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The
Big Rocks
of
Spirituality
University Church of Christ
Are there dangers in being
‘spiritual but not religious’?
“I had this revelation that I bow
to no one, and I’ve been
spiritually a much happier
person," says [Nazli] Ekim.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
Now we have received not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit who is from God, that
we might understand the things freely given
us by God. And we impart this in words not
taught by human wisdom but taught by the
Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those
who are spiritual.
The natural person does not accept the things
of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to
him, and he is not able to understand them
because they are spiritually discerned.
“Spiritual”
dHuman wisdom cannot
be spiritual
dSpiritual means being
“of God”
1 Corinthians 14:36-38
Or was it from you that the word of God
came? Or are you the only ones it has
reached? If anyone thinks that he is a
prophet, or spiritual, he should
acknowledge that the things I am writing
to you are a command of the Lord. If
anyone does not recognize this, he is not
recognized.
James 3:14-15
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast and
be false to the truth. This is not the
wisdom that comes down from above, but
is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
John 4:23-24
“But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is
seeking such people to worship him. God
is spirit, and those who worship him must
worship in spirit and truth.”
“S P I R I T”
without “Truth”
leads to
self-centered
superficiality.
2 Samuel 6:1-9
And David and all the house of Israel were
making merry before the LORD, with
songs and lyres and harps and tambourines
and castanets and cymbals. And when they
came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah
put out his hand to the ark of God and took
hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
And the anger of the LORD was kindled
against Uzzah, and God struck him down
there because of his error, and he died
there beside the ark of God.
Was David “Spiritual”?
dDavid “merry”
dGod “angry”
dDavid “angry” at God!
dDavid afraid
“T R U T H”
without “Spirit”
leads to
lifeless law-keeping
and works salvation.
Matthew 23:23-24
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have
neglected the weightier matters of the law:
justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you
ought to have done, without neglecting the
others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat
and swallowing a camel!”
Mercy
Justice
Faithfulness
Tithing Dill
Mint
Cumin
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands
of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
Do Justice
Love Kindness
Walk Humbly
Calves
Rams
Oil
Hosea 6:6
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt
offerings.”
Steadfast Love
Sacrifice
Knowledge of God Burnt Offerings
Psalm 19:7-11
…the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they
than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Luke 19:37-40
As he was drawing near—already on the way
down the Mount of Olives—the whole
multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and
praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty
works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is
the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! And
some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to
him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He
answered, “I tell you, if these were silent,
the very stones would cry out.”
The Big Rocks
dWeightier matters are the big rocks
dBig rocks must be added first
dWe dare not neglect the others
dNo right to decide what is “irrelevant”
demotionalism ≠ spirituality
dSpirit w/o truth is self-centered,
superficial
dTruth w/o spirit is lifeless, checklist
1 Corinthians 3:1
But I, brothers, could not address you as
spiritual people, but as people of the
flesh, as infants in Christ.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is
the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law
of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his
statutes and rules in Israel.
Colossians 1:9-10
And so, from the day we heard, we have not
ceased to pray for you, asking that you
may be filled with the knowledge of his
will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, so as to walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him,
bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God .