Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Gal. 5:25, 26

 People who have a deeper understanding of grace know that their very life only exists by the Spirit. They know their spirit is alive, they have eternal life, and they have empowered life, only because of the undeserved favor and blessing sealed by the Holy Spirit. Their spiritual life is by the Spirit.  However Paul reminded the Galatians that they must also keep in step with the spirit, or to walk with Him daily. Living by the spirit was not just a position of holiness and righteousness, but a daily empowered lifestyle.
 
In leadership we sometimes need to be reminded to keep up with the walk of the Spirit; that is to know He is right there every moment, in every temptation, in every leadership challenge.  Paul went on to say we should not become conceited which would lead to provocation and envy of other people.  The knowledge that we live only because of the incredible grace of God sealed by the Holy Spirit in us can never become a position of conceit or pride. Any knowledge we have of God’s incredible transforming power demands humility, knowing that we could never be who we are in Christ, without the Holy Spirit.  Departing from humility will always lead to conceit, a form of pride.  Conceit in the church means you know something or have done something that makes you superior. Conceit reveals that you have moved from grace to works; from keeping in step with the spirit to falling from grace.

Conceit and grace are mutually exclusive. Humility and pride are mutually exclusive. They cannot occupy the same space in our hearts and minds. The New Living Translation says ‘let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.’ When conceit is present it will be accompanied by two manifestations:  (1) irritating others with a superior attitude and (2) jealousy of others who seem to be in positions of greater influence or prominence. Conceit is exposed through the jealousy of another’s position. Conceit believes it is better qualified for that position of influence.
While this scripture is certainly for the whole church, it is especially poignant for people in leadership.  If we really cherish living by the Spirit, we must keep in step with the Spirit by resisting any form of conceit, pride, and elitism. No matter how great we perceive our ministry to be in spiritual things, the real test is if we are keeping in step with Him through humility and grace. 

Humility and grace in leadership may appear weak at times. They may result in  being ‘walked upon’ at times. They may be viewed as too ‘loose’; not being the pastoral police to the extent some would like.  But humility and grace keep you in step with the Holy Spirit, trusting Him in every aspect of ministry.

Living in Him...a Tree of Righteousness a Planting of the Lord

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-10

In one sentence, written by Paul the Apostle, we have a picture of the three levels of maturity in a believer. The three levels can be symbolized by a tree.

In my previous posts I elaborated upon the root system, that first level of maturity that is the foundation upon which the trunk, branches and fruit grow and come forth.  Grace is the nutritional root system below ground that emerges as a glorious healthy tree above ground.  The second level of maturity discussed was being built up in Christ. To be built up is to grow up. It is a necessary process of believing on Christ unto the fullness of who He is in us. Being built up does not determine your eternal life, but it does determine your abundant life.

Today I will address the third level of maturity; ‘living in Him’.  This level is reflected in a daily walk of being led by the Holy Spirit bringing forth the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-25) on a regular basis. It is a life of continually drawing from the root system, growing a trunk strong enough to sustain a glorious canopy of leaves and fruit, and durable against the harshness of everything that comes against it.

In these first levels of maturity you gained knowledge of the Word of God as your primary area of growth. You became firmly rooted in the knowledge and power of grace to establish your position and manifest your strength in Christ. As you grew you learned how to walk ‘according to the Spirit’, i.e. in alignment with the general will of God found in scripture and in obedience to His Word.  To ‘live in Him’ is the level of knowing and trusting His voice, testing every spirit for alignment with the Word of God, and quickly discerning truth. To ‘live in Him’ is to continuously be connected to the source of all strength and the producer of fruit; fruit that remains.

John 15 speaks to this idea of ‘remaining’ in Him.  We see in John 15 that to live in Him brings forth increasing abundance of fruit, i.e. fruit (vs. 5), more fruit (vs. 2) and much fruit (vs. 5, 8).  This is the life of living in His glory and revealing His glory. It’s the stable, abundant, fruitful life that brings forth the fruit of the fullness of Christ; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-25).   This is the abundant life Jesus purchased on the cross, the fullness of Christ in you; the glory of God in you, and the love of God through you. This is the mature believer, a tree of righteousness a planting of the Lord (Isaiah. 61:3).

Assess your spiritual maturity. Be honest. Be truthful to yourself and to Him. He is the author of your faith. As you grow He is also the finisher of your faith (Heb. 12:2). You are designed by God’s impartation of righteousness to be that great tree of righteousness full of lasting fruit.  It’s in you!!   Let it grow, mature and be revealed as you begin to ‘live in Him’.

Growing Brings Glory

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Col. 2:6-10  

In this one sentence, written by Paul the Apostle, we have a picture of the three levels of maturity in a believer. The three levels can be symbolized by a tree.

In my previous post I elaborated upon the root system, that first level of maturity that is the foundation upon which the trunk, branches and fruit grow and come forth.  Grace is the nutritional root system below ground that emerges as a glorious healthy tree above ground. 

 

The second level of maturity is being built up in Christ. To be built up is to grow up. It is a necessary process of believing on Christ unto the fullness of who He is in us. Being built up does not determine your eternal life, but it does determine your abundant life. In keeping with the symbolism of a tree, I think of the aspen trees of Colorado. They are oh-so-beautiful but few people understand the process and perseverance they represent to become gloriously gold and fruitful for all to see. As they grow, high winds buffet them in the winter, drought challenges them in the summer, fire roars through the forest community, heavy rains attempt to drown them out, disease tries to invade beyond their protective bark to kill them, and forest animals nibble away at the tender shoots and soft bark unknowingly making them vulnerable to all of the above.  But…the aspen tree survives as it resists all that is thrown at it.  It thrives as it continually draws from the deep root system for nourishment and strength.  It grows as it resists by refusing to be destroyed.  Its genetic code says "I will live and not die. I will overcome every challenge to bring forth the beauty and fullness of my identity. I will grow."  And so it does grow, bringing forth beauty in the glorious golden leaves covering the mountain sides, a beauty beheld by millions of people bringing joy and refreshment to their hearts.

 

This picture of the aspen tree reflects the growing process of the believer, a process no one can avoid unless they refuse the spiritual food of grace or give in to the challenges around them.  To mature brings stability. To mature brings beauty. To mature brings glory in the church.  It is so as we embrace the process of being ‘built up’ in Christ, strengthened and overflowing with thankfulness to the One who planted the seed within us. 2 Cor. 3:18 says we are being transformed into ‘His likeness with ever increasing glory’.  My prayer for you is to be built up in Christ with ever increasing glory.

 

Deep Roots, Good Fruit

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-10 In this one sentence, written by Paul the Apostle, we have a picture of the three levels of maturity in a believer. The three levels can be symbolized by a tree. The first level of maturity is the root system, being ‘rooted’ in Christ, i.e. firmly established in the foundations of the Gospel. To be rooted is to understand and consistently walk in grace, the undeserved favor and blessing of God through faith in Jesus. The health and expanse of this root system determines the health and expanse of the harvest of fruit coming from the tree.

Grace is the essence of the Gospel, the cornerstone of our relationship with the Father. Without grace we would need to work for our righteousness. Without grace we would have to prove ourselves worthy of approaching the Father in prayer. Without grace we would need to perform old covenant rituals to cleanse ourselves in order to experience the presence of God. Without grace we would never have an assurance of eternal life. Without grace our outward behavior would be the standard of righteousness. Without grace the wrath of God would still be upon us. Without grace we would be dependent upon certain ‘anointed ones’ (prophets) to hear what God is saying on our behalf. Without grace we could never be built up and produce the fruit of grace……..the harvest of HIS righteousness flowing through us to produce 30, 60, and 100 fold in the Kingdom of God.

Leaders, if you desire for people to walk in greater levels of maturity, continually teach them the roots of grace. It is from these roots that the whole tree absorbs nutrients, gains strength, and bears fruit. It is from these roots that they become established, rooted, and sufficiently supplied to grow to the next levels of maturity in Christ. Don’t rush the process. The expansion of the unseen root system below ground determines the health of the tree above the ground.

You Are Risen....Because Christ Is Risen!

This Resurrection Day consider who it is that lives in your body. Who are you? Who is the person that walks through each day at the office, in the coffee shop, in the family, and in the church? Is it the natural soul-man, the physical body-man, or the resurrected spirit-man? The outward body that many see and know walking down the street no longer lives, from God’s perspective. The one of the flesh, the one of the sin nature, the old man in the body no longer lives because you have been raised with Christ.

Paul said, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20, 21. Paul is saying that the REAL Paul is the one who is in relationship with the Father, who walks according to the Spirit, who lives by faith, and who is the servant of the Gospel. He is the resurrected Paul living through the resurrected Christ. The flesh nature, the old man, was crucified with Christ.

When you believed on Jesus Christ as savior and Lord you profoundly changed inside! The old you was crucified and buried, and the new you was raised up! Paul said, ‘…having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Col. 2:12 The old you is gone, the physical body and the unredeemed nature were buried and the new creation is risen, just as Christ is risen! You carry the power of the resurrection in the new YOU. Now, your mind must be renewed to this Truth.

Paul went on to tell the people of Colossae; Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Col. 3:1 The people of Colossae had been raised and were now living in Christ. They, the natural flesh men, no longer lived in the eyes of God, but Christ was living in them and through them!! So it is with YOU!

This seems radical but it is the good news! This is transformed thinking……renewing of the mind to consider ourselves, as believers, to be RISEN this Resurrection Day. The life you live today is the life of the Spirit of life in Christ. As He is risen, so you are risen!

The Mature Have Trained Themselves

A foundation with a mixture of grace, a dab of works, and a dose of "looking good".

Heb. 5:14-6:1 says ‘But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…..’ Scripture then goes on to describe several fundamentals of the gospel as ‘elementary’ and encourages the Hebrew reader to move on to solid or meaty food.

A key point is that the mature are trained in the elementary teachings, thereby demonstrating ability to receive and digest solid food. A measure of maturity is the ‘constant use’ of the elementary aspects of the faith. Training implies constant, repetitive application; not just intellectual understanding. The scripture says the mature have trained ‘themselves’. It is the responsibility of the pastor, teacher and apostle to teach. It is the responsibility of the believer to train themselves in the truths of the gospel.

Heb. 5: 12NLT says ‘you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about scriptures’.Very often the believer’s foundation is too quickly laid and often with a mixture of grace, a dab of works, and a dose of ‘looking good’ to prove you are a believer. This quickly laid foundation crumbles under the weight of theological bricks and meaty mortar and the trials of life laid upon it. The problem with the Hebrews was not that they had not been taught but they had not trained or applied themselves in the elemental truths of the gospel.

Some believers think they are mature, but their emotional responses to life and their core beliefs leave them falling short of God’s goal of maturity and fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13 ; 2 Pet. 1:2-9). A good example of this involves the concept of spiritual correction and judging others. Some believers are quick to judge others and advocate the correction of those they judge. Yet those same people are unwilling to receive correction themselves. Their response indicates they have not trained themselves in grace and faith. In reality they are immature and do not properly digest solid food.

I’ve found that it is best to go back and repair the foundation before moving into additional solid food. The prerequisite to moving forward is training and practicing again of grace and faith on a constant basis.

As leaders we can’t assume people we lead are mature based upon gifting, age, or knowledge. Maturity is a process building on the foundation of daily grace and faith training. Let’s move on to maturity. Train yourself! Become mature, ready and willing to digest solid spiritual food.

The Glory Is In The New!

The glory of God exceeds all other glory on the face of the earth. The word ‘glory’ is a Greek word ‘doxa’, meaning an estimate or opinion of someone or something; the accompanying honor of a splendid or high opinion.

Very often we hear of the ‘glory of God’ appearing somewhere in a church meeting. The glory is often considered to be a cloud, a mist, a radiance, some supernatural visible manifestation, but usually reflecting old covenant concepts of God’s glory. 2 Corinthians chapter 3 gives an excellent comparison of the fading glory of the old covenant versus the increasing glory of the new covenant. It compares the old covenant to a ‘veil’ that dulls the minds of those who follow and limits the glory for those who live by it. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. (2 Cor. 3:13-15)

Many Christians go looking outward for God’s glory rather than seeking inward to reflect His glory. Christ in you is the hope of Glory!! His glory is reflected by the church being transformed into His likeness. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:16-18) The scripture is clear that an old covenant mindset will make your mind dull and veiled in regard to the glory of God. God’s glory under the new covenant is seen, experienced, and reflected through Jesus. When believers keep Christ as their center-point and grace as their base, minds awaken and hearts open to see, experience and reflect God’s glory; the splendor and honor of who He is. It is then that His glory shows through us to the world around us.

The Grace To Grow

God gives us a picture of the mature Christian in 2 Peter 1:2-9. It’s a picture of progressive transformation beginning with faith. In this transformation our soul (mind, will, emotions) progresses from faith through the character qualities of goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and culminating in unconditional love. It is our faith in Jesus that brings the divine nature into our spirit and creates the possibility of transformed character. This is a picture of the kingdom of God resident within us to be displayed around us.

It is our commitment to the transforming power of grace that guarantees the success of transformed character. Many Christian leaders in business, ministry and government see themselves as ‘mature’ because they are in leadership positions. They think they have ‘arrived’! Yet many possess little of the character quality described by Peter. The reason they don’t possess these qualities is two- fold, (1) they are not committed to transformation (verse 5), and (2) they hang on to the past, i.e. the sin, beliefs, and wounds of yesterday (verse 9).

Grace is the power to obliterate your past and transform your future. Grace is the never ending growth hormone. It doesn’t stop when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It continues maturing you from the inside out AS you commit to the process!!!!! The scripture says ‘make every effort’. Peter says that anyone who does not possess these character qualities in INCREASING MEASURE (i.e. is in the process) will be ineffective and unproductive and cannot see clearly! Wow! Peter is not questioning your eternal life. He is challenging you to abundant life; challenging you to have clear spiritual eye sight to lead those who choose to follow. Lead the transformation of maturity and others may follow.

Faith - No Physical Limitations

Faith is not limited by distance. Living by faith must be blind to geographic distance and physical obstacles to fulfillment of that faith. We see this illustrated as Joshua and the nation of Israel were about to cross the Jordan River and enter the promised land. Joshua ordered the priests to go first and the nation would follow. Joshua 3:16 says ‘Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan River and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam…..’ Note that the priests, following Joshua’s directive, put their feet in the water at the edge of the river. Something started to happen to the river, but it did not where the priests had entered. The river started to back up at Adam, a town about 15 miles upstream. A supernatural dam was created pushing back the water ‘in a heap’ far from the feet of the priests, far from the point of their faith. The river water at the priest’s feet must have continued to move on past until all the water contained in those 15 miles of river bed passed on by and went downstream. When the water had passed by a pathway across the Jordan emerged and the people crossed over. This was a supernatural manifestation of faith.

I wonder what was going through the minds of the priests as the water continued to flow as they stood in the river. Did they notice it was diminishing in volume? Did they begin to question Joshua’s directive? Did they think ‘how long must I stand here to see the hand of God move’? Scripture does not reflect their thoughts only their actions. Whatever their thoughts were we only know that their act of faith caused a supernatural reaction 15 miles away that opened the way for Israel into the Promised Land.

Our acts of faith are not limited by geographic distance or physical barriers. Many leaders choose to go by what we see. If we don’t see what we desire immediately in front of us, we may question if it is going to happen. Our natural eyes may not be an accurate reflection of what God is doing or what is happening in the Spirit realm as a result of our faith.

Today you are acting by faith in some area of your life and ministry. Your feet are in the water on the edge of the Jordan, but the water is still flowing and remains an obstacle to moving forward. Faint not! Do not lose heart! Stand there…..wait for that supernatural event that will hold back the water in the distance. God is moving in faraway places bringing fulfillment to your faith. Stay focused and stay in the water. Somewhere faraway the water is being pushed ‘in a heap’ on your behalf!!

Corrective Re-ailignment, A Blessing of Grace

Corrective re-alignment is a blessing of grace. The New Covenant declares believers in Jesus are holy and pure in God’s sight. Col. 2:21, 22 says ‘Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.’ Wow! Your spiritual position in Christ is holy and free from any blemish or accusation that could diminish who you are in Christ. It is our perfectly aligned spiritual position in grace, halleluiah!

Before you accepted Christ, you believed you were an enemy of God because of your behavior. Your behavior did not line up with God’s perfect standard of righteousness. Therefore you were not holy and had numerous blemishes on your record. You were not aligned with standard of the law (10 commandments and its regulations). You were vulnerable to accusation from the enemy, the devil. He would say ‘you are not good enough’ and he would be correct. You were not good enough to stand before the Father based upon the law. But now, because you have been reconciled back to the Father through your faith and belief in Jesus, you are aligned, (i.e. your spirit-man is reconciled) as holy, blemish free and resistant to any accusation from the devil about your righteousness, holiness and purity before the Father. What an awesome testimony of grace and goodness through Jesus to position us in good stead with the Father!

From this sure foundation leaders often ask ‘so what do we do about overt evil behavior or patterns of resisting Godly authority in the church? Are we to ignore it?’ How should leaders handle this issue in light of this (and many similar scriptures) that gives a clear picture of our righteous relationship with God? The answer is ‘We handle it the same way Paul did’. He offered an individual corrective re-alignment, when necessary, to maintain the integrity and protection of the church body. The flesh nature and the demonic will cooperate with each other in the church. This will require occasional corrective re-alignment for the common good. It is a blessing of grace. Church leaders, as delegated overseers of the people entrusted to them, carry responsibility for the overall well-being of those people (1 Peter 5:2, 3). Paul told Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he should ‘correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction’ (2 Tim. 4:2). Correcting a believer does not in any way accuse, blemish, or threaten that person’s righteous alignment with the Father. It brings into alignment that which will wear and cause deterioration in the body unless corrected. It is a blessing of grace….they don’t deserve the blessing, but they get to participate. Leaders who are well grounded in grace will do so with great patience and care. The Father instituted Godly authority in the church to maintain alignment and authority within His kingdom. Therefore you do so as responsible leaders in that kingdom.