True Spirituality

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Once you’ve chiseling away at your thoughts and beliefs, stillness is left. No thoughts to get in the way, life takes on a magical appearance. Life flows. Even the dullest moments turn into moments of bliss and ecstasy.

Martin Luther, in his commentary on Galatians, shows a great understanding of the fact that our salvation includes salvation from the “bondage of our conscience.” It is natural and right that as we become Christians our consciences become ever more tender – this is a work of the Holy Spirit. But we should not be downcast by our conscience year after year over sins which are past. When your conscience, by the Holy Spirit, makes you aware of a specific sin, you should at once call that sin“sin” and bring it consciously under the blood of Christ – when you do this it is then “covered,” so by continuing to “worry about it,” you not only dishonor the finished work of Christ, but you impair your relationship with God, either by thinking that you must “suffer sufficiently” to merit his forgiveness, or by “doubting” that God is that loving and merciful – hence, your fellowship with Him is short-circuited. Writes Schaeffer: “To worry about it is to do despite to the infinite value of the death of the Son of God.” As you consciously say, “Thank you” to God for a completed work, your conscience should come into rest. By applying the blood of Christ to your sin, your fellowship experience with God is restored.

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McMahon, BT, Biggs HC. Examining spirituality and intrinsic religious orientation as a means of coping with exam anxiety. Society, Health & Vulnerability. 2012;3(1). doi:10.3402/vgi.v3i0.14918

Third, Christian spirituality is concerned for all of a person's life. Rather than separating spiritual, physical, financial, social, and other life components into distinct areas, Christian spirituality is concerned with how all of life connects to our relationship with God. For example, the use of our finances reflects the attitude of our heart (Matthew 6:21). How we treat our body reflects our spiritual life in important ways (1 Corinthians 6:20). Spirituality is the most important thing in life. Finding peace, happiness and fulfillment is what this journey is about. Francis Schaeffer has taught us that true spirituality is lived in the present moment by real people among real people—no veneer, no varnish. For all those who want to know how to live as a Christian in our present moment, you will find here timeless and timely theological and biblical wisdom for everyday life. This book has already helped one generation—may it be used to serve another.” What is God's meaning of true spirituality? Our pastor has started a sermon series on spirituality. He is using the six basis of spirituality according to a book written by Richard Foster. I have severe reservations about the direction this series may take as it appears to be a topical sermon series. Also, he is not continuing his Wednesday Bible study on a book of the Bible but a topical supplement to the sermons preached on the prior Sunday, which apparently was at the determination of the group attending. Originally the Bible study was on a Tuesday and was recently changed to a praise, prayer, Bible meeting. The Bible study was cut to a half hour and not presented as an in depth study, but as an overview. I was determined to be open-minded and have an open-heart. Now it has changed again within a month and is now a topical supplement. I am having severe difficulty accepting this change. I feel the pastor is pushing his own needs and/or thinks this will promote growth in the congregation. I don't understand where he is going anymore and have lost my fervor to learn as it would not be possible anymore to find a qualified biblical teaching else where in the church. I feel completely let down by the church and the thought of attending another social function, meeting, or opportunity to feed myself instead of feasting on God's Word is just about ruining all hope I have in the Church. Bible Answer:Dedication to God or a higher power translated into less stress reactivity, greater feelings of well-being, and ultimately even a decreased fear of death. Only two kinds of people: those in the flesh, and those in the Spirit. Those in the Spirit are spiritual. And those who are natural are also fleshly. So, in the purest, truest, simplest sense, there are only two kinds of people: spiritual people, and natural people who are also carnal people. The first understanding that I want you to have is that. Unregenerate people are natural. That is they live according to human nature, and they are carnal of fleshy; they operate out of the flesh – the impulses of the flesh. Christian people are spiritual; the Holy Spirit dwells within them. Their inner man has been made alive; they are new creations; they are sensitive to God and alive to spiritual reality. Now, that’s basic. If we are to bring forth fruit in the Christian life, or rather, if Christ is to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: “Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them, Lord Jesus – bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world to Your praise” (note carefully that it is the presence of God in your life that is making your actions efficacious and fruitful – you are called to obey believing, and God brings forth the fruit). That is what Schaeffer means by “active passivity.” Thus true spirituality is not achieved in your own energy. The “how” of the Christian life (true spirituality) is stated in Romans 6:11 – “Consider yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (that is the faith perspective; the foundational consid-eration for your entire life). This is the “how” – there is no other. The Christian life is not just a matter of right actions (irrespective of faith), it is a matter of humble submission to will of God with a proper heart perspective (faith), knowing that His Spirit is doing a special work in and through your life in that particular moment – it is the power of the risen Christ, through the agency of the Holy Spirit. . . by faith. You must have confident assurance in the moment that “God is at work in you to will and do His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13; Heb 11:1) – by the way, the faith you exercise one moment doesn’t get credited to the actions you take the next moment; you must consciously exercise faith at all times. Again reflect upon the words of Paul to the Galatians – “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal 2:20). So, fruit-bearing Christians “live by faith,” that the “power of God might live in them” in the person of the Holy Spirit – when we live by faith, God is involved in the work. It is then that the believer can say with Paul, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." (45-59) You’ll find distractions along the way. Shiny objects, carrots in front of you, promises from “declared masters”. Avoid these like the plague. Find your own truth. Gonçalves JP, Lucchetti G, Menezes PR, Vallada H. Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Psychol Med. 2015;45(14):2937-49. doi:10.1017/S0033291715001166

One of the problems of our western world is that it is essentially “naturalistic” – that is, it believes everything works by “natural processes;” as such, it excludes “supernatural causation” as an explanation of reality. Naturalists believe scientific laws are adequate to account for all phenomena. If the believer is not careful, even though he claims he is a “supernaturalist,” naturalism can easily make inroads into his thinking without his recognizing it, primarily because it is the prevalent philosophical position here in the west. As soon as this happens, Christians begin to lose the reality of supernaturalism in their Christian lives. While we say we believe one thing, we allow the spirit of the naturalism of our age to creep into our thinking, unrecognized. Christian spirituality is related to the scriptural view of the universe – this means the universe is not the naturalistic universe the western world says it is. So instead of living in an “impersonal universe,” we live in a universe where the “personal God of creation” is its central figure. Since the Bible clearly teaches that we live in a supernatural universe, the central tenet of Christianity is the existence of a “personal God.” Due to the fact that the default mode for the believer is “his flesh,” this makes him high susceptible to the danger of thinking in a naturalistic fashion. Real inner peace and happiness come from within. No amount of money in the world is capable of buying the feeling of fulfillment. The materialistic world has no chance of coming close to the power spirituality brings.

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My wishes went unanswered as my childhood depression lasted until my early 20s. Years of questioning my reality, my purpose, experimenting, it all culminated in me realizing what matters most. Perfectionism – This is the teaching that a Christian can be “perfect” in this life; this teaching is the result of something known as a “second blessing” that follows conversion – once received the individual never sins again. The early John Wesley taught this; not the later Wesley, for he began to see that this could not be consistently held. Obviously, perfectionism does not align with the teaching of Scripture. Schaeffer reflects: “The more the Holy Spirit puts His finger on my life and goes down deep into my life, the more I understand that there are deep wells to my nature – in a sense we are like the “iceberg,” one-tenth above the surface and nine-tenths below it; as such, it is a very, very simple thing to fool ourselves.” ( Jer 17:9; Jam 3:2; 1 Jn 3:10). Schaeffer continues, “As the Holy Spirit has wrestled with me down through the years, more and more I am aware of the depths of my own sinful nature, and the depths of the results of that awful fall in the Garden of Eden.” Man is actually separated from himself (more on this later). Just as our physical lives begin at birth, the Christian life begins with our spiritual birth. There was a day—a moment—in which God “made us alive” (Eph 2:5) spiritually. Physical birth and spiritual birth are the two most important events of our lives. If not for the one, we wouldn’t be alive; and if not for the other, we wouldn’t have become Christians. Spiritual birth marks a new way of life for the believer. Having been made new, we are not just called to live but called to live as a Christian.

Wachholtz AB, Sambamthoori U. National trends in prayer use as a coping mechanism for depression: Changes from 2002 to 2007. J Relig Health. 2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-y First, Christian spirituality is biblically defined as the practice of the beliefs of the Christian faith. It includes both knowledge and action. James 1:25 notes, for example, "But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." From the earliest writings of the New Testament, the principle of integrated and authentic faith and action has been taught as essential to Christian spirituality. In Romans 12:2, we find a good starting point for our thinking tonight, and that is this statement by the apostle Paul, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”– transformed b the renewing of your mind. Many charismatics believe that you can renew your mind and achieve holiness without any conscious effort. They would say, some of them, that sanctification can come to you through an experience effortlessly, sometimes even through subliminal conditioning. Earlier this year I read a letter in which a woman described her deep disappointment about her Christian life. In the letter she asked, “Isn’t there something more to the Christian than this?” Her heart was in pain. She was grieving. She wanted something more. It is very common for Christians to want something more in their Christian lives. Many believers read journals and books, listen to tapes and CDs, attend seminars and special events, and plead with God for a deeper intimate relationship with Him. They are all looking for “something more!” Finding MoreOther Renew tapes promise to speak into being. They will speak into being in your life prosperity, weight loss, peace, healing, self-esteem, salvation, marital harmony, surrender to God, acceptance of God’s love, and a closer walk with God. And according to Renew – quote –“Bible-based subliminal messages hit controlling spirits where they live and command them to leave in Jesus’ name, and then the void is filled with the Word of God.” End quote.