» The Journey

As I study the lives of movement leaders a recurring theme is the sovereign work of God in their inner lives so that they become the change they are seeking to implement.

History records the incredible impact of dynamic movements in the renewal and expansion of the Christian faith. Too often we forget that there is a price to pay. We follow a Founder who lived with opposition and rejection and triumphed through a Cross. We are all called to join him on this journey.

In the Critical Journey, Hagberg and Guelich and have discerned seven stages on the journey of faith:

1. Recognition of God: God humbles us
2. Life of Discipleship: God grounds us
3. Productive Life: God rewards and exalts us
4. Journey Forward: God unsettles us
5. The Wall: God unmasks us
6. Journey Outward: God transforms us
7. Life of Love: God transcends us

The stages are sequential and cumulative. We move around from stage to stage — back and forth. We can get stuck along the way; getting bogged down in an unhealthy way; a stage can become a cage.

God does not make us move. God’s grace allows us to move. If we let the change or crisis touch us, if we live with it and embrace it, we are more likely to grow and to move eventually to another stage.

When we are most vulnerable, we have the best chance to learn and move along the way. In the midst of pain, there is promise.

“The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith” (Janet O. Hagberg, Robert A. Guelich)