LIFE – PHYSICAL vs SPIRITUAL
By W. G. Guy
The most important fact to consider is that your physical life is not as important as your spiritual life. Why, because your physical life is temporary and comes to an end; but your spiritual life is eternal; it never ends. Why is it that people focus most of their attention and care for their physical life, not on their spiritual life? Because people are much more aware of their physical life than their spiritual life.
People go to doctors and hospitals to care for their physical lives. People spend a great deal of money on their physical lives to care for and preserve them. How much do they spend on the care and development of their spiritual lives? To whom, or where do they go to care for their spiritual lives. Jesus ordained that we go to God’s gifted and anointed ministers and to assemble in gatherings called churches.
Ephesians 4:10-12 – He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. [Note: when did He give these gift ministries? After He ascended, not before.] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
There are two problems that I have observed: one is that most churches have eliminated the gift ministries of prophet and apostle, and relegated the teachers to Sunday School; and the poor evangelist is on his own and not considered part of church leadership. The second problem is that most churches seem to focus their ministry on the physical life rather than the spiritual life. They are more interested in increasing their church attendance and building the size of their congregations than developing and nurturing believer’s spiritual maturity. This problem defies the task of the five gift ministries.
Ephesians 4:13 – till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Another issue is that too many of these churches lack the presence of the Holy Spirit in their services. I have visited churches where there was absolutely no presence of the Spirit of the Lord in that gathering. Sometimes I left that church feeling worse than when I entered; a real let down from what I was expecting. It was more like a social gathering than a true church service with a real worship of the LORD where His presence could be experienced. I know the difference because, in the past, I was part of a church where you could sense the LORD’S divine presence just on entering the building, even before the service started.
How could this be? It was because of the people attending that church. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and brought His presence with them into the building. The Spirit of the LORD does not inhabit a building, He inhabits His people; individually and corporately.
1 Corinthians 3:16 – Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
A gathering of many people full of Jesus, focusing their attention on Him, and gathering for edification, praise and worship, fills the place with His presence.
Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The problem is that too many times people gather together in the name of their church, their denomination or even their pastor, not in the name of Jesus. Where people genuinely gather to praise and worship the LORD, in spirit and in truth, the Spirit of the LORD shows up because He enjoys such an environment.
John 4:24 – God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
He is thus made welcome, and His presence is experienced because that true worship and praise is what He is looking for.
Psalm 22:3 – But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel, (or His people gathered together as a church).
When true Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit, it shows. Those who focus most of their attention on their physical life lack having the manifestation of His divine presence in their services.
So, which is more important to you and your church, is it your physical life, which the Jesus said He already provides for:
Matthew 6:31-33 – Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Romans 8:32 – He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Or do you view your spiritual life as less important than your physical life. Will you miss out on that which the LORD wants to see in you, which is His spiritual life matured and developed in you.
The Spirit of Christ in you (which is Holy), makes you a child of God and the object of His caring affection. But your physical life, with its fleshly desires are not pleasing to Him.
Romans 8:9-11 – So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Living according to the dictates of the physical life stand in opposition to what Christ is and desires for you.
2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
This was a concern that the apostle Paul had for the Church at Galatia:
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Another problem that too many churches fail to recognize is that many people consider themselves to be Christians because they only know ABUT Jesus Christ, and my even go to church; but they do not know Him personally, or intimately. This problem even exists among those in the ministry.
Matthew 7:21-23 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The problem with such ministers is that they were doing things their own way, or the way man taught them to in seminary. They had no intimate relationship with Jesus and did not know how to do things His way. Thus they were doing their own thing which is rebellion, called iniquity.
The church and its believers should be a place where Christ not only dwells but His presence manifests to change lives from its physical limitations to spiritual maturity with the power that comes by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The forming of Christ’s likeness in believers is the goal.
Colossians 1:27 – to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
The true work of those in ministry is to build people up in their faith and unto the likeness of Christ: thus they could properly be called Christians, or Christ’s ones. So which life do you focus on; the physical, which is temporal, or the spiritual, which is eternal – which you will have forever.
