Reflection of my message today at NRN May 25, 2014 What should our life look like in the New Normal?

     What should our life look like I the New Normal?

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.       

                                                                                                 Galatians 5:1-4 (NLT)

“A fundamental insight of Martin Luther was that “religion” is the default mode of the human heart.  So Luther says that even after you are converted by the gospel your heart will go back to operating on other principles unless you deliberately, repeatedly set it to gospel mode”      (Timothy Keller, 2008, pgs. 128-129).

How Does True CHANGE Happen In The New Normal?

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!                       Galatians 5:16-23 (NLT)

How change happens in the new normal:

1. The new normal happens GRADUALLY

Christian change is gradual, it's mysterious, it's seasonal, it's slow, it's almost invisible.  In other words, you have to be careful not to be impatient. But on the other hand, here's the hard side of this, Christian growth is inevitable. If you have the Spirit of God in you, there will be change...

ILL:  G. Campbell Morgan told a story that's probably my favorite example of gradual growth and the power of growth.  He said he was in Italy and he was in a graveyard and he saw that there was a huge marble slab over some man's grave, but an acorn had gotten into the grave, you know, about 600 years ago.  And out of that acorn came a shoot, and out of the shoot came a tree and out of that acorn had come a tree that had grown up so big and so tall it had split the marble slab in half.  Now, common sense will tell you, "Here's an acorn.  Here's a slab.  Who wins? 1,000 lbs. is down on the acorn.  Who wins?  It's a no-brainer. No contest."  That's right.  No contest.  The acorn will always win. 

2. The new normal is INEVITABLE for a believer.

If we are saved and the Holy Spirit lives within us spiritual growth in to the new normal is inevitable.  Our Father’s goal is for all believers to continually make progress toward Christlikeness. The most important decision in our life is that your relationship with God will deepen. If your relationship is not deepening – it will grow stagnant. This is what Paul is speaking about….  You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? 

3. The new normal happens INTERNALLY

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.                         Galatians 5:19-23 (NIV)

4. The new normal happens SYMMETRICALLY

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.                                             Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

 

The chapter ends with these practical words for us:

 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful  nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.                                      Galatians 5:24-26 (NLT)

Today, 4 people responded to my invitation to the filled with Holy Spirit.  God is at work in our midst!