The Three Stages of the Christian Life

The word "three" in Scripture is very important. There are three Persons in the Godhead - Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. We are created as a tri-part being - Spirit, soul and body. There are 3 archangels. There are 3 feasts of the Lord - Passover, which speaks of the born-again experience; Pentecost, which speaks of our charismatic or pentecostal experience; and the third feast is the Feast of the Tabernacle which is the last day feast on earth. This speaks of the great harvest and in-gathering of souls. We think of the journey of Israel coming out of, firstly, Egypt where they celebrated the Pass-over. Secondly they came into the wilderness where they celebrated Pentecost. The third stage is Canaan, the Promised Land.

The three stages of the Christian life according to John

John said, "I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one" (1 John 1:12 - 14, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. First stage little children; second stage young men; third stage fathers.

2. John said two things to the little children - one, your sins are forgiven you; two, you have know the Father.

When you are born of the Spirit of God even when you are 65 years of age you are just a little child. The first thing that you are becoming to be aware of is that your sins are forgiven. Secondly, you are into a relationship with the Almighty as your own Father.

3. John also said two things to the young men. As you begin to grow and develop and become what the Bible here refers to as young man, you become strong because the Word of God is abiding within you and you are able to overcome the wicked one in your life.

4. When John spoke to a group called the fathers he did not say two things. He instead, said only one thing, but said it twice. So, it must be important.

He said, "Because you have known Him who is from the beginning".

The fathers not only know God in an intimate way but they know His plan and His purpose even from the beginning. Only matured men and women of God come to know God in that way. In my opinion all believers are at least in one of those three stages.

Three stages of development

It is truly amazing to discover that the three stages of development of both the life of Jesus in His humanity and the Christian life follow closely to the three development stages of the butterfly.

The first stage is the caterpillar stage. The caterpillar comes out of a little egg that takes only between 2 to 4 days to hatch. They say all that the caterpillar does is eat and eat and therefore gets fatter and fatter. As it grows it sheds off 3 or 4 coats of skin. At stage two the caterpillar begins to emit a gummy substance out of one of two glands. Another gland begins to emit some very thin silken threads up to 3000 ft long. This mixes with the gummy substance to form a chrysalis or cocoon. And so the caterpillar is being sealed off in total darkness. The caterpillar develops into a beautiful butterfly in the chrysalis. When the butterfly is ready to come out it emits some acid to burn a hole in the outer shell of the cocoon. This is stage three, the final stage.

A butterfly is known for 3 things:

1. The butterfly is beautiful. The caterpillar is ugly. The priestly holy garment of Aaron was made for glory and for beauty (Ex. 28:2). As believers we are clothed with the Spirit of God which reveals the beauty of the Lord Jesus (Psalms 90:17).

2. The butterfly can fly. God wants us to be believers who are heaven bound and not earth bound. He wants us to mount up with wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31). He wants our eyes to focus on things that are eternal and not temporal (2 Cor. 4:18).

3. The butterfly can reproduce and multiply. God wants our ministry to reproduce and to multiply as we lead others to Christ.

The three stages of development in the life of Jesus

Let us trace the three stages of development in the life of Jesus in comparison with that of the butterfly.

First stage we see Jesus' birth until the age of 12. He was at the caterpillar stage. Second stage we see Jesus between the age of 12 and the age of 30. That was when He was in the chrysalis or cocoon (spiritually speaking) hidden out of veiw by the Father. At the age of 30 He came forth as a beautiful butterfly flying into great heights for 3 and a half years doing the will of the Father.

From the New Testament writers we read about Jesus' birth, His dedication in the temple at the age of 8 days. And then at the age of 12 years he confounded the religious leaders with His knowledge of the Word of God. he had been eating and eating and eating the Word of God but the Father considered Him not yet ready for His Ministry.

When we get into the Old Testament writing we learn about what happened to Jesus when He was hidden by the Father for 18 years in His spiritual cocoon. The prophet Isaiah, with unique revelation, tells us so much of what was happening in the life of Jesus between the age of 12 to the age of 30!

Up to the age of 12 (Fisrt stage)

Isaiah said, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: behold, a vigin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good" (Isaiah 7:14, 15, KJV, emphasis added).

Notice that butter, in Scripture, speaks of the Word of God. Butter is made from milk curd.

Peter said, "... as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2, NKJV).

Notice that in His humanity, just like us, He had to learn.

Honey, in Scripture, speaks of life and the life is in the Spirit. Canaan, the Promised Land was called a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). There was life in the Promised Land.

Jesus was growing up as a young boy in Jerusalem. He was exposing His life to the Word of God and the Spirit of God. And because of this He came to know how to choose that which was right and how to refuse that which was wrong.

From the age of 12 to the age of 30 (Second stage)

Isaiah said, "And He was made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me" (Isaiah 49:2, NKJV, emphasis added).

Jesus was kept hidden in the shadow of His Father's hands for 18 years. During that time His Father got Him ready for His Ministry by doing two things - one, made His mouth a sharp sword and two, made Him a polished shaft. Notice that "sharp sword" speaks of the Word of God and "polished shaft" which is a sharp arrow, speaks of His Power. Notice also the word "made" indicates that Jesus although divine was also human because the Word of God and the Power of God did not come to Him automatically.

From the age of 30 until He completed His Ministry (Third stage)

Jesus, at the age of 30 came up out of the River Jordan, heaven was opened unto Him (Luke 3:21). For 3 and a half years Jesus moved under an opened heaven on earth and ministered in a miraculous supernatural way. His polished shaft hit the bulls eye at all times! He was like a beautiful butterfly soaring unto great heights!

The three stages of development of the Christian life

1. First stage - caterpillar stage

When a person is quickened by the Spirit of God he becomes born again by the Spirit of God. He comes out of the "egg" and enters the "caterpillar" stage. With his sins forgiven he begins to shed things off his life that have been hanging on him for years. It is God's plan for the new believer in Christ that he gets into the Word of God. God puts a hunger in his heart and he begins to eat and eat and consumes the Word and he begins to grow fat spiritually.

The psalmist said, "He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you" (Ps. 81:16).

When you have a hunger in your heart and you get into the Word of God, God is going to feed you with the finest of wheat - the pure Word of God.

2. Second stage - chrysalis or cocoon stage

At the end of the caterpillar stage it is time for change for the new believer because he has grown fat. The Holy Spirit tells us it is time for change if we really want to shine for God at this end time hour. Change is painful but also very necessary.

The psalmist said, "Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God" (Ps. 55:19).

If we do not change and just remain as caterpillars all of our Christian life, we are found not fearing God and not putting Him His rightful place in our hearts. If we do not change how are we going to be changed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ? Change will hurt us but will not harm us.

God wants us to go through the same changing process as Jesus went through as He was hidden in the shadow of His Father's hand. For us we have to come into a time of darkness, a time of pressure and a time of difficulty.

The following four passages of Scripture are very interesting:

1. God said, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, ..." (Isaiah 45:3).

There are treasures for us to discover in darkness which we will never learn to discover when everything is going well for us.

2. Job said, "He (God) uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light" (Job 12:22).

You will discover the deep things of God in darkness - and not in the light when everything is going great for you; you have got plenty of money in the bank and you can buy whatever you want to buy.

3. "Who among you fears the Lord? Wo obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has not light? let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled - This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment" (Isaiah 50:10, 11).

In your darkness you need to trust the Lord and lean on Him. So many people light their own fire to get out of darkness when they find themselves in it. But God said, if you light your own fire you will have to walk in the sparks of it and you will end up in sorrow - because God's period of time to change you in darkness is not up yet. We need to stay in the darkness for a little longer until God, in His perfect timing, brings us out of darkness.

If someone pricks a hold in the cocoon to let the yet-to-be-formed butterfly to come out before its time he will probably kill it, or he will have a deformed futterfly!

4. Jesus said, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops" (Matt. 10:27).

During our times of darkness and difficulty the Lord speaks into our lives to comfort us. Later on when He brings us out of that situation, out from that cocoon and we are in the light again we will be able to share those things with others and encourae those who are in time of darkness themselves.

3. Third stage - a beautiful butterfly

I believe in a sense, the Church of Jesus Christ is in the cocoon stage now. But God is about to bring His people out, changed and be transformed into beautiful butterflies. They will come out in the dawning of a new day; come out like solders ready for battle and possess our canaan. God will give us period of time on earth just like He gave His Son Jesus Christ - three and a half years or may not be that long or even longer. But we can be certain of one thing. He has reserved a particular time period for His Church, to reveal on earth, the glory and beauty of God - As He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17)!