“A person is a ‘spiritual person’ to the degree that his or her life is correctly integrated into and ruled by God’s Spirit.” —Dallas Willard
Romans 12:1 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Matthew 26:40-41 NIV
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NIV
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
The “Modern” Gospel:
- “You’re a sinner going to hell.”
- “God loves you.”
- “Jesus died on the cross for your sins.”
- “If you believe in him you can go to heaven when you die.”
Jesus’ Gospel:
Mark 1:15 NIV
The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!
Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Three Body Principles—
1. Caring for my is a part of caring for my .
“The Christian practice of honoring the body is born of the confidence that our bodies are made in the image of God’s own goodness . . . It is through our bodies that we participate in God’s activity in the world.”—Stephanie Paulsell
2. Listening to my is a part of listening to my .
Luke 8:42-46 NLT
As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.”
3. If I want a soul I must my body.
1 Corinthians 9:24-47 NIV
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Training our body is accomplished by developing healthy .
“The general human failing is to want what is right and important, but at the same time not to commit to the kind of life that will produce the action we know to be right and the condition we want to enjoy.”—Richard Foster
“Habits eat will-power for breakfast, every day of the week.” —John Ortberg
Putting it into Practice—
1. and
Matthew 26:41 NIV
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
2. and
Psalm 46:10 NIV
Be still and know that I am God.
3. of
Romans 12:1 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order, rhythm and harmony. This demands a constant readjustment of the way we think and move, a constant turning away from the structural sins of our society, a constant effort to love God and others with our whole being. To be truly happy is to be perpetually aware of God’s beauty and love, enjoying life in His presence. “—Thomas Merton