Are You A SPIRITUAL Christian?
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In our culture, the spirits of men and angels, demons and even the Holy Spirit of God Himself are considered symbolic or simply “poetic”. The world around us has chosen to substitute them with the concepts of the “subconscious” mind and “instinct” to try to explain the more mysterious elements of our lives.
Sadly, this has left many in the world defenseless against some truly dangerous and wicked things. Also tragic, is the suffering in the Church that has come from misunderstanding “spiritual things”.
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
Surely being spiritual means more than “listening” to spirit voices.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Let’s consider some of the spiritual things mentioned in the Bible:
The spiritual man. (Hosea 9:7)
Spiritual gifts. (Romans 1:11)
Spiritual Law. (Romans 7:14)
Spiritually minded. (Romans 8:6)
Spiritual things. (1 Cor. 9:11)
Spiritual discernment. (1 Cor. 2:14)
Spiritual judgement. (1 Cor. 2:15)
Spiritual speaking. (1 Cor. 3:1)
Spiritual meat. (1 Cor. 10:3)
Spiritual drink. (1 Cor. 10:4)
Spiritual Rock. (1 Cor. 10:4)
Spiritual body. (1 Cor. 15:44)
Spiritual blessings. (Ephesians 1:3)
Spiritual songs. (Eph. 5:19)
Spiritual wickedness. (Eph. 6:12)
Spiritual understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
Spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5)
Spiritual sacrifices. (1 Peter 2:5)
Although many of these phrases are poetic or symbolic (Jesus is our spiritual rock), they are used to give us definite and PRACTICAL instruction.
If we want to understand spiritual things, we need to know the mind (or the motive and purpose) of the Spirit.
To know that, we need to know the mind of Christ.
To do that, we need to know the mind of the Father:
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
There is no argument that the Father paid a great and terrible price for our salvation!
God is eternal and His plans are eternal. Whatever He begins, He finishes. There are places in the Bible that explain that God planned to die on the cross for us BEFORE HE MADE THE EARTH!! (1 Peter 1:20, Rev. 13:8, Ro. 8:29, Eph. 1:3-4)
All things that have been created were created by and for Jesus Christ (Col. 1:16). When the Father offered up His Son for us, He proved that the WHOLE WORLD was made to allow you to be saved!
That means:
-The birds on the hillside were made to help you be saved.
-The sunsets and stars were made to help you be saved.
-The hairs on your head and the ache in your back are there because God wants to save you!
-The day you were born was planned from before the Earth was made…
How about the mind of Christ? Can we know what it is?
Only if we are spiritual:
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
Jesus reveals His mind (motives and purpose) when He describes His ministry:
Luke 4:17-21 And there was delivered unto him (Jesus) the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Jesus’ ministry was to make a way to save us!
-He was born in a stable and not a mansion.
-He was poor and generous, not wealthy.
-He had no political power.
-He was at times homeless, an illegal immigrant, a preacher, a healer, and a wanted felon.
-He was tortured and mocked and finally killed on a cross. To make sure, even after He was dead, His
body was stabbed through the heart.
Jesus suffered all these things and more BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SAVE YOU!!
When we are saved, we become part of the body of Christ.
(Ro. 12:5, 1 Cor. 12:12-27, Eph. 3:6, Eph. 4:12, Col. 1:24)
We are to continue His ministry, have the same mind that was in Christ:
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
But we are CARNAL, we are not God!
Even our desires to be like God, to act like God, are CARNAL.
Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
We need the Holy Spirit to serve God! Without Him;
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
We don’t know how to pray.
We don’t know what to say.
It is EXPEDIENT for us to receive the Holy Spirit! In the Greek, the word “expedient” means that it is profitable or for your good.
John 16:7-15 Nevertheless I (Jesus) tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
When we are truly born again, we are ALWAYS given the Holy Spirit to COMFORT us. He is not sent to get us to speak in tongues or to do miracles or to make us great preachers.
The Holy Spirit is sent to:
Reprove the world of Sin.
Your life will make others feel they should not be sinning, but rather trusting Christ.
Reprove the world of Righteousness (God doing great things).
They will see Christ working in you and realize that He IS with the Father. Why aren’t powerful things happening with them?
Reprove the world of Judgement.
When they see that the devil must flee and the governments of men are powerless before God, they will want to serve God.
Guide you into TRUTH.
Your knowledge of the truth will help others to trust Jesus.
The Holy Spirit will tell you what the Father wants.
Others will be amazed when they see you walk with God.
The Holy Spirit will show you the future.
Your knowledge of the future will make your daily judgements effective in winning souls.
The Holy Spirit will show the POWER of Jesus Christ!
When the world sees Jesus in you, many will turn to Christ.
The Holy Spirit will SHOW you the Kingdom of Heaven!!
Paul encourages us to follow in Christ’s footsteps. To continue His ministry:
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
This is the mind of the Spirit of God!!
When you are praying and working in this ministry of reconciliation, you are doing things related to the Spirit; YOU are SPIRITUAL!
Let’s review that “spiritual” list a bit;
-A man thinking of ways to help others find Christ is spiritually minded.
-A man that follows the mind of the Spirit is a spiritual man.
-The Law of God is sent to convict men unto salvation; it’s a spiritual Law.
-God gives gifts to us to help us in our ministry of reconciliation; spiritual gifts.
-Knowledge and discernment and judgement to win souls are all spiritual (working alongside
the Holy Spirit in helping to save the lost).
-Songs that help others to trust Christ are spiritual songs.
-Something that gets in God’s way in saving souls is called spiritual wickedness.
(The promotion of atheism, godlessness, selfishness, hatred, pride in man,
seeking false gods and idols… ALL spiritual wickedness!!)
Isn’t it TIME that Christians everywhere become Spiritual Christians?
Isn’t it TIME that your secular career becomes a SPIRITUAL CAREER?
Isn’t it TIME to become a SPIRITUAL husband or wife?
Let’s join in with the Holy Spirit and start bearing fruit for God.
Ephesians 2:2-7 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
The world around us needs to see the riches of God towards us.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let’s Seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness!
