Tag: Bible

Walking by the Spirit: A Path to Spiritual Growth

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Hugh Binning (1627–1653) was a Scottish philosopher and theologian. He was born in Scotland during the reign of Charles I and was ordained in the Church of Scotland. This is one of his sermons put in modern English.

It’s no surprise that we can’t fully explain this topic, and that you don’t see much spiritual growth, because it’s a mystery to our understanding and something we rarely practice. There’s so little of the Spirit in both teachers and learners that we speak about it as if it’s something unfamiliar, and we struggle to help you truly grasp what it means in a real, living way. All we can say in general is that walking by the Spirit is a divine thing—something beyond our usual way of living, even beyond our religious lives.

Since few people experience it, we know little about it, but we should understand this: it’s beyond what we’ve achieved so far. It’s something higher than where we are, yet it’s something we’re called to reach for. This truth should ignite a holy ambition in us to strive for more, knowing that it is possible. Christ calls us to walk with Him in this way.

I want Christians to have big dreams and goals—to be people with high and limitless desires, never content with where they are spiritually. We should always want more of God, more obedience to His will, more walking by the Spirit, and more separation from the world’s ways. That’s what it means to have a divine spirit. The divine nature is out of place here on earth, and you can recognize it by its constant upward movement, never resting, always striving towards God, His holiness, and His Spirit.

I’d like to speak on three points: First, what it means to walk by the Spirit. Second, how this connects to the blessed state of being free from condemnation. And finally, how this way of life comes from being united with Christ Jesus.

Spiritual walking means living according to a spiritual guide, following spiritual principles, and aiming for spiritual goals. When these three are in place, a Christian’s life moves within them. It’s guided by God’s Word as the standard, powered by faith and love in Jesus, and driven by the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts. This walk starts with the Spirit and ends with the glory of Jesus and God.

This isn’t a lawless or chaotic way of living. It follows the perfect rule of God, aiming for spiritual growth, not just being content with what we’ve already achieved. The world’s way is different; it’s led by a different spirit, the spirit of disobedience, which leads many down a broad and easy path. But Christians are called to be different, not just in opinion, but in how they live—seeking holiness and walking apart from the world’s ways. This kind of “divine difference” is acceptable and even necessary.

We should aim to be as different as possible from the world, striving to align ourselves more with God’s Word, which is the perfect guide. Paul recognized that the law is spiritual and holy, but we are often still worldly. As we grow spiritually, we should keep moving forward, never being satisfied with where we are or comparing ourselves to others. Comparing ourselves to others can hold us back from the constant forward motion we’re called to.

As Christians, we should value and honor God’s Word, knowing that it is a precious and perfect guide. Many people undervalue the Word, but without it, there’s only darkness. True freedom in the Spirit doesn’t mean living without rules—it means being free from sin, not free to sin. The Spirit sets us free to walk in God’s ways, not aimlessly, but within the path of His commandments.

We must understand that God’s Word should guide every part of our lives—both religious and everyday actions. Spiritual walking isn’t limited to church or religious activities; it’s continuous. Our daily lives, like eating, drinking, and working, should be done in a way that leads us closer to God. Everything we do should reflect our Christian faith, not just our religious practices.

Some people think the Bible doesn’t apply to their daily lives or business dealings, but that’s not true. If we separate our actions from the Word, we risk separating our faith from those actions too. We must let the Word guide all areas of our lives so that we live not only as people but as Christians in everything we do.

This spiritual journey is based on spiritual principles. We know that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the one who gives us life and guides us spiritually. Without Him, we can do nothing. As Christians, we should rely on Him fully, acting as if we are merely tools in His hands. While we should put in effort and do our best as if we are working independently, we must remember that we are truly dependent on the Spirit. Paul said it best: “I worked harder than anyone, but it was not me, it was the grace of God in me. I live, but it’s not me, it’s Christ living in me.”

It’s hard to balance these two ideas in our daily lives, but they must go together. One of the greatest mysteries of Christianity is finding our strength and energy in someone else—Christ. We need to realize that, on our own, we are powerless. No matter how experienced or gifted we are, we must view ourselves as incapable of doing anything without God. The growing Christian should no longer trust in their own abilities but should see themselves as dependent on the Spirit, unable to accomplish anything without Him.

Unfortunately, we often approach spiritual duties relying on our qualifications or past experiences. We become confident in our abilities instead of recognizing our need for grace. Instead of focusing on our talents or gifts, we should keep our eyes on the grace of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Even when things seem easier because of practice and experience, we should still cry out to God, “Lead me, and I will follow you.” Don’t measure your calling based on your own strength, but on the One who strengthens you.

The Holy Spirit moves us through faith in Christ and love for Him as our Savior. These two principles—faith and love—are what drive us to obey God. If fear drives us, without being mixed with faith and love, it becomes a form of bondage. But as Christians, we should walk in the spirit of adoption, calling God “Father,” not driven by fear. Sadly, many Christians are pushed to obey God more out of fear than out of love. True Christian living should be motivated by love for Christ, which makes obedience natural and joyful, rather than forced by fear.

Many people’s actions in religion are motivated by external factors—custom, expectations, or fear of punishment. But true Christianity comes from within, powered by love for Christ. It’s easy to act like we’re religious when we’re surrounded by certain people, but God sees the heart. We must be careful not to treat religion as a routine or something we do just because we’re used to it.

As Christians, we are called to live for God, not for ourselves. Our goal should not just be to get to heaven, but to live a life that reflects God’s love and glory. Our good deeds can never earn God’s favor. Even when we do everything we’re called to do, we must still recognize that we are unworthy servants, depending on God’s grace. Our efforts should not be about earning salvation but showing our gratitude and love for Christ, who has already saved us. This is the true heart of Christian living—doing everything for the glory of God, motivated by love for Him.

First, we need to recognize that spiritual growth comes from within, not just from outward actions. Our bodies alone cannot fully live a life guided by the Spirit. External religious practices are like the outer shell that holds something much deeper—the true, inner connection with God. All the things people can see—our religious actions—are like statues or paintings without life unless the Holy Spirit and our own spirit give them meaning and energy.

I’m not saying it’s just the Holy Spirit at work; our own souls and spirits are involved too. The Spirit of God works in us by influencing our soul, the part of us that is eternal. The Bible says, “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” So, while outward actions in worship are important because God commands them, they are empty without the soul’s involvement. People who reject these outward practices are missing something important.

We are made of both a spirit and a body, and both should be engaged in worship. A true Christian doesn’t exclude either inner communion with God or outward obedience to God’s commands. But, sadly, many of us worship God with our bodies while our hearts remain distant. This is what kills our worship—it’s like the soul is missing. We may look like saints on the outside, but there is very little true love for God inside.

This generation often falls into the trap of focusing on outward religious practices while neglecting the deeper, spiritual life. What remains is a shell of Christianity without its real power and life. So, I urge you to focus on walking in the Spirit. Only your spirit can truly follow the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are limited, and the spiritual path is upward and requires more than just physical effort.

Instead of measuring your faith by outward appearances, look within. Engage your soul in your walk with God. When your spirit is aligned with the Holy Spirit, your actions and religious practices will naturally follow in a meaningful way.

Jesus desires compassion rather than sacrifice

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12:1-7  
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Matthew 12:1-7 tells us of an encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees and some scolding words they had for him. Let’s look at the context, focus on what the Pharisees said and what it reveals about their motives. Let’s also look at what this says about those who misuse God’s word to impose their own understanding onto others and see if we can find an underlying principle.

Matthew tells us the Pharisees called out Jesus because his disciples picked the heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered this work on the Sabbath. In context, this encounter comes right after Jesus spoke of the wise being confounded by things revealed to those who are as infants. Jesus is now confronted by the “wise” people of his day. The preceding verses tell us God’s burden is light, but the Pharisees have something different in mind. They knew the law very well, but were they blind to its purpose? Let’s look a bit more at the situation.

The wise Pharisees were baffled by a religious leader allowing his followers to do something their understanding of the law told them was a violation of the law. They were also baffled by Jesus’ response. He gave examples from what was written that contradicted the burden the Pharisees were adding. He spoke of David eating “consecrated bread,” and priests who had no guilt even though their actions in the temple on the Sabbath violated the Pharisees’ understanding of the law.    

I believe there is an underlying principle here that we see throughout God’s word.  Our actions are meaningless if they only serve tradition, and they can be harmful if done for the wrong motives. Consider earlier verses in Matthew where Satan spoke of what was written in prophecy as he told Jesus to turn stones to bread or jump off a cliff, but Satan told Jesus to do these things for the wrong reasons; that is, to test God rather than serve Him. Jesus rebuked Satan for this and in Matthew 12:1-7 we see Jesus rebuking religious leaders for doing the same thing. They followed the law for the wrong reasons and imposed it on others as a burden.

The Pharisees enforced religious rituals and external acts with no regard for what was in a person’s heart.  Is this what Jesus meant by a desire for compassion rather than sacrifice?

What are your thoughts?

Also on the web:

If faith comes from witnessing a miracle, how can it be a gift?

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:20-24 NASB:  
20 Then He began to reprimand the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24 tells us there were cities who refused to repent even though they saw Jesus’ miracles. Does this imply that faith comes from our ability to deduce from things we’ve seen? I believe to answer this question we need to understand that there are different kinds of faith and we need to determine what kind of faith is Matthew talking about.

The scripture tells us we are saved by grace through faith that does not come from our abilities. Saving faith is a gift from of God so that no one can brag that he or she did anything. Doesn’t this tell us that if we have faith in someone because we witnessed him or her perform a miracle, that it is not faith unto salvation? Let me put this another way: If I see something and deduce something from what I saw, I am exercising my own ability to reason.  But saving faith is a gift that does not come from my own ability. This is why I say there is more than one kind of faith.

You can have faith in a doctor’s ability to diagnose a disease, or faith in your wife’s fidelity, or faith in many other things that result from our experiences and our ability to infer from them. These are all types of faith, but not saving faith. So, what kind of faith Matthew is talking about in Chapter 11?

These cities may have gained faith in Jesus’ abilities from watching him work miracles. But faith in Jesus’ abilities to heal is not faith unto salvation. Jesus made it clear that these folks witnessed miracles and still rejected Christ’s message. He said they are worthy of a greater punishment than Tyre and Sidon. Consider, a gift is something we can accept or reject. These people made a conscious effort to reject Jesus’ message, even if it meant rejecting things they saw with their own eyes. Matthew Henry put it this way, “Christ knew that the hearts of the Jews were more bitter and hardened against his miracles and doctrines, than those of Tyre and Sidon would have been therefore their condemnation would be the greater” 1 They refused to have faith in Jesus’ ability to heal or that his healings were works of God. Did they also reject salvation through Jesus blood after he was crucified?  

What are your thoughts?

  1. Henry, Matthew. 1706. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/matthew/11.htm

Also on the web:

The Book of Matthew

How do you respond when your faith is questioned?

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:1-6 NASB: When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2 Now while in prison, John heard about the works of Christ, and he sent word by his disciples, 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.”  

Matthew 11:1-6 comes immediately after Jesus gave his apostles instructions as they headed out to preach to the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel.  In these verses, John is in prison and sends messengers to Jesus to ask if Jesus is the one, or if it is someone else. John is the one who baptized Jesus, but now that he is in prison for preaching the Gospel he asks if Jesus is the one!

We shouldn’t be surprised that John is in prison for preaching the Gospel. These verses follow Jesus telling his apostles they will be persecuted for delivering his message. An important lesson here is that hard times can make one question if his or her understanding of God’s word is correct. And even an Apostle of Jesus can lose faith.

Matthew told us in earlier verses  that Jesus’ disciples were in a boat with Jesus as a storm hit. Even though Jesus was in the boat with them, they lost faith until Jesus calmed the sea. Now we hear of John asking questions while he is in prison. Some say John lost faith and one could infer this from what Matthew wrote, and it would not be the first time an Apostle lost faith. But I think it’s more likely he’s questioning whether Jesus will be a military-political leader or if someone else is coming to rule on earth.  Could he be questioning his understanding of Messiah? I ask this because Matthew’s theme seems to be to convince Jewish people that Messiah will rule the Kingdom of Heaven.  He uses this phrase 32 times when other Gospel writers exclusively use the phrase Kingdom of God. I think he uses Kingdom of Heaven to drive home his point. 

My point in all this is it’s OK to ask God for faith when we have questions. It’s OK to ask God if we have it wrong. There’s no sense in being dishonest with God because he knows your thoughts whether you express them or not. The apostles in a boat, and John in prison began to have doubts.  But in both cases, they reached out to Jesus for answers rather than let any doubts they have fester. They were short sighted.  Jesus saw the whole picture which ended with his resurrection and salvation for anyone who accepts his call.

Shouldn’t our first response when doubt starts to creep in be to ask Jesus to strengthen our faith and to open our eyes to his will?

What are your thoughts?

Also on the web:

The Book of Matthew

Does Matthew 10:24-23 apply to me or is it talking about someone else?

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 10:24-32

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Matthew records Jesus giving his apostles instructions as they get ready to preach to the lost children of the House of Israel.  Part of those instructions are recorded in Matthew 10:24-32.  Here we see Jesus telling his Apostles it will not be an easy road for them. Let’s take a close look at what else he said, and how we know his words have meaning for us today.

In verse 24, Jesus tells the apostles a, “…student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.” (Matt. 10:24 NIV) I believe Jesus is letting them know just how bad it’s going to get for them because in the next verse he says, “It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!”  It seems clear to me He’s telling them, if people accused Jesus of this, then the apostles can expect to be called the same, or even worse. This is what Jesus told his apostles, but how do we know these verses have meaning for us?

Jesus gave these instructions to his apostles as they were heading out to preach specifically to Jewish people. Our directive today is quite different; we are to preach to all. It is also true we are disciples, not apostles. A disciple is anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. An apostle is someone Jesus directly sent to preach. Jesus’ instructions here are clearly for his chosen apostles for a specific task. I think it’s reasonable to infer from these verses that we may face persecution, but we need to recognize that an inference from scripture is not scripture itself. I am not saying that no one today is persecuted; far from it.  My point is these verses are Jesus’ instructions to his apostles and they are told they WILL be persecuted. While we may experience persecution, we are not always going into places comparable to the places the apostles went. Today we do not always meet the kind of danger they faced. I would argue that it depends on where one goes to preach. In most countries today we are not likely to be handed over to the government for prosecution.

I think it’s important at this point to mention that the above text is from the New International Version, and it says a “student” is not above the teacher.  The NASB uses the word “disciple.” I think the word disciple, used in this context, tells us that the warning of persecution applies to us as disciples when we are in a similar situation; that is, when we present the Gospel to those who’s doctrine and authority are questioned by God’s Word. I hope my reasoning here shows just how much care we should use before saying “the Bible says” to assure we do not unknowingly add to it. This requires a close reading.

Jesus ended his set of instructions in verses 32-33 saying, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” I hope I don’t sound like I’m splitting hairs with this next question.   In this context, when Jesus says “Whoever,” does this mean to whoever the apostles spoke, or does this include anyone, including those to whom the apostles have not spoken? I think it is most likely talking about anyone who acknowledges, not just to whoever the apostles spoke, because of what we see in other scriptures. God demands acknowledgement. It doesn’t matter if we are speaking of Old or New Testament.  Proverbs tells us, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” In New Testament books like Luke we see Jesus telling people, “…everyone who confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; 9 but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God.” Is it not clear that God demands confession before others?

Do his words apply to us?  I believe so. I also believe they should not be presented without context or we risk changing their meaning.  What are your thoughts?