The Process

“The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 22-23

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires.” v. 24

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. ” v. 25

The Character: The Fruit of The Spirit is the character of Christ. Those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior do His church no favors, bring The Son no honor and give The Father no glory by manufacturing the imitation fruit of their own “passions and desires.”

The Flesh is any passion and desire in a believer’s life that doesn’t resemble the character of Jesus. The Flesh is not lazy, just self-centered. The by-product of this self-help is man-made religion. The church produced by this kind of effort is a death-defying system incapable of offering people any life-giving hope.

“Never let the system overshadow The Savior.” Don Miller (my Dad, not the other one)

Imitation fruit will never pass the taste test of people hungering and thirsting for righteousness, but it will always find an audience of people satisfied with keeping up appearances. The fruit inspection of The Spirit begins with conviction of sin. When a believer ignores the slightest touch of The Spirit’s hand, or the first whisper of His still, small voice The Flesh has risen from the dead, and must be taken back to The Cross.

The Crucified: The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name. Believers are sealed by The Spirit. The Fruit He produces is stamped with the character of The Son. He relentlessly pursues believers, inviting them into consistent companionship with Jesus marked by moment-by-moment intimacy and immediate, intense integrity.

At the first sign of “passions and desires” less than the character of Jesus, believers must put The Flesh to death. The longer they rationalize any behavior produced by personal “passions and desires” their fruit becomes increasingly poisonous. Lives spent sinking roots deeper and deeper into bitter soil become embittered expressions of the character of Christ.

Imitation fruit leaves an aroma of sweat equity, but not the sweet fruit of The Spirit. What The Spirit produces brings the aroma of a farmer’s market, not the body odor of a machine shop. Remember, the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name, especially The Fruit of The Spirit.

• Love is not a warm feeling for those who treat us well, but undefeatable goodwill towards those who do their worst.

• Joy is not entertainment soaked sensation, but an over-whelming confidence in God’s sovereignty in spite of all appearances.

• Peace is not the absence of war, but the calming Presence of The Champion in the heat of the battle.

• Patience is not the capping of a volcano and a holding onto one’s temper with a white-knuckled grip, and a thin-lipped grimace. It is the God-given capacity to have a long-tempered attitude towards the crises of life, large and small, and say with absolute abandonment in the middle of it all, “This too will pass.”

• Kindness is not a warm thought, but a need known transformed into a need met.

• Goodness is not an expression of one’s best, but the result of the death of one’s worst.

• Gentleness is not the touch placed upon those who do what we want. It is the broken will, bridled mouth, and harnessed power of a wild animal under the authority and jurisdiction a new master.

• Faithfulness is not a relentless reliability upon one’s own ability. It is the surrendered will of a person who has come to the end of their own will, and seeks nothing but being available to the will of God.

• Self-control is not self dominating, but self-yielded to the ways and the will and the waiting required of those who desire God’s best, not just what they want.

The Walk: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Those who die to their own “passions and desires” discover that the joy is in the journey.

The Walk by The Spirit begins at The Cross. The believer just doesn’t start there, but stays there until the character of Christ is produced. The crucified life begins with the death of The Flesh. This death is sustained and maintained by yielding immediately to The Spirit’s inspection of The Fruit.

Note to self: When you ignore The Spirit’s gentle, guiding hand upon your life, don’t be surprised if you begin to feel God’s thumb upon your life. Either way, The Father intends for you, as one of His children, to respond to His direction, protection and correction. He will do whatever it takes to bring you to Him. His will is to knock your will out of you.

Anyone who has ever ushered a rebellious child through the Terrible Two’s knows how much resistance can come to the slightest hint of direction, protection, and correction. Wise parents persevere and guide their children to maturity. The Father will do no less.

The danger facing the contemporary church is not the lack of effort, but the release of unharnessed energy. Time doesn’t correct the path of an object that is off course. In navigational terms there is a principle called “accumulative error.” The longer an object continues off course, the greater the consequences of not making a course correction. There is a point of no return.

In the Body of Life of the church suffers from accumulative error. Uncorrected Terrible Two’s morph into Turbulent Teens, and eventually produces Grotesque Geriatrics. Delayed obedience is still disobedience and never ends well.

Wini Oxford was one of the great church ladies of the 20th Century. Before her retirement she served as a church secretary for over 40 years. She was a force of nature, and didn’t suffer fools gladly. It was my privilege to call her my friend and one of the finest administrative assistants I have ever known.

One day I asked Wini why the Senior Adults of the church couldn’t bring themselves to get along with one another. There were a couple of hundred of them hanging around in four departments that the staff referred to as, “God’s Waiting Rooms.” Instead of cooperating with one another, they seemed intent on making life as difficult as possible on themselves and those around them. Wini was in her middle seventies, and she had known these people most of her life. Her response was, “They were mean young adults, and over the years, they have just become meaner Senior Adults. They will have to die to get better.”

Wini was right. Time doesn’t heal all wounds. If left untreated, bruised fruit will become bitter fruit. This only happens…EVERY TIME.

The Process of bearing fruit begins with The Cross, and continues with dying to self. The Walk by The Spirit continues to take a believer back to The Cross. Every time “passions and desires” that don’t’ resemble Jesus emerge from the mouth and the manners of a believer, The Walk leads back to The Cross. The Spirit will not ignore imitation fruit. The Spirit inspects it, and expects it to be called what it is…sin.

Prayerless people find a way of using God’s vocabulary for sin in other people’s lives, but want to change dictionaries when it comes to defining sin in their own lives. Prayerful people are wise people who call things by their right name. Prayer prunes the desire of The Flesh from the heart of the believer to make room for The Fruit of The Spirit. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Fruit

“But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such thing there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

The definition of The Fruit is a relatively simple concept to grasp. It is not the definition, but the expression of The Fruit that is elusive. Defining The Fruit is improved by education. Bearing The Fruit is produced by crucifixion.   Education requires an investment of time. Crucifixion requires death. To bear The Fruit believers must die to The Flesh. Big difference.

There is danger in imitation or poison fruit posing as authentic Christianity.  The church is under an ever-present pressure, from the posers within its membership and the culture outside its walls.  Those who don’t produce fruit must never be allowed to redefine it. Watering down the truth only stretches it. It never purifies it.

Imitation fruit may appear to be genuine to those who have never tasted the real thing. Believers should only be concerned about one Fruit Inspector. Only real fruit passes God’s tests.  Anything else is man-made, and does not bear the mark of His Spirit.

The Father is determined to test The Fruit of His children. Sometimes He brings pressure. A small child soon learns that if they want orange juice, they squeeze an orange. The same is true for all kinds of fruit. Peel, break, or squeeze the skin and you get what is inside. The same is true of believers.

The most embarrassing and awkward scenes under the sun probably take place when posers wearing the latest Christian logo-wear are put under pressure. Pressurized posers don’t always express what is on the label. What erupts out of their mouths and manners of people wearing T-shirts that promise more than they deliver may be the worst form of false advertising. People who are hungering and thirsting for the real deal won’t buy the lies. Neither will God.

Exhaustive exegesis produces excellent Bible dictionaries filled with fine definitions describing The Fruit. Education has the capacity to define The Fruit, but it is powerless to produce it.

Note to self: The Ancient Greeks had a word picture for each one of these expressions of The Fruit of The Spirit. They could define it. They just couldn’t produce it.  Neither can you. Refining your definition of The Fruit won’t lead to bearing it. Redefining the definitions of genuine fruit to fit what you can produce only leads to imitation fruit. Stop it.  Die already.

“The fruit of The Spirit is love.” Love is where it all begins. God is love. The Spirit is The Promise of The Father. The Spirit glorifies The Son. The Son glorifies The Father. The Father expects His children to express His love, not some corrupt, man-made, watered down version of it.

The Greeks had more than one word for love. Paul did not invent this particular word. He was inspired by The Spirit to draw it from a rich and ancient heritage. The Greeks beautifully defined love, but were totally unable to produce a single example of it. Nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years. Love is not man-made. It reveals the character of God.

Love points to undefeatable good will, and unconquerable benevolence actively expressed to others. Love continues in spite of the treatment it receives in return. To the Greeks, it was a concept. Through The Spirit love becomes a concrete reality. Without God’s kind of love flowing in and out of a believer, there is no evidence of the life-giving, life-changing Presence of His Spirit.

On a personal note: For 40 years, I have aggressively sought to define and comprehend the meaning of each of these nine traits of The Fruit of The Spirit. I invite you to do the same. WARNING: Defining them more precisely, and understanding them more thoroughly, did not lead to my capacity to express them more effectively. Education isn’t crucifixion. Die daily.

Prayer has softened the soil of my heart, and The Spirit has found His way of sinking His roots deeper into my heart and soul. The less I pray, the harder my heart becomes, and the less of The Fruit of The Spirit I bear. Without praying there is no bearing. Prayer produces a change of my will to remain nailed to The Cross, until I die to The Flesh. Me, my and mine are not expressions of The Fruit of The Spirit.  Praying for a tender heart is no quick fix. Fruit bearing takes a life-time of it.

Anything that grows over night in my yard is usually a weed. Contemporary church culture embraces the newest, the latest the greatest and expects immediate results. The current trend of starting new churches is commendable, BUT if prayerless preachers are starting prayerless churches, they are hardly planting healthy churches able to produce The Fruit of The Spirit.  Pray for a blast from the past to take the church back 2,000 years to The Fruit of The Spirit. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Warning

“And things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:21

The current level of preaching in the contemporary church has descended into an odd mixture of interesting anecdotes and positive platitudes. It leaves people barely informed of the Word of God, and mildly interested in the concept of Jesus as Lord. It has almost totally dispensed with The Warning.

The Warning is the vital sign of the shepherd’s heart, and without it the preacher becomes a communicator without a message. The sheep must be called to separate themselves from the consumer culture seeking to devour them. When preaching only encourages sheep to engage the culture to avoid offending the wolves, they become a buffet for ravenous beasts.

“And things like these…” is Paul’s reminder that cultural Christianity and moral depravity rarely hit rock bottom, until they go over the cliff. Holding hands as they push through God-given barricades, they jump over the edge shouting, “FREEEEEDOM!”

There is a final scene in Mel Gibson’s powerful portrayal of William Wallace in the movie, “Braveheart.”  The hero has been betrayed, caught in a trap and sentenced to death. With his vital organs being pulled out of him, he gasped out with his last breath, “FREEEEEDOM!” The death rattle of a nation can be heard, when people trapped by their own desires, and void of virtue, desperately scream for more freedom.  

“The deeds of the flesh are evident.” Indeed, they are. Paul’s laundry list is a vivid display of The Flesh on parading its pride, and heading toward the cliff.

Immorality
Impurity
Sensuality
Idolatry
Sorcery
Enmities
Strife
Jealousy
Outbursts of anger
Disputes
Dissensions
Factions
Envying
Drunkenness
Carousing

In case anyone believes this 15 item check-list is exhaustive, Paul leaves it open ended with, “And things like these.” Paul never underestimated the capacity of The Flesh to take pride in a new level of depravity and rebellion.

Word studies of these 15 expressions of lost virtue in the Roman world, rarely raise an eyebrow of concern in the contemporary church. They can be found in abundance in pulpits, and pews. Because they are excused, and not exposed within the walls of the church, they become leading news stories in social media. When they come to light, and not The Cross, they bring mockery and ridicule to the Body of Christ.

Note to self: Don’t be like the person with an overloaded cart sneaking into the “!5 Items or Less” line in the grocery store. The Flesh always has room for one more.  You have enough to take to The Cross. Stop grasping for more. Die already.

The Warning is clear. “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” V. 21b

Practice makes perfect. Habits, good or bad, are a result of repeated behavior. The more a practice is repeated the more ingrained it becomes. Lawyers practice law. Doctors practice medicine. Musicians practice music. Christians who practice The Flesh are not practicing Christianity, but they are consumed by The Flesh.

Making excuses for The Flesh will never remove it from the life of the believer. When “The Blame Game” becomes the end game, the final score will always be in favor of The Flesh.

Prayerless people are prideful people who refuse to admit to God what He already knows, about them. They pose as His children, but try to pass off The Flesh as something else, or someone else’s fault. They are never angry, just frustrated. They are never jealous, just hurt. Get the picture?

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name. The Spirit convicts believers about behavior that has crossed a line, or crashed through one of His barricades. When The Flesh ignores The Spirit, the believer’s heart develops callouses that build up into a hardened surface that becomes resistant to His gentle touch. The harder a heart becomes, the less subtle the hand of God will be to bring His direction and correction.

Over time practicing the deeds of The Flesh choke out the fruit of The Spirit, like weeds suck out the life out of the soil of a garden. Prayer removes the weeds, by increasing a person’s transparency before God. Trust prayer to reveal when a poser is masquerading as a believer and unconnected to the root.

When there is no fruit, check the root. There is little difference in appearances between fruit that is cut off from the root, and fruit that has been choked out by The Flesh.  Those who practice The Flesh, and never produce The Fruit of The Spirit should never put their faith in a false hope. God’s children must admit to Him who they are and what they are doing, by humbling themselves before The Father in prayer.

The Father expects to see a family resemblance in His children. When He plants The Spirit within them, He expects to see them blossom and bear fruit. The Spirit always produces the character of The Son. Never settle for imitation fruit. God won’t. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Flesh

“For the flesh sets its desire against The Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by The Spirit, you are not under The Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5: 17-21

Confusion about The Flesh centers on the close proximity, but the very real difference between a desire and a deed. They are simply not the same. Giving into one will ultimately lead to the expression of the other. When a person has a desire of the flesh, it is not absolutely mandatory that a deed of the flesh must follow. Those who believe this are deceived.

There is only one imperative, when the desire of The Flesh runs into conflict with the leadership of The Spirit. The Flesh must immediately yield to The Spirit. Without absolute surrender, The Flesh always tries to defy the will of God, and deify its own will. The Flesh doesn’t weaken with age. It grows stronger with every self-centered decision, and poor excuse.

Note to self: When a desire of the flesh leads you to race headlong into a deed of the flesh, having Jesus in your heart will not stop you from looking like you have lost your mind.

Paul’s words reveal his 1st Century awareness that the Roman culture was consumed with the deeds of The Flesh. He said, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident.” This almost sounds like a classic Jeffersonian phrase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” This was a gracious, 18th Century way of saying, “Any fool ought to know this.” Thanks, Bob McEwen. But I digress.

After Paul’s laundry list of The Flesh, he adds, “and things like these.” It is an insightful, and prophetic warning to those who say, “Things can’t get much worse.” When it comes to The Flesh, creative corruption simply knows no bounds.

The battle between The Flesh and The Spirit was won on The Cross. Those who identify with the death, burial and resurrection of The Living Christ are blessed with the promise of The Father, and have The Spirit dwelling in them, forever.

There is a difference between having The Spirit, and yielding to The Spirit. Great danger exists in holding onto a theological concept about The Spirit, without coming under His authority, jurisdiction and leadership. The Spirit is not an idea, a fluid, a feeling, or an “it.” The Spirit is The Person of Christ, and His still, small voice declares the will of God. LISTEN!

When desires of The Flesh turn into deeds of The Flesh, there is no need for more of The Spirit, in the life of the believer. There is a need for less of The Flesh, in the life of the believer.

A person prone to wander from desires to deeds must lower their flag of rebellion and surrender their rebellious territory to God. The rebellious don’t need more of The Spirit. The Spirit needs more of them. Desires of The Flesh are relentless. When they arise in the life of a believer, they must be put to death moment-by-moment, breath-by-breath, step-by-step.

Excusing deeds by blaming desire leads to a free fall over a cliff. Desire has a way of continually moving the barricades closer to the edge. It will never be satisfied with the new boundary. Desire leads to deeds that crash through barriers The Spirit puts in the path of God’s children to protect them from themselves. When rebellious children ignore The Spirit’s leadership, they crash through God’s protection and find destruction.

Pray for grace to resist the desires of the flesh. Too many people approach The Flesh as if getting rid of it is a weight loss issue. Believers don’t need to lose a little bit of The Flesh in order to look more like Jesus. They need to die to all of it, and be led by The Spirit.

Excusing the desires of the flesh, and pampering rebellion never placates desire. Both feed it. Standard statements reveal a heart of a person intent on blaming desire, and excusing themselves from taking any responsibility for their deeds. These include:
➢ “I just can’t help myself.”
➢ “The devil made me do it.”
➢ “I was born this way.”
➢ “I had a rough childhood.”
➢ “The pastor doesn’t feed me.”
➢ “God gave me this desire, so He intends for me enjoy it.”
➢ This desire can’t be wrong, if it feels right”

The leadership of The Spirit is discovered by praying people engaged in the battle between The Flesh and The Spirit. When the first hint of desire raises the aroma of The Flesh in the nostrils of The Spirit, His conviction is released into the heart of the believer. Praying people hear His voice of warning, and yield to His offer of grace to resist desire. They do not oppose The Spirit, and excuse their deeds of The Flesh. They confess their desire, and avoid the deed, by surrendering to The Spirit’s leadership. Through prayer they find the will of God, and The Spirit’s power to resist The Flesh, in the name of Jesus. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Consumer

“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOUR SELF.’ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:14-16

Paul was more than a philosopher of religion or a professor of theology. He was a churchman. He was called by Jesus, and driven to plant healthy churches, among the Gentiles.

Paul did not invest his passion for starting churches into cultivating, and maintaining ornamental plants, just for the sake of appearances.  He intended them to make a difference. He called for members of the churches he planted to bear fruit.

Note to self: Believers are not called to be consumers, but producers.  When your discernment produces criticism of others, without intercession for them, you are not bearing fruit. You are devouring others. You are called to intercession, not fruit inspection. Stop devouring. Start praying. Bear fruit.

American Christianity is deeply immersed in The Consumer Culture. In the 1980’s consumerism was described by Madison Avenue marketing firms, as “The ME Generation.” The label for self-centered consumerism may change, from generation to generation, but a culture that consumes more than it produces should never be a role model for the church. It should be the mission field of the church.

The Law clearly describes healthy fruit as, “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.” The Law can label fruit. It just doesn’t have the capacity to produce love. Only The Spirit of Christ bears this kind of fruit in the life of the believer.

Children come into this world, looking out for themselves. Un- like fine wine, selfish people don’t improve with age.  The whine they produce is bitter. The longer they focus on themselves, the less they look like Jesus.

One of the great joys of parenting involves seeing children take their first step. There is nothing quite like it. The surprised look on a child’s face when they finally wobble into this personal discovery is an odd mixture of great fear and new- found freedom. Children may slip back into the habit of crawling. It is a trusted comfort zone. They will always return to walking, because that is where the freedom is.

Paul urged his Galatian children to “walk by The Spirit.” It is such a simple statement, but it unleashes a holy war against the flesh. Prayer warriors who try to negotiate with their flesh, rather than demand an absolute surrender of it, will never experience victory over it.

Jesus described The Yoke, and called for His followers to yield to His direction in it. The Spirit empowers believers to yield to  Jesus and to walk in The Yoke with Him. Walking by The Spirit leads to leaning on Jesus for God’s direction, protection and correction. Leaning into The Yoke involves persistent and consistent praying. It is only by praying in the name of Jesus, that there is any hope of being filled with His Spirit.

“Come to ME, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from ME.” Jesus - Matthew 11:28

Believers discover life-changing freedom when they learn to “walk by The Spirit.” Loving is a life-long learning curve that can only be mastered by leaning into The Yoke. Yielding to The Yoke of Jesus, involves receiving from The Spirit of Christ the character of Jesus. The Spirit produces fruit, and “the fruit of The Spirit is love.” (Galatians 5:22) The Consumer desires fruit. The believer bears fruit. Big difference.

“Walk by the Spirit” is a call to begin a journey that will last a life-time. The Walk is not a destination. It is a relationship. Jesus calls believers to learn from Him. Paul described this learning as taking a walk with The Spirit of Christ. This is more than a quiet time. This is a life-time. The fruit of The Spirit is not achieved by watching the clock, but by looking into the face of Jesus, every step along the way.

Praying is more than a devotional exercise that is done as early as possible, and dispensed with as quickly as possible. Praying is like breathing, continuous, constant, consistent, and comforting. Prayer is life-giving and life-changing not because it is done, but because of where it leads, to Jesus.

Praying conforms a believer to the pace and to the face of Jesus. It conforms a believer to His image and to His character. The character change of a believer is not always immediately seen, but when the walk is finished, it will be complete. Jesus was a carpenter, and what He starts, He finishes. Paul said it this way.

“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.” Philippians 1:6

The Consumer devours. The believer bears fruit. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Freedom

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

The birthday of our nation places the spotlight on words that held a special place in the hearts of our founders, and in the lives of the people who fought for Independence. Freedom is one those words that remains a part of the vocabulary of our culture in spite of political correctness. Only the definition of it has changed.

The meaning of freedom has deteriorated into license. It once meant the state in which a person lives without any restraint upon them to do what is right. Contemporary culture still demands freedom from restraints, but now freedom is a license to do anything a person wants to do. Big difference.

With the removal of moral absolutes, from the fabric of a nation, freedom is no longer rooted in the character of Holy God. Public virtue has become a threadbare remnant of a by-gone era. Fading memories of the meaning of words held dear by the founders of a nation are not strong enough to hold a nation together. Only God can do that. Prayer calls on Him to do it. Let it begin.

There is little doubt that the founders of this nation were knowledgeable about this passage of Scripture. They were not all believers in the Word of God, but none of them were ignorant of it. It was a textbook in the homes, the grammar schools and universities of the nation. Graduates of the most respected colleges were familiar with the text of Scripture in English, Greek, and Latin. The Word of God may not have changed their lives, but they were very familiar with it, and influenced by it.

Paul reminded the Galatians that they were no longer under an obligation to The Law to make them right with God. They were free from the impossible burden to keep ALL The Law in order to meet the requirements of Holy God. Jesus had met the requirements of The Law, and set them free, on The Cross, once and for all.

Paul did not describe freedom as personal independence, but as complete dependence. By depending on Jesus as Savior and Lord, believers were free to receive The Spirit of Christ. Yielding to The Spirit’s control over their lives would lead them to an expression of the character of Christ. The Law had the power to convict a person of sin, but it did not have the power to conform a person to Christ. Christ’s character only comes by depending on The Spirit of The Living Christ.

“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” (V. 5)

The motivation for depending on The Spirit was love. Trusting in Jesus for salvation released the love of God into a believer’s life. Depending on The Spirit sustains the love of God. The fruit of The Spirit is love. Those who put their faith in Jesus, not only receive God’s love, they release His love “through The Spirit.”

Faith is not a dust-covered doctrine or set of rules. It is a movement of God in the life of the believers, as they yield to and cooperate with The Spirit. Paul described it as “faith working in love.” (V. 6)

Paul asked the Galatians, “What hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.” (V. 7-8)

Paul’s question was rhetorical, but the answer is essential to any believer who panics at the first sign of their flesh raising it’s ugly head after being crucified on The Cross. Identifying with Christ on The Cross leads a sinner to salvation. Yielding to The Spirit’s control conforms a believer to Christ. Believers put their faith in Christ for salvation, and they depend upon His Spirit to complete the transformation. Trying harder to please God must be replaced by a passion for yielding to the still, small voice of God’s voice, “through the Spirit.” Praying involves listening, and improves the hearing and obeying of the believer.

Paul’s warning reveals that many people in the church had already rejected, “The stumbling block of the cross.” (V. 11) In Iraq, Syria, and throughout the rest of the Muslim world, Christians are being crucified on crosses placed in the city squares. The death of these modern martyrs is meant to be a form of mockery of their most precious beliefs, and an intimidation to other Christians to reject these beliefs and convert to Islam. Just this week, in the city of Mosul, 1500 years of Christianity was snuffed out, by Muslims.

The people of a nation, blessed with Religious Freedom, risk losing it, when they devalue it. People who take on the chains of The Law, don’t make themselves right with God. By attempting to keep it, they have not believed. They have only become greatly deceived.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (v. 13)

Freedom, in God’s eyes, is not an opportunity for a person to declare their independence, and do exactly as they please. It is not even a person’s personal choice to reject The Cross, and choose The Law, in order to try and please Him. Freedom is found in Christ. Anything else is slavery.

A believer’s daily, moment-by-moment, step-by-step, breath-by- breath dependence upon The Spirit, conforms them to the character of The Son. The Son did not claim His rights and do as He pleased. He prayed until His will was conformed to the will of The Father. He served others out of an overflowing love for His Father. His followers are free to pray in His name and yield to His Spirit’s power to do the same. Believing prayer is the sound of freedom flowing from the heart of the believer. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Promise

“And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Galatians 4:28

Pursuing one’s genealogical roots leads down dead end streets, and reveals surprising discoveries. Not all of them are good. It is impossible to dig into the root system of one’s family tree without finding a few bad apples.  With name changes, poor records, and fading memories, the only reliable way to be sure of one’s heritage is through DNA testing.  It never lies.

Physical DNA clearly links a person with their family legacy. Spiritual DNA does the same thing. God adopted Gentiles into His family. By faith in His Son, they became children of promise. They are God’s children, not because they became Jews, but because they trusted in Jesus, not The Law, to make them right with God.

Paul was schooled in The Law. His letter took the Galatians to school on their heritage as “children of promise.” These early believers had more at stake than the keeping of a few dietary laws, or the adopting of religious rules and regulations foreign to their Gentile heritage. They were in danger of equating keeping The Law with receiving God’s grace. Big difference.

God is love. Love is not something He does. Love is who He is. His character is the driving force behind His unmerited favor. From God’s first covenant with Abraham, up until this present day, God’s grace is received by faith. Without the spiritual DNA of faith in God, there is no family connection. “Children of promise” are believers who have trusted Jesus as their Savior.

Keeping The Law does not generate love in God’s heart for His children. His love is constant, never ending and extends the grace of His promise towards those who need it the most and deserve it the least.  This is the essence of grace. It is unmerited favor. It is freely given. God’s love is undefeatable good will, and unconquerable benevolence. He extended His love through His Son.  “Children of promise” believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior and Lord. Their faith is in Him, not The Law.

Abraham believed God. His faith in God, not his keeping of The Law made him right in the eyes of God. This is the promise. Believers are made right with God by faith, not by The Law.

“Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” Galatians 3:6-9

Make no mistake about it. The Law reveals a rich spiritual heritage that is directly linked to The Jews. Blessed by God, they were chosen to be recipients of His grace. They were also chosen to be conduits of His grace to The Gentiles. A deep understanding or commitment to this spiritual DNA does not make anyone an heir to it, or deserving of it. Gentile believers enter into God’s family by His adoption, not by their devotion to The Law.   

Paul knew his Jewish root system. He was clearly aware that his physical DNA was linked to Isaac’s mother, a free women, not the mother of Ishmael, a bondwoman. Paul also knew his spiritual DNA, and pointed out this key connection. He shared with the Gentile believers.

“So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.” Galatians 4:31

What God provided to Abraham, through Isaac, was a work of His grace. What Abraham produced, through Ishmael, was a work of his flesh, not his faith. Abraham’s wounded pride and lack of patience led him to a man-made solution. It always does.

Man’s best effort is always a poor substitute for what God has promised. God told Abraham to sacrifice his “only son.”  At that time, Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. The point is this. God only recognizes the children of promise. They bear the DNA of faith.  Without faith, there is no family connection with The Father, and no adoption by The Father.

Believing prayer is the living, breathing expression of the “children of promise.” The Spirit within a child of God cries out, “Abba! Father!” God’s children are linked with The Father by faith, and they communicate with Him, through prayer.

When the “children of promise” pray to The Father, in the name of His Son, they discover He is accessible to them.  At the same time, believing prayer makes His children available to Him. A true heir of The Father is not just interested in The Father’s will. They are intimate with The Father. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Synergy

“And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Galatians 4:28

Pursuing one’s genealogical roots leads down dead end streets, and reveals surprising discoveries. Not all of them are good. It is impossible to dig into the root system of one’s family tree without finding a few bad apples.  With name changes, poor records, and fading memories, the only reliable way to be sure of one’s heritage is through DNA testing.  It never lies.

Physical DNA clearly links a person with their family legacy. Spiritual DNA does the same thing. God adopted Gentiles into His family. By faith in His Son, they became children of promise. They are God’s children, not because they became Jews, but because they trusted in Jesus, not The Law, to make them right with God.

Paul was schooled in The Law. His letter took the Galatians to school on their heritage as “children of promise.” These early believers had more at stake than the keeping of a few dietary laws, or the adopting of religious rules and regulations foreign to their Gentile heritage. They were in danger of equating keeping The Law with receiving God’s grace. Big difference.

God is love. Love is not something He does. Love is who He is. His character is the driving force behind His unmerited favor. From God’s first covenant with Abraham, up until this present day, God’s grace is received by faith. Without the spiritual DNA of faith in God, there is no family connection. “Children of promise” are believers who have trusted Jesus as their Savior.

Keeping The Law does not generate love in God’s heart for His children. His love is constant, never ending and extends the grace of His promise towards those who need it the most and deserve it the least.  This is the essence of grace. It is unmerited favor. It is freely given. God’s love is undefeatable good will, and unconquerable benevolence. He extended His love through His Son.  “Children of promise” believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior and Lord. Their faith is in Him, not The Law.

Abraham believed God. His faith in God, not his keeping of The Law made him right in the eyes of God. This is the promise. Believers are made right with God by faith, not by The Law.

“Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” Galatians 3:6-9

Make no mistake about it. The Law reveals a rich spiritual heritage that is directly linked to The Jews. Blessed by God, they were chosen to be recipients of His grace. They were also chosen to be conduits of His grace to The Gentiles. A deep understanding or commitment to this spiritual DNA does not make anyone an heir to it, or deserving of it. Gentile believers enter into God’s family by His adoption, not by their devotion to The Law.   

Paul knew his Jewish root system. He was clearly aware that his physical DNA was linked to Isaac’s mother, a free women, not the mother of Ishmael, a bondwoman. Paul also knew his spiritual DNA, and pointed out this key connection. He shared with the Gentile believers.

“So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.” Galatians 4:31

What God provided to Abraham, through Isaac, was a work of His grace. What Abraham produced, through Ishmael, was a work of his flesh, not his faith. Abraham’s wounded pride and lack of patience led him to a man-made solution. It always does.

Man’s best effort is always a poor substitute for what God has promised. God told Abraham to sacrifice his “only son.”  At that time, Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. The point is this. God only recognizes the children of promise. They bear the DNA of faith.  Without faith, there is no family connection with The Father, and no adoption by The Father.

Believing prayer is the living, breathing expression of the “children of promise.” The Spirit within a child of God cries out, “Abba! Father!” God’s children are linked with The Father by faith, and they communicate with Him, through prayer.

When the “children of promise” pray to The Father, in the name of His Son, they discover He is accessible to them.  At the same time, believing prayer makes His children available to Him. A true heir of The Father is not just interested in The Father’s will. They are intimate with The Father. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Labor

“My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you, but I could wish to be with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.” Galatians 4:19-20

Paul’s relationship with these Galatian Christians was intense and intimate. He was not a distant, spiritual guru sending them pleasant platitudes fit for an embroidered throw pillow or a bumper sticker. He was a fully engaged father who was willing to risk all he had invested in them by getting in their faces and correcting them. Separated from them, he interceded for them.

Paul was not interested in being a pen pal to his children. They were his responsibility, and though he was penned up in prison, the tone of his letter roared with disapproval over their behavior. He did not turn a blind eye to it. He reminded them that they were adopted sons of God. In one sense of the word Paul said they were birthed by him, a product of his labor.

As Dana and I were driving to the hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, anticipating the birth of our first child, she made a profound statement. Thirty-five years later, I remember it like it was yesterday. She said, “I have come to a point, where I finally realize I am in the middle something that I can’t back out of.”

I didn’t try to correct Dana about ending a sentence with a preposition. It just didn’t seem wise at the time. My wife just looks little. She had a lot on her mind. But I digress.

What took place after we arrived at St. Francis hospital gave a whole new meaning to the concept of “pulling an all-nighter.” Giving birth to a child is a labor of love that only a mother can understand. Those who stand beside a woman in the Labor Room, know it is aptly named.  To be sure, giving birth is a labor of love, but make no mistake about it. It is hard work.

Paul had invested a great deal in the birth of the Galatian Church. His labor of love did not end at their birth. It was the beginning of a life long labor of prayer for him, and a life long learning process for them. “I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” Galatians 4:19

The labor of giving birth pales in comparison to the amount of time, treasure, angst, energy, trauma and drama that parents invest in raising children. Contemporary culture does not value true parenting, so it is plagued by a multitude of “baby daddies.” Making a baby and raising a child are two different things.

In the same vein, planting a church is hard work, but developing healthy Christians takes a lifetime.  Paul was up for the task. Those who bring children into the world or start new churches soon find out that the hardest work of their lives takes place after the Labor Room, not in it.

Note to self: Pray for healthy churches, not just for more of them.

Contemporary culture elevates a player to rock start status. Making babies without having any responsibility for raising them is not punished, but rewarded. Paul never yielded his parental rights. He reinforced them. His communication with his children was marked by relentless intercession for them. He was not a player. He was a pray-er. Real men always are.

Those who think prayer is women’s work need to man up, by praying for and with their children. Prayer gives a man a whole new appreciation for hard work. Women do it well. Men need to do it better. Read Paul’s testimony about praying for his children and take it to heart.  He played no favorites. He prayed for them all.

“I do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16

“…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.”  Colossians 1:9

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,..” Philippians 1:9

“…we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling…” 2 Thessalonians 1:11

“I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:27-28

“Praying until…” is the mark of an intercessor. Prayer warriors do not look at the clock to determine if they are finished praying. They look at the face of Jesus, and pray for others until they see His resemblance in them.  TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Question

“Does He who provides you with The Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of The Law or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:5

Paul’s question is one for the ages. It is a timeless inquiry that must be heard and answered by anyone at any time in history desiring to move beyond an introduction to Jesus, and into intimacy with Him.

Paul’s rhetorical question, must not go begging. “Hearing with faith” is the correct answer. Those who begin their journey of faith by hearing with faith must keep on listening to the voice of The Spirit. The clearest word from the Spirit comes from “taking up The Sword of The Spirit which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

The dilemma of most church leaders and their congregations is not laziness, but misguided energy. The church, ancient or contemporary, has always been in need of the miracle-working power of The Spirit of Christ. It is not a self-improvement society, but a self-crucifixion community. Believers put their faith in what they hear from The Word of God, not what they hear from conventional wisdom.

Note to self: Don’t forget the nails!

At any time in history, the church has produced no small amount of energy generated by the flesh in the pulpits and the pews. Today the contemporary church provides plenty of crowd-pleasing programs, and well -crafted purpose statements, but little power. The problem with the programs comes from leading people to spend more time in the work of the Lord, without inspiring people to spend their time with the Lord of the work. The life-changing power of the Spirit flows into the church, one faith-filled believer at a time.  The language of the Spirit is prayer, and those who desire intimacy with Jesus will learn to pray or they will live without The Spirit’s power.

Paul was intolerant of any whiff of the flesh in the church. Trusting The Law to improve on what God’s grace had finished would not happen on his watch.  The contemporary church must be no less diligent, and should take a page out of Paul’s prayer book.

The Galatians had begun to substitute self-improvement for the blood bought grace of God, purchased by the crucified Christ, and the miracle-working, life-changing power provided by The Spirit. They had not heard anything close to this kind of message from Paul, and he would have none of it fill the ears and bewitch the minds of the early church.  He wanted to know, “…who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” Gal. 3:1

Paul did not believe The Law was not evil. He knew it was a gift of God, and it had a purpose. The Law established the standard for anyone desiring to enter into worship with Holy God, perfection.

Jesus had unleashed his greatest scorn on those who sought to use their public obedience to The Law as a sign of their private holiness. They were not guilty of ignoring The Law. They were just guilty of falling short of God’s standard of perfection. Jesus knew they were not perfect, just pious posers.  He had a name for them? “Whited sepulchers.”

The greatest miracle Jesus ever performed was the transformation of a guilty sinner into a believing saint. His standards have never changed. Since the earliest days of His public ministry in Nazareth, Jesus has always marveled at those who are amazed that He can do a great work of healing, but refuse to receive His greatest work, forgiving.

“And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief.” Mark 6: 5-6

Paul’s challenging question to the early church must not be ignored, by anyone interested in greater intimacy with Jesus. Hearing the Word of God requires a faith response, not a renewed effort of the flesh.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” Romans 9:17

The Spirit of The Risen Christ must be welcomed into any conversation with the Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus is now seated at the right hand of The Father. The Spirit interprets even the slightest whisper of prayer to Jesus. Jesus intercedes on behalf of His followers, with The Father. Those seeking answers to prayer will be provided with God’s direction, protection and correction.

Intimacy with Jesus cannot be described. His Presence must be experienced. Prayer is the key to entering into The Presence of Jesus. Praying in The Spirit involves interceding for others and hearing and obeying God’s Word. Praying improves a prayer warrior’s hearing and obeying.

Prayer is not a vital sign of a person’s passion for self-improvement. Prayer must never become just another expression of the flesh posing as piety. Prayer is an admission of one’s helplessness. Those who become prayerful, discover The Helper is helpful, The Son is available, and The Father is able. The prayerless remain prideful.  TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!