Between Flesh and Spirit
At the church I was at this morning, the pastor was talking about God wanting to fill up the empty places in our lives with Himself. He mentioned that often we are not filled with the Spirit. We may be living off of last year or last week's message instead of hearing from him today. Our cup may be half full. At the end of the sermon, the pastor poured a bucket of water into a small cup and water went everywhere. The kids were thrilled.
The Bible does mention a struggle, a struggle that if we are not careful as christians you can become complacent about. Paul said this in Romans 7:15-18 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For i know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh, for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not."
This was Paul, the man responsible for writing many of the short letters and book of Romans in our Bible. He is talking about a struggle, that believers go through between the flesh and the Spirit. And if we are not aware that there is a struggle and that it calls for us to renew our minds daily then we will find ourselves losing the fight and looking much like the world does. In fact, I believe that is what has happened to much of the church and why we don't see revival in America anymore. It is because we don't renew our minds and realize we are in a war.
When I was a pastor, I taught Sunday School because one of the deacon abruptly quit his job. It was hard to do both Sunday School and preaching, but I did it because there was an absence of spiritual leaders. Nobody seemed to know their Bible very well. Being spiritual children who didn't read the word or study it daily they fought like children. I had no chance at all because the church was still operating under worldly standards.
How do you renew your mind spiritually. You do it by getting into the Word of God and letting the Word of God get into you. Because faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of God. You do it the same way you exercise physical muscles in a sense. You get up and you exercise those muscles daily. You pray, you read the Word, you share your spiritual gift, you share what God is telling you. You love others and you love God and you let God use you.
With all due respect to the pastor I heard this morning, God does not just want a moment with you. Jesus didn't die for a moment. He wants us to die to self, pick up our cross and follow him everyday. He doesn't just want a part of us, He wants all of us. He doesn't just want us to show up for church, He wants us to show up Monday morning. He doesn't just want us to walk an isle, He wants us to walk a lifestyle. He doesn't just want a show of hands, He wants us to be willing to die to self. Part of the problem today is that our commitment level in the church is at such a low level that the New Testament apostles wouldn't recognize it. Would most likely call what we are doing is pandering to God rather than worshiping Him.
The Bible does mention a struggle, a struggle that if we are not careful as christians you can become complacent about. Paul said this in Romans 7:15-18 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For i know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh, for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not."
This was Paul, the man responsible for writing many of the short letters and book of Romans in our Bible. He is talking about a struggle, that believers go through between the flesh and the Spirit. And if we are not aware that there is a struggle and that it calls for us to renew our minds daily then we will find ourselves losing the fight and looking much like the world does. In fact, I believe that is what has happened to much of the church and why we don't see revival in America anymore. It is because we don't renew our minds and realize we are in a war.
When I was a pastor, I taught Sunday School because one of the deacon abruptly quit his job. It was hard to do both Sunday School and preaching, but I did it because there was an absence of spiritual leaders. Nobody seemed to know their Bible very well. Being spiritual children who didn't read the word or study it daily they fought like children. I had no chance at all because the church was still operating under worldly standards.
How do you renew your mind spiritually. You do it by getting into the Word of God and letting the Word of God get into you. Because faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of God. You do it the same way you exercise physical muscles in a sense. You get up and you exercise those muscles daily. You pray, you read the Word, you share your spiritual gift, you share what God is telling you. You love others and you love God and you let God use you.
With all due respect to the pastor I heard this morning, God does not just want a moment with you. Jesus didn't die for a moment. He wants us to die to self, pick up our cross and follow him everyday. He doesn't just want a part of us, He wants all of us. He doesn't just want us to show up for church, He wants us to show up Monday morning. He doesn't just want us to walk an isle, He wants us to walk a lifestyle. He doesn't just want a show of hands, He wants us to be willing to die to self. Part of the problem today is that our commitment level in the church is at such a low level that the New Testament apostles wouldn't recognize it. Would most likely call what we are doing is pandering to God rather than worshiping Him.
