Being Spiritually Minded

Topic: Being Spiritually Minded

Greetings:

Romans 8:5,6: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

The first word I want to tackle is the word spiritually.  For many people are they read this and myself included at one time, I thought being spiritually minded means to pray more, study more, fast more..etc.  But after looking up the meaning of the word, light was shed on the meaning and changed my perspective.  The word spiritually in the Greek is the word “pneuma”  meaning The third person of the Triune – Holy Spirit.   So what the Scripture is saying is to be Spirit-minded is Zoe and peace.  It means to have the mind of God.   Paul spoke to the church at Philippi and said “Let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus”.  Now to be spiritually minded is not a human experience but it is the complete sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.  Let me give you some examples of this in Scripture:

Philippians 2:13:  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

John 5:15:  I am the vine, ye are the branches:  He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing

Isaiah 26:12:  Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us

2 Corinthians 3:5:  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. 

This is why can not boast of anything because it is God working through us because we can do nothing of ourselves.  Any human attempt to do something without the Holy Spirit produces a ritualistic and religious list of do’s and don’ts.  The problem with the list is, it is subject to change as the world changes.  This is why you must be led by the Holy Spirit.  The Scriptures say the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and it searches the deep things of God.   This is about relationship, not rituals. 

Now there is a war for control of you and it is between the Spirit of God vs the spirit of this world.  Let me show you:

James 4:4,5:  Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.   

2 Timothy 2:4: No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier

We need to separate ourselves from the lusts and desires of this world.  They have been strategically set to entrap you by your soul and its desires for provision and protection.   You will not know this unless you sacrifice and subdue the desires of the flesh for the Spirit.  Now in 1 John 2:15 the Scripture says to not love the world nor the things that are in the world.  The question we need to ask what are the things in the world?   Well because we can do nothing of ourselves and if we attempt we will create a religious list of dos and do nots.  So we must allow the Holy Spirit to come in and teach us the things of the world, let me show you:

1 John 2:27:  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is the truth and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him. 

So the Anointing will teach us all things, but why?  That we may abide in Him and when we abide in Him we become spiritually minded. 

Peace and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun Jr.

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Foundation of Zoe Life Teaching Series

Foundation of Zoe Life Teaching Series

Walking in the Spirit

Topic:  Walking in the Spirit

How do we walk in the Spirit?  Before we discuss this, why should we walk in the Spirit?  Let’s see:

Romans 8:4:  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit

Galatians 5:24,25: And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

So our desire is to crucify the affections and lusts of the flesh.  When we do that we live and experience zoe life.  So the next obvious question is how do we walk in the Spirit?

1.   Walk in the Word

Jeremiah 23:28,29:  The prophet that hath a dream let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.  What is the chaff to the wheat? Saith the Lord.  Is not my word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. 

Psalm 119:105-107:  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  I have sworn and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements. I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. 

The Word of the Lord is the Spirit.  When we walk in the Word of God we live Zoe life and are directed and moved moment to moment by His Voice.

2.   Spirit and the Word Working Together

1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one. 

These are situations where the Spirit and Word work together. 

a.   In Repentance

Proverbs 1:23:  Turn you  at my reproof: behold I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.  

b.   In Building

Zechariah 4:6:  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel saying, Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts

c.    In Covenant

Isaiah 59:21: As for me this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart  out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

d.   Healing

Psalm 107:20: He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 

e.   Prayer

Acts 4:31: And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

f.     Preaching

Acts 13:4,5:  So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.  And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister

Let  me say this:  For this to be a reality you must agree with the Word and the Spirit.   You cannot just quote Scripture, you must agree with it. 

Amos 3:3:  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

So if we agree with the word of God and what the Spirit says, then there are declarations of our positions in regard to the flesh:

1.   Declare: You Died

Colossians 3:3:  For ye are dead and your life is hid in Christ

So we are dead even though we are living in time and space.  If we are truly dead then dead men do not sin, do not get offended, do not retaliate nor respond.  This is how they know that we have died and are buried with him by baptism. 

2.   Declare: We are Raised with Christ

Colossians 3:1:  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  

If we are risen in Christ then we seek those things in Heaven, not in the earth.

3.   Declare: Seated in Heavenly Places

Ephesians 2:6:  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

If we are seated together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus then we should enter into His rest because the sitting position is a position of rest.  Hebrews 4:10:  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 

4.   Declare: We are Circumcised

Colossians 2:11:  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

If we are circumcised, the Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:22: That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. 

5.   Declare:  We are Complete in Him

Colossians 2:10:  And you are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power:

If we are complete in Him they we should speak the truth in love that we may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

6.   Justified By Faith

Romans 5:1:  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

If we are justified by faith then we are to pursue righteousness and flee youthful lusts. (2 Timothy 2:22)

So for every declaration we make concerning our position in regard to the flesh there is a action that we must take and agree to manifest the Zoe life.   We are approaching and maturing to a point where we will not ask the Lord what to do, but do as what the Spirit is doing.   Be encouraged and stay with the Lord. 

Peace and Grace:

Calvin Calhoun. Jr.

New Teaching Series: Laying Hold of Zoe Life

Laying Hold of Zoe Life

Topic: How to “Lay Hold” of Eternal Life

             

Greetings Sons of God:

1 Timothy 6:12:  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses

Paul tells his spiritual son, Timothy to lay hold of eternal life.  What does it mean to lay hold of eternal life?  The word life is translated Zoe so the life that we are to lay hold of is the God-like life.  Now wait, when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior he gave us eternal life so that we can die and go to heaven right?  Yes, but if you take that interpretation you will suffer, stress and have a life full of strife and all you will say is “Lord take me out of here?”  or “come quickly Lord”.  Paul was telling Timothy to lay hold of eternal life NOW!  Eternal life is not a after life experience only.  We are called to walk in this life now!  So how are we to “lay hold” or seize eternal life? 

Paul gives us nine ways to lay hold of eternal life and they are all found in Romans 8:

1.    Walk in the Spirit (vs. 1)

2.   Spiritually Minded (vs. 6-8)

3.   Dwell in Him (vs. 9-11)

4.   Mortify the Deeds of the Body (vs. 13)

5.   Be Lead by the Spirit (vs. 14)

6.   Cry Abba, Father (vs. 15)

7.   Love God   (vs. 16 )

8.   Conquering through Him (vs. 17)

Of the nine the one that we struggle with the most is mortifying the deeds of the body.  And as I was studying this, this one really sets the pace for all the others.  Let’s get a definition of mortification and bring it to the spiritual.   Mortification is the act of subduing one’s bodily desires.   So what are we subduing?  We are subduing the soul and it’s desires to walk in eternal life.  

Now when we talk about mortification we must get a clear definition of what we are subduing but most of all why.  There is a fleshly mortification that many do and I even have done it thinking that I was subduing the desires of the body for the Spirit.  Fleshly mortification is driven by an unbiblical goal and the motives to subdue your flesh are wrong. Let me show you some examples of wrong motives:

1.   Fear of Hell

2.   Desire to Go to Heaven

3.   Fear of the Wrath of God

4.   Commendations by Appearance

5.   Pride

6.   Lack of Peace, Troubled Conscious 

We should have only one true purpose and desire to mortify the deeds of our body and when we do it with this motive, it is pure and real and God honors this.   The real reason to mortify the deeds of your body is because “You Love God”.  When your love of God is your motive, your mortification is real and honored.  We should desire to please him in every aspect of our lives. 

Romans 8:8:  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God

1 Thessalonians 4:1: Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 

So to love God must be our only reason we mortify the deeds of the flesh. Now the question is how do we mortify the deeds of the Body.  Romans 8:13 tells us:

Romans 8:13: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live

So the only way we can mortify the deeds of the body if through the Spirit.  Let me show you:

Galatians 5:16:  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill  the lust of the flesh

Isaiah 4:4: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of burning. 

So we mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit when we obey and walk in the Spirit. 

Peace and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Zoe Life and Agape Love

Topic: Zoe Life and Agape Love

Greetings:

In the previous message we talked about the two components of Zoe life, the Word and the Spirit and the question is because the Spirit is invisible how will someone know that you have the Spirit?  Let’s answer that with the Scriptures:

Matthew 7:16: Ye shall know them by their fruits.   Do men gather grapes of thorns  or figs of thistles?

Galatians 5:22,23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

So it is by the fruit of the Sprit that they will know that the Spirit of God dwells within us.  But I want to take the first one the fruits because this is the one that really sets all the others in motion.  Love.

There are so many Scriptures on Love but I want to share a couple to show how when we show God-like love, Agape love, Zoe life is manifested.  

1 John 4:7-13:  Beloved let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth  not God; for God is love.   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  No man hath seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.  Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. 

Because God sending His Son was the ultimate show of love it is no wonder Apostle Peter can say this:

1 Peter 4:8:  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover shall cover a multitude of sins. 

We need to not separate ourselves from the Body of Christ, whether it be by individual or even by church.  This mentality is pride and the end result is destruction.  We must always seek to be amongst the household of God.   If we all have one Spirit and in one Body then we should be ale to fellowship with anyone of the household of faith. What has divided us is doctrine.  So many people have made their own doctrine which is a portion of Scripture, some misinterpreted Scripture.  Because someone does not hold our doctrine then we find it hard to fellowship with them.  A divided house or family will not stand and the enemy can then pick off the sheep because of the lack of unity.  The love of God is what unites us as a household of faith.  Let us seek to be perfected in love in word and in deed that the Zoe life that we have as a gift from God is manifested for the world to see. 

Peace and Grace

Calvin Calhoun Jr.