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Oct 07 2015
1

Sensual, Having Not The Spirit

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“How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 1:18-19).

The book of Jude is not a book you hear quoted too often. No doubt it’s because it only consists of twenty five verses. However, these two verses are extremely important for every Christian (in America) to read and take to heart.
First I want to start by expounding on what we read at the end of verse nineteen, “sensual, having not the Spirit.” It is important for you to know that people who are sensual are people who are regulated by their senses. The sensual and spiritual are in direct opposition to each other. Thus, one who is sensual is not spiritual, and one who is spiritual will not be subject to or governed by the sensual. The sensual separate themselves from the spiritual. The sensual and spiritual are, and always will be at odds with each other.
When we hear the word “sensual,” many apply it to sexual enticement. No doubt about it, sex is highly sensual. Millions are being seduced by all the provocative TV shows, advertisements, billboards, magazines and internet sites. The porn industry (I hate to use the word industry) generates billions of dollars in sales annually. I have heard several statistics on how many Christian men are bound by pornography. I suppose there are different reports by other groups, but one research group claims that over half of Christian men view pornography at least once a month. Another report said that 37% of pastors struggle with pornography. If you are a Christian who is struggling with pornography, repent before the Lord and ask Him to strengthen you. God did not send His Son to the cross just to save your soul, but to deliver you from the power and stronghold of sin. Perverted sex is highly sensual, but in God there is enough power to deliver anyone from the clutches of any and all sexual addiction.
As powerful to the senses as sex can be, to be sensual doesn’t just apply to that. As I stated earlier, to be sensual means to be governed by your senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting. The Greek word that sensual was translated from means to be sensitive. It indicates that when one is sensual their senses are keenly aware of that which is around them and happening to them. Then, as the senses dictate, the sensual person responds. By the way, this is directly linked to self-centeredness and self-awareness.
With that established, there is something of the utmost importance that we all must see. It is imperative for the church (in this hour) to see what we are facing in these last days. In the last days people are going to be ruled by their senses. Jude says men will walk after their own ungodly lusts. The scriptures teach that iniquity will abound in the last days, so none of us should be surprised at what is going on in our society and the world. Sadly, it seems the same sensual spirit that is in the world has made its way into the church.
More and more churches are expected to offer music, drama and entertainment to satisfy the sensual desires that many proclaiming Christians have. I had heard that Barna did a survey and found that 75% of Christian pick their church by the music. Why is that? Because music is a very strong stimulant to our senses. I am not against music. I am a musician and often play instruments in our church, but I also understand the power that music has on our senses. People can easily mistake feelings and emotions for the Spirit of God.
I want to tell you something I learned early on as a believer. Before I became a born again believer I used to play the drums in a seven member wedding and supper club band. The bass player and I use to take a little pint of whiskey or brandy with us so we could add it to some coke or other soda which was usually offered for free. We were being paid to perform so we had to be careful we didn’t drink too much. Nonetheless we drank enough to loosen up and get in the groove. By the way, I don’t drink alcohol anymore because “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Poverbs 20:1). I just had to throw that in. Anyway, there were times when we would be playing a song and I would come out of a roll in precise timing. The whole band was playing exceptionally well. Upon completing that roll I would get goosebumps because I was feeling good and liked how we sounded. To be honest I probably was just impressed with myself.
After I got saved I became a church musician. Now I know many of you will know what I am talking about when I say that I have experienced goose bumps in church when something powerful was said. I have experienced them while playing instruments during worship too. I don’t always get them, but when I do get them I like it. I believe goose bumps can happen at times when we experience a strong presence of the Lord. However, I also know that you can get them when you are serving the devil. One danger we face today is that some churches go through great efforts to put on a show. They work hard at giving the people the best sensual experience they can. Of course they want them to feel good so they will come back again. What is worse than that is they teach the people that all those goose bumps and great feelings they are getting is a result of the Holy Spirit. Then the people go away thinking the Holy Spirit is a feeling and as long as they get a good feeling, then God is present. Thus we have a generation of Christians who are not spiritual, but sensual.
Then there is the other side of the pendulum where we have those in the church that deny experiential Christianity. Non-experiential Christianity, is a false Christianity that teaches that salvation is just something you believe in the mind. True salvation is an experience. When a person becomes a born again believer it is because the Spirit of God has entered them. When this happens a person cannot deny that they experienced new life. The only reason a person could deny that salvation is an experience is because they never experienced the presence of the Lord. Christians are not to deny their senses for even Jesus rejoiced in spirit for what God has done (Luke 10:21). Instead we must bring our emotions under the constraint of the Spirit. If we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, then aren’t we to love God with our emotions? That is what the soul of man is. It is the emotional center of man’s being. God made us that way. The problem is when Christians let the soul regulate their life instead of the Spirit. That is what happened to Adam when he ate the fruit. He became a soulish creature, keenly aware of his senses. He even saw himself in such a different light that he wanted to cover himself up.
This article is not meant to deny the senses, but warn you of the danger of becoming a sensual person instead of a spiritual one.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Sep 18 2015
1

The Lord’s Burden

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“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30)

For anyone to be told, that if they become a Christian, they will no longer have any burdens, they would be told a great lie. There is no doubt that after we become a Christian God helps is in our troubles and cares of life, for Peter said:

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7)

However, in this life we will have much tribulation. God will comfort us in it, but mark it down, you will have it. Trials, tribulations and temptations come to every true born again believer. Then add to that, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12), you can see the Christian is under a lot of pressure. However, as hard as it may all seem to be to walk after the Lord at times, Jesus did say, “My burden is light.”
When we think of burdens we tend to think of the pressures that come from the devil, this world and just life in general; But according to our opening text, there is a yoke and burden that comes from God Himself. He has a burden for each of us to carry. His burden is different than the burdens we face. His burden doesn’t come from the pressure of being overwhelmed with something, His burden comes from the love He has for his fallen creation. He has such a great desire to see them restored to Himself that he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and purchase men’s souls. This desire that God has for restoration is what I call the Lord’s burden. For example, when God calls someone to go to the mission field in another country, the person who is called will feel and share the burden the Lord has for the lost souls in that country. They will share in the burden to such a point that they will give up their life back home to go and labor amongst the people. They will labor with the hope of seeing them come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
As I mentioned before, God has a burden for each of us to bear. Some burdens may be heavier than others, but we all share in the Lord’s burden in some way. I want to share a burden the Lord has put on my heart. This burden is real and I especially feel it the most when I am in my morning prayer time, though that is not the only time. Most days when I get into serious prayer, I feel that burden. As the months go by, I feel the burden grow even stronger. What is that burden? It is a burden that God has for His church here in Wisconsin. God doesn’t just have a burden for the lost, but He also has a great burden for His church. I tell my church often that there are two main works of God toward mankind. The first is to see fallen man restored to Him. The second is for his born again children be conformed to the image of Christ. Much of what God does is working toward these ends. When souls are lost, the Lord has a burden toward them for repentance. When souls get saved, the Lord has a burden toward them for conformity to Christ.
The burden that is so ever pressing on me from the Lord has to do with His church. So many Christians are willing to settle for a church lacking life and having a low impact on society. Many Christians would just as soon get in and get out of a church meeting as quickly as possible, so they can get on with other things they feel are more important. You can hardly blame some of them that attend a dead church, for if the Lord is not present when the church meets then it will be a very boring religious meeting.
The burden the Lord has put on my heart is for his church to once again have the life that she had back when she was first established. It is important that you understand that the Lord holds us accountable for the condition of His church. The ministers that He has called are the ones that are the most responsible for the condition of the church. If the pastor of a church is not spiritual, for the most part the church won’t be either. Yet no believer can stand before the Lord and blame their spiritual shortcomings on the pastor. Here in Wisconsin, I am sure every believer has a Bible and they can have access to the Holy Spirit who will teach them all truth.
Every one of you believers have the ability to rise above the prevailing attitude of the church today. This is what the Lord desires to see. He wants to see his church be totally devoted to Him, to repent of unbelief and rise up and be the church that God has intended for His church to be.
Do you believe the church can be like the church we read about in the book of Acts? I do. We can never be that if we don’t believe this is God’s will for us. God ordained His church to go forth with unity and power. So many believers have given up on unity. They figure there are so many denominations as well as many independent churches, all having their special doctrinal beliefs, that they don’t see how the church could possibly be like-minded again. Well I want to tell you, I am sincere as can be when I say this, I am convinced that the Lord is going to bring many of us believers together that will be like-minded. It will because we have allowed the Holy Spirit to correct or strengthen everything we believe. If we believe wrong then the Holy Spirit will correct what’s wrong, and the humble saint will receive that and make that correction in his heart. The proud stubborn believers will go on to believe what they want to believe.
For the church to be like the church in the book of Acts, we need to have the power and authority of God like they had. The early church had brought fear on their society.

“And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things” (Acts 5:11).

However, we are such a self-sufficient and creative people that we have come up with our own soul winning techniques. We rarely see miracles today because so much of the church doesn’t even believe in them anymore.
Today the church at best is a nuisance to our society, and often times a laughing stock as the lost of this world see ministers fall into immorality or be nothing but money grubbers. I ask you to share this burden for the church here in Wisconsin with me, and diligently and fervently pray that we would all yield to the Holy Spirit and give Him complete control of Christ’s church again? I ask you to believe with me that we really can have true spiritual unity. Believe with me for a return of power and authority that the church can do more than preach, THAT WE CAN DEMONSTRATE WITH SPIRIT AND POWER THAT OUR GOD LIVES AND REIGNS.

Terry Fischer