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WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT (ROMANS 8 (MANY CHURCH COMMUNITIES THAT DO…
WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT
ROMANS 8
OUR FOCUS TODAY IS SIMPLY ON PAUL'S CONTRAST BETWEEN FLESH AND SPIRIT, IN ROMANS 8 HE DESCRIBES THESE AS TWO DIFFERENT LAWS; THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE AND THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH
PAUL SAYS MUCH THE SAME THING IN GALATIANS 5 "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh."
Ga 5:16.
HE TELLS US WE CAN ONLY PLEASE
PAUL'S FOCUS THROUGHOUT THE LETTER UP TO THIS POINT HAS BEEN HOW GOD RESCUES US FROM SLAVERY TO SIN AND RESTORES US TO RELATIONSHIP.
PAUL HIT THE HIGH NOTE IN HIS LETTER TO THE ROMANS WHEN HE WROTE, "THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST."
IN ROMANS 8 PAUL BEGINS CELEBRATING THE BENEFITS OF BEING "IN CHRIST", AND LIVING ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE CHAPTERS (ALONG WITH GALATIANS) THAT FASCINATED ME AS YOUNG CHRISTIAN.
HERE PAUL WAS TELLING ME THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT COMES NEXT; I AM TO LIVE MY LIFE ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.
I WAS PART OF A CHURCH THAT PUT A HUGE EMPHASIS ON BEING SAVED, (PARTLY WHY I WAS THERE!) BUT IT WASN'T SO GOOD AT THE WHAT CAME AFTER BEING SAVED (APART FROM GETTING OTHER PEOPLE SAVED AND GOING TO HEAVEN).
MANY CHURCH COMMUNITIES THAT DO ENCOURAGE MEMBERS TO LIVE IN THE SPIRIT BECOME FOCUSED MAINLY ON THE EVIDENCES OF THE SPIRIT.
HEALING AND MIRACLES
STRONG EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES
ECSTATIC UTTERANCES
INSIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE
THE MORAL LIFE OF HOLINESS
ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT
LIVING IN THE SPIRIT IS A WAY OF LIFE THAT SEEKS GOD IN THE MIDST OF ALL OUR OTHER NEEDS, ALLOWING THE SPIRIT TO GIVE NEW SHAPE TO OUR NEEDS AND DESIRES AS WE LEARN TO LIVE OUT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
FOR THE CHRISTIAN, WHAT ULTIMATELY MATTERS IS NOT PERSONAL FULFILLMENT, BUT LIVING A LIFE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD.
WE CAN ONLY DO THAT BY WALKING IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST.
THOSE WHO LIVE BY THE SPIRIT ARE FREE TO MAKE CHOICES THAT NOT BASED ON THESE NEEDS
JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THAT FACT:
Paul also acknowledged that he had learned to be content with much or with little.
IF WE'RE HONEST, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE CAN NEVER HAVE ALL OF THESE NEEDS MET. THE PEOPLE WE MEET IN SCRIPTURE ARE SELDOM ENTIRELY SECURE, OR HAPPY.
NOT ONLY DID JESUS TEACH US, "SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED" HE LIVED SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
WE ARE TOLD TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THAT PATTERN: HAVE THAT MIND IN YOU THAT WAS IN CHRIST PHILIPPIANS 3
WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH JESUS' WORDS IN LUKE'S GOSPEL, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
Luke 22:20
THE NEW COVENANT, THIS NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS NOT CHARACTERIZED BY THE KEEPING OF OUTWARD RULES, BUT BY INTIMACY AND RELIANCE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO TRANSFORMS US FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
TOM WRIGHT, "THE NEW COVENANT WORK OF THE SPIRIT, TRANSFORMING THE HEART SO AS TO ENABLE IT TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS...IS A SIGN THAT GOD'S NEW AGE HAS BEGUN."
THE SPIRIT IS OUR STARTING POINT
LIKE JACOB AND ESAU WE HAVE ALL BEEN GIVEN A BIRTHRIGHT
BUT WE GIVE THAT BIRTHRIGHT AWAY WHEN WE ONLY FOCUS ON MEETING OUR IMMEDIATE NEEDS, OR DOING SO IN OUR OWN STRENGTH
ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT - FLESH
JACOB ISN'T MORALLY BETTER THAN ESAU, BUT HE HAS A SPIRITUAL VISION OF LIFE.
A SPIRITUALITY OF NEEDS
MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
BIBLICAL SPIRITUALITY
AFFIRMS THESE NEEDS - GOD WANTS TO SAVE WHOLE PEOPLE NOT JUST SOULS.
HOWEVER - WHEN WE FOCUS ON THESE AS OUR EXCLUSIVE GOAL, WE ARE SETTING OUR THE MIND ON THE FLESH. WE DO THAT IN TWO WAYS:
EITHER WE CONCLUDE THAT SPIRITUAL MATTERS WILL BE GIVEN ATTENTION ONCE WE HAVE ALL THESE OTHER NEEDS MET - PROBLEM IS, FOR THOSE WHO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH.
OR WE ASSUME THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS A WAY OF MEETING THESE NEEDS. THE FOCUS OF MUCH CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUAL PRACTICE IS ACHIEVING THESE NEEDS - eg. WE ARE TOLD TO MEDITATE IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE PEACE, OR EMPLOYERS ARE TOLD THAT EMPLOYEES WHO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE AT WORK.
WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING I LIT THE FIRE AND PUT ON WARM CLOTHES BEFORE PRAYING.
5 FUNDAMENTAL NEEDS
PHYSICAL, SECURITY, BELONGING, SELF ESTEEM, SELF FULFILMENT