The Spirit vs. The Flesh
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ga 5:22–24). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Great things are happening through our cooperation in the Southern Baptist Convention.
The enemy doesn’t like that.
Missionaries are being sent; churches are being planted, re-planted, and re-vitalized; leaders are being trained; the Gospel is being proclaimed; and lives are being transformed by the power of Christ!
The enemy doesn’t like any of that.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The enemy doesn’t like any of that either.
Just above the fruit of the Spirit, Paul gives us a different kind of list... “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
The enemy loves that stuff.
One of the great things about our cooperation is that it’s a really big group. And in any large group of people, there will be:
The challenge we have is that we sometimes think people from Group 1 are members of Group 2. Further, we think that the best way to deal with either group is to embrace the enemy’s tactics...enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions.
The enemy loves that stuff.
Believers can disagree. Believers can disagree sharply. But disagreement is never an excuse to reject the commands of Christ.
So, let’s strive to love one another, even amid sincere disagreements. Let’s strive to increase the degree to which we exemplify the fruit of the Spirit. Let’s work to ensure that our conversations are marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control instead of enmity and strife.
Grace and Peace,
Adam Pursel
SCBO President
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ga 5:22–24). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Great things are happening through our cooperation in the Southern Baptist Convention.
The enemy doesn’t like that.
Missionaries are being sent; churches are being planted, re-planted, and re-vitalized; leaders are being trained; the Gospel is being proclaimed; and lives are being transformed by the power of Christ!
The enemy doesn’t like any of that.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The enemy doesn’t like any of that either.
Just above the fruit of the Spirit, Paul gives us a different kind of list... “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
The enemy loves that stuff.
One of the great things about our cooperation is that it’s a really big group. And in any large group of people, there will be:
- Genuine disagreements among faithful believers
- Wolves in sheep’s clothing
The challenge we have is that we sometimes think people from Group 1 are members of Group 2. Further, we think that the best way to deal with either group is to embrace the enemy’s tactics...enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions.
The enemy loves that stuff.
Believers can disagree. Believers can disagree sharply. But disagreement is never an excuse to reject the commands of Christ.
So, let’s strive to love one another, even amid sincere disagreements. Let’s strive to increase the degree to which we exemplify the fruit of the Spirit. Let’s work to ensure that our conversations are marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control instead of enmity and strife.
Grace and Peace,
Adam Pursel
SCBO President
Posted in President\\\'s Pen
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