The 4 Phases of a Relationship with God
Phases of a Relationship with God through Jesus Christ
There are actually four phases of a relationship with God. Jesus summarizes these four phases in the Book of John, Chapters 3, 4 and 7.
The Four Phases:
- Born again (John 3:3)
- Born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5-8)
- The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – fountain of water, springing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14)
- The anointing – rivers of living water flowing from someone’s spirit person (John 7:37-38)
Phase One – Born again
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Phase Two – Born of water and the Spirit
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8).
Phase Three – The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – fountain of water, springing up to eternal life
“’But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’” (John 4:13-14).
Phase Four – The anointing – rivers of living water flowing from someone’s spirit person
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38)
Three Phases of a Walk in the Spirit
The final three phases represent the three phases of a walk with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Man Has a Free Will
Every person determines what phase he or she makes it to. God created man into His own image and gave him a complete free will. God cannot make anyone do anything. He cannot make anyone receive Him through Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord. He cannot make anyone advance progress through the four phases of a relationship with Him.
A lot of questions are answered through understanding of the phases. Many people wonder, “Why do Christians seem just like everyone else?” An answer is that 99% of Christians, for the most part, remain in Phase 1 of their walk with God. They do not advance into Phase 2 (or 3 and 4) and thus do not receive the glorious divine nature and life to the level that it changes them and transforms in the new life with Jesus.
Percentage of the World in the Four Phases
Phase 1- Born again- John 3:3
saved; receive Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior
2.4 billion, or 30%
Phase 2- Born of water and the Spirit- John 3:5
480 million, or 6% of the world (20% of the 2.4 B born again Christians)
Or
20% of Catholics- 240 million
20% of evangelical Protestants- 110 million
80% of charismatic Christians- 220 million
Total- 570 million
Phase 3- Baptism of the Holy Spirit- John 4:14
50% of Charismatic Christians- 140 million, or 1.5% of the world
Phase 4- The anointing- John 7:38
Hundreds of people, or less than 0.0000007%
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