Understanding Spirituality (A Goodbye Gift)

“It may said in conclusion, that a spiritual Christian is Spirit-filled Christian in whom the unhindered Spirit is manifesting Christ by producing a true Christian character, which is the ‘fruit of the Spirit’; by energizing true Christian service through the exercise of a ‘gift of the Spirit’; by personal instruction in the Word of God; by inspiring true praise and thanksgiving; by leading the believer in an unbroken ‘walk in the Spirit’; by actualizing into celestial heart-ecstasy that which has been taken by faith concerning the positions and possessions in Christ; and by inclining and empowering the believer in the prayer of intercession.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

As I begin this last blog as the pastor of Grace Community Church, I am praying for the wonderful people of this church and the leading of the Holy Spirit in each and every one who will call this church their homes in the future. I can’t honestly say though this was my perspective about six months ago. You see, I knew the Lord was leading us away from this church but had no peace within my soul during this time. This is because my human side was still trying to cling to the relationships I had developed with these wonderful people over the last 13 years. As the drawing from the Lord came stronger and stronger over the last six months, I finally submitted my will before the Lord to His calling. When I did, I can’t tell you how much my spirit eased. The burden which I formerly felt was slowly lifted as I began to tell the Lord; “not my will, but thy will be done.” But it only took one area of my life to steal the joy and peace I so desperately needed in the previous six months. You see, we have to give all that we are to the Lord and allow Him to lead. When we don’t that one area becomes a burden to our soul and our peace and joy is robbed by the enemy. And believe me, the enemy wants to do so.

When we have no peace our lives get fueled by “worldly” things in an attempt to deaden the pain of an empty heart and life. The seeking of these things is not as harmful a matter as the empty heart and life. Little is gained in the spiritual life when this occurs and all the “worldly” anesthetics can never replace the spiritual filling for the heart and life which God has provided. And so as this trend continues, the downward spiral continues in the life of the believer. But there is hope for the one who is in this state: God has provided a cure. God wants to fill the heart and the mind with such a joyous preoccupation and absent-mindedness to unspiritual things when He comes that the thought of the former are gone. This is the calling to “walk in the Spirit.” “True spirituality does not consist in what one does not do; it is rather what one does. It is not suppression; it is expression. It is not holding in self; it is living out Christ. The unregenerate would not be saved if he should cease sinning; he would not be born of God. The Christian would not spiritual if he should abstain from worldliness: he would possess none of the manifestations of the Spirit.”(Chafer)

This is not about a set of rules which one must so valiantly follow to obtain favor or to imitate a heavenly ideal. It is not claimed through struggle either; it is to be claimed. It is not a heavenly ideal, but an impartation of the divine power which alone can achieve the resultant life. “Not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6) This life is lived through the power of the God. “There is little blessing for any Christian until he abandons the principle of living by rules and learns to walk by the Spirit in God-ordained liberty and in fresh and unbroken fellowship with his Lord. The divine precepts will then be kept by the power of God.” (Chafer)

Today will you choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh? Be careful before you answer because this will require complete and unconditional surrender. All areas must be surrendered; in fact I’m convinced we are not even aware of some of them at this time. I can assure of this though; when you do, be prepared for a life that will be far different than anything you have ever experienced or even thought possible. This journey will become the life God intended and will be sure to bless.

God bless you Grace Community Church and God-speed to the new man of God who arrives!

Is Your Journey Complete?

“In Romans 8:16 it is stated, ‘The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ The primary meaning of this Scripture is that the Spirit witnesseth with our spirits unto God. It is also clear that He witnesseth to our spirits concerning all that we have in our sonship relation to God. The witnessing work of the Spirit is mentioned again in Galatians 4:6. ‘And because ye are sons, God hath sent firth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father.’ Not only does He actualize this relationship unto us, but He would actualize every great fact which we have taken by faith.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

What an amazing statement to the testimony of every Christian. To know that we never have to show, prove, or authenticate our salvation. The Spirit of God has testified for us before the Father’s Throne. This means no matter how beat up, banged up, or hurt we might feel at times will not change the status of the salvation of man before God. I don’t know about you but sometimes I have wondered how God continues to tolerate my behavior over the years of “too much of me, and not of Him.” I have found myself extremely frustrated with my actions over the years and wondering how long it will ever take me to change in certain areas of my life. But even in the midst of this I can know and have assurance that the Spirit of God that this salvation testimony is not based upon my actions or deeds, but by His Spirit.

This is why is so important in this day and age to see that we grow all we can into the full admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ and not stay wimpy Christians. When we grow into Christian maturity, we begin to sense more of God’s grace upon our lives and begin to praise Him for the things He is doing in our lives. Our lives begin to reflect more grace upon others, because we have experienced that same grace as well. We grow to show grace because we know what it feels like to receive it. Our relationship with Jesus Christ grows that grace understanding.

Chafer says; “By this particular manifestation of the Spirit, unseen things become blessedly real. There is such a thing as ‘ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth.’ Truth must become real to us. We may know by faith that we are forgiven and justified forever: it is quite another thing to have a heart experience wherein all is as real as it is true.” The thing here is that it is one thing to be assured of our salvation (which is a great thing mentioned above) but to feel it in our hearts is a totally different life experience.

I am convinced that most Christians know they are children of God, but wonder how many actually know their Father personally? I thank God that He took care of the portion of securing my salvation to where it was checked at the door of heaven and never has to be revisited again. But that was all His work, not mine. Salvation was God’s idea, not men. I recognized, repented, and believed and He gave. This is the promise of God to all who come to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ.

For most Christians, I imagine the cares of life crept in and began to destroy that beginning and growing spark which began at salvation. I know it did for me. I let ten years of my life become controlled by my own actions (most which aren’t worth mentioning) and no knowledge of my relationship grew. But after those years, I had a man who took the time to invest in me and teach me about God and His plan for my life, while showing me how to navigate the Scriptures in my spiritual journey. It is because of this man, I serve the Lord in ministry today. This wouldn’t have happened without God using him in my life. Again, I just had to become available.

Today, if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior recognize there is a difference between the two. A Savior is one who saves. Every Christian has forgiveness if they had gone through true conversion. It is settled before God through the Spirit’s testimony to God. The Lordship of Jesus in the life of the believer is another part of the journey that should be immediately connected to Him. Unfortunately many times it gets neglected, forgotten, or put aside in the believer’s life. Please don’t ignore this. When Jesus became the Lord of your life, He is in charge and He is transforming your life to mirror His. He is the example. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. Live life the mightily way God intended it to be; not by your own might. Without Him, you have nothing.

Was Superman Really Super?

“In Romans 8:14 it is stated: ‘For as many as are led of the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.’ This, it may be concluded, is the normal Christian experience according to the plan and purpose of God. It is equally true that some Christians are abnormal to the extent that they are not constantly led by the Spirit; for it is said also in Galatians 5:18, ‘But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ The walk in the Spirit or the life that is led of the Spirit is one of the great new realities of this age of grace; yet some believers are so far removed from this blessing that their lives are shaped and adapted to the order and relationships of the past dispensation.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

Christians live with superhuman (or super-spiritual) strength within each of us. That’s a fact. It was imparted in each of us from the day we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives. When we received His adoption in the Family of God, we were permanently implanted with the Holy Spirit. Not 50%, but the whole 100%. He resides within the believer’s life and brings strength beyond anything most of us could conceive. But are we aware?

Even Superman had superhuman strength when he was a child and yet never knew it until he began to grow into childhood. But his strength had limitations. Remember the old story of Kryptonite? How it affected him each time he came into contact with it? How his enemies used against him? He didn’t know how to oppose it and many times he faltered.

With the Christian living in an adjusted life “walking in the Spirit” the abilities of the Christian is unbelievable. But the Christian must decide from the beginning to “walk in the Spirit.” When he does, he will live the superhuman life, in line with the Father’s calling upon his life. This is because of the unbroken connection to the power and infinite wisdom that resides within him. And it’s available now; to you!

When Christians live average lives, I think it is because they choose to ignore or are unaware of the power that resides within them. I’m learning as I get a little older that the ignorance is becoming a bigger problem today in the life of the believer. As a result, life is much like everyone else, boring and unexciting. In fact, it’s just plain old “average.” No power is noticed by the Christian, let alone by people around them.

But what if the Christian surrendered today? His life would be in perfect harmony with the One who provides the power infusing them with supernatural strength to do things way beyond their own dreams and imaginations for the Kingdom of God. And as a result the Christian will go where God calls him, sometimes in the raging fires around humanity with calm assurance. And that would be a result of Walking in the Great and Wonderful Power of God that is waiting to show itself to an unbelieving world that hope is one soul away.

And like Superman; you would be able to wander places that no one could ever survive and yet take on any challenge that faced him… “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless…” Job 13:15

And even if I die, I still win!

God's Best is Ahead for Each of You: Now Rejoice!

“Immediately following the injunction of Ephesians 5:18 to be ‘filled with the Spirit,’ there is given a description of the normal results of such a filling: ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all the things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ All things are working together for good to the child of God, and it is reasonable that he should give thanks always for all things. This can be done through the Spirit who knows ‘all things’ of God. The living creatures in the divine Presence cease not to cry, ‘Holy! Holy! Holy!’ It is equally becoming the heavenly creature that he renders unbroken and endless praise and thanksgiving to God.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

Last week as many of you know, I gave my notice of resignation, which will become effective June 1^st. As the Business Meeting closed, there was a quiet hush in the sanctuary. There were no questions to ask why or even expressions of any sort. I thought it was because a lot of you might have been taken by surprise. Even throughout our time of fellowship in the 5^th Sunday Dinner, it was unusually quiet. This was abnormal for such a lively group of people within our church who are always laughing and interacting with each other.

Please know that for the last year and a half, I have sensed this call to leave and turn the reigns over to another Man of God that he might carry on the legacy of Grace Community Church. Even over the last year I have fought this continual calling away from the church. In fact in the last several weeks, you might have even heard me misspeak several times throughout the message. For me to present the last months message(s) was very hard knowing what I knew and not being able to share it just yet. Especially for a group I have been so transparent with for the last 13 years. A very select few in leadership, knew at the beginning of last month to prepare them for the changes ahead. In the interim, when God began to call me away from Grace, I felt very sad about the leaving of so many of you whom I have grown too deeply love and care for here at Grace. But over the last few months now, I have come to a different understanding of God’s plan for Grace. This reading today, confirms my thoughts from Chafer’s writing above. Take time if you need to again to read what he said above in italics.

When we are filled with the Spirit of God, there is an unnatural unction within us to rejoice in all things that God is doing in our lives. This is because He is in full control of all things. This also applies to each one of you at Grace. When God began to call me away, don’t think for a minute He decided this upon a whim. He already had things in place that are ahead in the future at Grace. If you are a child of God, remember what Chafer said above; “All things are working together for good to the child of God, and it is reasonable that he should give thanks always for all things. This can be done through the Spirit who knows ‘all things’ of God.”

Over the last month, I have found myself rejoicing in what God has accomplished in the life of Grace Community Church; the salvation's, the baptisms, the changed lives for the Lord, the recalling of those who strayed, and the changes He has wrought in the hearts of each of you who I am proud to call my family. It is uncanny how my sadness has now changed to the excitement of what lies ahead for the church at Grace. Remember what Chafer said again; “All things are working together for good to the child of God.” That means what God has in store for your future are going to be in the best interest and care for you!

As I take this time to briefly explain this, I want you take this attitude I sense the Lord wants from each of you to praise Him that He is in charge of what is ahead. Listen to what Chafer says in closing; “It follows, then, that thanksgiving for all things and praise unto God are the direct products of the Spirit in the one who He fills. These great realities are foreign to the finite heart at its best. Not all Christians experience them; but all Christians may experience them as certainly as the power has been provided through the indwelling Spirit. The value of this particular manifestation of the Spirit can scarcely be known by the human mind. Praise and thanksgiving are distinctly addressed to God. We cannot know what their full outflow may mean to Him, or what His loss may be when this manifestation is not realized in the believer’s life. ‘Hallelujah!’ ‘Praise ye the Lord!’ ‘Rejoice ever more!’

And each of us have this power that lives within us to react in the Spirit’s power and not from the other unholy spirit which brings sense of loss, discouragement, and even anger.

Some of the Smartest or Dumbest Christians Alive

“Beyond all the range of human knowledge there are many things “which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man… but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” However, such truth is revealed by the Spirit only to spiritual Christians. To some who were truly saved the Apostle wrote: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ, I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Cor. 3:1, 2). This is a sad disclosure of the state of some believers. Though born again and possessing the Spirit, their carnality of life precludes them from understanding, or progressing in, the “deep things of God.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

When fleshly Christian men gain education through the Bible, their lifestyle precludes them from understanding and even progressing in their Christian life. They never attain the knowledge of the “deeper things of God.” When they take the time to look into the Scriptures, they find themselves frustrated and exhausted in their search. But other Spirit led Christians who have no formal education within the Bible will find a life-spring of eternal water. It’s much like drinking from flowing fresh water each time they encounter the Word of God.

Here’s the problem for those who live in the fleshly realm: Those who search, find no new discovery or revelation of truth. When they search the Bible it is either through a sense of duty to read, if they ever pick it up to read. The truth here is not that there is some new pleasure each time the spiritual Christian reads, but to find some new knowledge, or ignorance; obedience or disobedience to understand and correct. It may even be the discovery of a new power, weakness; helpfulness, or hurtfulness in the life and testimony of the one who, because of the indwelling Spirit, might be coming to know and to impart to others something of the boundless truth of God (Chafer).

And the thing is no human intellect can cure this problem or defect. The root problem is the person’s carnality or fleshliness. When it is corrected, the eyes of the heart can now be opened to reveal a new sense of purpose and life which can only be imparted to the one who desires the spiritual life as opposed to a carnal or fleshly life.

Christian growth and the deeper knowledge of the truth are to be distinguished from spirituality. It is possible to be filled with the Spirit when immature in growth, experience and understanding. Christian growth is largely conditioned on the study of the Word, prayer and service; while spirituality does not wait on these things, but is conditioned upon immediate adjustments to the Spirit. Since the Spirit is always our Teacher, it is imperative that we always remain teachable. We should be willing to humbly hear His voice through any and every instrument (Chafer).

To sum it all up is this: We are spiritual when we become God’s (He comes to live in us). This is fact of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Jesus died and made us spiritual when we experienced conversion through the sacrifice on the cross. Whether we decide to grow into understanding that spiritual condition is entirely up to us turning our lives completely over to the Spirit to have His way with our lives each and every day. To do otherwise is to turn to carnality and fleshliness and experiencing frustration with our lives.

Christian, which life appeals here on earth? One with frustration and exhaustion? Or one filled with new truths and joy which can only be imparted through the relationship with Jesus Christ? It’s up to you…