What Is Spirituality?

Introduction

Indeed, he is our Lord and our God. Not sure I noticed that phrase before. Your nearness makes my spirit race. Could this be part of the plan? And it’s a thought like that we sung to the throne of our living God. That is really what tonight’s lesson is about. In case somewhere along the way, in the way I present it, you ask yourself the question, what in the world is he talking about? And that could happen tonight. I’m just telling you right at the outset. That could well happen. But that’s the thought. What you bring to the throne of God as you worship him. I want to start in a text in Ephesians 6 where all believers are admonished to engage spiritually, that there is a significant conflict that is unfolding in our lives.

We have someone in the spirit realm who opposes us and opposes God and opposes the progress of truth tenaciously. We must not underestimate him. We are not ignorant of his devices, his schemes things appear palatable and good that are destructive. He transforms himself into an angel of light. And thus he was having his way among the gullible church at Corinth when Paul writes the second epistle. And in some ways, as he writes the first epistle. Paul does not shun from calling him, calling them the Lord’s saints, his holy ones, those set apart unto his special purposes, but they are being influenced by the adversary in extreme ways. We must be careful and watchful and put on the full armor of God. Not just pieces, but embrace all of it, put on the full armor of God, so that we may be strong in the strength of his might and stand firm against his schemes, the devil’s schemes.

Verse 12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Oh, there is opposition in the material world. There are governments, people, kings throughout history who have opposed God’s way and God’s people, men like Pharaoh. But really, they are just pawns of a greater conflict. As we read about in the book of Daniel, the Prince of Persia and the prince of Greek, the Greeks, the spiritual forces that are directing movements in the world. And thus Paul says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. I don’t often perceive or contemplate or meditate sufficiently and frequently enough upon this conflict, this spiritual warfare that is taking place.

Isn’t it amazing that emanating from the spirit realm and dealing with the likes of our adversary, the devil, who can inflict such torment in our world and provoke such evil? And the whole world lies under his sway. John says in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 19, isn’t it amazing by the grace and help of our God that we can overcome him? That we can resist him and conquer by taking up the full armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, our loins girded with truth, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and the shield of faith with which we are able to extinguish all of his fiery darts and flaming missiles, and embracing and taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

1. If Anyone Thinks He Is Spiritual

Are you spiritual? I want to take you to a text tonight in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The Corinthians are dealing with a host of problems, as I’ve mentioned, many of which you’re probably aware of in previous studies. I want to read these verses with you. Was it from you that the word of God went forth? Or has it come to you only? Now, you need to understand this verse in the context of the particular struggles of 1 Corinthians 14 and the arena of miraculous spiritual gifts and the problems that they were having even in the exercise of those gifts in the assembly, where there is confusion and disorder, and Paul is regulating the nature of the expression of those gifts. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

This isn’t a free-for-all. It isn’t an uncontrollable urge. You have a gift, therefore you have to exercise it. That’s precisely what Paul is dealing with. He says, not so. It can be orderly and controlled, and these are the limits I want imposed. And he says, the word of God is coming to you from heaven in this miraculous way, but you’re not the only one who has received it. You’re not the originator of it. You’re not the only ones. And he’s saying, you might want to listen to an apostle. If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, now there’s our question. Are you spiritual? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you, the things that are emanating from Paul’s pen, are the Lord’s commandments.

This is Paul binding on earth what has been bound in heaven. This is Paul as an ambassador of Christ establishing legislation for the early believers. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. Now he’s already said previously in this book, if anyone loves God, he is known by him. 1 Corinthians 8 and verse 3. So if you claim that you love God, but you reject his apostle, the one who speaks authority from God, then I’ve got news to you about your spirituality. You are not. And you are not recognized. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy. Now he’s already explained why that is so. Tongues certainly are beneficial. And they were exalted apparently as the elite gift. If you had that, you were something in the church at Corinth.

I mean, speaking in tongues, imagine it. As I’ve often explained it, if I all of a sudden started speaking fluent Spanish, I studied Spanish for four years in high school and one year in college. Had a great teacher in college, Brother Copeland, a gentle, wonderful man. But after all that study in Spanish for five years, if I was just dropped in the middle of Mexico City, it would have been a disaster. I still would have known very little. I would have picked up on some of the vocabulary, but I gotta tell you, I’ve been among Spanish speaking people, and I’m only catching bits and pieces. But if all of a sudden, if I was starting to speak fluently some foreign language, wow, that’s that’s a sign.

This message is from God. And you’re going, wow, that’s great. I’ve never heard Tony speak Swahili before. But what in the world did he say? I have no idea. I don’t know Swahili. And so if there was no interpreter, they were instructed to keep silent. If there’s nobody that could actually explain what you were saying from God that made sense in your language and communicated thought to you, then I wasn’t supposed to exercise my gift. That’s what he’s saying. The tongue of angels, he talks about in this text. I mean, it was an extraordinary thing. And if you had the gift of tongues come upon you during an assembly, even if you couldn’t exercise it, you could be edified because of the fact that you were receiving this from heaven.

You could speak to yourself and to God, he says earlier in chapter 14. I mean, there was an edifying aspect of that, even if you did not get to speak it to the assembly. And so they thought it was really cool. I think it’s really cool, and I don’t even know what it was like. But he said, you know, prophecy is better. He said in verse 19, however, in the church, in the church, which is an interesting expression, he’s not talking about the church distributively or disassembled. He’s talking about when the church comes together as one to engage in worship. He says, however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others also, rather than 10,000 words in a tongue.

You see, what good is it if I could speak fluently 10,000 words to you in a language you don’t understand? Wow, great, God has spoken, but what did he say? I don’t know. The mind is unfruitful. But if I instructed you five words in your language from God that you understood, that’s better. Paul says. And so he says, therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. I’m not saying tongues are bad. Forget it. Don’t you dare forbid what comes from the Holy Spirit. But desire prophecy. Pursue love, he said in chapter 14 and verse 1. Yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner. So what are some observations we can make from this context where he talks about an orderly assembly where everybody’s not up doing their gift at the same time.

Everyone works in succession and in order. And there’s a limit placed on the number of speakers. There may be six or seven people who have the gift of tongues, but Paul says, limit it to a few. Two or three at the most. And he says in verse 34 in a passage that I don’t know that brethren will ever understand. He says, women are not to address the assembly. Women are not to lead. That’s all the 34 is saying. In this kind of an assembly, the women had these gifts also. God wanted the men to lead. That’s all 34 is saying. More on that Wednesday night, Lord willing. What are some thoughts that are running through this context that I’ve talked to you about for a few minutes?

2. The Impact on a Potential Visitor

You know, several things jump out at me when I read 1 Corinthians 14. One thing God is concerned about through his inspired apostle is the impact this assembly is having upon a potential visitor. I’d like to know how that worked in Corinth. I’d like to know how often there was a visitor who showed up. Or an unbeliever. It could have been a family member who just so happened to attend with that saint that particular morning. But obviously there were unbelievers in the assembly, just like happens here.

It says the secrets of the heart are disclosed in such an assembly, verse 25. And so he will fall on his face and worship God. That’s interesting, isn’t it? Fall on his face and worship God. I haven’t witnessed that very often. So he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. Now, he says that after he talks about doing things for the purpose of edification and being concerned about the impact that’s having upon the audience. And if there’s something we can take away in regard to our worship, it is this. What impact is what we’re doing having on those who do not know us, who don’t understand what we’re all about, and the message that we teach in its entirety.

3. A Lack of Understanding Doesn't Build Up

When someone comes into our assembly, what impact does that have upon them? We need to be thinking about that. Another thing that comes out of this, which he mentioned several times, including in this section.

A lack of understanding doesn’t build up. Edification comes from doing things orderly. Carefully, with the with the proper instruction being imparted. I think there’s a message here about respect for God’s purposes. This isn’t about me getting to exercise my talent. Whatever it may be. Or not be in some cases. That’s not what this is about. This is about the advancement of God’s purposes. And a respect for that. And a contentment with that. And we must absolutely avoid ungodly attitudes. We should instead have godly and selfless attitudes as we pursue our God. Okay, I’m going to make an observation. And this comes as a result of not just things that I’ve witnessed, but things I’ve talked to other preachers about very recently, in fact. I believe there is an increasing restlessness and discontentment among many who worship among us.

I would like to know more why that is. Why that’s happening. Is it a problem with them? Is it a problem with the influences in their lives?

Or is it also a problem with us? Something that perhaps we’re failing to see or to do in our approach to God. I wish I had all the answers. Maybe what I need, maybe what you need is a new and different environment in which to worship. You know, you go somewhere else and everything is fresh and new. I know this is a preacher because I’ve done it several times. Where I think I’ve hit a place in my work where it’s time for me to probably go preach somewhere else. A little bit different for a preacher, a little bit.

And I know, I know sometimes there are circumstances where you’re tired. And I really don’t feel bad when somebody falls asleep in the first three minutes, John. I no, he doesn’t. He doesn’t. I just I love picking on John. When somebody falls asleep in the first three minutes, I don’t take it personal. I mean, you haven’t even given me a shot. Sometimes it can be me. But I tell you, when I reach a point and I look out and I see people generally disengaged, and don’t think I don’t know it. That’s when you’ll be saying goodbye to me. But I do know that when we change environments, it’s fresh. It’s new, it’s different, it’s exciting. There’s not any baggage. We don’t know the people.

And so that carries us for a little while. But then I’m thinking, what happens four years from now, or eight years from now, or ten years from now? Will we find ourselves in the same boat? And is it is it the problem with where we came from necessarily? Or is it me. Can I tell you something else about the nearly 10 years I’ve been here? I feel better about my worship now than I did ten years ago. I feel more in my work. Now that may just may be because I’m getting older. I get it. You know, you as you get older, you get more emotional, and you’ve seen some of that with me. Maybe that’s part of it. All I know is ten years with the same group of people.

4. Constant Awareness of the Spirit Realm

I know we’ve changed some, but some of you, man, I’ve been dealing with for a decade. What am I looking at you, Thad? I don’t know. For some reason, it’s not about the people. So let me make some observations. And I want to say some other things. Are you spiritual? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. What flows out of that? First of all, a spiritual person is one who has constant awareness of the spirit realm from which these things issue. Paul makes a great argument in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 that the only way to truly be spiritual is to listen to the Holy Spirit, who has revealed the spiritual things of God, combining spiritual thoughts and spiritual words, the natural man in verse 14 of chapter 2 cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God because they only emanate from the spirit realm.

If you’re looking around in things that are seen for all of your answers, if you’re looking around at the natural world, this piece of wood isn’t going to clue you in to the mind of Christ. If you rule out the spirit realm, and we were talking about people this morning in the adult auditorium class who’ve just absolutely ruled out the spirit realm. Look, they can’t be spiritual. That’s not possible. We have the mind of Christ, Paul says. And we are appraised by no one, he says. That’s not a haughty statement. He’s just saying when you’re in the know spiritually, it doesn’t matter how anyone else regards you. It doesn’t matter if they belittle you or think you’ve lost your mind or sacrifice reason or logic. You know that you’re the product of God.

5. Devoted to the Instruction From That Realm

You have the mind of Christ. And the person with that mind is equipped to judge all things, not vice versa. So he’s already made this argument in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 that spiritual is that which emanates from the spirit realm. And as we embrace the knowledge of God, the true knowledge of Him, then we are indeed spiritual. And thus, it follows from that we need to be devoted to the instruction from that realm. Isn’t it interesting? The early disciples, they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine. Because that’s how they became Christians. That’s how they would stay the course as Christians. And that’s why we need to be equipped and know the word of God. We need a better knowledge of what God has instructed us.

6. Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth

In both the old and the new testament, because the old adds illumination to many of the things that we read in the new. And I don’t know about you, but this is a lot of material, even for me. As I study it on a weekly basis to prepare lessons and ideas for you to consider. This is a massive amount of information, and that’s why we spend so much time studying it and analyzing it to further assist your own personal study so that you can be spiritual. I’m learning more and more all the time what it means to be spiritual as I grasp the instruction of this book and put the pieces together. And one final point that I want to make tonight. And I want to take you to John 4 for this.

Which mountain is it exactly, Mr. Prophet? And Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, an hour is coming. And believe me, that hour has come. When neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Now the Jew hears that, and he’s whoa. What do you mean, not in Jerusalem? I’ve read Isaiah 2. The law is to go forth from Jerusalem. There was a great promise about that in the days of Isaiah. But they didn’t understand the nature of the new covenant that was coming. But it’s not about a place anymore, he says. It’s not about your mountain, it’s not about Jerusalem. You worship that which you do not know. We worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. Look, information from the spirit realm has come to the Jews through his prophets.

But an hour is coming and now is, verse 23, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And you know what that passage is saying. Whereas a lot of worship in previous times was about location and place and geography and physicality, animal sacrifices, burning incense, ceremonial washings. Where there were a lot of external observances, as the Hebrew writer would talk about. He’s saying, in the new covenant, it’s not going to be about that. It’s going to be about people.

Bringing to God a willing, genuine, sincere heart to his throne. It’s not going to be about heritage and ancestry anymore. I was born a Jew. I’m one of the covenant people of God. Hebrew writers said, not going to be about that anymore. Everyone who comes to God comes with his or her heart. Period. If you don’t come with your heart, you haven’t come to him. Worship emanates from the inner person. And is accepted on the basis of pursuit of what is right. Worship in spirit and truth or reality is what Jesus is saying in John 4. Now I talked to you about my worship, and let me just say this to you. You want to find some zest in your worship. How important is it that we have this seating arrangement?

I actually had someone tell me, you can’t worship looking at the back of someone’s head. I had somebody tell me that years ago. Good friend of mine, who I believe is in a cult. He said, You can’t worship looking at the back of someone’s head. I said, okay. So if I grant you that, what you’re telling me is that the 3,000 disciples on the day of Pentecost all sat in a circle. That’s a big circle. Hey, Thad, what are you doing way over there? You know? I think I can see you. You really think that? Look at Nehemiah chapter 8. When Ezra gets up to preach. And all those people are before him, listening, standing for hours. Hearing the word. You think anybody was looking at the back of someone’s head?

But I want to tell you, they bowed low to worship. I’m not sure the arrangement really matters that much. What matters more is the arrangement of your heart. And if you want to find zest in your relationship with God, perhaps that’s where you need to look. This is ultimately while we do it in a group, this is between me sitting there and my God. And when I sing songs like we have sung tonight. And when I sing the rock of my heart, I am singing that to God. You may be hearing me. You may be encouraged by the number of voices we’re blending together, and I think that’s one of the benefits of this great group and the great singers that are here. But I want to get, I gotta tell you, it’s between me and my God.

We have to get what we do in this building out of this building to the throne of God. And that depends on me. I can’t do that for you. And we are way too preacher dependent. Somehow the preacher is going to preach eloquently enough and fervently enough that I’m going to feel something. I hope so. I hope I say something in such a way that stirs you and causes you to act. I think that’s the way preaching needs to be. I get frustrated by preachers who merely teach Bible classes from a pulpit. I don’t think that’s what this is. This is about persuasion. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Preaching is not just teaching. As my good friend Dee has always said, preaching is that which storms the will.

Conclusion

I believe that. The great preachers I’ve ever known that influenced me were preachers who preached with passion. That’s what I’m bringing to you. Because the message deserves that. But I got to tell you, while I’m trying to evoke a response from you, even if I fail to do that, you should have brought that heart here with you. When you came. A heart ready to sing and pray to God. You need to bring that in the door with you. I’m here to worship my God from my heart. So if you don’t remember anything else I said about being spiritual, would you remember that? Every time you come here, every day that you live. Take your heart to the throne of God. That’s what it means to be spiritual.

The instruction that comes from that realm says, he who believes and is baptized shall be saved. That’s where it starts. Choose to be a spiritual person in this life. Let’s stand and sing.