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Date Posted: 14:13:23 03/18/24 Mon
Author: c
Subject: Sequential stages of Christian Development (UPDATED)

The Love peace forgiveness messageboard is somewhat okay but it can sort of be “tangled up” a bit due to teachings being presented in a way that seems to encourage the reader to “take all the teachings in AT THE SAME TIME.

I have discovered that the teaching in the Love peace forgiveness messageboard should be processed over time sequentially.

The sequential order seems to be mirrored in the Bible in the Old Testament and the New Testament

1. There is an initial stage which could be represented as the Heavenly Father starting a relationship with Israel and Jesus Christ saving a person.

2. Then there is the wilderness stage where a person is in connection with the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ but the person really isn’t in the “Promised Land”/”Strong Tower” – this is where the saint is mainly learning to deny self/take up the cross

3. Then there is the dwelling in the Strong Tower of the Kingdom of Israel/Jesus Christ’s Name where there is gradiations of how “victorious” (ups and downs) a saint has in this Kingdom/Strong Tower (Book of Judges ups and downs, king Saul reign ups and downs, king David reign ups and downs, king Solomon reign ups and downs – obviously the book of Judges ups and downs are more dramatic than later stage king Solomon ups and downs)

4. Then there is Jesus Christ life replacing a saint’s life stage where a saint is less in control and more in tune with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.


This is like the section in the Love peace forgiveness messageboard “How the Synoptic Gospels follow in order” the Synoptic Gospels are discussed in an order. Now I realize how the Gospel of John fits with those Synoptic Gospels.


Luke = start

Mark = wilderness

Matthew = strong Tower

John = Jesus Christ life is my life replacement



(As much as I put forward this analysis of the Stages of Christian development with a sense of the value contained within, Dr. Charles Goodman, Pastor/Teacher of The Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia has put forward his own teachings in a similar yet distinctive way:


THERE ARE LEVELS TO THIS | Dr. Charles Goodman | Allen Worship Experience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzN6AR9CiH0


In this sermon Dr. Goodman preached at Greater Allen Cathedral on 3/17/24, Dr. Goodman explored how Jesus Christ modeled how Christians advance through the ordered levels that the Heavenly Father has set for Christian development:


The level of Commitment (which involves submission to spiritual authority even when you aren't in agreement)

The level of Confirmation (which involves the awareness of your own uniqueness as it pertains your call and the Heavenly Father's unconditional affirmation of a saint at the start of the saint's salvation experience)

The level of Confrontation or conflict (which involves the wilderness level that allows a saint to develop a particular anointing)


I see value in what Dr. Goodman taught in this sermon so I recommend exploring this sermon for your own evaluation of this sermon. The Love Peace Forgiveness messageboard is about exploring teachings that have value and for the reader to weigh the value in his or her own estimation over time.)



Mark 1:13 is a summation of Jesus Christ's wilderness experience that is unique as compared to Matthew and Luke's wilderness accounts. This aspect along with Mark 8:22 - 26 account of Jesus Christ taking a blind man by the hand and leading the blind man out of a bad environment - similar to a wilderness symbolically - is showing that the Gospel of Mark represents wilderness.

When in Supplementary teachings 1/2022 I wrote of Proverbs 18:10 The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower: the righteous runneth into It, and is safe. (This is where a saint dwells or not) I was trying to touch upon a saint realizing how much Jesus Christ was in control of a saint’s experience – but I realized that what many have taught on, the wilderness experience sort of “interrupts how a saint substantially “experiences” dwelling in the Strong Tower of Jesus Christ’s Name:


T.D. Jakes: Don't Fear Your Wilderness, God Will Take You Somewhere | Praise on TBN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5HkbRbzzZM


T.D. Jakes: How Your Wilderness Season Determines Your Destiny | Praise on TBN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfN6DJHuca0


T.D. Jakes: Victory is in Your Wilderness Season | Praise on TBN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSxFW-BkBQc

-------------------=

Leap over a wall:Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians by Eugene Peterson



p 72

An hour or so into the wilderness my perceptions began to sharpen - sights, sounds, smells. This happens in the wilderness. You see more, hear more, yes, believe more, which is why it holds such a prominent place in our traditions of spirituality…..Yet in the solitude awareness develops of your part in this intricate and precarious web of life. A sense of holiness takes shape; the sacred surfaces.

David didn’t start out in the wilderness, and he didn’t end up in the wilderness. But he did spend some highly significant years in the wilderness. Everybody - at least everybody who has anything to do with God - spends time in the wilderness, so it’s important to know what can take place there.

P73

When we’re in the wilderness, we commonly feel our lives simplifying and deepening.

P76

In the wilderness we’re face to face with the basics, the Basic, with God. The confrontation is a test, a temptation. Do we deal with God or not? We take the test and become more or less. We grow up or regress. David became more. David grew up.

And so we read these David stories of the wilderness years and look for signs of God, look for evidence of David’s God-responses. It’s good practice for discovering similar God-responses in the wilderness circumstances of our own lives and the lives of our friends.

P 77

In the wilderness years, as David was dealing with God, a sense of the sacred developed in him. While he was living in that austere country, his awareness of holiness, of God’s beauty and presence in everything, in everyone, increased exponentially. David was above all reverent. He had an inordinate capacity to wonder. The Psalms, many of them came out of these wilderness years, are our main evidence for this. This story puts the holiness on display.

-----------------------=

This wilderness experience occurring while a saint is actually in relationship with The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ seems to be more than what I wrote in Supplementary 2/2022

“Remember things are not always what they seem.”

It seems like a distinct “stage” like Israel being in relationship with The Heavenly Father while going through the wilderness in the Books of Exodus and Numbers before the victory in the Book of Joshua and the Promised Land experience that seems to “officially” start in the Book of the Judges. This in the New Testament seems like what Dr C.I. Scofield wrote about Romans 7 in the publication “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth”:

p 45

(summarized portions of a text)


Romans 7:14 - 25 Speaks of how a new convert will go through an ordeal soon after the joy of salvation is attained, slacks off a little, flesh comes back, the servant cries out for help, Jesus Christ then comes to help and deliver.


This also seems like what Bishop TD Jakes was teaching about in his 2015 sermon “The Whole World Blind”

Bishop TD Jakes taught in his sermon from December 2015 "The Whole world blind," Jesus Christ first touched the blind man to lead the blind man out of the bad environment of Bethsaida, yet this first touch of leading the blind man out by the hand didn't change the blind man's condition - so the process of "becoming whole" takes more than one touch from Jesus Christ. The blind man had to be honest and admit to Jesus Christ that the first time Jesus Christ put His hands on the man's eyes, the man was not completely healed from blindness.


-------------------=

Also C.H. Mackintosh seems to also write about a New Testament “wilderness” experience after a saint is redeemed:


Notes on Numbers

by C.H. Mackintosh

(summarized portions except where quotation marks are used)


p 20

Many baby servants of Jesus Christ are in Romans 7 mode and have no awareness of being sealed by the Holy Spirit, not in possession of the victory in Jesus Christ.

"There is an honesty to having what is in Romans 7 there for our edification and for ourselves to admit the same process within instead of being falsely in Romans 8."

"But all this leaves wholly untouched the question as for the proper application of this profoundly interesting passage."

--------------=

Talks for Growing Christians speaks of how in 1 Corinthians 10:1 - 13, Paul connects the Israelites wilderness experience to what New Testament saints go through in the Holy Spirit filled walk of Christian life (even though Christians "are" in a state of salvation during this process that may at times seem similar to what the Israelites went through in the wilderness - which wasn't considered "dwelling in the 'Promised Land' state" for the Israelites while in the wilderness):

Dr. David R. Reid -Talks for growing Christians

growingchristians.org

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/1-corinthians10a/

A Warning for Christians

DOCTRINAL POINTS

The events from Egypt to Canaan are a spiritual picture of God’s people.

The events from Egypt to Canaan are a spiritual warning to God’s people.


---------------------------------=


Then, I would assert, there is a “dwelling in the Strong Tower” stage that seems to be where most of the “mature” Christian battles a saint has are experience


The Potter’s Touch broadcast “The grace to be grounded”

Grace must be guarded.

Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

You have to be grounded in your faith, your christian behavior, and the Word of God.

You’re going to get the victory just by being grounded.

“Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13, 2 Chronicles 20:17)

Psalms 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

The armor of God (Ephesians 6:10 – 18) is needed to stand our ground and win our battles.

“Though I’m going through hell, I’m going to stand.”

“The devil can’t have my peace or my life because I’m grounded.”

No longer tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:14)

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.


The enemy is trying to fight you off of your ground. he’s after your ground. When the Bible says “neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27) it means literally “neither give territory to the devil.” It literally means “stand your ground.”

The Heavenly Father gives saints blessings but they become areas where we have to battle the evil one when the evil one tries to shake our belief that those blessings really belong to us. Saints have the grace to be grounded in this fight with the evil one over the territory that truly belongs to us saints – no matter how intense the warfare of the situation is.

(also explored in The Potter's Touch "Ground Level Zero" broadcast)


-------------=

Dr. David R. Reid -Talks for growing Christians
growingchristians.org

The teachings on the Book of Judges chapters 1,2 and 6,7 links is very valuable for the Strong Tower dwelling stage:

Judah Settles its Tribal Land

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges1a/

Israel's Partial Obedience Results in Enemy Resistance

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges1b/
Spiritual Background on the Time of the Judges

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges2/

God Calls Gideon to Defeat the Midianites

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges6a/

Gideon Passes a Test of Faith

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges6b/

Gideon Sets Out the Fleece and Asks God for a Sign

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges6c/

Gideon's Faith is Tested

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges7a/

Gideon’s Victory Over the Midianites

https://www.growingchristians.org/talks/judges7b/


Then, there seems to be an advanced stage where a saint really “connects” with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ which Charles Stanley teaches about on intouch.org radio:



7:39


It is His life - not our life. You remember what Paul said about himself before he realized this? He said: "in times past, what I didn't want to do, I found myself doing. What I wanted to do, somehow I seemingly couldn't manage to do it". He said: "so I was pulled in two directions: what I wanted to do, I couldn't do. What I didn't want to do, I found myself doing."


But Paul discovered the truth: that it wasn't any longer Paul's life, it was Christ living within him - get that. It isn't our life - and I'll tell you something else: it isn't Jesus Christ up there trying to help us down here.


This “Jesus Christ life is my life stage seems to be where a saint is more truly motivated by love, as taught by Charles Stanley


Created to Love

By Charles F. Stanley

Have you ever wondered if your life has a purpose? The Word of God says it does—one that is both noble and desirable: Every believer was created by God to love and be loved.

God loves you personally and individually, without limit or qualification. He desires to shower you with His affection and kindness. Let me assure you of several things:

God's love is the most important thing we can know about Him.

The very essence of God's Being—in other words, His personality and nature—is love (1 John 4:8). It is the reason Jesus came to earth, lived a victorious life, and then died to restore man's relationship with the Father (John 3:16). The most important decision we can ever make is to receive this gift of God.


-------------------=

The Jesus Christ is my life stage also seems to have a more clearer “hunger for God” aspect, as also taught by Charles Stanley:



intouch.org Daily devotion 8/14/16 A Hunger for God


Psalms 63:1-5


The Lord has given us a variety of appetites, which are essential for our physical survival. But He has also created within our hearts a hunger that is spiritual. David was a man who recognized and felt this yearning for the Heavenly Father. Throughout the Psalms, we find him meditating, offering praise, or crying out to God. His greatest joy was to be with his Heavenly Father in intimate communion.

Hungering for the Lord is a desire to know and draw closer to Him. Sadly, this yearning lies dormant in many believers’ lives. They’re saved but have very little desire for more. One of the problems is that our society is filled with all sorts of things that grab and hold our interest and affections. These pleasures and pursuits compete with God for our attention, claiming our time and effort.

----------------=

Also where a saint would have a better heart purity thing as well:


Beside the Still waters

8/9/16

A perfect heart

(edited message)


But how do we obtain that perfect heart which God values so highly? Such a heart cannot be realized by our most virtuous and strenuous efforts. We first need to recognize our inability to overcome the sinful nature by our own power. Then we must make a conscious choice to surrender self in all its forms to the only One Who can give us a new and perfect heart. The transformation of our heart into a thing of rare beauty and virtue is an initial act as well as a continuous process. This can be painful to our carnal nature, yet the finished product is well worth all the discomfort. Is your heart perfect in the sight of God?

Pete Lewis

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

------------------------=

So, with this understanding of these seemingly distinct stages (becoming a saint, wilderness, Strong Tower dwelling, Jesus Christ’s life is my life) I have realized that the Love Peace Forgiveness messageboard’s teachings should be processed distinctly for each stage in stages lasting by at least 3 years (3 years for the wilderness/deny self/take up the cross stage)


So, a saint should go through the Love peace forgiveness messageboard and select and prioritize the teachings that would fit for the wilderness/deny self/take up the cross stage and prioritize and focus on those distinct fitting teachings for that particular stage for 3 years, then when those 3 years of that stage is finished, then prioritize and focus on the teachings for the next stage (Strong Tower dwelling) for 3 years, etc.


A saint should also go through the Spiritual Notebook teachings and select and prioritize and order the statements there that would fit for each stage and focus on the ones that fit in the stage when a saint is going through that stage (and not focus too much on the teachings that aren’t that “fitting” for that particular stage that is up ahead).


For example, here are the Spiritual Notebook teachings that seem to fit for the wilderness/deny self/take up cross stage. They are ordered and prioritized. They should probably be recorded as spoken and played on a phone or MP3 player often in the car or on headphones for them to become ever present in mind for the 3 years of the wilderness/deny self/take up cross stage. The teachings in the other sections of the Love peace forgiveness messageboard that apply to the wilderness/deny self stage should be selected similarly:



We need to put self on the cross and crucify our sinful desires.
- This is a daily experience.


We need a faith that will help us say "No!" to sin, and that will enable us to carry the cross, to practice self-denial, to follow Jesus, and to maintain our walk on the narrow way.

When we choose to accept the discomfort that self-denial and cross-bearing involves, we find deliverance from the bondage of self.

Taking up the cross let's us face challenges and believe Galatians 6:9
- Don't grow weary in well doing because we will reap if we faint not.

A saint can only shape the harvest he or she receives at the stage of sowing the seeds

I believe Jesus Christ brought me far to bring me further ahead

The cross allows us to walk victoriously.

we must admit that even the uncomfortable things - even the painful things - are for our sanctification and God's glory

If we knew how much God loves us, we would always be ready to receive equally...from His hand the sweet and the bitter.

God responds, "Be patient. I am still doing a work in you."

We must resist our natural tendency and choose life.

We may stumble at times, but the important issue is which way our heart is bent. Is it inclined toward gratifying self or toward obeying God?


evil thought might enter our mind, but we then expel the thought before it becomes sinful to us.


Some let difficulties to affect their view of Jesus Christ
Others let Jesus Christ affect their view of difficulties

Jesus Christ is more present to us than the trouble that drives us to Jesus Christ.


God's fences keep you within the bounds of His blessings.
- choose to bless God for the boundaries and for the way they bless you.

Deny yourself to learn true abundance

Whether changing a light bulb or facing temptation, let us plan not to fall.


Admit to the Heavenly Father that you are weak. The moment that you are honest with the Heavenly Father it opens the door to change.

Where does my speech say that I am headed?

Faith focuses on Jesus Christ instead of life's problems.


The road to worship begins with gratefulness for the cleansing of God.


Only if we are on the alert will we lean on the strength of our Lord Who is greater than our spiritual enemy.

The Christian life is a battleground.

Crying out for help - from others and from God - may be the strongest moment of our lives.

How you wait is important as well as what you do as you wait.


Purity of heart is obtained by degrees as we resist old patterns and grow in Christlikeness - A sincere desire

Humility is confidence properly placed in Christ.

Proven character come through persevering through the tribulations of life.

Sin is something to flee from.

Every temptation is an opportunity to flee to God.

Every temptation is an opportunity or occasion to trust God.

Identify your areas of weakness.
- identify the danger zones in life.

The Christ-centered life asks "will this affect my relationship with Jesus?"
- "will this strengthen the work of the Kingdom?"


Remember the rewards promised for overcomers.

True repentance means confessing sin and getting rid of it.


Suffering and difficulties afford opportunities for God to “show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”


Our problems are opportunities to discover God’s solutions

Paul believed that God had rigged the game in his favor. If this is true, then a gritty kind of joy is always possible

If all you want is relief, you could descend into anger and doubt. But if your desire is to become the person God wants you to be, you’ll see each trial as an opportunity for Christ to display His character and strength in you.


It is a blessing to know what is not for you as much as knowing what is for you:

"I don't know what God has for me, but I know that isn't it"

The beauty of Christian surrender is its acceptance of the unpredictable.


"In the time of trouble say:

In His good time He can bring me out again - how and when He knows

Can we get bad news like Jairus and still stay hopeful and trusting?

God is good in both the good times and the bad.



Admit that you don't like certain bad turns and events but confess that our Master Jesus Christ is in control to work out a good result eventually in this particular situation

A relationship with Jesus Christ makes us believe there is always life after a tough season.


We become stronger not by traveling an easy path but by overcoming obstacles.



We need to stop and consider: How much am I being distracted from giving God the first place in my life?

If you have fallen into his snares, others are probably following your example



Successful people are creatures of habit.

The way to follow Jesus is to firmly put some things behind you and to focus on other things ahead.

The narrow way is built upon a good foundation

By the grace of Jesus Christ, we can be victorious in all the tests of life knowing that they are monitored by Him.

Instead of pleading with Jesus Christ to take away difficulties, ask Jesus Christ for strength and a new perspective.

Take what is revealed about us during challenges and use that insight to make effective corrections.


Adversity can be a path that leads to surrender.

- He wants to use us for His own greater purposes.


The evil one points us away from the many blessings we already enjoy. he wants us to focus on what seems to be a lack of God's blessing instead of all the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have done for us.

Whenever we become discouraged by the evil we can see, we need to think instead about the good work God is doing that we cannot see.


Prepare today for tomorrow's watershed moments.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant

Meekness requires that we refrain from reacting too quickly and discern how to respond wisely



A wise person evaluates choices by looking ahead to see what negative consequences could follow a course of action.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will cost you more than you want to pay, and it will keep you longer than you want to stay."

When we want to satisfy our flesh in some way, we will eventually do things that trap us.

Sin plunges us down a road that often has no end in sight, but Jesus Christ provides a way of escape.


As painful as your consequences for unwise choices may be, thank God for caring enough to send out His loving discipline.
- the scar of sin can lead to restoration and a renewed intimacy.

Taking one step in the right direction can help us see how that faithful action fits into Jesus Christ's overarching plan.

You would be joyful too if you believed you were gaining something worth more than what you were giving up.

Following Jesus Christ's instructions allows us to escape the consequences that come from choices we later wish we could undo.
- Obeying gives us true freedom

We are controlled by what we enjoy.

Strong saints depend on God.

Are we aware of God's doings in our life?

Don't make quick judgments when a crisis comes.
- Ask the Heavenly Father for understanding


Jesus prunes us so we can bear better fruit.
- accept God's pruning with the proper attitude.

When you can't work a situation out, then the situation is meant to work on you
- any problem that you don't change is meant to change you
- Paul with the thorn
- has to be balanced with a long-suffering patient perspective about unexpected breakthroughs

We need to praise the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for the way He is working that we don't see.

It is in times of difficulty and distress that we learn lessons of trusting and waiting upon the LORD, and we experience in fuller measure His all-sufficient grace and undergirding strength to meet every need. It's then that we often grow spiritually stronger as our faith is tested and our prayer times become more meaningful. It is then that we truly find God to be our Rock and Refuge, "a very present help in trouble"

Keep the big picture in mind

God lead's us one step at a time.

Ask yourself how a choice or actions or decision will look in light of eternity.


God will help you find the spiritual lessons and joy that are hidden in your present journey.

Life's challenges are designed to bend us toward God.

Wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective.

We learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial.

Eyes of faith see God at work in everything.

God may allow hardships in our lives as He purifies us. He may ask us to give up something because He has something better awaiting us.

God may need to undo us before He can reshape us.



It is important to know to whom we are yielding ourselves.

We are called to rise above the thorns of life.

Are we cultivating and building the relationship that truly matters most?

It may take a while and some repetitive effort, but when you bring your desires to a point of submissive neutrality, the Heavenly Father will then show you whether what you want is in His will or not in His will.


Preserved to be Presented - Part 1 - Bishop Jackie McCullough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwcjXbswOro

43:00

Overcoming past sins is used by Jesus Christ to prepare us to withstand bigger temptations pitfalls later - how we are kept by the Heavenly Father

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