The Church of the Servant King

Transcription

1 Life in Christ Transforming Concepts & Principles 2007 (LC1_Divine Power Sphere Component 1) Christian Integrity: The Spiritual Power Sphere of the Mature Believer Component #1 Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit In previous studies, we have examined the command found in Ephesians 5:18 that we be filled with the character of Christ by means of the Holy Spirit based upon a better translation of that passage. What does the person look like who is filled with the character of Christ? How do I identify such an individual? What characteristics should I see in myself if I am fulfilling Paul s exhortation to us in Ephesians 5:18? Is there power from God to produce such a transformation in my life? These are some of the questions with which we will attempt to deal as we examine and try to frame some concepts in Scripture. There are a number of ways and a variety of terminology by which such questions might be answered and all might be very legitimate. However, the problem I ve found as I ve tried to assimilate, retain and apply truths from Scripture is that the terminology used by one Christian brother to express a concept might be different from the terminology of another Christian brother. As I listen, I find myself asking questions such as does the term used by Brother A mean the same as when it is used by Brother B? I might also find myself questioning whether certain terms, phrases and concepts reconcile with the whole of Scripture and whether they are legitimate for the present dispensation or whether they are directed at the believer or unbeliever. Examples abound such as Jesus is standing at the door and knocking if you will just let him into your life (based upon Rev 3:20). Or, just give the Holy Spirit control of your life. Or, faithful believers will inherit the kingdom. Each of these statements use terms that are attempts to identify with a biblical concept; however, the meaning conveyed and the impressions gathered will depend upon the paradigm of the hearer unless there is explanation of both the terms and concepts. Even then, some questions may still remain if the explanation doesn t reconcile with the whole of Scriptural teaching on the subject. So, one of the purposes of this series is to establish a common set of terminology that will be: 1) derived from Scripture; 2) applicable to the dispensational era in which we live; and 3) an aide to the believer by providing a conceptual framework for assimilating, retaining and applying relevant Truths. In this series, we will only concern ourselves with the source of power in the believer s life. Needless to say, a common conceptual framework is essential for effective communication. In other words, everyone needs to be reading and communicating from the same page. Our Scriptural Launchpad Ephesians 6:10-17 In this passage, Paul exhorts us to tap into God s power in order that we might be able to resist all of the powers that are aligned against us aligned against those believers who desire to represent the Lord and please Him with every aspect of their lives. In order to make it in this fallen world, this cosmos which is temporarily under the rule of Satan, power is needed. The quest of believer and unbeliever alike is for a source of power that will allow them to cope and survive in this cosmos. The unbeliever and the believer who is not oriented to God s plan and purpose in human history and who is not oriented to God s blueprint for living a life that glorifies our Lord, our King-brother-Redeemer, will resort to a power system that is of this cosmos. We find elements of the conceptual framework relating to this topic (i.e. divine power sphere vs. cosmos-centric power sphere) throughout the New Testament epistles, particularly Paul s epistles. This series is an attempt to weld together the teaching in the New Testament that Page 1 of 6

2 is relevant to the current dispensation and provide a common frame of reference for us terminology and concepts. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 1 In this passage, Paul says Finally, my brethren, be strong [Gr. dunami~] in the Lord, and in the power of His might. As the following verses in this passage (verses 11-13) indicate, our battle is a spiritual battle, not a battle of the flesh. Paul then draws an analogy between the armor of the Roman soldier and the believer s spiritual armor. Armor is designed to provide insulation and protection from the onslaught against one s person that occurs in battle. The waist or the loins [v 14] (a belt from which hung leather strips) was to be girded with Truth (i.e. principles, promises, biblical concepts and doctrines). The chest area [v 14] was to be protected by the breastplate of righteousness (i.e. experiential righteousness, not imputed righteousness). The feet [v 15] were protected by hard, studded shoes which carry the believer to present the Gospel of peace, i.e. the message of salvation. The shield [v 16 2 ½ by 4 ] of faith (Phase 2 faith of the believer) provides the believer with protection against the attacks of Satan (fiery darts). The helmet of salvation [v 17] represents soteriological truths and the sword of the Spirit [v 17] which is pertinent truth from God s Word. The means by which the believer becomes equipped to exhibit the integrity demanded of him by God is through the appropriation, development and practice of the eight components of the spiritual power sphere. Only by so doing will the believer become equipped with the spiritual armament that will allow him/her to become all that God desires, i.e. a spiritually mature believer, who, with a full appreciation of all that God has accomplished through Christ, is able to respond in love to God and share His happiness. Only the mature believer can fully understand Paul s sentiments expressed in such passages as 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Ephesians 1:2-23; 3:20-21; Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:3-14 cf. 1 Corinthians 9:3-14; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 11:22-28; Philippians 1:27-29 and 1 Timothy 1: I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:4-9) [Concepts of personal love for God and unconditional or impersonal love for man and humility, among other things, underlie and frame Paul s words] 1 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New American Standard Bible, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1977). Page 2 of 6

3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. (2 Cor 1:3-7) [The concepts of momentum, humility, objectivity, personal love for God and impersonal or unconditional love for man and sharing God s happiness underlie and frame Paul s choice of words] 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth [Paul is alluding to our coregency with Christ in the Kingdom]. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God s own possession, to the praise of His glory. 15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope [vision] of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:2-23) [This passage highlights some of the spiritual blessings which are ours in Christ and for which only the humble believer will give thanks to God. We only appreciate these spiritual blessings when we have an eternal perspective. That perspective will only come through submission to God s authority and a Christ-centric vs. self-centric life, i.e. humility. Objectivity is demanded of the believer if he/she is to see life from God s eternal perspective and have a love for Him that inspires praise and thanksgiving. Objectivity is demanded of the believer if he/she is to serve others, be thankful for others and do so self-sacrificially.] 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21) 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God Page 3 of 6

4 is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:3-11) [Underlying Paul s expressions in this passage are found the concepts of momentum, unconditional or impersonal love for man, personal love for God, humility, objectivity just to name a few] 3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:3-14) Compared with: 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? 8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING. God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share with the altar? 14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. (1 Cor 9:3-14) [In this passage, we see Paul using phraseology that draws upon such concepts as humility, momentum, impersonal love for man, personal love for God and objectivity] 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor 10:4-5) [The concepts of yieldedness, momentum, and objectivity are found to underlie Paul s terminology]. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers Page 4 of 6

5 in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches. (2 Cor 11:22-28) [Humility, objectivity, yieldedness]. 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. (Phil 1:27-29) [Personal love for God sustains the believer in suffering for Christ] 18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, 19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. (1 Tim 1:18-20) [Concept of Momentum] The Eight Components of the Spiritual Power Sphere Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit Objectivity Teachability (Humility) Spiritual Momentum Personal Love for God (Motivational Virtue) Impersonal (Unconditional) Love for Mankind (Functional Virtue) Momentum Testing Sharing God s Happiness I have labeled these eight characteristics components because in practical life there is a certain degree of overlap as the believer grows in his knowledge and application of truth. For instance, the believer s ability to consistently yield to the Holy Spirit (Component #1) is reinforced and strengthened as he/she develops greater objectivity and momentum in life. The believer s personal love for God and impersonal love for mankind is strengthened by momentum testing in life. As each of these components are reinforced and become ingrained in the believer s soul, Christian Integrity is the result. The mature believer who operates in this spiritual power sphere has capacity for life, love, and happiness that is a testimony to Christ. He/she approaches life from a paradigm of divine viewpoint that is manifested in discernment, thoughtfulness toward others, and the ability to astutely interpret current trends in history. This believer s soul has been fortified and strengthened via the building blocks of these eight components with an edifice that has sometimes been termed the edification complex of the soul. While this phrase is a good description, I will favor the phrase Divine or Spiritual Power Sphere in order to avoid the confusion that sometimes results when the eight components are depicted as sequential and chronological building blocks. In reality, the categories are dynamic (thus the dyna in dynasphere ) and overlap and interrelate as the believer grows in spiritual knowledge and application. The result is Christian Integrity which means a life characterized by no deception, no artificiality, consistency based upon principle not expediency or relativity. Component #1 Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit We have studied the concept of yieldedness to the Holy Spirit in earlier lessons. The concept of yielding to the Holy Spirit is found in Romans 6:6, 11, & 13 and Romans 12:1-3. It is Page 5 of 6

6 interesting that we find the concept of yieldedness to the Holy Spirit so closely related to Paul s teaching regarding our true identity in Christ in Romans 6. Our true identity as believers is not found in the power systems of this cosmos, but in our submission or yieldedness to the authority of God in our lives. As we yield to Him (i.e. His Spirit and His Word), in our daily decisions, we are effectively dying to the desire for approbation and power in man s eyes and we are subordinating ourselves to be used as vessels through which the world may see Christ. More foundational than any other component within the divine dynasphere is the component of yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. Without a yielded attitude, the believer cannot begin to appropriate any of the other seven characteristics and thereby fulfill the exhortation in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the character of Christ by means of the Holy Spirit as that passage is more appropriately translated. These eight characteristics are an effective means of studying the character of Christ that we are to appropriate. In other words, they describe the character of Christ in the believer. Briefly, yieldedness to the Holy Spirit is giving deference to divine viewpoint in one s soul instead of human viewpoint and placing oneself at the disposal of the Holy Spirit for divine guidance in life in regard to ministry to others. A couple of brief review points will suffice for the purpose of this study: The Type #2 filling of the Holy Spirit is associated with Christian character which results in service. The believer who is not yielded to the Holy Spirit has what is tantamount to anarchy in the soul. Page 6 of 6