't have a script we follow but a Spirit, and we want people to experience an encounter with Jesus. Of course, we still sin and mess up and don't speak when we should and misunderstand and misread situations, but we know God is bigger.

Even in trying to describe this I am fumbling a bit, because I'm trying to use second circle language to capture third circle life and the two are foreign to each other. If I describe third circle (in this case patient ferment) using third circle language correctly, those in the second circle will feel uncomfortable and question whether the person is just making excuses or trying to sound deep and spiritual when really, they have backslidden to a passive escapism. Even as I write, I am grasping for language that will capture the third circle without alienating the second circle, and I don't think I'm up to the task. If I were to use purely third circle language, I wouldn't talk about "decisions for Christ" and "winning the lost" but would focus more on the Kingdom and transformation and process and community and love. Some second circle Christians will accuse third circle Christians of being universalists and some may be. No doubt, some people can and will go too far and deceive themselves and others. I am not going to try to figure all of that out, and I'm not on and don't want to be on the council of judgment. Here’s something to consider…when I read the Gospels, I see Jesus surrounded by people who are lost, but he not panicked or anxious or in a hurry. He spends good chunks of time alone and allows people to reject him. He spends lots of time with people, but most of his time with a few people. He doesn’t seem to have a scripted gospel message. He is the message and yet he uses words as needed uniquely in each situation. He is not about technique. Somehow, this is my poor attempt to capture the spirit of the move from the second to the third circle.

I pray each of us receives the grace to live in God's Spirit, to be where we are, and to let God take us where he wants us. And may we each have the grace to discern how God is leading in every encounter.

And here's where we are after three slices:

CONCLUDING QUESTIONS

·       What do you think of this slice?

·       Where do you find yourself?

·       How does it resonate with your journey?

·       Feel free to give some feedback.

And with that we conclude the description of the second slice of the pie. In the coming weeks, we will fill in each space.

 Here's what we have so far:

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.”

— Alexandre Dumas.