PERSONAL SPIRITUAL LIFE 2
If you missed the first post you can have a look here:
https://steemit.com/christian-trail/@forgodsglory/personal-spiritual-life-1-introduction
We saw that there are different terms for Christians that is growing spiritually, like a "crucified life", "sanctification", "walking by the spirit," "walking in fellowship with God", and many more.
It should be obvious that the believer who is not living the spiritual life is:
- still viewing life from the world's perspective
- still following the ways of the world and not obeying God's Word
- still manifesting his own character and not that of Jesus
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
Scripture places all people into one of three categories:
1. The natural man (unsaved and un-spiritual)
2. The spiritual man (saved and spiritually mature)
3. The worldly man (saved but spiritually immature)
1 Corinthians 2:13-16 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
The spiritual life is all about progressing from being a worldly Christian to a spiritual Christian.
But in order to move from worldly to spiritual a believer must:
- understand the principles of spiritual life
- obey the principles of the spiritual life
- know that there are certain essential elements used in the maturing process:
~ Time
~ Word of God
~ Obedience/practice
~ Fellowship with other believers
~ Prayer, worship and praise
~ Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Just as it takes time, energy and the right nourishment for a baby to mature physically into an adult, the same is true of the process of growing from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.
NEXT POST: False concepts of Spiritual Life.
Thank you for reading and studying.
Source: Personal spiritual life, Dr. Dennis J. Mock
Scripture: New King James Version
Hi @forgodsglory,
This lesson brings me to three types of Christian:
1 CORINTHIANS 3.
Thank you for this precise, absolute and thoughtful post. I really love it. God bless you.
@stevenmosoes
The-blockchain-pastor.
Thank you for visiting, your kind words and your addition to my study dear @stevenmosoes!
Excellent writing :) Thank you those spiritual words :)
Thank you for your comment and we appreciate your visit to our page! God bless!
Just like a natural baby, needing proper sustenance to grow and phsically mature, the baby Christian requires proper spiritual food, water and correction to mature. Prayer, God’s Word, fellowship! The carnal Christian many times lacks the true love of a person who will tell them the truth in love.
Recently I had the opportunity to preach at a funeral. The place was packed with Mormons and Catholics. God gave me this opportunity. So, like most funerals, people always make a saint out of the deceased and talk about this person as if they were in heaven. But the truth many times is the opposite. Love in action will tell the truth. I know it is a delicate situation as the family is grieving.
One woman aporoaced me afterwards. She said, “I have only heard this message once, an that was today!”
So with the carnal Christian, many want to walk on eggshells and wait for maturity to come in time. In my observation, this approach almost never works.
Yes, we often time feel it is not the right time or place to bring the message, but it definitely always is, Thank God for your courage and may He bless you abundantly.
Something about sharing the Gospel, the reward is immediate as it is in the sharing of the Gospel are we truly blessed. When the Gospel is preached the Gospel happens and we blessed!