How to Minister to the
Spiritually Dead
Connecting to a
Knowable God (ways to connect people to a knowable God)
What is the difference between physical and spiritual
death?
· Physical death is when the body ceases to function, but
spiritual death is eternal separation from God, because our spirits are
immortal. Therefore, even when a person is physically dead his or her spirit is
still very much alive.
· Physical death is the separation of the soul from the
body, and spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God
· The life of our flesh is temporary, and the life
of our soul is eternal. Your soul is the part of you that consists of your
mind, character, thoughts, and feelings.
So, what qualifies someone as spiritually dead?
· To be spiritually dead
is to be separated from God due to sin. Sin, if not forgiven, leads to spiritual
death after one dies physically.
1 Living like the rest of the world - A desire for the world's acceptance, embracing immoral lifestyles and a heart filled with godless motives.
2. The spiritually dead
follow "the ruler of the kingdom of the air." This ruler is
Satan.
· Satan and his demons work within the hearts and minds of
the spiritually dead. His kingdom is evil and very real.
3. The spiritually dead are
enslaved to "gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature"
How The spiritually dead are distinguishable from
the spiritually alive:
1. Live
according to the world, not to Christ.
2. Live
according to Satan, not to Christ.
3. Live
according to the flesh, not to Christ.
Characteristics of the spiritually alive:
They
earnestly seek fellowship with God as well as with people who
love Him.
They
are those who "love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and
strength. They love their neighbor as themselves" (Mark 12:30-31).
They
are known for their love for one another (John 13:35), and wouldn't hesitate
"to lay down their lives for friends" (John 15:13).
They are highly sensitive to sin.
They
strive to "walk in the Light as He Himself is the Light" (1 John 5:7).
They
"confess their sins" (1 John 1:9).
They
know God’s desire is for them to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16)
which means being devoted
or dedicated to God. They have been set aside and set apart for His
special use and purpose and desire to not engage in sin or be
influenced by the world to overlook sin.
They're
known for their obedience to the Word of God (1 John 2:3)
They
live in expectation for Christ's return.
The
Christian who is spiritually alive has a drastically different way of
relating to God through personal relationship, fellowship and Worship.
They are no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:14, 17-18).
Not
only are they acutely aware of sin, as we've seen, but sin becomes less of a
pattern in their lives. Instead, they demonstrate a daily pattern of living
by the Spirit and not the flesh.
They allow the promptings of the
Holy Spirit to lead them. 1 John 4:13 tells
us: "By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He
has given us His Spirit."
Their lives demonstrate the fruit of the
Spirit's influencing in them in what they say and what they do (Colossians 3:17)
The spiritually alive
person is able to discern spiritual truth from error.
They're different,
they're unique and easily
distinguishable from others steeped in the world. They are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God who praise
God and are who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. They are
now considered the people of God who have received His mercy. Read (1 Peter 2:9-10).
How to live set apart to God: (Scripture)
"Do not be
conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect"
1 John 2:15
"Do not love the
world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him"
Do not be friends with
the world: "You adulterous
people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore,
whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God"
Colossians 2:8
"See to it that no
one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human
tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according
to Christ"
Matthew 6:24
Recognize that, "No
one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other"
Bad News VS Good News: (Scripture)
Romans 5:12 New International Version (The Bad News)
Death
Through Adam, Life Through Christ
Therefore, just as
sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all people, because all sinned
Ephesians 2:1-3 New International Version (The Bad News)
As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to
live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the
kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the
rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Ephesians 2:4-5 New International Version (The Good News)
But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have
been saved.
Ephesians 2:8-10 New International Version (The Good News)
For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God— 9 not by
works, so that no one can boast. 10 For
we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:13-18 New International Version (The Good News)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been
brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For
he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by
setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and
regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity
out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one
body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put
to death their hostility. 17 He came
and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were
near. 18 For through
him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Romans
6:23 New International Version (The Good News)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
Romans
5:8 New International Version (The Good News)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Colossians
2:13 New International Version (The Good News)
When you were dead in your sins and in the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Romans
8:1-3 New International Version (The Good News)
Life
Through the Spirit
Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of
sin and death. 3 For what the law was
powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the
flesh,
John
3:3 New International Version (The Good News)
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no
one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
God is Knowable:
While God can never
be totally understood, he can be known, God is personal, has definite characteristics,
and has personally revealed himself so that he can be truly known.
God makes Himself known
in two ways, the first of which is
His magnificent creation. God can be seen in every creature that He
has formed and through the way he preserves and governs the universe.
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands.
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of God from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even His eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without
excuse."
There is also the truth
of God’s Word fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This revelation of God points us to Jesus, and through the
work of the Holy Spirit can lead has the power to leads us to salvation.
Jesus said:
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
The Scriptures prove that God is knowable. And yet the knowledge of God that the believer has
its limitations.
It is necessary for salvation that God is knowable:
God has attributes which set Him apart and distinguish
Him from all others. These attributes are referred to as the incommunicable,
The term incommunicable does not mean we can have
no knowledge or understanding of these attributes. Rather it means they are
impossible to impart to another; or these attributes are not shared with any
created being. It is these incommunicable attributes which set God apart from
all other beings, visible and invisible.
The incommunicable attributes of God which
are easily recognized in the scripture as belonging to God alone.
·
Omnipotence: All Power. Almighty power; unlimited or
infinite power.
·
Omniscience: All Knowledge - All Wisdom - All
Understanding
· Omnipresence: Always Present Everywhere. The state of being everywhere
at once.
· Eternal: The quality of being which expresses absolute perfection in
duration and character; being without beginning and without
ending.
·
Immutable: The quality of being incapable of mutating or
changing.
The knowable attributes
of God that scripture reveals to us:
·
God Is Infinite – He is Self-Existing,
Without Origin
"And he is
before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17
“Great is our Lord,
and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure”
·
God Is Immutable – He Never Changes:
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not
destroyed.” Malachi 3:6
·
God Is Self-Sufficient – He Has No Needs:
“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life
in himself.” – John 5:26
·
God is Omnipotent – He Is All Powerful:
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of
his mouth.” – Psalm 33:6
·
Scripture tells us that God is strong and mighty (Psalm 24:8).
·
Nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish (Genesis
18:14; Jeremiah
32:17, 27; Luke
1:37).
·
Often God is called "Almighty," describing Him as
the One who possesses all power and authority (2
Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8).
·
And is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine" (Ephesians
3:20).”
·
God Is Omniscient – He Is All-Knowing
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am
God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from
ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all
that I please” - Isaiah 46:9-10
·
God Is Omnipresent – He Is Always Everywhere
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend
to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.if I take
the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand
will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.” Psalm 139:7-10
“‘Am I a God at hand,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God afar off? Can a man hide
himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill
heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” - Jeremiah 23:23-24
To be omnipresent is to be in all places, at all times. Yet, it is important to understand
that for God “to be” in a place is not the same way we are in a place. “God’s being is
all together different from physical matter,”
·
God Is Wise – He Is Full of Perfect, Unchanging Wisdom
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”
·
God Is Faithful – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly True
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping
his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his
commands." - Deut 7:9
“[I]f we are faithless, he remains
faithful— for he cannot deny
himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13
·
God Is Good – He Is Infinitely, Unchangingly Kind and
Full of Good Will
“O, taste and see that the Lord is
good” – Psalm 34:8
·
God Is Just – He Is Infinitely, Unchangeably Right and
Perfect in All He Does
"The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness
and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” – Duet 32:4
·
God Is Merciful – He is Infinitely, Unchangeably
Compassionate and Kind
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man
who runs, but on God who has mercy." - Romans 9:15-16
·
God Is Gracious – God Is Infinitely Inclined to Spare
the Guilty
"The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness."
·
God Is Loving – God Infinitely, Unchangingly Loves Us
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been
born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love.” – 1 John 4:7-8
·
God Is Holy – He is Infinitely, Unchangingly Perfect
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord
Almighty” – Revelation
4:8
·
God Is Glorious – He is Infinitely Beautiful and Great
“His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, And there is the
hiding of His power.” - Habakkuk 3:4
The glory of God is of
course, inseparable from his other attributes, so God is eternally, infinitely,
unchangingly glorious. His radiance and beauty emanate from all that his is and
all that he does.
Isaiah 43:7 says that man was created by God for his glory. So, our whole
existence and purpose is to glorify him, as we are created in his image and do
the good work he has prepared for us to do. Inevitably, man will try to
find glory in other things, or to try and make himself an object of glory. And
when those things fail to bring us satisfaction, we must decide to humble
ourselves and turn our gaze back to the only one who is worthy of glory.
1
John 4:8 New International Version
Whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love.
1
John 1:5 New International Version
This is the message we have heard from him
and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at
all.
John
4:24 New International Version
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Other ways that display the
Glory of God and help us know who He is:
The Heavens:
Psalm 19:1-4a: “The heavens declare the glory
of God, and the
sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to
night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice
is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to
the end of the world.”
Psalm 97:6 New International Version
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.
The Prophets and His
Son:
Hebrews
1:1-3a: “Long ago, at
many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but
in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the
heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he
upholds the universe by the word of his power.”
Jesus:
John 1:14,18: “And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the
only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…no one has ever seen God; the
only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
We can know
that the Lord is good:
Psalm
34:8 New International Version
Taste and see that
the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him
We can know
about the heart of God:
Jeremiah 9:23-24 New International Version
This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
We
can find the Lord if we have the desire to:
Deuteronomy 4:29 New International Version
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if
you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Jesus is essential for
eternal life:
John 17:3 New International Version
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
How God is revealed:
General
revelation:
Also known as Universal
revelation, general revelation deals with how God can be understood through
his creation. More specifically, this can be manifest in physical nature,
human nature, and history. General revelation does not impart truths that are
necessary for salvation
Physical
nature:
The
book of Psalms says that, "The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his
handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
Human
nature:
Because
humans are made in God's image (Genesis
1:27),
something about God can be learned from the study of human nature. Most
evident is the moral and spiritual qualities found within humankind that
reflect the character of God. Paul says that even the law is written on the
hearts of people who do not have the specially revealed law (Romans 2:11-16).
History:
(His – Story)
The Bible clearly indicates in numerous places that God
is moving the course of history and is controlling the destinies of nations (Job 12:23; Psalm 47:7-8, 66:7; Isaiah 10:5-13; Daniel 2:21;
Acts 17:26).
Special
revelation:
Special
revelation is distinguished from general revelation in that it is direct revelation
from God. Examples include God's direct speech to various people in the bible
for example the prophets and His Son Jesus (Hebrews
1:1-2), Spoke from God and carried along by the Holy Spirit ( 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Such
revelation is sufficient to communicate the gospel, unlike general revelation,
and thus salvation is possible only through special revelation.
Best ways to minister to others:
Build relationships
Practice what you preach
Model Christ-likeness
Share your story, How God has changed your
life
Share the hope you have with gentleness and
respect
Always be prepared to give an answer
·
Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do
this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who
speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their
slander. – 1 Peter 3:15-16
Ask questions
Listen
Be Spirit led
Be a Blessing…………………………Dave
