True Spirituality

Series Introduction

The direction of our nation - and our world - is NOT toward religious freedom. In fact, the direction of culture is toward secularism and increasing militant attitudes toward Christianity. It is not merely Islam that is trying to stamp out Christians wherever they are found. Cancel-culture and leftist ideology are targeting everything traditional, and nothing is more “traditional” than the Bible. Those who adhere to the Word of God, therefore, are the target. Christianity is counter-cultural to what is happening all around us. Will Christians be willing to stand against the pressure? Will Christians be willing to die rather than be disloyal to Christ? Will Christians be willing to work together across denominations to be salt and light in their communities and countries; showing the truth and presenting the better way in Christ? Will you?

Message Introduction

Today, I want us to understand that our faith in Christ means we are to live differently from the World, and in so doing, invite others to do the same.

But when the world looks at us and calls us different, it's not so much that we're different on the outside, it's that we're different on the inside. We know things they don't know. We value things they don't value. We love things they don't love. And we serve One they don't know! To the world, we march to a different drummer - and we're weird for it.

Some try to copy our mannerisms. Some try to understand our thinking. But that's empty. Until they know who we know, the way we know Him, they cannot comprehend what "makes us tick."

We live counter-culturally to them. We abstain from what they embrace. We have different values, different morals, different definitions, and a different spirituality.

The world is full of people trying to imitate True Spirituality while rejecting the Bible, Christ, and Christianity. Some claim to be spiritual, but not Christian. The beliefs of those making that claim are as wide and varied as there are people making that claim. And they even deny that there is any such thing as "True Spirituality." Do you know what True Spirituality is?

When I was a Boy Scout, I confess that I thought myself to be "spiritual" without having any clue about what salvation and real understanding of the things of God. I theorized, speculated, and let my imagination roam about things I knew nothing about. I figured the planets would align, horrible things would happen, and the world would end. So we needed to "be ready" - whatever that meant! No clue!

In 1976, five years after publishing True Spirituality, Schaeffer wrote How Should We Then Live?, in which he maintained that “as Christians we are not only to know the right world view, the world view that tells us the truth of what is, but consciously to act upon that world view so as to influence society in all its parts and facets across the whole spectrum of life, as much as we can to the extent of our individual and collective ability.” -- From the Internet: https://tji.org/downloads/Profiles%20of%20True%20Spirituality_01.pdf - Quote of Francis Schaeffer.

True Spirituality is...

Received from the Lord (1 Co 2:10, 12)

- By the Spirit (see also Ro 8:5-8)

- Obedient to the Spirit

- Value the things of the Spirit

- At Peace with God

Different from the World (1 Co 2:14; Ro 8:5-8)

- Rejected by the World

- World is Carnally Minded

- Enmity with God

- Not subject to God

Conclusion

I want to invite all of us here today, and those watching online, to realize that the counter-cultural nature of True Spirituality is real, worth it to be lived, and increasingly imperative in our lives as the world turns increasingly against those who believe in Jesus.