Southside's Blog

“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!" He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'" Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Psalms 2:1-12 NASB

O God, the peoples and the leaders of every nation on earth stand in opposition to you with their selfish intentions, but you just laugh at all of it and go forward with your plans to exalt the true King, Jesus.

You have already given all the nations to Jesus as His inheritance. He is the rock that will shatter every empire of humankind until every one of them is dust.

On behalf of the leaders and rulers of the earth, I pray that You will turn their hearts toward You that they might humble themselves and worship You in reverence and awe. May they cease rejoicing in their own accomplishments and revel only in Your glorious deeds.

I beg for mercy for humankind that we might have time to repent of our selfishness, wickedness, and laziness. 

For those of us who take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, we give you sincere praise from the bottom of our souls. You are the Holy One and we rest ourselves in You!

Amen

This Psalm is attributed to David at the time he was fleeing from his son Absalom's rebellion against him. It is a prayer supposedly offered in the morning as a prayer of trust in the Lord. In this post, I will reflect on it and offer my own prayer of trust. I invite you to do the same.

“O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah. 

But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”

Psalms 3:1-8 

O Lord, evil seems to abound everywhere around me. Stresses of life often overwhelm me. People question your "inaction" but I know You are alive and well and at work!

You, O God, protect me when I cannot protect myself. You, O God, truly are my glory and the One who strengthens my knees and causes me to stand upright when all I want to do is crumple over. Thank You for hearing my prayers for deliverance.

I go to sleep each night trusting in You. I wake up each morning trusting in You. Fear will not swallow me up because You are greater than all my fears and all my enemies.

When I'm overwhelmed and burdened wth grief and anxiety, You burst in and wrap me in Your embrace and strike down my enemies.

Salvation belongs to You and You alone my King, my Rock, my Redeemer! Please continue to bless me and all those who love You with a pure heart.

Amen

Some Factual Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus

1. Women were the first to see Jesus after He was raised (Matt. 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-10; John 20:1-18).
2. Multiple people attest to seeing Jesus after He was raised (Matt. 28:11-15; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:11-18).
3. The Resurrection of Jesus was the central preaching of the early church.
4. The fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty is commonly accepted.
5. Jesus appears to at least 12 groups or individuals after His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-7; Acts 9:3-6; and many other Scriptures).

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to our hope and faith (1 Cor. 15).

The story of Hannah, Samuel's mother, is one of the most remarkable stories of the Old Testament. Samuel would become a prophet and a judge and lead Israel for most of his life. God would use him in many amazing ways. We read her story, and the beginning of his, in 1 Samuel 1-2:11.

These are lessons from Hannah that we should learn and take to heart in our own life of faith:

1. People of Faith Endure Real Problems.
2. People of Faith Pray Personal Prayers.
3. People of Faith Accept What God Provides.
4. People of Faith Keep Their Promises.
5. People of Faith Express Their Praises.

I would encourage you to read Hannah's story and reflect on these lessons from her life. I hope we can all apply them in our ongoing faith journeys with God.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lessons learned from experience and from Scriptures like this one that I have been thinking about a lot lately: 

Stress and crises that are not of our own making are part of the human condition, apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ and active fellowship with His Church, we will struggle to grow and mature through them. This will leave us incapable of processing them in healthy ways.

We must stay connected to our Savior and High Priest, Jesus and take advantage of the opportunities to draw near to God through Him for help and strength. We should also actively engage with fellow Christians by meeting and fellowshipping together as often as possible.

If you are a Christian, you are part of the Church. If you are part of the Church, you are the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-32).  Just as we can lose the passion for our earthly spouse, we can also lose our passion for our heavenly one, Jesus.  

Kenneth Boa, in his book, Conformed to His Image, Zondervan, 2001), points out some natural enemies of spiritual passion:

1. Unresolved areas of disobedience. You know God wants you to do something for Him, but you continually push Him aside. James says, “Therefore, to him who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).” Maybe it’s time to truly give your life over to God in serving Him. Or, maybe you are caught up in a sin that you refuse to give up.
2. You have stopped intentionally seeking Him. Your hunger and thirst for God is gone. Indifference has set in. It is time to ask God to awaken us to Him again.
3. Erosion in spiritual disciplines. When spiritual disciplines like prayer, bible study, time in solitude with God, and fellowship with other believers take a back seat to other things in life, it is natural for our spiritual passion to wane.
4. External obedience. Are you more concerned with conformity to rules, moral behavior, and duty than you are in imitating Jesus? External obedience without internal affection falls short of obeying God from the heart (Jeremiah 31:33; Ephesians 6:6).
5. Loving truth more than Christ. Keep reading….don’t give up on me. Some students of God’s Word can easily fall into the trap of loving the content in the Bible more than the Source of that truth.  Doctrine and theology are worthy pursuits, but not when they take the place of the pursuit of knowing and becoming like Jesus. Some of us can quote a lot of Scripture and not look anything like Jesus.
6. Elevating service and ministry above Christ. Fellowship, serving those in need, telling other people the Gospel message are all essential parts of being a disciple of Christ. However, if we elevate those things above becoming intimate with Jesus then they become empty actions.
7. Greater commitment to institutions than to Christ. Does your activity with the church or some other organization occupy more time than your devotion to Jesus? It is easy to get more passionate about causes than to be passionate about Christ.
8. A merely functional relationship. Are you in a relationship with Christ only for what you think He can do for you? Do you follow Him because you want help with your marriage, your career, or your health? We have to grow beyond the gifts-above-the-Giver mentality if we hope to be spiritually passionate. What if you got nothing in return for serving Jesus other than forgiveness of sins? 

Love for God can truly be threatened by these enemies.  If any of these hit home, then I would encourage you to take some time to examine your life, pray to God about it, and seek out a spiritually passionate person to help you reignite your passion for Christ.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

And lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

Are you tired? Are you irritable? Are you easily frustrated? If you were a toddler, your mother or father would make you take a nap. They would read to you and lie down with you. They would put you in a stroller and go for a walk or strap you in the car seat and go for a drive. When children get tired, they get frustrated, and they are not any fun to be around.

Guess what? I react the same way to fatigue. Unless you are a robot, or have some extra serotonin in your brain, you do as well. God designed us to rest. The best thing you can do to overcome your tiredness and irritability is to sit down, relax for a while, take a good nap, and get away from the stressors.

Jesus understood the need to rest, to get away, to slow down, and he made sure the apostles learned that lesson too. “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.’ For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.” (Mark 6:31).

You and I are not more important than Jesus or his disciples. I am not trying to minimize your life or my life. Everyone is important. We all have jobs to do, services to perform, love to give, and more than enough work to do; however, we are not more important than Jesus. Jesus took time to rest. He made us to need rest also. He wants us to rest.

Life makes us weary. People get on our nerves. There is not enough time in the day to get everything done. The good news is that life will continue, even if we rest.

These words of Jesus are some of the sweetest recorded in Scripture. May they give you peace today, and allow you to take a few moments to rest:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is not just the promised Messiah to the Jewish people but also the promised and prophesied Messiah for the entire human race. Those prophecies begin in Genesis 3:15 and continue through the Old Testament, all the way to Malachi.

The prophecies are general at times and very specific at other times, fulfilled in Jesus's birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The amount of time between the prophecies about the Messiah that is fulfilled by Jesus is thousands of years down to a few hundred years. This is staggering on its face and is faith-building for those who choose to study it closely.

A cursory count of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah is around 121. There are likely even more that we have missed. For every prophecy in the Old Testament, there are often two or three records of them being fulfilled in the life of Jesus.

Jesus is the prophesied and promised Messiah for the whole world! He is to be both honored and followed by all people!

Important Questions to Evaluate Our Commitment to the Great Commission and Evangelism

from Finding Them, Keeping Them: Effective Strategies for Evangelism and Assimilation in the Local Church, Gary McIntosh & Glen Martin

8 Important Questions for Individuals

1. Have you spoken to anyone in the last month to share what Jesus Christ and His church mean to you?
2. Did you speak to someone in the last month who has been absent from the services to express your concern for them?
3. Have you invited a newcomer to the community to come with you to church any time in the past four months?
4. Have you encouraged or invited anyone who does not attend any Sunday School or church to visit yours in the last month?
5. Did you speak to someone last Sunday you did not know personally who was in the church services to extend your word of greeting and welcome?
6. Have you taken time to greet the people who sit next to you before or after the church services?
7. Do you pray for opportunities to speak to others about Christ or your church?
8. Do you pray that the Holy Spirit will burden you with the souls of the lost people around you?

I began a new sermon series today focused on the "I AM"  statements of Jesus, primarily in the Gospel of John. Today's focus was to read through the different claims that Jesus makes, such as "I am the bread of life", and "I am the Light of the World", etc. to introduce the series. We also discussed these three main points:

• I AM Connects Jesus to the I AM Who I AM in the Old Testament.
• I AM is More than Right Now.
• Jesus Declares His Divine Nature by Using I AM.

These are some of the verses we read:

• Mark 14:62
• John 4:26
• John 6:35
• John 8:12, 18, & 58
• John 10:7 & 11
• John 11:25-26
• John 13:19
• John 14:6
• John 15:1
• John 18:4-8
• Exodus 3:14
• Revelation 1:8

Please join us each Sunday for this sermon series at 10 AM. You can also join our LiveStream from our website every Sunday morning.

The last blog post I wrote was on June 27, a few days before my family and I left for a much needed vacation together. Then, a few days later, my father-in-law called to tell us he was in the hospital with severe stomach pain. This was his third hospitalization in a few months. It was the beginning of a period of mulitple hospitalizations in five facilities in two different states. 

He was suffering from an aggresive form of prostate cancer that put him in a rare group of people who do not respond to treatments, even when the cancer is found very early on. He died in a hospice facility two weeks ago. 

Thankfully, in that time, we were able to spent a lot of time together. Most importantly, he reconciled with the Lord after many decades. This brought him and us a lot of peace.

I am beginning to return to some things that I had to set aside for the last several weeks. Not the least of which is this blog. What I plan to do is to recap my sermons from each week, to provide reinforcement for those who listen to them, and to provide biblical teaching about important matters for those who like to read this blog.

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know if you would like to talk more about Jesus or the Southside Church of Christ in Shelbyville, TN.

Sincerely in Christ,

Tim Gunnells

Troubles, trials, and people who reject goodness and seek their glory are never in short supply. Thanks be to God that He is always near. Please read this beautiful Psalm and my meditative prayer that follows.

 

“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; The LORD hears when I call to Him.

Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the LORD. Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" 

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.”

Psalms 4:1-8 

 

O God, my God, please, hear my cries to You! Continue giving Your grace to me and relieve me of my troubles.

Turn the hearts of humankind away from lies and empty promises. Turn their minds toward what is eternal and away from what is temporary.

The godly belong to You. They know You and You know them. May I ever be in their number.

May I be humble before You and not think of myself too highly to contemplate Your ways as holier than mine.

I want to be righteous and live in a holy way, always trusting in You and declaring Your glory.

Shine down on me in Your goodness always, O Lord! Lighten my heart that I might ever be glad before You! May I glory in You more than the bounty of the earth.

I thank You that I can sleep peacefully because I know that You never sleep and watch over me day and night.

Amen

Disagreements have been a part of our collective human experience since the beginning. Though I may disagree with another’s point of view, I should not be disagreeable in how I treat the person.They are not my foe; they are fellow human being who needs to be understood just as I need to be understood.

When I sit down and talk with someone, or interact with them through social media, I should treat them as I wish to be treated. I learned that from Jesus.Most people refer to it as the “Golden Rule”.

The truth is that we all have different personalities and points of view.I have not found anyone who agrees with me on everything.I do not even agree with everything I believed a few years ago.People change, but not often because one side does all of the talking.

Most people like Jesus because they see Him as, well, friendly.He is nice.Yet, no one would question Jesus’ commitment to His convictions.Though there were times when He did most of the talking, we most often find Him in situations where He is simply spending time with people.Jesus took the time to have dialogue, to listen to the hurting and the oppressed, and to touch those who the world had rejected.

One of the most convicting passages of Scripture showing the value of dialogue is found in John 4.Jesus finds himself alone with a woman who has a colored history, and whose present situation is questionable at best.She has had five husbands already, and she is now living with a man to whom she is not married.Jesus takes the time to have a conversation with her, and it is not one-sided.He let the woman talk and ask questions.He listened patiently and responded with kindness and conviction.In so doing, He proved we can have dialogue with anyone.

Let’s avoid stereotypes, prejudices, and labels; and let’s embrace conversation, sympathy, and love.Some of the best moments of my life have been when I had a genuine dialogue with someone whose views were different from my own.When I sat down with them to seek understanding, we both found that we were more alike than we ever knew.

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." (Colossians 4:5-6)

Praying the Scriptures helps me to internalize them and live them out. It is a wonderful way to meditate on God's Word. This is my prayer based on the passage below.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. 

I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. 

O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, And teach me Your ordinances. 

My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. 

The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. 

I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart. 

I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, even to the end.

Psalms 119:105-112 

O Lord, I'd grope around like a blind man through life if I didn't have the Bible.

I promise to follow your teachings and seek your desires all of my days.

I'm sick because of the sin that is so rampant all around me. I can't go on without your strength.

Please listen when I praise you! Teach me more and more how to be like you.

I'm free to make choices every day but I can't make them without you.

People who do wrong want me to do wrong with them, but I refuse. You are my Lord, not them.

You gave me your words as a gift and I'm not giving them to anyone else. I'll cherish them always and forever.

I want to always do what you desire.  Oh God, help me to please you. Help me to honor you all my days.

Amen

Read Ephesians 4:11-16:

• Paul uses words (about church leaders using their gifts in the church) like “equipping”, “building”, “attain”, “mature”, and “grow.” Christians use their talents and gifts to strengthen the body of Christ so that all aspire to the full stature of Christ.

• Some of the spiritual gifts listed in Ephesians 4:12-13 have become, in many instances, “formal positions charged with forming” believers. 

• These gifts (sometimes referred to as offices) are for the purpose of spiritually forming other believers. 

• What is clear in Ephesians 4 is that spiritual growth is important for the whole community, not just individual Christians. As Paul teaches, the greatest spiritual gifts are those that edify the whole church (1 Cor. 14:2-12; Eph. 4:12). 

• Christian spirituality is “conceived, nurtured, and realized within the body of Christ.” True Christian spiritual formation cannot be achieved individually; it can only be achieved in the communal setting where every member utilizes his or her gift to help others mature.

• When every part is “working properly,” the result is both bodily growth and spiritual building up in love (Eph. 4:16). The beautiful reality is that believers are not only united to Christ the head, they are also united, like the physical body, to all other members (Eph. 4:16).

Two pivotal passages of Scripture where Paul addresses the role of the body of Christ in the maturing of Christians are 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12:

• Paul explains how each member plays a role in building each other up and, by so doing, builds up the entire body of Christ. 

• A key phrase for Paul is: “For the body is not one member, but many.” 

• According to Paul, God has placed every member in the body “just as He desired.” 

• Paul’s view is that one person cannot possess all of the gifts needed to edify themselves. The gifts that belong to individual Christians serve to promote formation of the community of faith.

• He emphasizes the idea that gifts are given for the building up of the body of Christ and are not meant for the individual. 

Read Romans 12:1-13:

• Paul elaborates on his theology of the body of Christ’s role in spiritual formation. The church members were to be diligent in using their gifts to build each other up and seek “harmonious relations” with one another and those outside the church.

So, what are your gifts and how do you use them for the good of the Body?

Individuals cannot be fully formed spiritually without participation in a strong community of faithful believers. The congregation impacts the spiritual formation of the individual within it by mentoring, building up, and providing an environment of love and accountability.

The apostle Paul stresses the role of the people of God, or faith community, in spiritual formation. His key thought on the role of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12) is that every member of the community is there to build each other up and so build up the whole.  The people of God provide an environment of love and accountability, mentor others to be more like the Lord, and use their gifts to build up the body (Eph. 4:11-16). Therefore, spiritual formation occurs as we interact within the faith community.

Being a Christian means to be part of a community and to take responsibility and accountability in the community seriously.¹ God expects Christians to be there for each other “to spur one another on to good deeds” (Heb. 10:25). Parker J. Palmer writes, “the community is a check against my personal distortions; it helps interpret the meaning of texts and gives guidance in my experience of prayer.”² With the people of God, “I can live out (or discover I am lacking) the peace and joy, the humility and servanthood by which spiritual growth is measured."³ I need my brothers and sisters in Christ to love me, to keep me in check spiritually, and to model for me what it means to be like Christ. This is a sentiment shared by Paul in several of his epistles.

Jesus calls his followers to a life of spiritually mature faith evidenced by love for God and love for others. Practicing spiritual disciplines like solitude, hospitality, contemplative Bible reading, and prayer can help us live out these two great commandments and create a loving church community. Practicing solitude (Luke 4:42) helps us to create a space for God and deepen our relationship with him.⁴ Extending hospitality to those in need (Matt. 25:31-45) demonstrates our love for others. Meditating on the Bible gives us the strength to serve God and overcome temptations (Matt. 4:1-10). Spending time in prayer, praising God and interceding for others, connects us with both commands (Matt. 6:9-16). 

Paul believes that the transforming love of Christ is found in “loving communities of faith."⁵ Certainly this is expressed even at the outset of his letters. John affirms that the ultimate test of authentic Christian community is love for one another (1 John 4:19-21).

Andrew Purves speaks emphatically about the importance of the faith community where Christians live in loving communion with God and each other:

To assume one can be a Christian without attending church and participating in the life and mission of the fellowship is to misunderstand the meaning of being joined to Jesus Christ. Communion with Christ involves communion with one another and sharing together in Christ’s mission to and for the world. While Christianity provides a deeply personal relationship with God, Christianity is not to be construed as individualistic and as an essentially private experience. Christian faith is lived as a communion in the body of Christ.⁶

Purves argues further that “the congregation has the function of creating the community that is lacking in society, providing warmth and authenticity.”⁷ This rings familiar with themes found in Paul’s letters to the Ephesians and Philippians. This love and authenticity was also evident in the early apostolic church (Acts 2-4).

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul puts great emphasis on the community living out a transformed existence, living out their heavenly citizenship in the present. He explicitly describes ways for Christians to show love and support for each other. Paul encourages the believers at Philippi to follow his example, as well as the example of others, to be unselfish, to love one another, and to hold each other accountable.

This post discussed how the people of God provide an environment of love and accountability. In the next two posts I will discuss the role of God’s people in mentoring and edification.

¹Israel Galindo, “Methods of Christian Education toward Christian Spiritual Formation”, Review and Expositor, Vol. 98 (2001), 418.

²Parker J. Palmer, “Leaping High Walls: Education as Spiritual Formation”, Educational Horizons, Vol. 82, no. 1, (Fall 2003), 56.

³Palmer, 56.

⁴Jim Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as If the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008, 48.

⁵Gary Holloway and Earl Lavender, Living God's Love: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality. Siloam Springs, AR: Leafwood Pub., 2004, 139.

⁶Andrew Purves, Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 41. 

⁷Purves,142.

Christians are called to a maturity and transformation beyond the ability to enact themselves.¹ We wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit (Galatians 5:5). Only through the Spirit is it possible to overcome the flesh and produce righteous fruit (Galatians 5:16-25). Only through the Spirit can we reject the flesh and embrace Christ (Romans 8:6-9). We cannot grow without the assistance of the Spirit.

Paul unveils an interesting tension within us when he writes, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). So we are to work it out while God also is at work within us. He works within us through the Holy Spirit. Yet, the Spirit can only work to bring about growth through our cooperation with the Spirit (Colossians 1:3-11).

Paul emphasizes our continued cooperation with the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:2-17:

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ 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. ⁶ For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ¹² So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

In this passage in Romans, Paul directs us to “set” our minds on “the things of the Spirit.” The Spirit is active in giving direction as we submit to his guidance. The “things of the Spirit” are in direct opposition to the “things of the flesh.” Walking according to the Spirit enables us to grow more into the likeness of Christ.

Still another important aspect of the Spirit’s work is found in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” These qualities are evidence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to produce growth.

Scripture teaches that the Spirit works within us to transform us, to give us gifts, and to develop character. So the qualities of character that make up the fruit of the Spirit are formed in us as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit. When “Christ is formed” in us (Galatians 4:19), our lives will be marked by the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit (Ephesians 4; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12-14) are two significant parts of Paul’s description of the function of the Spirit. R. P. Meye writes,

The exercise of the gifts of the Spirit is subject to the control of the righteous fruit of the Spirit. And the fruit of the Spirit is caused to flourish and grow within the community wherein the gifts of the sanctifying Spirit are exercised. This symbiotic relationship between fruit and gift fosters the fulfillment of the divine intention that the gifts of the Spirit should sanctify and upbuild the church. Pauline spirituality, the practice of the Spirit, is the believer’s “Yes to God,” whose righteous fruit and gifts are to be sought, embraced and lived out in the community of the Spirit and in the world.²

Only as the body of Christ recognizes the great value of each gift, and all the gifts of the Spirit are working together, is the church built up (1 Corinthians 12:1-14:4). When Christians exercise their Spirit-given gifts, there is fertile ground for the fruit of the Spirit to flourish.     

As believers, we may never fully grasp how the Holy Spirit works. Yet, Christians are called to live in community with others who love and support one another to live like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11). It is within the community of faith that the Holy Spirit operates, empowering spiritual formation.

¹Susanne Johnson, Christian Spiritual Formation in the Church and Classroom, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989), 110.

²R. P. Meye, “Spirituality”, The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 913.

For Paul, “life in prayer, life in the Word of God and life in the community of the Spirit, are each and together a creation of the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).¹  Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit would provide comfort and help after he was gone, and that it would also convict the world of sin (John 16:7-9). The Holy Spirit provided comfort for the early church so the church might continue to grow (Acts 9:31). The Spirit convicted the Thessalonians of the truth of the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

The Spirit inspires (2 Timothy 3:16) and illumines the Word of God (2 Corinthians 3:1-18).²  Thus, by meditating on the Word of God, we are comforted and convicted by the Holy Spirit.³  As we meditate on the Scriptures, the Spirit works in us to form us into what God wants us to be by teaching us, correcting us, and equipping us (2 Timothy 3:16-17):

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 In Romans 8:26-27, Paul tells of how the Spirit helps the believer in prayer. The apostle pens these thoughts,

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Through this prayer help, the Spirit comforts us in our weaknesses. The Spirit, who knows the heart of the believer, intercedes on behalf of the believer. When we pray, we are never alone; God’s Spirit is with us. Paul implores the believer to “pray at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). It follows that God’s Spirit cannot form us if we do not pray. No one can be spiritually formed without being a person of prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-8). No one can pray properly without the Spirit’s help.

As Paul states in Romans 8:5-10, living a life pleasing to God apart from the Spirit’s help is impossible:

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. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Praise God that the Holy Spirit testifies that we are children of God so we can be heirs with Christ of the glory yet to come! ^“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:16-17)

May the Spirit strengthen you as you live for God so that you might be glorified with Christ!

 ¹R. P. Meye, “Spirituality,” The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 911.

²Meye, 911.

³Gary Holloway and Earl Lavender, Living God’s Love: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality (Abilene, Texas: Leafwood Publishers, 2004), 60.

For Paul, “the distinguishing mark of the Christian is that God himself, through the Spirit, indwells us” (Issler, 2000). Paul states, “However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9). The working of the Spirit allows us to live life to the fullest; this means living as God’s children, according to his will.

The Holy Spirit confirms in us that we are the children of God. In Romans 8:9-16, Paul emphasizes that we “are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” and that those “who are being led by the Spirit of God” are children of God. Being led by God’s Spirit, and living according to God’s will confirms our relationship with him.

In our finite minds, we can never fully fathom all there is to know about the working of the Spirit, but Scripture alludes to two major aspects that require our participation (Issler, 2000). As Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are: “1) to become increasingly aware of the Spirit’s guidance in our lives; and 2) to initiate new steps of faith in which we leave room for God to work” (Issler, 2000). The Spirit guides us because we are children of God (Romans 9:14). As we learn to surrender daily to the Spirit’s guidance, he “makes us more and more like the God we love” (2 Thessalonians 2:13; Holloway & Lavender, 2004). Part of the way we surrender to the Spirit’s guidance is by practicing spiritual disciplines.

Christians become children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27). Paul speaks of the beauty and blessings of being God’s child, confirmed by the Spirit, a few verses later in Galatians 4:4-7:

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

The apostle John also speaks of the great blessings of being a child of God (1 John 3:1-4:4). Among those are that we abide in God, that he abides in us, and that we know God (1 John 4:7-16). In other words, we have a deep, intimate, relationship with God. These things are confirmed in us because God has given us his Spirit (1 John 4:7-13).

Along with the blessings of being a child of God comes the responsibility of keeping God’s commandments and loving our brothers and sisters (1 John 4:19-5:3). We can only do these things through the help of the Spirit (1 John 3:24-4:4) who confirms that we are God’s children.

References

Holloway, G. and Lavender, L. (2004). Living God’s Love: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality. Leafwood.

Issler, K. (2000). “The Spiritual Formation of Jesus: The Significance of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ Life.” Christian Education Journal. Vol. 4, 6-22.

Someday we will all stand before God. All of us will have to give an account for our lives. And were it not for the grace of Christ, I would find this to be a terrifying thought. Yet, according to Scripture, Jesus came to “take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 Phillips). On the day when I appear before the judgment seat of God, when my list of sins is produced, I will gesture toward Christ and say, “He took it.” Let him take yours.