Walk By the Spirit

As we continue our study through the New Testament letter of Galatians, we come to the last half of chapter 5. Paul has been writing to these Christians in the area of Galatia (modern-day Turkey) to confront some false teachings that had crept into their churches. People were coming from Jerusalem saying that along with trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a person had to observe the Law of Moses if that person wanted to be right with the Lord. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that there is nothing that we can do in our own strength to make us right before the Lord. We are fully dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that work is sufficient for all of our needs.

In chapter 5 of this letter, Paul began emphasizing the freedom that a person has in Christ. This freedom is freedom from our trying to work ourselves into a right relationship with God — which cannot be accomplished.

In the passage that we will look at today, Paul encourages Christians to “walk by the Spirit.” This point is a very important truth that Christians must pay attention to. We must recognize that Paul’s words to the Galatians are not merely his thoughts or opinions. These words come from the heart of God by way of the Holy Spirit putting them into Paul’s mind. This is not so much Paul speaking to these people as it is God.

The Need to Walk by the Spirit

In verses 16-18, Paul shows the need that every Christian has to walk by the Spirit.

¹⁶ I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16–18 (CSB)

The word “walk” in verse 16 isn’t just about how you put one foot in front of the other to move about. It is a phrase that points to how a person lives. It is a continual action that lays out a person’s direction in this life.

Whether you realize it or not, something is leading the direction of your life. What directs your life is what determines the destination of your life.

Paul encourages the Galatian Christians (and us today) to walk by the Spirit that lives inside us. The Holy Spirit is not some mystical force that dwells among us. He is the third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit lives within everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. ¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

John 14:16–17 (CSB)

The guidance of the Holy Spirit is not just for those that some see as “super-Christians.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just live within missionaries, preachers, and the saints of old. The Holy Spirit lives within each person who trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

One of the reasons the Holy Spirit lives within Christians is to give them new desires so they do not have to submit to the sinful desires of their broken hearts. The Holy Spirit gives the Christian new desires — God’s desires — but He doesn’t force them upon the Christian. This is why Paul tells the Galatians to walk by the Spirit, so they do not carry out the desires of their sinful flesh (v 16).

In verse 17, we get a picture of the battle that takes place within every Christian. It is a battle for the heart. Walking by the Spirit cannot coexist with walking in the flesh. Verse 17 points out that these two things have completely different desires. They are going in opposite directions. Because of that, you cannot walk according to the Spirit and the flesh at the same time.

‌Evidence of Walking by the Spirit

In verses 19-23, Paul contrasts the fruit that comes from our sinful flesh with the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21 CSB

The Fruit of the Flesh

Paul lays out a list of fruit that comes from the desires of our sinful flesh. When you look at these things Paul listed, you realize nothing good can come from walking according to our sinful flesh.

Jesus shares in Mark 7 where all of these things come from.

²⁰ And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, ²² adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

Our hearts, by nature, are drawn toward sin. This is why we cannot just “trust your gut” or “follow your heart.” If there has not been a spiritual heart transplant that has taken place by us putting our faith in Jesus, then our hearts will lead us down a path where nothing good can come from it.

‌The Fruit of the Spirit​

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Mark 7:20–23 CSB

In verses 22-23, Paul shows the stark contrast between the fruit the Holy Spirit develops in our lives. These nine things that Paul lists can only be produced in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to note that Paul mentions this fruit in a singular manner. Each description Paul lists makes up a single fruit the Holy Spirit works in a person’s life. One commentator noted that Paul uses the singular form of fruit to show that they collectively make up what we know as Christlikeness. The new desire that the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives is to reflect Jesus more and more each day. This act will not happen by “trying harder.” It is a work the Holy Spirit does in our lives as we intentionally say no to our flesh and allow Jesus to lead our lives.

‌Three Important Reminders

In verses 24-26, Paul shares with us three important reminders.

‌Our Position

²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:24 CSB

When a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, they are transferred from a kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light.

¹³ He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. ¹⁴ In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13–14 CSB

Our position is no longer one of condemnation. We are placed in a position of victory — Jesus’ victory.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:6 CSB

Though we may still feel the struggle with wanting to sin in our lives, we do not have to give into it any longer. We are positioned with Christ in order to share in His victory over sin.

‌Our Power​

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25 CSB

We can walk or live each day with access to a power greater than anything we can muster on our own. We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit to live in victory over sin in our lives. Just because we have access doesn’t mean that we don’t have to do anything. We have to rely on His power fully and, as Paul said, “keep in step with the Spirit.” This means we are prayerfully living each day, leaning on His understanding and leading rather than our own. It means we spend time in the Holy Spirit-inspired Word to learn what direction to go.

‌Our Purpose

²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:26 CSB

We are not given a new position in Christ and His power to overcome sin in our lives to become conceited. Being conceited or arrogant only leads to us taking our eyes off Jesus and putting them on others. We begin to compare ourselves with others to gain validation. That is not our purpose.

Our purpose is to exalt Jesus above everything else and help others come closer to Him.

⁶ He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6–7 CSB

‌Conclusion‌

It is true that in this life, we face a battle. On one side, we have our flesh seeking to please itself. Doing so causes us to run away from God’s good and perfect plan for our lives. For the Christian, there is another side where the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us into God’s good and perfect plan. Which side will see more growth in our lives? The answer to that question is found in the path we are walking.

Are we living each day intentionally under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we taking time to pray and study His Word so that we hear His direction? Or are we just living each day under the guidance of the current of something else — just drifting along, taking whatever comes our way?

Paul shows us in this passage that we will never get where we need to be by just simply drifting along in life. Let us wake up to the reality that we have been given a new position in Christ, the same power that brought Jesus back from the grave, and a purpose to lift Jesus high and see others come to know Him.

Read More

Book Review: "VIP"

Influence.  There are those who have it, and there are those who want more of it.  It is a powerful commodity in our day and time. There seems to be so many jockeying for position in the arena of influence.

As followers of Jesus Christ, Christians are to be influential people.  We are to use the gifts and tools that God has given us to influence those that we come in contact with closer to the God who loves them so.

O.S. Hawkins, the President and CEO of Guidestone Financial Resources of
the Southern Baptist Convention, has put out a new book that talks about being a person of influence.  He states that the common acronym, VIP
, should be redefined to “Very Influential Person.”  In VIP: How to Influence with Vision, Integrity, and Purpose, Hawkins lays out characteristics that one needs to have to be influential (Vision, Integrity, and Purpose).

VIP is a short read (around 116 pages).  In this short work, Hawkins shows how these three characteristics work to make a person more influential.  He uses different stories and phrases to help make the points of his book more memorable.  Sometimes the “catchiness” of phrases and trying to make them work through alliteration or other means took away from the content. Hawkins frequently (and well s0) uses the Bible to make his points.  I think that this is one of the strong points of this book.

My Recommendation

I think that it is important to be a person of influence.  Whether you like it or not, someone is looking up to you.  That means that you are influencing someone.  I think that there needs to be more materials that help us use our “influence” in ways that it is intended.

I believe that Hawkins has put together a decent work in VIP, but if you are looking for it to be something that is life-changing, I think that you would be disappointed.  The characteristics that Hawkins talks about in VIP – vision, integrity, and purpose – are desperately needed for a person to be successful at being influential.  I just wished that he would have shown a little more about how they work into being influential without the “sermon points”.

My Rating

3 out of 5 stars

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.)

Read More

The Crossroads Recap

We started a new series about the purposes of the church with our student ministry.  It was a series that I had gotten from Simply Youth Ministry a while back called "Welcome to the Planet - What on Earth Am I Here For?" This has been a great series in showing students the reasons that God has created us and what He has in store for us.

Message: "Planned for God's Pleasure".  We talked about worship - what it is, how to know what you worship, etc.

Music: "Our Love is Loud" by David Crowder* Band; "Made to Worship" by Chris Tomlin; "Hosanna" by Brooke Fraser.

Good Points: The whole night fit together well with everything pointing to worship.  The music and message blending into one very well.  Our college worship leader was back to get the year started and had recruited a couple to help make a small praise band.

Weak Points: Many students were out.  Didn't have time to get the PowerPoint game together and going for the night.  That was okay though because we were out of time with the music and message.  It will be good when our time change takes place and we don't have to worry about time constraints.

Read More

Taking A Step Back

I have been working in student ministry for about 11 years now... Geez, I am getting old.  As a college sophmore, I got started as a part-time youth director.  Today, I am in a full-time position.  This is actually the third full-time position that I have had the honor of serving in.  I am finding though that I'm at a point that I really need to take a step back.  I've heard it said that we are creatures of habit.  I'm seeing that also speaks to us in ministry.

In my present serving spot, I found that this is a very different situation from what I've been with over the past few years.  In my previous two ministries, I had close to 100 students and about 70 students involved on a weekly basis.  My mindset was going in a direction of how to minister to a "large group."  The ministry that God now has me in is a very "small group" in comparison to previous ministries that I've served in.  We are averaging about 15-20 students weekly.  I have come to realize through the wisdom of some people around me (mainly my wife) that I have been trying to run a "large group" ministry and it is starting to cause some problems.

I have come to see that it is time to step back and go back to the college days.  During my early ministry service, I served in "smaller" ministries where it was mainly about the basics.  It is proving to be more of a struggle than I thought it would be.  I didn't realize that I have been in such a "large group" mindset.  I'm greatly looking forward to the getting back to basics.  Many times as ministry numbers grow, we get more program-driven instead of focusing on the purpose of what we're to do.

Read More