Originally published on March 1, 2016

I’m not a huge pastry fan, but I do enjoy a fresh, hot slice of apple pie with a generous scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.
The rich, creamy ice cream, luxuriously melting over the warm, flaky, buttery crust is pretty much irresistible. Pie a la Mode was invented about 1885.

Fruit pies were common in the Roman Empire as early as the 5th Century B.C., and ice cream was available to the general public by 1660. Yet, the world would wait more than 200 years before ice cream and pie were combined to offer something wonderful—pie a la Mode. The moral of the story is that sometimes “both and” is better than “either or.”

What Is the “both and” of making disciples?

We need to be both filled with the Spirit and intentional in making disciples. Some might assert that not being intentional is organic, thus led by the Spirit. But that’s not necessarily the case. Similarly, one could argue that if a process is intentional (strategic), it’s of man (flesh) and not of the Spirit.

But again, a review of the Scripture reveals that the claimed divide between organic and strategic is a false dichotomy. In fact, a review of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus demonstrates the “both and” principle (Acts 19:1-7; Eph. 5:18).

Have you ever met people who claimed to be followers of Jesus, but there just seemed to be something missing that made you wonder if they were really submitted to Him? When Paul returned to Ephesus, he found some disciples and asked the curious question “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” On no other occasion do we have a record of Paul making this inquiry. What prompted him to ask?

Presumably, there appeared to be something missing in their spiritual lives that prompted the question. Perhaps they didn’t seem to be submitted to Christ as Lord, or empowered by the Spirit for Christian living, or perhaps Paul had some discernment about what was lacking. These disciples at Ephesus confessed their ignorance of the Holy Spirit (verse 2).

Yet, the text indicates they were disciples and implies they were believers. They understood the need for repentance and desired to follow Jesus (verse 4). But they were apparently seeking to become mature followers of Christ by either the power of self-discipline or man’s efforts rather than the power of God’s Spirit.

And Paul recognized the problem. Subsequently, the Holy Spirit came upon them and was manifest (verse 6).

Jesus declared that His followers would receive power to represent Him when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). He likened it to being baptized with the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 2:4).

We believe that the baptism, or filling of the Spirit, is distinct from salvation, but it may occur at the same time or subsequent to being saved. The work of the Holy Spirit empowers Christian living. Jesus affirmed that the Holy Spirit was available to those who sought this gift from God and were yielded to Him (Luke 11:9-13).

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he instructed them as follows: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

The Greek reveals that it’s a commandment, and the tense can be translated “Being constantly filled with the Spirit.” The terminology of being filled might cause some to assume that we can leak the Holy Spirit, like a car engine can leak a quart of oil. Or we might think that the issue is how much of the Holy Spirit a believer has. Nevertheless, the issue isn’t how much of the Holy Spirit we have, but how much of us the Holy Spirit has.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit flows from being submitted to Jesus. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be disciples and to make disciples.

Once the believers at Ephesus were filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul began an intentional process of mentoring them to become mature followers of Christ (Acts 19:8-10). Paul taught the Scriptures daily to make disciples and develop leaders at Ephesus.

The Bible helps us to understand God and know His commandments. Thus, Bible learning is critical to being a disciple. For example, it is through the Scriptures generally, and Ephesians specifically, that we learn how being filled with the Spirit is manifest in praise, gratitude, mutual respect, marriage, family, and the workplace (Eph. 5:17-6:9).

But having knowledge, apart from the power of the Spirit, to apply the lessons is futile. So, making disciples requires us to be both filled with the Spirit and intentional (“both and”).

The filling of the Spirit is so critical to disciple-making that Paul issued a sober warning: “And don’t be drunk with wine in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit …” (Eph. 5:18). Please pardon the pun about “sober” warning, for the issue is not limited to excessive alcohol consumption. Paul’s exhortation is connected to the earlier cautions to live carefully in wisdom, redeem the time, and understand and do the will of God (Eph. 5:15-17).

Excessive alcohol consumption is an obstacle to being controlled by God, and is sin. And Paul notes that being drunk is dissipation. Dissipation relates to squandering energy, time, money, or other resources.

The only way to avoid wasting resources and wasting a life is to be intentional to live as Christ’s disciples, disciples who make disciples. And the only way to be a disciple is to be controlled by God or filled with the Spirit.

Thus, the moral of this story is that sometimes “both and” is better than “either or.”

Lifework

1. How can disciples neglect the need for the filling of the Spirit?
2. Why is it helpful to have an intentional process, along with the filling of the Spirit, to help become a disciple?
3. How do you believe that being filled with the Spirit and intentionally going through the discipleship process would help you in making disciples?

Seminary is Not For Everyone

I have known many good pastors who did not go to seminary. My pastor, Tom Stipe, used to tell me that one of the geniuses of Chuck Smith and the Calvary Chapel movement was that Chuck was willing to take chances on and empower people who, like the apostles, were “unschooled, ordinary men” who “had been with Jesus” (see Acts 4:13). I experienced this myself: I was trained, ordained, and sent out to plant a church within the Calvary Chapel ecosystem without any formal education. I am so thankful that the leaders in my life encouraged me and affirmed my calling rather than telling me to curb my enthusiasm and go to school first.

However, since that time, I did choose to go to school. I now hold a BA in Theology from the University of Gloucestershire (UK) and an MA in Integrative Theology from the London School of Theology.

Over the past few years, Calvary Global Network has developed a partnership with Western Seminary, and many Calvary leaders have enrolled in institutes of higher education. For some, this may feel like a change in culture, and the question may arise as to whether this is a move away from dependence on the Holy Spirit.

While I have benefited from going to seminary, I do not believe it is for everyone. In addition, I believe it is imperative that Calvary Chapel continues to believe in the work of the Holy Spirit through called people, regardless of their level of, or lack of, formal education.

Here is why I chose to go to seminary and what I would say to those who ask if education makes you less dependent on the Holy Spirit.

My Crisis of Faith

I am not sure exactly how it started, but at some point, I began to struggle — then it reached a point that felt like a crisis.

I was living in Hungary at the time. Rosemary and I had just had our first child; he was about six months old at the time. I was pastoring a church, and things were going well. People were coming and growing in their faith. Others were coming to faith for the first time and being baptized.

I was teaching the Bible twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays, yet I found myself struggling with feelings of doubt. I began to question whether the things I was saying about the Bible were actually true! I began having doubts about whether God even exists!

Up until that point, I had never struggled to believe, yet all of a sudden my mind was plagued with doubts. The things I was teaching, was I just parroting what I had heard from other people? Was I just taking their word for it, that the things they said about God and the Bible were true? I had not actually researched and studied those things for myself… What if they were wrong?

My Journey to Formal Education

This crisis of faith led me on a journey, which involved enrolling in university, and studying Christianity, the Bible, and other religions, at the university level. And as a result of that journey, having studied these things for myself, I am at a place today where I am more confident than ever that the Bible is trustworthy and the gospel message of Jesus Christ is true.

What the Bible has to Say about Pursuing Education

Here is what Paul said to Timothy, a young pastor:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Here is what Peter wrote in his “general epistle” (to all Christians):

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence …

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:3; 5-8).

“Why Can’t You Just Be Self-Taught?”

I have heard people push back against formal education and insist that you can get just as good of an education on your own by reading books. My response is that you probably can — but there are some big benefits to studying at an institute of higher education.

One of the greatest benefits is that you will be forced to read things you disagree with, and you will be required to critically engage with the material and with smart people who hold positions other than your own. This will make you sharper and force you to examine the foundations of what you believe. If you navigate this well, it will lead to a stronger faith.

Furthermore, if you are like me, the rigor and deadlines of a school program will help you actually do your work, and think hard, since you know your work will be examined and critiqued by people who will not let you get away with sloppy or lazy conclusions.

Does Education Make You Less Dependent on the Holy Spirit?

Having spent years in seminary, let me tell you that I have never met anyone who thinks that they no longer need the Holy Spirit now that they have learned more things. In fact, if anything, gaining education affects a person by making them more aware of how much they do not know.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is the phenomenon that those who are less competent tend to be more self-confident because they do not realize how much they do not know. In contrast, those who are more competent tend to be more aware of just how much they do not know.

This is not always the case, I am sure. Some people probably become proud because they think they know more than others once they have received some amount of education.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1)

I absolutely agree! However, I have also met people who are proud of their lack of education and look down on those who have pursued formal theological education, as if their choice to not go to seminary is more spiritual.

The key is to keep love (for God and for others, in response to God’s love for us) as the motivating factor, rather than pursuing knowledge just for the sake of knowledge. And we should certainly never seek knowledge in an attempt to assert superiority over others, but instead view it as something to be used to help and serve others.

Discussion on the CGN Mission & Methods Podcast

In the most recent episode of the CGN Mission & Methods Podcast, we discussed the power, presence, and work of the Holy Spirit, and this topic came up. Here is a clip of our discussion:

You can listen to the entire episode here (or in the embedded player below): What Do CGN Leaders Believe about Charismatic Gifts and Their Use in the Church Today?

May the Calvary family continue to be a place where we prioritize dependence on the empowering and leading of the Holy Spirit, along with diligent study of God’s Word.

Whether you pursue formal education or are self-taught, may the Lord keep us all from becoming puffed up or condescending toward others, and may Calvary be a network in which we sharpen and encourage each other as we work together to build God’s Kingdom and carry out His mission.

^{CalvaryChapel.com does not necessarily endorse or agree with every message or perspective in the diverse links posted. By providing these links, we hope to help you stay informed of important events and conversations taking place in the world that are relevant to the Christian faith.}

In my last post in this series, I tried to offer a valid explanation of cessationism along with the primary points commonly held in support of that position. In this post, I want to graciously and honestly address some weaknesses in the arguments set forth in support of cessationism.

Response to the “Foundational Apostles” Argument

First, there are biblical and logical problems with the argument for cessationism from the foundational role of the apostles. Biblically speaking, the New Testament seems to affirm two aspects of apostleship. On the one hand, it is true that the Twelve (minus Judas Iscariot) and the Apostle Paul served in a uniquely foundational role in establishing the church (Ephesians 2:20). The story of Acts makes this abundantly clear (Acts 1:15-16; 21-26). However, on the other hand, the New Testament also employs the term apostle(s) to refer to several people aside from the Twelve and Paul. For a few examples, these include Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6-13), James (Galatians 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:14); Titus (2 Corinthians 8:23), and more.

None of these men who are called apostles in the New Testament served as authors of inspired Scripture. These were people who lived and served the church during those foundational years and were called and gifted by the Holy Spirit as apostles, even though they never operated as God’s agents in receiving and delivering inspired scripture to the church. This means that, though they were certainly important and strategic leaders in their own right, they were not foundational in the same way that the Twelve and Paul were foundational to the establishment of the church, and formulation of the biblical canon. This would seem to at least imply the possibility that such apostles could exist today without threatening the closed canon of the Bible, or leading to Roman Catholic conclusions about Apostolic Succession.

Then there is the issue of logic on this argument. Again, the reality that people other than the Twelve and Paul are called apostles in the New Testament demonstrates that the gift of apostleship was not limited to the small group of leaders generally regarded as the foundational apostles, even during the early days of the church. Many cessationists link the alleged passing of the role of the apostle with the passing of revelatory gifts. One necessarily implies the other, in their view. They argue that if the gift/office of apostleship ceased with the passing of the Twelve and Paul, other revelatory gifts they presume to have accompanied that office must have accordingly ceased in operation.

Using this cessationist logic, one could just as easily argue that, since scripture plainly declares that people not numbered with the Twelve and Paul did, in fact, operate in the gift of apostleship, it makes sense to assume that people may operate in these gifts today, since they were not merely connected to the laying of the foundation of the church. And, if this is true, then the revelatory gifts in the New Testament supposedly connected to the ministry of apostles in scripture could be presumed to be in continuation today as well. The point is that the cessationist argument from the foundational role of the apostles neither squares with Scripture, nor is it immune to refutation when one applies this same line of logic many cessationists use to support their perspective on this point, but in reverse.

Response to “The Authenticating Role of Miracles” Argument

Second, there are problems with their argument from the authenticating role of miracles in the ministries of Jesus and the apostles. The fact that miracles were used as authenticating markers in this sense does not mean that this was their only purpose. According to Paul, God’s purposes in granting miracles and healings also include enabling believers to be useful to one another and facilitating spiritual edification in the church (1 Corinthians 12:7). Scripture does not limit God’s intentions for miracles, healings, and the like to authenticating Messianic or apostolic ministry, and neither should people today.

Far more people than Jesus and the apostles experienced miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Acts 6:8; 8:6). Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians declare that the charismata are the potential experience of all individual believers in the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). In his speech at Pentecost, Peter reaches back to Joel 2:28-32 to provide a biblical framework for understanding the manifestation of the gift of tongues the people were hearing at that pivotal moment in church history: “God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17a-18). In other words, Peter was saying Pentecost kicked off a time when far more than just leaders who had been chosen for special roles in God’s service would experience powerful manifestations of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit would now become an equal opportunity for all of God’s people. Peter’s point is exactly the opposite of the cessationist perspective that would assign such gifts to a small, limited number of strategic leaders, who were in operation in a very narrow window of early church history.

Response to the “Absence of Charismata in Church History” Argument

Third, the argument for cessationism from an alleged lack of documented cases of believers experiencing the manifestations of the Spirit in church history is demonstrably weak. Dr. Sam Storms addresses this argument in his helpful article, “Gifts in Church History,” in which he cites six sources from church history that document manifestations of charismata in local churches between the first and fifth centuries.¹ These include examples from the writings of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Eusebius, Augustine, and more. If you would like to review some strong refutations of this particular argument for cessationism, consult Dr. Storms’ articles and other writings on the topic, as well as the much more extensive work of New Testament scholar and continuationist, Craig Keener, entitled, “Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.”²

Response to the “Closed Canon” Argument

Fourth, the argument for cessationism from a closed canon has weaknesses. For one, there is no evidence that tongues or prophecy were the mediums through which God moved the biblical authors to formulate inspired Scripture. On the contrary, Paul plainly and bluntly describes tongues as praying (1 Corinthians 14:14), singing (14:15b), and giving thanks (14:16) in the spirit to God (2a), for the believer’s personal edification (4a), by means of a language previously unknown to the speaker (14:10-14). New Testament Prophecy is speaking a spontaneous (14:30), biblically-consistent message (14:29b), which brings edification, exhortation, or comfort to the hearer (14:3). These are not gifts reserved for the spiritual elite or uniquely called, but the potential experience of all believers (14:1), young or old, male or female (Joel 2:28-32; 1 Corinthians 11:5), leader or non-leader (1 Corinthians 14:31). If these revelatory gifts were experienced by all believers (not just the apostles and authors of Scripture), during the first century of the church, and were therefore clearly not the mechanism through which inspired Scripture was granted, then there is no reason to believe that their usefulness would pass from the scene when the canon was completed.

Response to “the Perfect” Argument

Regarding 1 Corinthians 13:8b-9, it is more likely that the perfect Paul had in mind is the state of glorification believers will experience in the next age. This squares more with the believer’s current reality as it relates to the rest of the text. Believers do not presently possess the face-to-face type of self-awareness and God-awareness Paul describes in this text. They walk imperfectly through the battlefield of life, still waging war against the flesh, the lust of the eyes, pride, and the Devil (1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 John 2:16; 1 Peter 5:8).

Response to “the Absence of Modern Experience” Argument

Fifth, the argument for cessationism based on the reality that many faithful followers of Jesus today do not experience certain manifestations of the Spirit has weaknesses. Chiefly, it does not account for the role of personal desire that is required to experience the manifestations of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Through Paul, God commands believers to, “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1, ESV). This implies that there are at least two things that are normally required for a person to experience these manifestations of the Spirit: 1) Human Desire 2) God’s Will. Though the Spirit distributes the gifts according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7), God calls His people to desire and seek these gifts. It is difficult for a Christian to desire something from God that they do not believe is possible, or even God’s will. If people are not encouraged to desire these gifts, we should not expect them to experience them.

A Caution: How to Shut the Spirit Up

God commands the church to actively avoid quenching manifestations of the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Corinthians 14:39-40) Nothing could be more quenching to the Spirit and His desire to grant the charismata in our midst than teaching people that these manifestations of the Spirit are not available to the church today and that they should not be sought or tolerated by believers in our personal lives and congregational gatherings. When we decide it is no longer necessary to adhere to a clear command of Scripture, such as, “do not despise prophecies,” (1 Thessalonians 5:20) there is more at stake than winning a theological sparring match. This is not to say that all commands in Scripture apply to believers today in the same way that they did to their original audience. However, the weight of what it means to draw the conclusion that certain clear commands directed to the church in the New Testament are no longer applicable to the church today must be soberly felt, and taken seriously as we formulate our perspectives and practice on these matters.

What’s Next?

I hope that this article provides some helpful things to think about as you continue to shape your understanding and practice of the so-called gifts of the Spirit. In my next post in this series, I will offer an explanation of the other primary theological perspective on this topic known as Continuationism. In that post, I will also highlight some strengths and weaknesses of the continuationist position. Look for it in the coming weeks on CalvaryChapel.com.

Notes:

¹ Storms, Sam. “Gifts in Church History”. Sam Storms. May 22, 2013.

² Keener, Craig. “Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts”. Baker Academic. 2011.

This is painful.

I’m about to share something personal. It’s a lesson I learned years ago. I share it because it illustrates what I believe to be a crucial truth. It seems many mature believers “get stuck” at some point in their walk. They’ve made good progress, then stall. They may stay there for months, sometimes for years. As many Christians know—If you’re not making progress, you’re inevitably slipping back.

When we first come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us set aside obvious vices, the so-called “sins of the flesh.”

Our change in behavior sets us at odds with the people we used to hang out with. Since we’re not doing what we did, while they continue to, we find new peers who encourage our walk with Christ. Chapter two in our journey is when the Holy Spirit moves beyond the sins of the flesh to the sins of the soul. It isn’t just behaviors that are challenged; its thoughts, opinions, attitudes. The struggle in dealing with these is that they are wrapped around our identity.

The sins of the flesh were just things we did. The sins of the soul are tied to who we are. The Holy Spirit challenges us to set aside our “old man,” as the New Testament calls our old identity, and embrace our “new man” who we really are now in Christ. (Romans 6:5-14; Ephesians 4:20-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Because these are deeper changes that profoundly affect how we see ourselves and place in the world, they’re a far greater challenge than the sins of the flesh. Many balk at the prospect of setting aside the familiar for the unknown. They may not like what the Spirit has revealed, but at least it’s known. The identity God calls them into is for many, an unknown too scary to brave.

For years I struggled with anger.

I’d have moments of rage that exploded in punching walls, throwing things or verbal abuse. Fortunately, the violence was never directed at people. After each outburst, I regretted my behavior but made no progress in shutting it down. I eventually realized why—It worked! My outbursts were usually at work where I was a manager. When I blew up, it made the employees “tow the line” and get back to work.

Then I got married and had a child. When my son failed to comply with some command, I blew up. When I saw the fear on his little face, I realized how out of control I was and the damage I was doing. I’d prayed about my rage before but now I was desperate to change. But—Nothing happened. The rage continued.

One day, after yet another regrettable outburst, as I pleaded with God to change me, I sensed the Spirit say, “Your rage is a symptom.”

My reply: “Of what?”

Spirit: “I can’t show you.”

Me: “Why?”

Spirit: “It would ruin you.”

Me: “Why?”

Spirit: “You’re not ready. If I showed you the root cause, you’d despair.”

Me: “Then I’ll never change. I have to change. Please show me.”

Spirit: “I will–when you’re ready.”

As anyone who’s had that kind of moment with the Holy Spirit knows, the entire exchange took place in no more than a couple seconds. A profound peace came as I realized God was going to do a work in me to bring me to the place where He could show me what the cause of my anger was. Once I knew, I could repent and experience healing. Little did I know when it was revealed, it would be so painful.

Over the next months, my walk with God became more secure as I began to better understand His grace. He proved Himself faithful time and again. I realized how wise and powerful He is. It wasn’t till later that I could see all that was part of what I needed to know so the change could come. So that a part of the “old Lance” could be intentionally put away and my new identity installed.

Then one day, in a setting similar to the previous encounter, I sensed the Spirit ask, “Are you ready?”

My reply: “If you’re asking, it means I am.” That was followed by a kind of pause in which I sensed the Spirit was giving me the opportunity to compose myself. “Okay,” I thought, “Big reveal coming. Get ready.” Then it came.

“Lance, your anger is rooted in your need to be in control. You give lip service to Me being Lord, but you haven’t surrendered to Me. You’ve taken Me as Savior, but not as GOD. YOU sit on your throne. So when things aren’t going as you want, you blow up because it intimidates people and makes them comply. It puts you ‘in charge.’ But it also harms your relationships with them. I’m God! Get off your throne and yield it to Me.”

As before, all this came in the space of a couple seconds. And as warned, it was a revelation so deep and disturbing, I was barely able to handle it. Undone! There’s no other way to describe how I felt. I seemed the world’s biggest traitor because I had betrayed myself without knowing it. I realized how comfortable I’d been living a lie. In fervent prayer, I admitted my sin, asked forgiveness, and the work of truth and grace to surrender utterly to God as God, to take control of me and help me stay off my throne.

He did. The next months saw a remarkable change. When anger stirred, I quietly reminded myself Who was in control. What a delight to watch the fire of hostility die instead of flare up. There were a couple moments in the next years when the rage spun up, but it was quickly repented of. It’s been many years since the last outburst.

Note: This was the cause of my anger problem. I’m not suggesting it’s someone else’s. Their brokenness may lie elsewhere.

That wasn’t the end of the Spirit’s work. He’s gone on to deal with other things in me. Because I’m not in Heaven yet, there’s more brokenness to be made whole, more sin to repent of, more holes in my soul that grace and truth need to fill.

2 Corinthians 5:17 is a key truth in pressing into spiritual maturity. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Faith in Jesus unites us to His death and resurrection. The Cross puts an end to what we were while the resurrection births us as a new creation. Walking in the Spirit means learning to “put off the old man and put on the new.”

Are you stuck?

Is there something you plead with God to change but seem to make no headway in? Does anger often get the best of you? Are you locked in bitterness? Does envy squeeze you? It may be the reason you still struggle with something is that it’s rooted in your old identity. If you have repeatedly asked God to “fix” something still broken, it’s time to ask why. Ask the Spirit to bring you to the place where you can see the cause.

Because the reality is, if we’re not growing, if we’re not moving forward in our walk with God, we’re inevitably drifting backward. We simply must press on.

Life truly begins as we die to ourselves and trust in Christ.

Once we receive Jesus into our lives, His Spirit joins with our human spirit, and we become born again as new creations in Christ. Our sinful life is exchanged with the righteous life of Christ. Our lives take on new meaning and true purpose, but this does not mean we are always living according to this newness of life. This is why Paul says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, NKJV).

The Apostle Paul understood that we still have a natural selfish bent in life that gives us the potential to act according to our fallen nature, which can affect both our personal walk with God and the kind of fellowship we will have with other believers. Our family upbringing, fallen nature and personal choices have predisposed us to act and react in certain ways based on our previous conditioning. Sometimes, we try to excuse our behavior and bad habits by telling others, “This is just who I am.” Our insecurities and personal hang-ups still need to pass through the cross, so that we don’t let our past identity affect our new identity in Christ.

Of all the battles being fought in our world, the believer’s battle between the flesh and the Spirit is the most critical. Our personal holiness and influence on others depend on our victory in this area. Therefore, we must learn to appropriate Christ’s finished work on the cross and learn to walk in the newness of the Spirit.

Paul the Apostle said,

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18, NKJV).

To be led by or to walk in the Spirit means to be governed and guided by His Spirit. This has to do with right belief more than right behavior. It is having a Gospel-centered way of thinking where we rely on God more than trying harder.

In our daily practice, it means choosing God’s will over our own will, so that we “do not do the things that [we] wish.” Only then can we overcome evil with good and be “the salt and light” we are called to be.

The Gospel takes us directly to the cross where both sin and the sinner were judged, forgiven and graciously exchanged for an entirely different way of life based on what Christ has done and continues to do through us!

Here are three essential ways to explain and maintain our daily walk in the Spirit:

1. Acknowledge God’s Presence in your life and your absolute need for His grace.

This begins by thanking God for His abiding presence and realizing that we always need God. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (emphasis mine)

Since we all gravitate toward the appetites and confidence of our flesh, whether rebellious or religious in nature, our natural inclination can still be to solve our own problems and fulfill our own desires. But victory comes as we look to Christ for our sufficiency and satisfaction. David wrote in his famous shepherd’s psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). It is only as we are communing with God and aware of His presence that we will no longer need to rely on ourselves or look elsewhere for fulfillment.

The Apostle Paul makes a very important distinction in Galatians 5:19-21 when he calls our former sinful practices “the works of the flesh,” emphasizing what we naturally do apart from God, but when speaking of the life of the Spirit, he changes his verbiage and uses the term “the fruit of the Spirit.” Notice that it is no longer our works but His work in us that makes all the difference for us to become more like Christ. We are called to work out what God has already worked within, even as Paul reminds us, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, NKJV).

Paul further explains that the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE – expressed in joy, peace, longsuffering, etc. Thus, walking in the Spirit will result in abiding in Christ’s love. This is possible only as we are rooted and connected to the life of Christ – since there can be no real FRUIT without the right ROOT.

2. Believe in God’s Promises and look past your own perspective.

Regardless of what we are going through, we must know what God reveals to us in His living Word. The Word of God declares who we are, how we are to live, and what we shall become.

With Christ living in us, we can heed God’s wisdom in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Although it is natural for us to lean on our own understanding in order to explain a situation or solve a problem, we are called to trust in God by learning and leaning on what He says to us. He will direct our paths as we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.

We must remember that there are no ties when it comes to the flesh battling against the Spirit. We are either under the influence of the Spirit or being governed by the flesh. Jesus said, “the spirit gives life and the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63). We are either carnally minded which leads to death or spiritually minded which leads to “life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

Thus, God’s promises are the right starting point for every situation we find ourselves in. His promise should be the premise of every process. Rather than always needing an explanation for our present circumstances, we should learn to live with an expectation of God’s promised conclusions.

Therefore, it is wise for us to learn and memorize the promises revealed in God’s treasure chest of Scripture and to unlearn what it means to be wise in our own opinions (Romans 12:16).

3. Rely on God’s Power and His sufficiency for our lives.

Even with a right spiritual mindset, we must not try to do the right thing in our own strength. Since we live in a fallen world that is constantly working against us and wearing us down, we must come to Him to find His rest for our souls. In order to walk in the Spirit, we must STOP TRYING and START DYING to be regularly RELYING on God!

We must believe that Christ has already given us the means and the motive to do all that He asks of us. With His every command comes the necessary grace to fulfill what He asks of us. It is His strength and power that matters. We are no longer living our own life but His. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Our victory lies in believing the Gospel and living in the present reality of who Christ is in us!

Paul puts it this way to Timothy, “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). This means that we are to be strong in the strength that we do not have. Walking in the Spirit requires us to turn to God in the Spirit, surrender our will to His, and receive by faith what He alone is able to provide.

The human spirit fails unless the Holy Spirit fills!

A few years back I had this great idea of restoring a 1972 Chevy Blazer 4X4. I loved that specific year, great body lines, removable top, and it looks great with a 6″ lift kit. A good friend in the restoration business started the search and called me a few days later with what he said was the perfect truck to restore. What I got in my garage was affectionately nicknamed by my kids “Mater” after the rusted-out bucket of bolts tow truck from the Disney movie Cars.

I really had no idea how much work was ahead of me. Step one was stripping the truck down to frame and body and grinding out all the rust. Everyone knows if you don’t get all the rust out it will come back with a vengeance. You can paint over it, but in time, it will bubble through the paint and eat away at the body and frame of the car. In other words, stripping is essential for not only a good restore, but one that lasts.

Sometimes the same can be said for our lives and our churches. We want an enduring work of God that brings Him glory but just covering up the imperfections won’t produce that. Sometimes what’s needed is a deeper work. This has been a prayer for our church over the last several months as we’ve seen God working in three specific areas.

1. STRIPPED OF RELIGIOUS PRIDE

Nothing is more dangerous to a genuine work of God’s Spirit than religious pride. The Pharisees stand for everything that any sane Christian doesn’t want to be. They had inflated egos perceiving themselves to be better in every way than those around them. They believed their religious works were the basis for their supposed right standing before God. They were all religious show on the outside while the things most important to God were missing on the inside. All of this and more made them inflexible old wine skins, unable (and unwilling) to contain the new wine of God’s desired work.

What a deep deception it is to believe you are God’s instrument, when in reality, you’re a hindrance to what He desires to do. That religious pride needs to be stripped away and replaced with a raw and tender heart toward Jesus. Jack Miller popularized the phrase, “Preach the gospel to yourself,” which has now been passed on by notables like John Piper and Tim Keller. It’s good advice. We need to constantly remind ourselves that it is the gospel and the gospel alone that has saved us. When pride and self-sufficiency or egotism begin to rise, we need to grind it down with the gospel and rest our hope and our work completely upon the grace of God.

2. STRIPPED OF WATERED DOWN, UN-EMPOWERED PREACHING

Since I pastor in Las Vegas, every weekend I see a very unique cross section of humanity, and the need is great. Yet, like in so many large cities, a good portion of pulpits are centering their messages on self-help sermonettes or inspirational encouragements. While the idea may be that we need to give people what they want, our real responsibility is to give them what they need, and they need Holy Spirit empowered preaching and teaching of the full counsel of God’s Word. I don’t mean teaching that is simply conveying information. D.L. Moody said, “The Bible wasn’t just given for our information but our transformation.” Our preaching and teaching stands on the power of God’s word, but it should be delivered with the fire of God’s Spirit and from hearts and minds ablaze with His presence and divine unction. Moreover, we need to travel where others fear to tread. Over the past couple of summers, we have focused on a series called “Uncensored,” where we have addressed the most controversial and taboo topics that our culture is dealing with such as transgenderism, can a Christian be gay, race, divorce, prescription drug abuse and more. I think our culture needs Spirit empowered pastors who are willing to lead the way in teaching the truth in love.

3. STRIPPED OF CATEGORIZING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

I love looking out over the congregation on any given morning and seeing an ethnically diverse group of people from all walks of life: homeschool moms, lawyers, casino executives, people who work in hospitality, former exotic dancers, prostitutes and pimps. Only God can do that. Only God can transform lives and simultaneously break down walls so that we see each other as “one in Christ.” There are no categories; the ground at the foot of the cross is level.

Sectarianism comes naturally to us, but in the church and among churches, it must die. Paul said to the church at Corinth that divisions like this are a sign of carnality in Christians. And from my experience, it hinders the progress of the Great Commission. There are moments where I want to shout to the people the famous words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all get along?” Ultimately, the answer is love and sharing His love with one another, which covers a multitude of sins and identifies us as belonging to Jesus. The world needs to see the miracle of Christ’s love working among His people.

We all share the desire of experiencing a mighty outpouring of God in our generation, a genuine work of spiritual restoration. It may be that the first step to this great God glorifying work is some good, old fashioned body work where it’s needed most, beginning with you and me.

Every generation, we think truth is new to us. There is a beauty in that and a danger as well.

There is a beauty to discovering grace, finding ourselves surprised by the way God loves us and how utterly undeserving we are.

There is a joy to encountering the presence of His Holy Spirit and of the first time He speaks radically and personally in our lives.

There is a peace that genuinely passes understanding.

(Not a peace of pastors’ understanding, which is how I used to accidentally sing the song, with my dad genuinely correcting me because of the theological implications of my mispronunciations).

All of these things are and should be new to us. We should discover them with gleeful joy and utter abandon, as excited as though we are the first to know that God loves us.

The danger is always, ever wrapped up in pride.

Since the Garden, we have swallowed the lie that we know more, listen better and understand the truth more fully then God. We imagine that us, the created, know better than the Creator, and the endless taking of what is not ours continues to this day. In theology, this means we champion grace and Gospel-centered teaching, and sometimes, forget this is the glorious legacy of the church in general (Martin Luther, Augustine, George Muller) and our movement in specific.

Lately, I have been reading a number of fascinating, modern authors. Many of the points they make are excellent, but they feel steeped in prideful authority. Some of their excellent points taste embittered by the battle of their journeys. In contrast, Pastor Chuck’s book, “Why Grace Changes Everything,” changed…. everything for many of my friends. I remember sitting in church services on lazy Sunday evenings, watching him weep for the beauty of the book of Romans.

I remember wondering, “Will I ever love the Word of God like this?”

The gospel according to grace (Ironically, the title of another book by Pastor Chuck) is not new. It is the story our Father began writing before Genesis, and one that carries on past Revelation.

My revelation of grace has come in many places and in many stages.

Several weeks ago, Sandy Adams wrote an excellent article on grace as the great distinctive of the Calvary Chapel movement. Amen.

In the tone and spirit of grace, I pray that I step out more and more in discovering its meaning for my life.

I pray that I weep over the book of Romans and quote Martin Luther and speak to the hardened teens who say, “F#^* no. I’ll never go to church!”

I pray that I will live with them, from my legacy of grace, the love that is new for every generation. I pray I will be caught off guard by the way Jesus loves us.

The beauty of this legacy gives us a confident assurance that, while our faith journey is new and unique, we walk in a long and well-established history.

I am writing today beneath my town’s castle. Birds are chirping, lambs are grazing and the fortress of Launceston, from almost 1000 years, looms over me. I find confidence in the history; I write in the place where George Fox was imprisoned for this same faith, where Cuthbert Mayne was exiled for giving out tracts, where wars and trials were held. Today, there is peace.

Grace is worth the battle.

Grace glimmers through history. Ultimately, grace gives peace.
These two are hand-in-hand in Scripture and always together in my life.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21). ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Planting a church is a big deal. Jesus ordained the Spirit-empowered Church to be His vehicle through whom to reveal Himself to the world. The Church with a big C is the universal gathering of believers of all generations, cultures and styles, redeemed by Jesus. But the Church with a big C has always gathered in local expressions. Each of these local expressions should be deeply biblical and highly contextualized for their location, generation and mission.

If you are reading this article at all, you are interested in planting a local church in the 21st century. Since you are reading this on CalvaryChapel.com, you are probably interested in either planting a Calvary-styled church or at least learning from one of the largest, organic church planting movements of the last half-century. So I am going to write from that perspective. My hope is to be really practical in how to plan your first public gathering.

However, before I begin, you have to remember that while most of us want to pastor and teach the Bible, church planting is about pioneering. Before you can pastor and teach the congregation, you need to gather people together. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that all you need to do is hang out a sign and everyone from the community will flock to hear your erudite biblical exposition. That rarely happens! So you have to think like a pioneer. You need to meet people, lots of people. You need to share the gospel and about the church you are launching. Too many church plants are just designed to reach already churched people. That isn’t really a church plant—it’s a church move. With the numbers of Christians in America going down and the number of church plants going up, we need to make sure our pioneering is of the lost multitudes and not of the already saved. I always say that you can tell the success of a church plant, not by the numbers in attendance but by the number of baptisms. A true church plant does not recycle Christians. It makes new Christians.

Launch Team

Before you “go public,” you have to know who you are going public with. Your first gathering is your introduction to your community. As the old advertisement goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” So when you go live, you need to have things together. Much of this is taken care of by a solid launch team. I always tell people that you need “the big three” on your launch team. And no, not the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Absolutely you need the Triune God. And Lord willing, God is on your launch team! It is God’s church! The big three is someone to teach the Bible, someone to lead worship, and someone to teach the children. At the very least in our generation, that is what people expect from a Sunday church gathering: Bible teaching, worship, and age-appropriate children’s ministry. Don’t get me wrong—you can go live without those, but you don’t want to. Trust me! Been there, done that! Sure, you can have someone double up on those roles (where two people can fulfill the three roles). But the big three are important to going live. Also you will need a few more support people to greet, run the sound and lyrics presentation, and set up and tear down.

Space

Let’s talk about space. If you are having a public meeting, you will need to be meeting in public. As our culture has become more skeptical, people are stereotypically less likely, unless they are believers, to join a home study that will launch into a church. So a public space is needed! This can often be the hardest part of a church plant. To rent public space takes money, which is often severely limited. Renting public space is always a step of faith. But here are some space considerations:

Are you called to the area in which you have found space? Location will be a major factor in the type of ministry you do. So don’t neglect where you plant your congregation.

Is it sufficient space for what you are trying to do? Are there at least a few rooms—one for the gathering and one for the children/nursery? Is it too big? Is it too small? Will anyone be able to find you? Can you place way-finding signs to help people find you? Remember, it is hard for people to attend a church that they can’t find! It is also hard for people to stick with a mini-church in a huge space or a church crunched into a room like sardines. Carnal, you may say? But it’s a reality nonetheless.

Finally, is your space consistent? One of the biggest issues young churches have is the lack of consistency. It’s hard to reach, nurture and build a congregation when you are always moving around. Whether we like it or not, people want stability. Finding consistent space is essential.

Advertising

I realize that the term “advertising” or “marketing” might seem like a dirty word to some people. But here’s the deal. No one will ever come or join a church that they have never heard about! So if you are planting a church, I assume that you want to actually have church, which means people. And if you want to reach people, that means at some point, in some way, they need to hear about the church. And friends, people hear about the church through advertising! Now, without a doubt, the best advertisement for the church is word-of-mouth invites from people who love the church. But if it is your first public gathering, then you probably don’t have that yet. So you advertise.

For me, I will use whatever means necessary (excluding sin) to let people know about the church. So use little handouts, social media, print media, bulk mailings, radio, t-shirts, signs, billboards, give-aways, etc. Really, whatever you can think of and can afford. Do it! For your first launch, use anything and everything that you can to let people know about the church!

Conclusion

There is much more I could talk to you about, things like planning a good order of service, making sure you have lyric presentation for worship, making the space nice by using tablecloths and fresh flowers, going the extra mile to make a brand-new church feel like home, and doing amazing follow-up after the first meeting. But I am out of space and time. In conclusion, go all out for your first gathering. Do all of it as unto the Lord, and trust Him to build His church. But as Keith Green was known to have said, “Do your best, commit the rest, and then pray that it is blessed!”