Is There More Sin in the Church Today than in New Testament Times?

The evil that was present in the early Church consisted of…

• Bad teaching around topics concerning…
  • Legalism: Gal. 1:6-10; 5:1-15; Phil. 3:1-3; Col. 2:8; 2:16-23
  • Speculation: 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 1 Tim. 4:1-5; 6:2-10; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; Titus 3:9-11
  • Accusation/dissension: 2 Cor. 11:1-15; Jas. 4:1-12; 3 Jn. 1:9,10; Rom. 16:17,18
  • Antichrist: 1 Jn. 2:18-27; 4:1-6; 2 Jn. 1:7-11
     
• Living according to the flesh…
  • Pride/lack of love, divisions: 1 Cor. 1:10-17; 3:1-23; 11:17-34; Jas. 5:1-6; 1 Jn. 4:7-21
  • Immorality: 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 6:12-20; 2 Pet. 2:1-22
  • Immaturity/lawsuits: Heb. 5:11-14
  • Practicing sin: 1 Jn. 3-8-10

The path to victory is the flesh being overcome by the Spirit

• Living according to the flesh produces fruit of the flesh: Gal 5:19-21
• Living according to the Spirit produces fruit of the Spirit: Gal 5:22,23
• The way to overcome the flesh is living by the Spirit: Gal. 5:16,24,15
• We are to sow to the spirit and not to the flesh: Gal. 6:7,8; Rom. 8:5-11

The reality of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life

• Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit: Eph. 1:13
• We live according to the power that works within us: Eph. 3:20; Col. 1:29
• We lay aside the old self … and we are renewed in the spirit of our minds: Eph. 4:23,24 
• We set our mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth: Col. 3:2
• We fix our eyes on Jesus: (Heb. 12:1,2; Acts 2:25; Ps. 16:8)
• We are led and empowered by the Spirit: Rom. 8:11-14

It is learning HOW to live by the Spirit that my flesh is overcome

Maybe the dismal fact that 2,000 years later the Church still has bad teaching and fleshly behavior is because we have not focused adequately on training people HOW to live and walk by the Spirit.

The flesh profits nothing; it is the Spirit who gives life. (Jn. 6:63)

An introduction to how I live by the Spirit

The only resolution to the issue of living out of man's knowledge and man's strength is learning to live by the Spirit, which involves hearing God’s voice, seeing God’s visions, and experiencing God’s life-transforming power flowing within us. It involves learning how to live in these experiences daily.

Communing with God is the KEY to life. There is no spiritual life or victory without returning to daily walks with God in the garden as Adam and Eve had. Many have sought it. Some have found it. Many have not. Some have made it hard and the result of laborious exercises. That is NOT the way into God’s presence. It is a heart of faith, and belief. It is learning to tune to the flow within as that flow is the River of the Holy Spirit which flows from the throne of God (Jn. 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1). It is asking and receiving from Jesus whatever one needs for the moment they are in.

Steps include: Believing God is Immanuel, God with me. Seeing God with me and fixing my eyes on Jesus at my right hand (Heb. 12:1,2; Acts 2:25; Ps. 16:8). Tuning to flow and receiving wonderful counsel and strength from the Holy Spirit Who flows within (Jn. 7:37-39).

These steps are simple, but hardly ever taught: Hearing God’s voice is as simple as 1) quieting yourself down, 2) fixing your eyes on Jesus, 3) tuning to flow and 4) writing (Hab. 2:1,2; Rev. 1:10,11; Heb. 12:2).

But Adam and Eve had communion with God and still sinned, so why won’t I?

Their mistake was embracing the idea that they could be like God and know good and evil (Gen. 3:5). If I don’t fall for the temptation to live out of myself rather than out of communion with God, I should be just fine.

So I will follow Jesus’ example (the One whom I am to imitate): I can do NOTHING on my OWN initiative, only what I hear and see. (Repeated SIX times to make sure we get the point: Jn. 5:19,20,30; 8:26, 28,38,42;10:18;12:49;14:10!)

Jesus concludes by saying "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak…” (Jn. 16:13).

So that’s the way I keep from blowing it. I renounce the idea that I can do things on my own, and I tune to the Spirit Who is a river and Who flows within me. I live with my eyes fixed on Jesus at my side and tuned to flowing thoughts and flowing pictures within me. Really quite childlike, wouldn’t you agree?

Persecuted by those living by the flesh

• “He who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also” (Gal 4:29).
• "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become” (Act 7:51-52).

Spirit-renewal often has a hard time thriving because renewal people bringing in new ideas challenges the establishment, and renewal people are lied about, commanded not to share their ideas, and even put to death (Acts 8:3; 9:1,2, 29).

Often spiritual people won’t fight back and are removed from society. It is interesting that David was a mighty warrior, fought forces of evil and ultimately became king. Lord, we choose to win this battle. How are we to fight? One strategy Paul used to escape death was being lowered by a basket at night from a hole in the wall (Acts 9:23-25). Other strategies are found here: Acts16:37-39; 17:10, 12,13. Point being: Get your strategy from God, don’t die before your time, and don’t die for the wrong reason.

Healings, miracles and deliverance spur revival

Pretty much everyone is sick or hurting in some way. People are hungry to be healed. See how miracles and deliverance spur revival on in Acts 8:6-8; 9;34,35; 9:40-42. Pray for God to release miracles through you. Cast out demons and see health restored!

Application

1. Will YOU help train your friends HOW to walk and live by the Spirit? Bring victory to their lives!
2. Will you pray for deliverance and healing for those needing it?
3. More in-depth teaching on these simple steps is available at: www.CWGministries.org/4keys and in our learning to live naturally supernatural training package. Let’s learn to live and walk by the Spirit as Jesus did. May the strength of our flesh and our limited reasoning be overcome by the power of the Spirit and conversations with God where we receive His revelation (Lk. 24:32). May we, like Paul, step from “knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20), to “true knowledge” (Col. 2:2,3; 3:10). Amen!

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely … spirit and soul and body. (1 Thess. 5:23)