Lesson 3: Walking with God

Romans 8:1 
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

This verse is often used to assure us that IF we are "in Christ Jesus" there is no condemnation. However, this verse has much more to emphasize. One who has "no condemnation" must not walk after their own desires, but must walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, by the Spirit. In fact, this is such an important concept that Paul repeats it in Romans 8:4, Galatians 5:16, and Galatians 5:25. (There is of course, another way to walk and that is by the spirit of darkness -Eph 2:2.)

1 John 1:7 promises that if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, that we will be continually cleansed of our sins. It is therefore imperative that we learn what it means to walk with God. Remember that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden? This was God's plan from the very beginning, that man should walk with Him. According to Titus 3:5-7, God is calling us to re-establish that relationship through the TWO processes He has chosen to bring us salvation.

Titus 3:5-7  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by (1*) the washing of regeneration, and (2*) renewing of the Holy Spirit" 

* - writer's addition for emphasis. 

Yes, the washing of regeneration (new birth) through faith in the operation of God (Col 2:12) cleanses us from all past sins and gives us every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3f). These spiritual blessings include being made holy, blameless, heirs of Abraham, adopted sons, redeemed, cleansed, enlightened by the indwelling of the Spirit  (1 Cor 2:14-15), given wisdom, purpose, a ministry of reconciliation, a new name, a new inheritance, and a new family. God accomplishes all that through His work during our submission to immersion by faith (calling on His Name - Acts 22:16) into Jesus Christ. 

BUT that is only the beginning of God's plan for re-establishing His relationship with us. If baptism were all there was...if baptism automatically punched our "get into Heaven" card and allowed us to live as we have always lived, then we would not need the daily fellowship with God.  God's plan included a second process. This process is the life-long process of sanctification --the perfecting of the saints by the Holy Spirit transforming us into the image of our Savior (Eph 4:12-15).

What does it mean to walk with God daily?

God desires, for our own benefit, that we walk moment by moment, step by step with Him in a covenant relationship being renewed daily by His Spirit. We are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, by the submission of our hearts, by the change in our priorities, by the putting on of the fruit of the Spirit, by the exhibition of our witness and praise for Him, and by the love we have for the lost and one another . We are called to CHANGE (Romans 12:1-2).

Christ demands of His disciples that they "deny self and take up their cross and follow Him". A true disciple bows at the foot of the Cross and becomes a servant of the most High God. If we are followers, we allow the Spirit to circumcise our hearts - the PAINFUL cutting away of fleshly desires. This "cutting away" of selfish desires leaves the heart super sensitive to the Word of God. This process of sanctification should feel like we are in the midst of a battle as Paul experienced in Romans 7. If we are not struggling with flesh, down on our knees in prayer over our carnal desires, humbled by our weaknesses,  sacrificially serving the Savior and calling on God to bring about His transformation in our lives, , then we are NOT walking in the Light. 

Who's Your Daddy?

Paul commanded, "examine yourself, whether you be in the faith; prove yourself. Do you not know who you are, how that Jesus Christ is in you, EXCEPT that you be rejected." 2 Cor 13:5

So how do we examine ourselves to see if we are "in the faith"?  We can determine who we resemble the most! Who we resemble in thought, action, and desire will tell us who we are following.  

If we follow Christ, what attributes would we share with Him? If God is our Father, what characteristics do His children possess?

If Satan is our father, how would we act? What marks us as a follower of the Devil?

This is a worthy exercise for each one of us to participate in. You might want to create a "T" chart and on one side list those things which represent children of God and on the other side list those things that the Bible describes as Satanic. 

Here's a few to get started. 

Christ Followers (as we have seen in the Lessons 1 & 2) are:

• Peacemakers (Romans 14:19; 2 Tim 2:22) without following after peace and holiness NO ONE will see the Lord (Heb 12:14) 
• Striving for Unity in the Spirit  (Eph 4:3, 13)
• Empowered by the Spirit to crucify flesh and put on love, patience, kindness, forgiveness AND MORE!  (2 Tim 1:7; Gal 5:22-26)
• Encouragers, edifiers (Hebrews 10:24-25; Romans 14:19; 1 Cor 10:23; Eph 4:12)
• Sacrificial in service (Romans 12:1; Eph 5:2; Phil 2:17; 4:18; 1 Pet 2:5)
• Witnesses among the nations of God's greatness (1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 2:2; Ps 57:9; 108:3)
• Ministers of reconciliation - they prioritize the Kingdom's mission. We are saved to share salvation with others. (2 Cor 5:18-19)
• Worshipers with praise on their lips at all times - Acknowledging Him in ALL things (Heb 13:15; Prov 3:6)
• Humble - they understand their place in the Universe. God is sovereign and we are servants (Col 3:12; James 4:10; 1 Pet 5;6)
• Content - Having Christ is all they will ever need or want (1 Tim 6:6-8; Heb 13:6) His grace is sufficient for them!
• Seekers after wisdom (1 Cor 8:1-3)

What marks those whose father is Satan?

• Divisive & contentious - devoid of the Spirit (Jude 1:19; Romans 2:8, Titus 3:9)
• Accusers  (Rev 12:10)
• Liars, gossips, bearing falsehoods (John 8:44; 1 Tim 1:10; 1 John 4:20; Rev 21:8)
• Tight-lipped (Devil's got their tongue when it comes to sharing the Joy of your Salvation)...but Lose-lipped when it comes to criticism and spewing forth mean-spirited words. (Mat 10:33)
• Judging the intents and motives of other's hearts (1 Cor 4:5)
• Whiners & malicious with words (3 John 1:10)
• Full of hate (Matthew 6:24; 24:10)
• Foolishly entangled in distractions (Matthew 13)
• Easily offended*  (Matthew 13:21, Matthew 15:12; Matthew 24:10-13)

The Scriptures describe 3 types of people (Romans 8; 1 Cor 3):

1. Worldly folks - lost in their sins
2. Carnal Christians have accepted the washing of regeneration, but have not allowed the Spirit to cut away selfishness from their hearts. These folks are often *easily offended. The word in Greek is "skandalizo" which means to entice to sin or to take off track (off-end). Carnal Christians often use the phrase, "you offend me" because they are weak and childish in their faith development. In fact, they are in danger of betraying saints and hating one another (Matthew 24:9-13). They are focusing on judging others instead of taking the beam out of their own eye. 

If we are easily enticed to sin, if we are easily taken off track then our faith is weak indeed! (James 1:12; Romans 14; 1 Peter 1:7) The marks of a carnal-minded person are envying, strife, and divisions (1 Cor 3) which too often are sewn among the brethren. 

We are truly weak when we let external circumstances entice us to sin (gossip, complain, whine, cause divisions, exhibit self-serving, negative, mean-spirited and malicious behaviors.) To trade our joy, peace, and love for actions that serve the evil one, is a life-style of reactivity instead of proactivity. What someone else says or does, what events take place should not affect the way we follow in the footsteps of Christ. 

Christ demonstrated the proactive lifestyle by loving ALL no matter the external circumstances. This is what we need to commit to. Denial, betrayal, scourging, spitting, lying, and crucifixion did not deter Him from His mission. If we walk in the footsteps of Jesus externals (things we can see) should not deter our faith (things we cannot see.)

Followers of Christ do not become entangled by listening to foolishness (accusations, gossip, judgmental criticism Prov 14:3; Eccl 10:13) but seek wisdom (1 Cor 8:1-3) by learning to love. 

How can the Body of Christ address such selfish actions? 

• Hebrews 12:24-15 - encourage one another to love and good works. Set expectations for one another through expressions of love while you are assembled.  Provide opportunities to for "good works" which reach beyond the limits of the church-house walls. 
• Encourage, train, mentor the congregation in practicing the Christian Disciplines
• Deliberate on what it means to be a disciple of Christ learning to serve the saints and the lost sacrificially as part of God's plan for helping a Carnal Christian submit to the transformation power of the Cross
• Nurture all members to regain the priority of their First Love...this entails following the way the Master Teacher brought up His disciples by:
• Giving them a forum where they could share their testimony for Christ (how God's power works in their lives) among the brethren. ("who do men say that I am?) If they don't share it among the faithful, they probably won't share it in the dark places. I have worked with 30-year Christians who have never once shared their testimony to anyone. Give them the example of Paul before Felix.
• Allowing "pew folks"  a forum to share the the Story of Redemption one on one among mentors and peers. Again, in multiple nations in myriads of congregations, I have met people who have never once shared the Story of Redemption except perhaps with their own family.
• Give them occasions to have limited guided practice--when one teaches another there should be an intern along to watch and listen.
• Plan for debriefing sessions (as Christ did with His disciples after the limited commission) so that mentors are able to give encouragement, guidance, wisdom and direction.
• Implement public and private prayer groups that pray over each door of opportunity to keep the devil away, to open the heart, to create fertile soil for the Gospel, for God to bring the increase, for eyes to be opened to a loving relationship with the Savior....
• After-care groups that "teach to observe all things" so that each soul is strengthened to begin immediately on focusing on sharing their faith. 

3. Spiritual Christian are full of the Spirit, grace, mercy, and joy because they have emptied their hearts of "self" and allowed the Spirit to mold them. A maturing Christian takes on the characteristics of Christ, the mission of Christ to seek the lost, the love of Christ for the brethren and world, and the mercy of Christ. As they follow Christ, they understand their mission is to love and not judge (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:1, 16; 14:10) because judgment is above their "pay grade". 

Walking with God moment by moment means that we not only see Jesus in all that we do, but that we represent His Light to the world. Christ is magnified in our bodies (Phil 1:20; 2 Cor 4:11). He is with us in every thought, conversation and event. He did not come just so that we could have a "golden retirement plan in the sky". He came to re-establish our hope, joy, peace, and wisdom in the "here and now".  We have ALREADY passed from death to life (2 Tim 1:10; John 5:24; Romans 8:2; 8:6) and THIS is something to share!

1 John 3:14
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."   

Hebrews 13:15
We therefore, continually put on the characteristic of patience & kindness while offering up praise with our lips. 

Walking with God moment by moment means that we continually carry on a spiritual conversation with Him (praying continually) throughout our day AND SO MUCH MORE! We experience the "peace that passes all understanding and we meditate ONLY on those things that are good, honest, pure, lovely, virtuous and praise worthy. (Phil 4:7-9) Christian discipline themselves and guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus because from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. What you think about and chew on is what will come out of your mouth. Disciplining our hearts and minds will result in a disciplined tongue. The Christian Disciplines help us to focus and prioritize, but they alone will not bring the coveted pronouncement from God of "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 

Walking with Christ means to put on the apron of service, humble ourselves at the feet of our enemies and perform the tasks of a servant. Helping the widows, the orphans, the lost, the lonely, the loser, the lame, the labeled.....these were the people Jesus was drawn to. If we walk in His footsteps then we too will extend the sphere of our influence beyond those who are able to pay us back. This is the problem of the Pharisees and we need to exceed their selfish habits (Matthew 5:20). 

GROWING TOWARDS PERFECTION

Spiritual growth, transformation, sanctification are all signs of a maturing Christian. Paul and Peter repeatedly commanded Christians to "grow" in the Christian graces and faith.  (Eph 2:21; 4:15; 2 Thess 1:3; 1 Peter 2:2, 3:18). We will never reach perfection, but others should witness our growth in The Lord (2 Cor 7:1) When The Lord returns we MUST be growing instead of lukewarm or asleep. (Phil 3:12)

WHO's YOUR DADDY?

If we walk with God, we begin a journey of sacrificial love and encouragement to the brethren. But we do not stop there. A congregation that only looks to benefit its own members has lost the focus of their First Love. When we speak about First Loves, we know that they consume our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions. If Christ is our First Love, then we cannot stop from sharing the Joy of our Salvation! We take the Light to those in darkness.  We lean on the power of God to help us walk through doors of opportunity, we trust in the power of the Gospel, and we serve sacrificially for the sake of the Gospel. When we serve to honor God, just as Christ did, we rejoice in our suffering and find joy in all things. Serving in a sacrificial way helps us to thankful for brethren who are willing to walk & work along side us. We no longer have the time or the energy to whine, complain, or criticize because we are too busy being about our Father's business.   

Soooooooo.....how's your sacrificial service coming along?