To the Spiritual:

To the Spiritual:

I am not as spiritual as you. Please have mercy on me.

I appreciate your posts, even if I sometimes disagree. I like discussing ideas, and I do not think digging into the Scriptures is so bad. I know this is carnal though. Please have mercy on me.

Sometimes, I try to bring Scriptures and write arguments in a loving way to you. I care about you and others, so I am concerned about unnecessarily offending. This is unspiritual of me, I know. Please have mercy on me.

You are spiritual, I am ignorant. My stupid posts might be a waste of time, I know, but I mean well, in my own carnal way. Please have mercy on me.

I am such a babe in Christ, I don’t know how to be very spiritual yet. Please, you who know so much better than I, please have mercy on me.

Love in Christ,
A Much Less Spiritual Person Than You

EDIT: Read also: To the Un-Spiritual: https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=42003&forum=35&8

I like discussing ideas, and I do not think digging into the Scriptures is so bad. I know this is carnal though.

Could you further expound on this thought, dietolive? What do you mean by "digging into the Scriptures"? For one, Christ said to "search the scriptures...." What do you mean by it?

savedtoserve

The purpose of this thread is to give voice to the un-spiritual posters.

Sorry to use an idiom. "Digging in" in my American idiom means to open up and go deep into the Scriptures; in my understanding the final standard of all Truth.

I think the unspiritual sadly know this already but,

“...the works of the flesh are evident: ...

... strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy..." Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)

To the Un-Spiritual
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=42003&forum=35

Doug,

LOVE IT! Great set of posts!

"Back in the day" Steve Taylor articulated it this way-

I WANT TO BE A CLONE

I'd gone through so much other stuff that walking down the aisle was tough
But now I know it's not enough - I want to be a clone

I asked the Lord into my heart ,They said that was the way to start
But now you've got to play the part , I want to be a clone

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way To serve Him on my own
I want to be a clone

They told me that I'd fall away, Unless I followed what they say
Who needs the Bible anyway?, I want to be a clone

Their language it was new to me, But Christianese got through to me
Now I can speak it fluently, I want to be a clone

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way, To serve Him on my own
Be a clone,

Send in the clones-

Ah, I kind of wanted to tell my friends and people about it, you know?

What? You're still a babe
You have to grow, Give it twenty years or so
'Cause if you want to be one of His, Got to act like one of us

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

So now I see the whole design, My church is an assembly line
The parts are there, I'm feeling fine
I want to be a clone

I've learned enough to stay afloat, But not so much I rock the boat
I'm glad they shoved it down my throat, I want to be a clone

Everybody must get cloned

Thanks again Doug. Great thoughts.

Sorry to use an idiom. "Digging in" in my American idiom means to open up and go deep into the Scriptures; in my understanding the final standard of all Truth.

Sorry for being slow here; I still don't get how desiring to go deep into the scriptures is a carnal desire. Could you explain?

savedtoserve

First and foremost, I do not like the idea of one comparing himself with other posters to judge himself more spiritual or unspiritual. Our comparison is with Jesus, he is our forerunner. On the Judgment seat God is going to compare us with Jesus and not with other posters.
Moreover comparing our self with other posters and considering them unspiritual is clearly a sign of Pharisee. Proof- Parable of Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18:10). I am not saying that the poster did that but just wanted to share my thought.

Butters - You wrote:
"I'm not sure I get exactly what point you're making with these two threads. Are you eluding to a Luke 18:9-14 kind of thing?"

No, dear Butters, I did not have these verses in mind.

savedtoserve - you wrote:
"Sorry for being slow here; I still don't get how desiring to go deep into the scriptures is a carnal desire."

...hhmmm... You don't?

Sree - you wrote:
"Moreover comparing our self with other posters and considering them unspiritual is clearly a sign of Pharisee."

...Well, I guess the original poster is not only unspiritual, but a pharisee as well. Thank you for taking the time to write your insight into this thread.

savedtoserve - you wrote:
"Sorry for being slow here; I still don't get how desiring to go deep into the scriptures is a carnal desire."

...hhmmm... You don't?

I'm not being sarcastic, dietolive. Take just this one verse...."Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." I don't see how it's carnal to obey Christ... On the other hand, if you're referring to debating, well then I see what you're saying. I just don't see them as the same thing.

Doug,

After reading your other posts, these two confuse me...All I can conclude is that if a body is interested a battle of wits you will be concerned about whether you will be perceived as being 'spiritual'.

On the other hand, if you are a pilgrim on a journey to the Celestial City, you will be teachable and teach all in different turns...you do what has to be done at the moment as the Holy Spirit directs. You will fail sometimes but you will also get up and go on. You will battle Apollyon and win but not be with wounds. But you will heal. And you keep on. Just like Pilgrim in "Pilgrims Progress".

And you do not worry about being spiritual - you 'worry' about getting to the Celestial City. This is your primary concern, not about whether you are being spiritual.

My understanding.

God bless...

ginnyrose

Dear savedtoserve,

You wrote:
"I don't see how it's carnal to obey Christ... On the other hand, if you're referring to debating, well then I see what you're saying. I just don't see them as the same thing."

I agree that it is not carnal to obey Christ...

As for what "I" am saying, that is the thing...

One post is written from the perspective of someone who sees himself as being more spiritual than others.

The other post is written from the perspective of someone who is just trying to love God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself.

Did you read what I wrote to Brother Sree in the other post?

dietolive: It is a little difficult to know exactly what you are trying to get across with your two posts, but I think I catch the tenor of it enough to make an observation.

I remember a time when I was involved with a group of people whom I saw as way more spiritual than myself. It was almost as if I found myself walking down the street with my hands in my pockets, kicking rocks and saying, "I wish I could be spiritual like them. I don't know why I am so unspiritual. God never uses me like He uses them." As I have reflected upon that time in my life I have come to some conclusions.

First, several of those people operated in one specific gifting to a greater degree than I did. I saw that gifting as important but failed to see my own importance as a member of the body of Christ. I failed to see that God has fitly joined us together and we are to contribute just as each joint of our body supplies. I saw their contribution as great and mine as little. It was not a good place to be in spiritually and God has since shown me that there was a degree of idolatry in my exaltation of their gifting.

Second, I have seen that they focused on a particular gift of the Holy Spirit to the degree that I believe they took their eyes off of Jesus. It is subtle and deceptive because the gift is good and it "looks like Jesus". But the gift really became the focus and Christ the convenient giver of the gift. Now this is my opinion and perspective. Perhaps I have no right to judge those individuals and say that their focus was off, but the situation bore all of the signs of that happening and I know that because of what I was going through in feeling unspiritual because that was not my gifting my own focus turned very inward instead of toward Christ Himself.

I also see the point made that some do seem to think themselves spiritual and hold their own spirituality or scriptural knowledge above that of others.

What we cannot forget is that God placed us in a body as contributing members who must rely on His grace to allow us to supply as He desires us to supply. I cannot do this thing without you, nor can you without me if the body is to grow and be healthy. I had a sore muscle last night that caused me to go to bed early after a little ibuprofin and some Therogesic rub. My whole body was pretty much incapacitated because of a disfunction in my upper arm. My arm not only could not supply as it was designed to do but it effected my whole body.

I am not more than...I am not less than. I am an intentionally designed and positioned part of, who needs to keep his eyes on the King of Kings at all times and realize that it is only through His empowering grace that I am going to be able to fulfill my God-determined function in the body of Christ.

Not sure if I fully got what you were saying, but that came to mind.

Blessings Brother!

Dear Brother and Sister,

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts. I really appreciate you and others who have taken the time to ask.

I want you to clearly understand that I am not worried about being more or less spiritual than anyone else.

To explain:

The one post speaks from the perspective of the spiritual group. That is: these are they who know they are certainly more spiritual than others who may post here.

The other post speaks from the perspective of those who the first group considers to be carnal and less spiritual posters here.

Yet, he who reads these posts already knows what he is, by the Spirit that is in him.

God bless you, and God bless the Reader.

Be well in the Lord, everyone.
Doug