The Open Word (Audio)

It’s when we’re filled with the Spirit that our focus is turned to those things of God’s Kingdom. We’re no longer overwhelmed or weighed down by the cares of this world. We are no longer distracted by the attractions of this world. We find ourselves Spirit minded, living a life of thanksgiving and praise. Pastor David points out we can’t be simultaneously worldly and Spirit filled, but we can walk with the assurance of the work of God in our lives.

If we’re going to walk right, we need to walk with caution. As Christians we’re aware there are dangers out there, but are we being diligent and cautious about it? Are we being sure to not walk around with blinders on? What does our walk show about us? Does it show wisdom and discernment or foolishness and darkness? Over time we make ourselves patterns we can follow. It’s time to examine those patterns and make sure they are pointing our walk towards righteousness.

In this teaching we see a list of thoughts and actions we should put off. We should put on the new man, the one that is led by the Spirit. We need to stop acting like the unsaved and start acting like Christ. Dancing with the Father is our example of how to live. However, we need to be making the right choices so that we are close enough to Him to hear His voice. Being close to God is how we learn the fruits of the Spirit and how to walk in truth.

Paul likens our walk with Christ to dancing and walking. A good dancer mimics the moves of their partner and they flow gracefully together. As for walking, we used to walk in our dead trespasses but we were created for good works, and we are to walk in them. We are no longer to walk in the futility of our minds, we are to walk carefully and diligently. We are to imitate God and walk rightly because our walk is watched by those who are lost.

The Lord has sealed us with the promise of the Spirit in our hearts. We have the guarantee of our salvation and that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. Careful though, we can still grieve the Holy Spirit when we trifle with sin, or allow the devil to have his way with us. With acts of commission and omission, doing things we shouldn’t and not doing things we should. Thankfully, and in spite of us, the promise the Lord has made will not be broken.

The unbeliever has a terminal ignorance of God. They can hear the best laid gospel message and still only have a head knowledge. They have a blindness in their heart of their need to come to God and the coming judgment from God. So much so that they become numb to any type of godly morality, they don’t have any type of biblical world view. Sadly there are still Christians that don’t have a biblical world view either! The good news is that we can put off the old man and put on the new man.

Pastor David wants us to realize that even though we are one Body, we are all individual members, and even though we are individual members we all work together as a Body. Just as with an actual physical body, the hand or knee can’t survive on its own, so we can’t survive without the Body of Christ. God has called us to be a member of His Body for an effective, powerful and individual purpose. What aspect of Christ are you displaying within His Body?

We are called to have unity but still be individuals in our purpose, calling and gifts. These gifts are for a distinct purpose from the Lord however WE should not be our main focus. He brought us together not for ourselves, but for the greater glory of Him, and to impact the lost world around us. This sometimes pushes us out of our comfort zone, like when iron sharpens iron. We have the tendency to stay away from this because of the friction it creates, but it is so needed.

As the Body of Christ we need a firm rudder to keep us on track. The Lord has given us pastors to do just that. They watch over us to be sure we press on to maturity. Natural growth progression should be from milk to meat. Instead of being like babes and comparing ourselves to others, our measurement standard should be Christ. Pastor David points out that our growth directly correlates to our ability to speak the truth in love. The pastor has his work cut out for him, keeping us on track to grow up.

In this message Pastor David talks about the gift of being a pastor. All throughout the Bible we’re likened to sheep which have the tendency to go astray. The pastor’s job is to protect and take care of the sheep, and that protection is to be based upon the word of God, being taught so we are guarded from false doctrine. We’re to be challenged in our personal walk. It is the pastors who are following the Spirit and word of God that will nourish and protect the sheep.