“Kenosis”
“There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.” Pope John Paul II
Overview
We are now reaching probably the longest of all the spiritual stages. After the Spirit has reoriented our motives and intentions, we desire deeper levels of holiness out of a love for God (not guilt or selfish ambition). During Kenosis, there is a renewed hunger to unearth and root out all areas of our hearts and lives that are obstructing full and abundant life in God. To borrow the Greek word, this stage is about “emptying” ourselves so that we might experience true oneness with the divine. Heads up, this stage can feel quite repetitive because you will repeat the same cycle of conviction, confession, repentance, and adaptation until your particular vice(s) lose hold over your life. This stage is often the longest because you are essentially trying to reach full submission to the will of God. Furthermore, the believer has learned this effort cannot be sustained using their own strength, will, or devotion. It will come from the abundance of God.
Paul (2 Cor 12)
Levels for Stage 8:
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Knowledge of God
Deeply entrenched in many aspects of faith. Also becoming increasingly aware of their own prejudice and bias.
Baseline: Able to engage with other religions/worldviews. Actively working to fill holes in their understanding of God and Christian faith.
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Spiritual Disciplines
Prayer is becoming less an act of petition and more an act of submission. For example, the primary emphasis for the believer is praying less for God to help them and instead using prayer to find/join God at work in the world.
Frequency: Several times a day
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Service of Others
Genuinely finds more joy in giving than receiving. Prefers to serve rather than be served. Doesn’t wait, but seeks opportunities to love and care for others.
Frequency: Daily if possible
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Church Engagement
Church attendance is now less about what they get out of it, and more about what they can contribute. Volunteering in ministries almost weekly. Also beginning to see their role as mentor in the faith.
Frequency: Weekly or more
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Witness to Others
Seen not just by their church, but their community, as a source of immense wisdom. Regularly counsels those inside and outside the faith in matters of wisdom and Christ-like humanity.
Frequency: Monthly or more
The “Kenosis Stage” found in Scripture:
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For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21
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Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:3-7
Spiritual Diet during
this Stage
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At this stage, you have quite a bit of knowledge and experience to offer others. Part of the “emptying” required during this stage is pouring into others who need the wisdom and perspective you’ve received. If you are not already, who in your life can you mentor? Who needs your discipling?
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One difference between earlier stages and Kenosis is one’s posture toward opportunities for hospitality. Earlier in faith, you might have tried to be open to these events; however, in this stage, you are actively looking for the chance to welcome a stranger, offer resources to help meet a need, and care for those who are lost, alone, in need of support. At this stage, you understand that a life after Christ is a life devoted to love— active and sacrificial love.
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At Kenosis, you are actively participating in the ongoing work of ridding the power of sin from your life. Like earlier in the journey (Sanctification), this can be accomplished through a renewed commitment to keeping a spiritual inventory and/or regular confession to an accountability partner. The difference at this stage is primarily two-fold. Firstly, the type of sin that is revealed to us during this stage is primarily internal. Earlier in the journey, the Holy Spirit seeks to refine our actions. In this stage, this may still happen, but now the Spirit is seeking to refine our thoughts, desires, and passions. The second difference between Stage 8 and earlier stages is one’s willingness and openness to the process of sanctification. During Kenosis, the believer is able to receive God’s discipline and correction with urgency, and even joy.
Sample Exercises
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One way to inhabit this stage faithfully is to not only do good, but to do so without selfish motivations. A practice that helps with that are SECRET acts of service or kindness. This comes from the wisdom Jesus offers when he says “don’t allow your right hand know what your left hand is doing.” Simply put, he is encouraging us to do good without receiving the credit. Who can you help or serve in an anonymous way today? This week?
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One of the central themes of this stage is learning about Jesus’ sacrificial love and obedience. One of the ways we learn how to do this is by modeling it in our own lives. Now, be warned that the places where God calls us to sacrificial obedience oftentimes involve our deepest fears. For example, if you are afraid of financial loss, this stage of faith might require risking monetary security. Or perhaps your biggest fear is displeasing others. If so, perhaps a sacrifice you will be called to make is running the risk of disappointing others. Simply put, the most important exercise of this stage is no longer allowing fear to hold us back from the will of God.
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The ancient monks used to say that the way to marry your everyday life and your spiritual life is to “work and pray.” Ultimately, that is the goal — to not have a spiritual life separate from your “normal” life, but that they are one in the same. Early monastic communities believed that you can pray both with your words and with your mindset during work, household chores, and other responsibilities each week. Brother Lawrence called this “practicing the presence of God” in all things. How can you include God in your routine this week? How can you do your work differently so that the sacred and the secular can coexist together?
Trap #8 to avoid:
Believer Burnout
Again, it needs to be stated that this stage can last many years. To try and uncover all the areas where sin remains in order to reach total surrender is no small feat. Thus, a common trap that many Christians experience during this stage is burnout. Especially if spiritual progress becomes slower than expected, the believer can become discouraged or even despairing. Further, it is also common to experience what desert monks called “spiritual acedia” – a spiritual boredom where faith becomes mechanical, rather than heart-felt. To avoid this trap, remember that this journey is not a sprint, but a crawl. You cannot rush the work of spiritual transformation. In those moments where burnout is especially bad, you might even return to Stage 7 to remind yourself we are not saved by our own hands, but the hands of Jesus.
Resources
For more information about this stage of the Christian journey, use the link below!