How about John 1:11-12 ?
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:"
His appearing precedes receiving/believing in him precedes becoming a child of God.
Or John 5:25 ? Notice that Koine Greek has three voices for verbs : passive, middle and active.
25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear (passive voice) the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear (middle voice) will live.
Hearing his voice precedes listening to his voice precedes becoming alive