Gospel Living

Genesis 37 contains the familiar story of Joseph's brothers throwing him into a pit and then selling him into slavery.

Joseph was loved by his father, sent to find his brothers, mistreated, and then raised to new life.

This of course foreshadows the same path Jesus would follow many years later. He too was loved by His Father, sent to save the lost, crucified, buried in a tomb, and then raised again.

And moreover, this is our story too! We also are loved, sent, hated, and will be exalted. We are living out the gospel.

Symptoms of and Solutions for Carnality

According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4, there are three types of people in this world:

  1. The natural man
  2. The spiritual man
  3. The carnal man

The natural man is someone who does not know Jesus, they are spiritually dead and unable to receive the things of God. The spiritual man is a Christian who is led by the Spirit. The carnal man is also a Christian, but they are ruled by their fleshly appetites. 

Carnality is the widespread crisis of the American church. Too many church members are not yielded to the Spirit, instead they follow their own whims and preferences. Are you a carnal Christian? Evaluate yourself against these biblical standards. Here are six characteristics of a carnal Christian.

  1. Carnal Christians have a protracted spiritual infancy (1 Cor. 3:1). Simply put, they are babies. They remain immature way too long.
  2. Carnal Christians are unable to feed themselves (1 Cor. 3:2a). The baby Christian relies on milk. Solid food is too difficult for them. The carnal Christian needs someone to take the meat of God's word digest it for them and break it down into milk. Typically, this happens on Sunday morning when the pastor simplifies the word of God and gives it to the people. Unfortunately, since the baby Christian cannot feed themself they have to wait seven days until their next feeding. With such infrequent spiritual meals the carnal Christian remains weak.
  3. Carnal Christians are sectarian (1 Cor. 3:2b-3). Like little children are prone to do, their mantra is "us against them." The carnal Christian not only plays favorites, they openly campaign for their party. 
  4. Carnal Christians fail to reproduce (Heb. 5:12a). In the spiritual world, just as in the physical world, reproduction is only for the mature and healthy. Carnal Christians fail to disciple others.
  5. Carnal Christians don't know how to use their Bibles (Heb. 5:12b-13). Being unskilled in the word of righteousness they can neither feed themselves nor disciple others.
  6. Carnal Christians are morally dull (Heb. 5:14). Their conscience is insensitive. They don't see anything wrong with pornagraphy, drugs, alcohol, gambling, extramarital sex, or other questionable activities. 

Here now are three solutions to carnality:

  1. Determine to love everyone. This destroys sectarianism and causes one to cry out to God for help, "Lord I cannot love this person. Please give me the ability to do what I am unable to do." Loving everyone is a spiritual discipline that lifts you out of carnal selfishness.
  2. Begin to disciple someone. The teacher always learns more than the pupil. You can begin to grow by helping someone in their spiritual walk.
  3. Chew on the meat of God's word. No one can be a good Christian who gets fed every seven days from the preacher's sermon. You have to learn to feed yourself everyday. You may wish to pray, "Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law (Ps. 119:18). 

The three types of persons are seen in the experience of the Hebrews.

  • Egypt is a type of the natural man in worldliness and bondage.
  • The wilderness is a type of the carnal man. They are out of Egypt but Egypt is not out of them. They wander in defeat, dry and thirsty.
  • The Promised Land is a type of the spiritual man. Here the believer enjoys rewards they have not earned and feasts in the land flowing with milk and honey. (Note, unlike the travels of the Israelites, Christians can revert from spiritual back into carnal.)

If you are in the desert of carnality, I encourage you to "leave the elementary principles of Christ" and cross over the Jordan River and become a spiritual person so that you can begin to "taste and see that the Lord is good." 

The Right Way to Begin Prayer

My tendency in prayer is to jump straight to my requests. I am eager to tell the Father all my problems and needs. However, notable saints in the Bible began their prayers by confessing the awesomeness of God. They started with praise, not petition.

Observe how Hezekiah began his prayer in 2 Kings 19:14-15.

Study how Jehoshaphat prayed in 2 Chronicles 20:6-7 before a military victory.

See how the Apostles prayed in Acts 4:24 before the ground shook. 

And notice how our Lord taught us to begin our prayers in Matthew 6:9.

Don't rush into the throne room. Instead gently, "enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4). THEN tell the Lord your troubles.

Where are YOU going?

Hagar ran for her life and sat down by a spring of water in the desert. Then the Angel of the Lord found her and asked her a two-fold question, "Where have you come from AND where are you going?" (Genesis 16:8).

Hagar answered only the first part of the question. "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai."

I fear that too many of us are similar to Hagar. We know what we are running from, but not what we are moving toward.

Her objective had been mere survival. The Angel of the Lord cast a vision for multiplication. "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly" (Genesis 16:10).

The Lord moved her from escapism to engagement. Hagar moved from the "now" to the "then." God moved her from a self focus to focusing on others. 

SUGGESTED PRAYER: "God give me a vision for more than just my safety and comfort. Lord help me to see into the future and appreciate how my actions today can impact others tomorrow."

 

 

A Theology for Suffering

Christians have established teachings on many topics including God, salvation, church, and the end times. But we also need a doctrine on the subject of suffering, because if our belief system is unsettled pain can potentially derail our Christian life.

Here is a simple set of beliefs based on Psalm 34:19, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

I. CHRISTIANS SUFFER

II. CHRISTIANS OFTEN SUFFER

III. JESUS DELIVERS

IV. JESUS ALWAYS DELIVERS.

These four simple statements provide comfort and reassurance. I encourage you to adopt, memorize, and use these truths the next time your experience heartache.

What is your theology of suffering? Please share it with me.