Jul
11
Written by:
Russell
Monday, July 11, 2011 8:33 AM
What Follows Baptism?
In Acts 2 have the following example of the early Church:
Act 2:41-42
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
- The “apostles’ doctrine” – which is our God given faith that was “once delivered” – Jude 3. The Lord, through the Holy Spirit, has revealed what the spiritual life is, what the church is, what our purpose in this world is. It is not for us to simply do as we please, as was said about the terrible spiritual state of Israel in the days of the judges.
Jdg 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” A verse that well describes Christianity today!
- Fellowship – The believers met together to edify one another.
- Breaking of Bread – They followed the Lord’s command in this ordinance ‘in remembrance of Him’.
- Prayers – when one relies on the Lord in daily life, we will talk to Him.
Another very important scripture that instructs us in the spiritual life that follows baptism:
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
We are living in an age that believers are failing in just what this “walk in newness of life” is. The Lord’s prophetic criticism of our age in Rev. 3 is shameful but also very instructive:
Rev 3:14-22
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
V14/ Our Lord tells us that He is “the faithful and true witness”. ‘Faithful and true’ where we are not!
V15-16/ Firstly, our Lord is aware of our works. He is aware of our efforts. His response to those works are that those efforts could not be characterised as “cold” or “hot”, but in-between “lukewarm”. It is a comment that is fitting for those who don’t really know what they want. They want the Lord, but still want their independence. The Lord is not worthy of such fickle love, such fickle commitment to Him and His purposes. And so make Him sick to His stomach.
V17/ The Loadecean age believers are deceived. They believe that they are doing well, where the Lord see them as “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” How can this be? That they are so out of touch with the reality? Well their values are different to the Lord. They are carnally minded. They value the temporal above the eternal. Their focus in life is on pleasure, and comforts, and things of this world. Rather than on the Lord and striving for His glory.
V18/ The Lord counsels us to buy from Him that which will truly make us rich, and that will cloth us, and eyesalve that will open our eye to see as He sees. All we need for the new live in Christ is received from Him.
The world offers fake riches – things that will only give us a measure of temporal pleasure, and temporal satisfaction.
The carnal life of this world is shameful in the eyes of the Lord. It is as shameful as one walking around naked.
And until the Lord opens our eyes we do not see the true value in things.
V19/ If we are able to live comfortably in sin, then that is a sure sign that we are not of the family of God. That we are not born again of the Spirit of God. Our Lord here promises that those He loves He will rebuke and chasten when necessary.
V20/ is very interesting and tells us of the desperation of our times. The Lord is not doing as He did in the Phildelphian church and age, where He has set on open door for them. An open door where in their faithfulness they knew great spiritual prosperity. And we look back at the 18th and 19th centuries where there were great revivals where there were many won to Christ and many believers grew strong in the Lord. Here with Laodecia, the Lord is knocking at individual believer’s hearts. In the mess of modern lukewarmness the Lord is looking for individuals who will respond to Him. He says that those who hear His voice, and respond by opening the door of their lives to Him. That He will respond and come in and sup with them, and they with Him. i.e. The Lord will have unique fellowship with that individual that the lukewarm believer will never know in their carnal state.
But just what is this “newness of life” that is meant to characterise the born again believer’s life. The kind of life that must follow those true born again and will characterise life beyond baptism?
Walk In Newness of Life
What we could also be asking here is, What is the Spiritual Life?”
Rom 8:1-14
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 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.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 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.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
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.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The ultimate goal here is that the born again (in Christ) are led by the Holy Spirit to be spiritually minded.
To become spiritually minded the born again must be led by the Holy Spirit. In daily practice this means that the born again must "walk after the Spirit". Walking after the Spirit will make the born again "mind (be favourable towards) the things of the Spirit." A continual life of minding the things of the Spirit will produce a spiritually minded believer. This is the goal of the Holy Spirit for each that are born again.
The challenge to the goal of the Holy Spirit is our corrupt flesh and carnal mind. If the born again resist the leading of the Holy Spirit and rather choose to "walk after the flesh". They will develop the habit of 'minding the things of the flesh'. Continual minding the things of the flesh will make, or keep, them carnally minded. In this passage we are warned that "to be carnally minded is death" - spiritual death! Spiritual death in the sense that they will be at "enmity against God". Meaning that they are "not subject to the law of God", and neither can they be subject to His law. They are like those not born again, those that "are in the flesh", they cannot please God!
These truths need to be considered two ways:
The overall direction of the born again's life
What is my present mindset? Am I now in my life being led by the Holy Spirit? Am I progressing in becoming more and more spiritually minded? Am I being changed to the like the Lord? (That is what being spiritually minded is.)
The daily walk
Today, am I focused so that at the end of the day, I will have being walking after the Spirit, minding the things of the Spirit? Every day I MUST make sure that I AM walking after the Spirit and not walking after the flesh.
I may, in my life's direction, be being led by the Spirit. However, when I am careless, I could find myself in part of a day, or a whole day, or a week, or even a month, be walking after the flesh. This is a daily conscious choice to not walk after the flesh, but rather walk after the Spirit.
The start to becoming spiritually minded is to stop walking after the flesh and minding the things of the flesh. I must make the conscious choice to make sure that I am being led by the Spirit. In practice this means that I am obeying the Holy Spirit as He opens my understanding of God's will for me as one born again. And as He leads to into His specific will for my life. When I resist Him by not obeying Him, I am walking after the flesh. So, as long as I am obeying what I know the Lord wants me to be doing, or I'm stopping doing what I know He wants me to stop doing, I will be being led by the Spirit. And glory! He will make me like my Lord, spiritually minded.