There’s a great book out there called “I Once Was Lost” by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp. In this book, the two authors describe different thresholds or stages of spirituality. The book itself is concerned with the movement that a non-Christian experiences as they move closer to becoming a Christian, but I wonder if it actually has some traction with people who are already Christians. 
The stages or thresholds of spiritual life that Everts and Schaupp put forward are:
- Trusting a Christian
- Getting Curious about Christianity
- Opening up to Change
- Seeking after God
- Entering the Kingdom
Since you’re most likely reading this as a Christian, I’m going to explain these stages in terms of what I think might be worthwhile for you to consider personally before you start thinking about how you engage with your non-Christian neighbor (the book is fantastic for this, btw). Although if you’re a non-Christian reading this, I think you’ll be able to follow along and it might aid you in giving some categories to your experience.
Trusting a Christian: Trust is an interesting thing. After a long year of political and cultural turmoil, our instinct to trust is probably retreating inside us like a frightened turtle. Yet exactly because of that, I think that who we currently trust is even more important than it has been in recent history. Who are the people that you trust right now? To whom do you give general trust, and to whom do you give that special trust where you trust them with the matters of your soul? A Christian friend? A YouTube channel? A podcast? Who are the people that you are trusting? How far are you trusting them?
Getting Curious about Christianity: For the non-Christian, this is a moment in which they are trying to figure out how the entire system of thought works. This is an intellectual stage. It’s not commitment oriented, but it has a deep draw because we’re curious about something. What are you curious about when it comes to the faith? Is it a book of the Bible you’ve never understood like Revelation? Is it how the whole of theology plays together? Is it something else? What are you curious about and where are you going for answers?
Opening up to Change: For most people, you can only learn in an academic sense for so long before you need to try something out. What do you feel like you need to *try* in order to understand? Do you need to try prayer? Try starting to do a certain good work? Try building a team of fellow Christians? Do you need to try reading the Bible? What are those things that you aren’t really going to understand until you do something? Again, this isn’t a commitment, but it’s driven by a curiosity to learn more by doing.
Seeking after God: For the non-Christian, this a huge move. It is a move from becoming curious to wanting a relationship. For Christians and non-Christians alike, this is a movement toward (further) commitment. That isn’t to say that your commitment is what is driving the bus here, but rather that you have seen something in what you’ve been curious about and experimenting with that holds some value for you. Now that you see the value, you’re more willing to commit to engaging in that thought or practice even when times get tough. So what is valuable to you about Christianity? Is it attending church regularly online or in person? Is it reading or devotional practices? Is it getting together with a Christian friend? What are you willing to commit to because you see the value in it?
Entering the Kingdom: “Entering the Kingdom” is Everts/Schaupp’s term, but I like to think of this as “Deepening”, and it maybe even connects with Jesus’ words about “abiding” in John 15. This is an exciting moment because of all its possibilities. From here, I think the Christian can stay and abide – deepening in the story of faith that brought them to this point, or I think they can strike out for a new adventure – getting curious about something else, experimenting with something that they’re doing, or committing to a new thing in which they can find value. If you’re here, you might want to ask yourself if you need to stop and stay a while, or if the Spirit is tugging at you to go on a new adventure.
In all this, remember that the reason that you’re even considering these things is that the Holy Spirit is tugging on your heart because you have already been saved and redeemed by Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection. Because of Him, one day we will be together in the Resurrection, telling stories about the the awakenings, mistakes, and outright sins that we encountered in the midst of these stages. All those will be forgiven and used by Him as He continues to form you into His child.