Christ’s Spirit Or Fleshly Desires

Christ’s Spirit or Fleshly Desires

We have less than half the number of churches in America that we had a hundred years ago and yet the population in those hundred years is three times what it was then. There are 250,000 Protestant churches in America and 80% are showing a decline or no growth in attendance. More than 4,000 churches close their doors every year because 3,500 people are leaving the church every day. Our society reflects the decline in our churches. Sixty percent of men and forty percent of women who use the internet regularly watch pornography. Here in Virginia in just the last two years we have seen the loosening of abortion restrictions, legalized marijuana, and seen an increase in the use of illegal drugs. Few churches are on fire and it shows.

I believe the following scripture describes America’s Churches today. In Revelation 3:15-18 Christ speaks to this, “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." Therefore, I want us to ask ourselves, are we truly serious about our dedication to the Spirit of Christ or are we governed by what Paul calls fleshly desires?

Paul explains this in Romans 8:6-10, “6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”

This short passage describes two states of mind: "The mind governed by the flesh is death,” which is “hostile to God,” and “The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace,” which “gives life because of righteousness."

Chains hold you either to the flesh or to the Spirit. Chains are strong and hard to break. These two distinct mindsets lead to two differing lifestyle choices and two different states of mind. These two states of mind influence our present circumstances and control our destiny, whether “death” or “life and peace”. Genesis 2:17 tells us that death arose from rebellion against God, and has left man in a state of flesh-serving carnality ever since. Jesus came to free us from sin and death, to free us from our chains.

The movie “The King and I” starred Yul Brynner and Debra Kerr, and has been popular for decades. However, many people do not realize the movie and play tell the true story of a widowed Englishwoman named Anna who accepted the position of governess for the King of Siam (Thailand) in the late 1800s.

It seems that one day, while on an errand, Anna got lost. “She found herself in a dark alley, from which the only exit appeared to be a door of polished brass in a high brick wall. Half afraid that she was trespassing in some forbidden place; she pushed open the door, then stepped over the sill into a paved courtyard. The courtyard contained a garden. In the center of the garden was a small pond of water; a woman was sitting on the ground, chained to a post. She was nursing a naked child about 4 years old.”

In a conversation with this woman, Anna discovered her son’s name was “Sorrow”. She explained that she had been born a slave, but an Indian merchant who had fallen in love with her and desired to marry her had purchased her freedom. Under Siamese law, the transaction was legal, and the woman began a life of happy freedom.

Her former owner, however, had never been reconciled to the idea of letting her go, so about 3 months after her marriage, her former owner had her kidnapped, brought back to this courtyard, and chained to the post. Four years, she wore those chains.

Anna returned to the palace and informed the King who rescued this poor woman from her chains. The woman’s husband was so grateful he contacted Anna to thank her and told her that he had changed his son's name to “Freedom”.