To Become a Person of Spirit
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June 29, 2014 |
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 "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
A person of spirit refers to a person who has cast off all sins and evil and has become holy. God is spirit, so as God's children we should be persons of spirit who can understand the heart and will of God and obey. People of flesh can't act upon the heart and will of God no matter how eagerly they want to do so. It's because they do things in their will and with fleshly thoughts.
To the extent that we become more spiritual, we gain a greater ability to communicate with God and even to bear fruit more abundantly by destroying the works of Satan. Then, let's look at the areas we must check in order to become people of spirit,
1. How much goodness is there in your thoughts?
Persons of spirit have spiritual thoughts in any kind of situations. Even if someone does something that is not understandable, they think with goodness in his or her shoes. They rejoice and give thanks thinking of the heart of God the Father and the Lord's love even when they meet with hardship. What kinds of thoughts do you usually have? Do you think about what to eat, what to wear, or something lustful that belongs to the world? Or do you think about how to change into spirit? Some may not know they have thoughts that are not of goodness.
For instance, some might think, 'That person doesn't seem to have stood on the rock of faith. But what aspects of him made God recognize him as standing on the rock of faith?' They may feel that they think in goodness but they keep reminding themselves of the person's faults or shortcomings.
Let me give you another example. A district leader congratulated Deacon Kim on his birthday, but he didn't congratulate Deacon Park on his birthday. If Deacon Park entertains spiritual thinking, then there is no reason he should have any negative feels. Rather he may feel happy because Deacon Kim is loved by the district leader. However, if he has fleshly thoughts, he may have ill feelings about it and even recall other things the leader did to him. It might even reveal the complaints and ill feelings that he has previously suppressed and he may think, 'He praised Deacon Kim in the past. He acts preferentially towards him because I am less educated and not as well-off though we both have been faithful.' If one piles up fleshly thoughts such as those of resentment, hard feelings, judgment, condemnation, misunderstanding, jealousy, and envy, then he loses fullness and just builds up a wall of sin between himself and God. Self-condemnation, disappointment, and despair caused by negative thoughts are not of goodness.
When we discover evil in our hearts and lament, if we spiritually lament, God comforts our hearts and gives new strength. We may feel refreshed and feel the love of God. And we can make up our minds again, thinking, 'I will try it again. I will try harder.' But if we want to stop trying or lose heart comparing ourselves with others, our lamentations are definitely fleshly. It is fleshly thought.
Romans 8:6 reads, "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace". Thoughts that provide you with life and peace are spiritual. If some thoughts don't give you peace and even cause you to lose fullness of the Spirit, you should immediately stop having the thoughts.
If the Holy Spirit isn't pleased with your thoughts, you must change them into spiritual and good thoughts right away. Only then can you quickly enter spirit without any stagnation.
2. Do you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?
1 Corinthians 2:10 states, "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:4, "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
Persons of spirit adapt everything to the will of God, not their own will, in achieving God's works. They don't rely on their own wisdom or ways but they look for God-wanted ways and follow them. Here, in order to know the will and ways of God, we should hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, wisdom and experience are important in a sense. Some experienced workers may fulfill their duties with methods that they have used when leading other kinds of events, in preaching, or providing counseling. But spiritual workers should also do the duties by hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Let's suppose there is a believer with lukewarm faith and you think you should talk to him. It is easy to think that you will preach about an earnest Christian life with a relevant passage of the Bible. However, if you counsel him in the works of the Holy Spirit you won't just admonish him with words. But instead you will be able to solve his fundamental problem that caused him to be unable to live an earnest Christian life. If he has a strong attachment to the world, you will have to teach him how futile the worldly things are and put hope for Heaven in his heart. If he has been hurt by an emotional crisis and loses heart you will have to offer a message that heals the wounds of the heart. If he is stuck at some place because of fleshly thoughts, you will have to destroy the thoughts. In other words, in order to give spiritual life to others, you must hear the voice of the Holy Spirit rather than counseling them through your own ability.
The same applies when we prepare for some church events. You may predict things that will be needed based on your experience and knowledge thinking, 'I have prepared it every year, so I know how to prepare it, how many people will attend, and how big the event's size will be…' But there are still many variables no matter how well you have prepared it. A person who makes plans based on his or her experience and thoughts can't bear perfect fruit. But if he prepares it by hearing the voice of the Spirit, he can cope with even unexpected situations.
3. How much love do you have?
The heart of spirit is to seek others' benefits. It is to think in others' position, serve them in any circumstance, and rejoice when something good happen to them. On the contrary, there are people who have no interest in others' situations and don't sacrifice themselves and don't suffer a loss. They are just interested in things like, 'I have to go into spirit and receive grace. I have to arm myself with the Word and pile up prayer.' They might think they are longing for the heart of spirit but it is just from selfishness and greed.
When we are faced with trials, it is more clearly revealed whether we possess love or not. A person with love, though he suffers, doesn't want to share his own pain with others. But others without love reveal their pain and discomfort outwardly and cause people around them to empathize with their feelings. They even justify themselves saying "I can't help it". But in order to become a person of spirit, we should pass through tests and enter spirit. Such people don't have love so they rather accumulate evil through the tests and trials.
Men of spirit embrace others with love and virtuous generosity in working for the kingdom of God. Among workers there may be lazy ones or others who keep making mistakes though you continue to teach them or some who deceive you. If you lack spiritual love, you may feel frustrated and they seem to lack something, which causes you to force them to do something.
Of course, persons of spirit should sometimes rebuke others and force them to do something. But even when they do so, they unchangingly regard others more important than themselves and seek others' benefits. If they have to admonish someone with strong words, they naturally harbor him or her more deeply. They pray lest he or she should lose heart and help him or her work better. With such love, you can enter spirit more quickly.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, having a great duty doesn't mean great spiritual faith. We must become sanctified through efforts to circumcise our hearts. What if you work faithfully but you don't have spiritual faith because of fleshly thoughts that haven't been thrown away yet? How pitiful it is! I pray in the name of the Lord that you will surely demolish fleshly thoughts and achieve the heart of spirit.
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