Jump Start # 1744

1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of the flesh, as to babes in Christ.”

This week we are looking at the unique topic of how Satan tempts a church. We understand by both Scripture and observation that each of us are wired differently. Satan seems to know that. His attacks upon us individually seem to be tailored specifically to how we are wired. For instance, one person can cut through the liquor section of the grocery store and nothing happens. The needle in his heart doesn’t even move. He’s not tempted. Take another person, and he does the same thing and as he walks through, he is looking at each bottle. Drinking is a problem and now he is really tempted. He can’t seem to get it off his mind. The same thing happens with lust or materialism or pride. Satan seems to know just where to hit each of us. We understand this on the personal level. Should it be any different on the congregational level? To one congregation, Satan throws the curve ball of lack of trust in the leaders. That might work in some places. In other places, the needle won’t even move. Pride may be the death blow to another place. Just as Satan knows us individually, he knows congregations.

Our verse today shows another way Satan tries to get the door open to the church house and find his way in. He does that through hearts that are filled with the here and now. Our verse, Paul’s concern for the Corinthians, addressed the fact that he wanted to reach them on a deeper spiritual level, but they weren’t there. It wasn’t a lack of knowledge. It was a spiritual maturity issue based upon where their hearts were. They were, “men of the flesh.” Other versions use the expression, “carnal.” Worldly. Earth bound thinking. Hearts that are filled with the here and now.

The carnal church is composed of members who are carnal. Their conversations not only dominate secular subjects, but it’s secular in totality. Before services begin, it’s all politics, sports and fun. Worship takes place and then as soon as worship ends, it’s back to all politics, sports and fun. It can seem like the worship interrupted their secular thinking and their secular pursuits. The carnal mind does not see any connection between what happens on Sunday  and the rest of the week. There are no bridges between worship and the rest of your life. So at work, at school, Godly thinking never happens. The carnal minded person just “doesn’t think” spiritually. He doesn’t see how God’s word fits into his world. He never thinks to pray about things that bother him. He never thinks about the eternal consequences of decisions and choices he makes. He just doesn’t think spiritually. And too often, “I just wasn’t thinking,” is the cause of his many problems.

This is dramatically opposite of the image and the way that God wants us to live. Consider a few expressions:

• Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20)
• Live by the Spirit (Gal 5:25)
• Be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18)
• Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (Col 3:14)
• Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you (Col 3:16)
• God is at work in you (Phil 2:13)
• Christ is in you (Col 1:27)
• Abide in the light (1 Jn 2:10)
• The Spirit of God dwells in you (Rom 8:9)
• The Holy Spirit who is in you (1 Cor 6:19)

The spiritually minded person never turns off the switch concerning God. He is always thinking about God. This is why “praying without ceasing,” is never an issue for the spiritually minded man. He is praying constantly. He is thinking spiritually all the time. He looks for opportunities to do things spiritually. Help this person. Invite that guy. Pray about this. Avoid that. Thinking. Considering. Growing. That’s how God wants us to be. Jesus shows us this in the sermon on the mount. In the section about worry, the Lord says, “consider the lilies of the field,” it’s more than looking at flowers. By looking at the beauty of the flowers, the spiritually minded person realizes that God takes care of him. The birds of the air, another illustration of the Lord, and another connection spiritually to God. The spiritually minded person sees the same things that the man of the world does, but he goes deeper. He makes spiritual observations and conclusions. Every where is a lesson. Every where there are reminders.

The carnal person doesn’t get it. He’ll be at the church house every Sunday. He wouldn’t miss church services for anything. But as soon as the service is finished, so is his spiritual thinking. He just doesn’t think spiritually between Sundays. This problem affects him. His choices are shallow, selfish and materialistic. He is not strong spiritually. Get a church full of carnally minded people, and you’ll find Satan sitting on the front row. He’s there. He’s got the church right where he wants them. They are convinced they are doing well because they show up on Sunday, but they are not living, doing nor showing Christ to the world. They don’t think spiritually outside the church building. Satan has blinded them to their real condition. Like the church in Revelation, they have a name that they are alive, but in truth, they are dead. If it doesn’t happen on Sunday, it’s not going to happen.

Here and now people are consumed with who won what game, who is playing next, what movie is out, what song is # 1 on the charts, who kissed who in Hollywood and a host of things that really do not matter. Here and now folks don’t do much Bible reading during the week. Usually, they are too busy watching TV. Here and now people don’t do hospitality, especially with families from church.

The Ethiopian eunuch that we read about in Acts 8 certainly fits the description of a spiritually minded man. He had been to Jerusalem to worship. He was returning home, and we find him reading the book of Isaiah on his way home. He most likely had purchased the expensive Isaiah scrolls while in Jerusalem. Worship  was over. He was finished. Yet, on his way home he was reading Isaiah. Church, we could say, was over, but he wasn’t. That’s the mark of a spiritually minded person. He’s thinking. He’s reading. He’s talking. He’s interested in spiritual things, no matter what day of the week it is and no matter where he is. He’s that way as much at work as he is in the church building. He’s that way on vacation as much as he is at home. He’s God’s man, through and through. He loves all things spiritual. He likes talking Bible. He likes teaching the Bible. He likes being around other Christians. He likes helping out where he can. He is thoroughly spiritual through and through. Get a bunch of these folks together, and Satan can’t make his way in.

It’s the carnal man, the here and now person, that Satan can sure use to get his way into the congregation. Here and now folks are generally weak. They are not thinking nor using their spiritual tools nor opportunities. It doesn’t take too strong of a wind to blow them over. Error, trouble and all kinds of bad things can slip right past the here and now folks and they would never recognize it.

What can be done? Here and now people are that way by choice. They can change. Will they? Will they want to? They need to be lead. They need to be shown. They need to be included. Invite them. Walk with them. Take those little baby steps. Help them become spiritually minded.

I’d rather have a crowd of 10 people who were spiritually minded  over 200 who were carnally minded. Now, it’s easy to point the fingers at others, but the truth is, what about you and what about me? Are we spiritually minded? Do we waver too much? Do we fill our hearts and minds with things that really do not matter?

Look at the Corinthian church. What a mess they were in. Divisions. Lawsuits. Immoral. Abusing the Lord’s Supper. Mixed up about spiritual gifts. One must wonder if they were that way because of here and now thinking. Carnally minded will affect not only the family but also the congregation. Corinth proves that.

One of the hymns we sing, “Draw me, nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord…” That’s the answer. That’s the solution. Draw us closer to the Lord. Flip on that spiritual switch and never ever turn it off. Become absorbed in God’s word and God’s people. Get off the sidelines and get involved. Get busy for the Lord.

Carnal can become spiritual, if he wants to. And, that is the key. What do you want to do?

Roger