Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God.
Pastor Obie continues that the third thing that
Christians should do being in the World, but not of the world is to be filled
with the Holy Spirit. Without this filling, nothing else matters, because
everything else hinges off being filled with the Spirit and is accomplish
through the power of the Holy Spirit. To be in the world, but not of the world
requires the indwelling Holy Spirit and His fruit. The guidance of the Holy
Spirit will help us resist the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the
pride of life. The strength of the Holy Spirit empowers us to the ministry of
reconciliation as a representative of righteousness. We need the Holy Spirit to
transform us and renew us. If you are not being consciously transformed by the
Word of God, then you are constantly being conformed to the God-rejecting world
system.
Ephesians 5:18-20 “Do
not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (wasteful expenditure or consumption, indulgence in sensual pleasure
as an amusement and/or diversion); but be
filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Anything that comes out of
us, does so because of something that goes into us. So what you input into your
life, often comes out of your life. Most Christians have, make and take Sundays
to input some spiritual wisdom. The rest of the time they receive the input and
influence from other things, being filled to the brim with the things of this
world. Pressures and stress of daily life shake us and what splashes out is
what mostly went in and filled us all week. But, what informs you forms your
actions. We need to be filled with the Spirit and connected to God; Bible
studies groups, devotion time, prayer time, praise and worship time where the
things of this world get out of our system and our life is the product of our
godly overflow. Our outward actions are a result of what is happening inwardly;
a reflection of a Spirit-filled life. When the pressures and stresses come,
your reaction flows out from love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. And when we are drained, we top back off with more Jesus
time.
We start out in this life
with sin nature of the flesh, but the finished work of Jesus Christ in
salvation transforms us from the inside out. When we are “born again” of the
Spirit, we are a new creation and to go into the darkness of this world to
reflect His righteous and redemptive light; reflecting Him as Ambassadors of
Christ. You Christian are in this world, but not of this world. You are a
citizen of Heaven, so that we can bring Heaven here on Earth to a world that so
desperately needs Him.
In Christ, Brian
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