"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5....."Dealing with the flesh in the church today is probably the most difficult thing we will ever do" A.W. Tozer
Carnality is not a word much heard in the church today, to our harm. To be carnal, is to be led of our flesh, and not of His Spirit. It means that for the most part, if not completely, we are carrying out our fleshly desires rather than His desires for us. As one definition puts it, we feed our flesh while starving our souls. The result is that though we may profess to be members of the Kingdom of God, we think and act far more as a part of the world kingdom than His. The things and ways of the Spirit make little sense to those led of their flesh. The havoc that results has caused so much harm in His church and can always be traced to the collision of those living in the flesh with those living in the Spirit. And the Pastor, leaders, and members of the Body of Christ who confront it had best be prepared for a great battle. A battle that has always raged, but rages more strongly than ever in the western church.
The examples of this are almost too numerous to count. Foremost right now would be the conflict between those who believe in the full authority of Scripture, and those who will accept only a portion of it....usually the portion that appeals to them. The result is the springing up of theologies and doctrines that fly in the face of orthodox Christianity. They range from the parceling of Scripture, elevating some parts of the Bible, usually the Gospels and the words of Jesus, over all of the OT, and the letters of Paul, Peter, John, and others. Then there is "hyper grace," which elevates His grace to the degree that we believe we are free to live as we please, with none of the boundaries placed before us by Christ Himself. Such a teaching has little understanding of true grace since it has no understanding of the cost of sin and the price paid for it by Christ on the cross. Some years back, one of the leaders of what has come to be called "Progressive Christianity," wrote a book titled, "Everything Must Change." Everything includes the God of Scripture, Christ and His Cross, and the meaning of sin and grace. This type of teaching has saturated the church, but too many professing believers are too biblically illiterate to recognize it.
The terms, doctrine and theology, tend to either scare people or bore them, so little attention is paid to them. Yet the activity of the flesh in the church can be seen in so many other ways beyond our these. The flesh can be seen in the church's eager adoption of business practices in its approach to ministry. We look to corporate leaders to advise us rather than The Holy Spirit speaking through Spirit filled people. We come into our "business meetings" with a few sentences of prayer, followed by discussion by leaders who too often haven't sought His counsel on any level. We see it in our worship, relying on emotion, performance, and skill to stimulate results, rather than the power of His Holy Spirit. Tozer once said that, "Those who are happy in their worship have probably never been in the presence of God." He meant that those who are satisfied with slick presentation, with the emphasis on the messengers, not the message, don't recognize His presence, and don't miss Him as a result.
What we end up with is a church that has become quite comfortable living in the flesh, and that will react in very negative ways to having this truth exposed in them. The Israelites stoned and killed the prophets God sent to them to expose their sin. Today's modern Israelites have done, and will do the same. That's why the task of shining the light of His Holy Spirit upon this reality is so daunting. There will be a cost. Too many in the church fear to pay it. What we must know is that no matter how we seek to avoid the cost, we will pay it. God will send His Truth to His church through whatever means He must. When He does, there will be a collision. Truth vs. the lie. Light vs. the darkness. The Spirit vs. the flesh.
This is an issue too great to begin to really cover here, but where we must start is in the reality that too many in the church are living double lives, in a double-minded spirit. Sensitivity to the Spirit is present, but is outweighed by desires of the flesh. There is a desire to center on Him, but the desire to center on self is stronger. Much stronger. The only remedy is found at the cross, where we come, individually, corporately, and sincerely, surrender our self-life, die to it, that we might live in the fullness of His life. We crucify our flesh and magnify Him through our lives. We become a spiritual people rather than a fleshly one. We yield all that we are to become all that He created us to be. The flesh will fear and fight this to the death, and its death is what we desire. Is it what you desire? For you, for your household, marriage, life? For your church? If so, come to the cross and die.....that you might really live.
Blessings,
Pastor O
No comments:
Post a Comment