Introduction

“God desires zealously the spirit He has caused to dwell in us, but He gives more grace.” Jas. 4:5-6.

God so loved the world that He gave His Son. The purpose of God’s gift to mankind is to win mankind. He desires to lead them to the goal that He has determined for them. God is zealous to lead us to this goal. He leads us in the most amazing ways to accomplish His will with us.

He delivers us from sin, from a bad conscience, from the world, and from our self-life. He gives us gifts, but then He frees us from the gifts if we love the gifts so much that we turn our eyes away from the Giver. He frees us from the instruments He uses to lead us forward if we become attached to them. He frees us from our perception of our spiritual state so that we do not love this state and forget Him. He frees us from our dependency on our feelings when we rejoice over the fact that we are glad instead of rejoicing in God. He frees us from everything that has been created so that we will love Him who is not created. God is jealous; He does not permit anything besides Himself in an elect soul. God desires to possess us completely for Himself because He loves us. His purpose is to free us from everything that is corruptible so that we can lose ourselves in Him. Contemplating the gifts is something that appeals to man, because he wants to have something tangible to cling to. However, God wants to direct man’s vision to the source of all things, to the most beautiful image in existence—Jesus Christ—so that his human spirit can be transformed and renewed according to this image from glory to glory. The goal of God’s infinite love is to present each person perfect in Christ.

God leads us through various stages of development in order to reach this goal. In this booklet we are going to focus, in all brevity, on our inner walk with God. While the body walks through life’s external circumstances, the soul journeys on an inner, invisible way with God. God, in His fervency, is zealous to lead us forward on the ways of the inner life, and willing souls are led forward with amazing speed. Each step forward is a step of faith impelled by God’s grace.

The First Stage

The Stage of Salvation

Our sins are forgiven. We rejoice over salvation and can encourage others to come with us on the same way.

The Second Stage

The Baptism of the Spirit or the Stage of Power

We are led into the spiritual realm and receive power to overcome the many manifestations of our self-life to which we previously succumbed with a sigh.

The Third Stage

The Way of the Cross or Fellowship With Christ in His Sufferings

We become partakers of Christ’s sufferings as we are molded into the likeness of Christ in His death. Death is working in us.

The Fourth Stage

The Stage of Authority

We receive authority with Christ to overcome spiritual hosts of wickedness. We are permitted to enter into God’s plans and into the inner ministry as co-workers with Christ before the Father’s face.