That one thing Christians don't want to do

From the Pastor's Desk

For the past few weeks, we've talked about intimacy with God, and I've tried to give practical things we can do in our Christian lives to grow in intimacy. A few weeks ago, I said that one of the ways to grow in intimacy with God is actually to grow in vulnerability with one another. 

When we do the hard work of being honest and letting others see into our lives, our honesty muscle grows, and our self-deception muscle shrinks. Our self-deception muscle is not something we develop intentionally. A lot of the time, we don't even know we have it, but this strange muscle I'm talking about is the culprit behind self-righteousness and that curious habit we have of being VERY aware of everyone else's faults and failures but refusing to even acknowledge our own. 

Ironically, we don't develop that self-deception muscle because we have a high view of ourselves. We develop it because we are afraid to face how fickle, judgmental, selfish, and ungodly we often act. It's a survival mechanism of sorts. If we're ashamed of who we are, we will hide from each other, ourselves, and God. It's hard to be intimate when we're hiding. 

Fortunately, God does not require us to overlook our own failures. Instead, he wants us to see them, own them, and bring them to him so that HE can forgive us and cleanse us. There are two great ways to see and own our failures. One is being in community. It takes determination and sacrifice to be a meaningful part of community, but it's worth it. You genuinely get closer to God. 

If you haven't found a small group yet, click here and find one. www.Wellspringdfw.org/small-groups

What's the OTHER way we can grow in honesty with ourselves and God? It's that thing Christians largely don't want to do: fasting.

The sermon next Sunday (January 19) will focus on the theology and practicality of fasting, and hopefully, we will be able to dispel some fears and misunderstandings about fasting and even get excited about this often-overlooked discipline.

Notes from the Sermon

Sermon Title: The Spirit and Wisdom

Sermon Video: The Spirit and Wisdom
Scriptures: | 1 Corinthians 2 | Romans 15: 18-19 | Acts 4 | Acts 1:8 | Isaiah 64:4 | Acts 5:32 | Psalms 145:3| Isaiah 40:28 | Job 36:26 |

Video testimony that was told during the sermon of the Christian brother who was imprisoned in Iran: He was imprisoned in Iran for being a Christian

The specific testimony starts at 37:02.

What to Believe:

Do you have to check your wisdom at the door to be spiritual? No. To be truly spiritual, you have to be wise. If you want to be wise, you have to be spiritual. 

Who is the Holy Spirit, and what does He want to do? He wants to give power to his people to proclaim the Name of Jesus. 

• The Holy Spirit empowers his people to proclaim the name of Jesus .

Wisdom and spirituality are only at odds with each other if someone is immature. 

• True wisdom is the upside-down kingdom of God, which the heart of man could not imagine. 

• The Holy Spirit is the witness, and He wants to testify to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, which makes us His children. 

The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 

• The Holy Spirit is God, and He wants to share the heart of God with us. 

• The Holy Spirit is God, and He wants to give us the mind of Christ. 

How to Obey:

We are given the mind of Christ as we walk intimately with the Lord day after day.

Say: I will walk with you, God.

Ask God what is the next step in my intimate relationship with you?

What does it mean to be spiritual?

• Being spiritual means you have the Holy Spirit in you and you're listening to Him.

It's not primarily about external expressions. It's primarily about.. do you listen to the Spirit inside you?

How to Walk Intimately with God:

The secret and hidden wisdom of God, for our glory, that God would come and live inside each one of us. Spend time listening, and God will speak to your inner man.