Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 24 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; 1Co 2:9-3:4.

Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 24 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; 1CO 2:9-3:4.

 

Announcements / opening prayer:  

 

 

J. Filled with the Spirit: he must be led, taught, and empowered by the Spirit filling his soul.

 

1CO 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.

 

1CO 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

 

1CO 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

 

1CO 3:4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?

 

Carnal can be moral degeneracy or immoral degeneracy. They are carnal (fleshly) because they walk as men, i.e. they walk after the flesh of man and not the Spirit of God.

 

A religious person, caught up in moral degeneracy, is just as carnal as the immoral Corinthian frequenting the temple of Aphrodite. So then, a believer can either walk by means of the flesh or by means of the Holy Spirit.

 

GAL 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

 

GAL 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

 

In 1Co 3 we find that they could only receive milk, like babies.

 

Milk would refer to a very superficial knowledge of the scriptures as opposed to the deep things of the scriptures, which Paul describes as meat.

 

Meat is that which is meant for the maturing believer as it would be for the maturing person, whereas babies can subsist on mother's milk. Milk refers to the very superficial understanding of scripture, which, while much of it may be true, it is not enough to bind together into deep truths, and so it always leads to erroneous conclusions and therefore false doctrines. 

 

MAT 13:23

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

 

"understands" - suni,hmi [suniemi] = to bring or set together, perceive, understand, unite.

 

1CO 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,

 

1CO 2:13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

 

There must be a sufficient amount of study of the various doctrines in the word of God to be able to bring them together in order to achieve a level of understanding. A superficial knowledge of the word is not enough to gain it, and without understanding erroneous conclusions will be made concerning God's plan and program.

 

1CO 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.

 

1CO 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

 

1CO 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

 

1CO 3:4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?

 

The remnants, trends, and tendencies of the dead OSN within them are ruling their thought process.

 

They are fleshly because they are controlled by the flesh.

 

Instead of unity there is division. There is no unity because there is no agape love.

 

EPH 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

 

COL 3:14

And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

 

This is the birth pangs of denominations. History shows that such divisions result in rival organizations.

 

Division is the outward manifestation of the inward sin of loveless, carnal lives.

 

ROM 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 

ROM 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

 

ROM 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;

 

ROM 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Some very good theologians believe Paul is referring to the unbeliever when he writes "mind set on the flesh" and probably an equal amount of good theologians believe he is referring to carnal Christians. The carnal Christian is not "in the flesh" in position, but rather is "in Christ." However, as we see in 1Co 3, the carnal Christian walks according to the flesh. Paul's teaching in both 1Co 3 and Rom 8 is not so much on position as it is on application to life. Therefore it is not a point of contention. Often God reminds us of the life of the unbeliever in slavery to sin and death so that we may consider how we should walk as those who are set free and sanctified.

 

1CO 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.

 

1CO 3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

 

1CO 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

 

1CO 3:4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?

 

2CO 10:2-3

I ask that when I am present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh

 

The carnal Christian does not qualify as a spiritual leader. Though he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, in union with Christ, possessing eternal life, he walks on the same plane as the natural man or unbeliever. Since he is not spiritual himself he cannot lead in spiritual matters. He can only lead others down to the plane of the lowlands of the carnal, worldly life.

 

1CO 2:9 but just as it is written,

"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him."

 

1CO 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

 

1CO 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

 

1CO 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,

 

1CO 2:13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

 

1CO 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

 

1CO 2:15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.

 

1CO 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

The spiritual man understands the deep things of God, which are progressive in nature, meaning, this understanding increases with spiritual growth. From that understanding he can discern all things. Because he has spiritual discernment he can understand more and more of the revelation from the scriptures and put all the doctrines together in their seamless union. Discernment is essential in leadership.

 

He is able to compare spiritual with spiritual. This is what the original Greek states. We could say that he can compare spiritual things with spiritual things. What those things are, it seems, could apply to all things spiritual, and so, all things that come to us as gifts from God that are of the spiritual nature. The word, the Spirit, the plan of God, election and predestination, learning and application, etc.; all fit since all of what God is and does is in completely perfect harmony and unity.

 

The spiritual man comes to understand that the word, the Spirit, and his life are intimately interwoven.

 

This union within him fosters understanding through application, and wisdom through deep understanding. His reliance is fully in the Spirit of God and the power of God, functioning in the mundane details of life as well as his function in his spiritual gift.

 

The carnal believer can change to the spiritual believer by adjusting his relationship to the Holy Spirit.