Spiritual Emphasis

Chapter 1

What Spiritual Emphasis Is

Man is created in the image and likeness of God. He is a spirit being like his Heavenly Father and Creator. Man has a soul that consists of the mind, will, and emotions and lives in a physical body. But his physical body and attributes don’t represent who he is. Man is essentially a spirit being who lives in a spiritually influenced world. The spiritual influence over the world manifests in two diametrically different ways. I refer to them as ‘Good Spiritual influence’ and ‘Evil Spiritual influence’ respectively.

Good Spiritual Influence, which can also be referred to as the Original Spiritual Influence emanates from the Most High God - Creator and originator of the Heavens and the earth. Good Spiritual Influence is the godly and original spiritual influence that existed before the creation of the universe and everything in it including Satan. Good Spiritual Influence continues to exist today without limits. Good Spiritual influence supports and enforces the divine will and purpose of God.

Evil Spiritual Influence alternatively called the Counterfeit Spiritual influence emanates from the corrupted created being known as the devil or Satan. I refer to the spiritual influence of the devil as counterfeit because he futilely attempts to copy his Creator in the exercise of his limited influence. Evil Spiritual influence is exerted by Satan mainly to oppose, corrupt and destroy the purpose of his Creator.

In order to successfully navigate this spiritually influenced world and fulfill the purpose of the Creator, a believer needs to adopt a lifestyle with an emphasis on the spiritual dimension in all he or she does and relates to. This spiritually influenced lifestyle of the believer is what I refer to as Spiritual Emphasis. It goes without saying that a believer is expected to subscribe to Good Spiritual Influence and should endeavour to live solely under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – the enforcer of Good Spiritual Influence.

God’s desire is for every believer to pursue a lifestyle of spiritual emphasis because it empowers a person to stay in command of their circumstances. The events of the world shouldn’t come as a surprise to a child of God. God has set His children up to always triumph in Christ. There should be no surprises or defeats. There should be only one outcome for any challenge you encounter when you live under spiritual emphasis – VICTORY.

Romans 8:6-8

For to be carnally minded (under evil spiritual influence) is death

But to be spiritually minded (under good spiritual influence) is life and peace

Because the carnally minded is enmity against God

For it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be

So then, those who are in the flesh (under evil spiritual influence) CANNOT please God

Spiritual emphasis for the child of God represents the pursuit of a lifestyle defined by a Holy Spirit led relationship with God facilitated by Christ Jesus. Alternatively it may be described as living with a heightened consciousness of the Holy Spirit influenced spiritual dimension, as opposed to living with a carnal mindset. The Christian who pursues a lifestyle of spiritual emphasis lives under the influence of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ

And through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place

A life of spiritual emphasis requires a total surrender to the lordship of Christ Jesus. It cements the spiritual union with God through Christ. If you desire to reign in life as God has purposed for His children on earth, you can only do so through spiritual emphasis. But without Christ there can be no spiritual emphasis to be pursued with God. That’s why the first step in identifying yourself with Christ is crucial. If you’re yet to accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour I encourage you to take this important step without delay.

John 3:3, 5-7

Jesus answered and said to him

‘Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again

He cannot see the kingdom of God’

Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you

Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God

That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit

Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again’

Any attempt at building a relationship with God without the mediation of Christ Jesus is just religion. Religion is a performance and rules-centered human effort aimed at reaching out to God but it doesn’t establish a relationship with Him. The idea of establishing a personal relationship with God doesn’t appear to be a desired end for those who practice ‘religion’.

It’s important to note that a person is not a Christian because he or she attends church and engages in church related activities. Neither are you a Christian because you come from a family of avid churchgoers who celebrate Christian occasions like Easter and Christmas. Participating in church related activities and services without having received Christ as your Saviour, makes you religious person but not necessarily a Christian.

Consequently your practice of Christianity is only considered by God as a meaningless religious enterprise because it is devoid of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity is a relationship between God and man facilitated by Christ Jesus. It’s supposed to mirror the relationship that exists between a child and a model father. In that regard God is the Father and Christians represent His children through Christ Jesus.

Unfortunately there are many religious people who believe they are Christians but haven’t confessed the lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives. They are good people who never miss church, are active in church, leaders in the church and some are even pastors but sadly they have no relationship with Christ and therefore have no relationship with the Heavenly Father.

They have no idea what the ‘born again’ experience is and means. Some of these people consider themselves distinct from ‘born again’ believers. I have come across people who look down with disdain at the ‘so called born again people’ and make fun of the Holy Spirit inspired tongues we speak. They proudly declare they are not born again and yet consider themselves Christians. They don’t realize a person can’t become a Christian without being born again. To call yourself a Christian means you have confessed the lordship of Christ Jesus and acknowledged Him as your Saviour. That confession and acknowledgement qualifies you to become a born again child of God and a new creature in Christ Jesus - in one word a Christian.

Spiritual Emphasis Is Not Religion

Spiritual emphasis and religion are diametrically opposed to each other. Spiritual emphasis promotes through Christ, life and growth as God has purposed it. Religion on the other hand promotes a human centered effort to seek the face of God without the involvement of Christ. Religion produces stagnation and death because God is not in it.

Religion is not profitable because it’s an activity that fails to achieve the objective of establishing a relationship between God and man. Ironically some religious people are adjudged to be ‘devout Christians’ and close to God in the eyes of men. However a person can’t be described as a devout Christian when he or she doesn’t even have a relationship with Christ. Christ remains the foundation for the Christian walk.

In the New Testament there is an account of a man called Cornelius who is described as a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always (Acts 10:2). In spite of his impeccable credentials, Cornelius needed to experience the new birth through Christ Jesus.

It’s quite troubling to think there are possibly people who genuinely revere God like Cornelius did but have no hold on salvation. They are engaged in various religious practices rather than the Christ-based relationship that offers the true salvation they seek. These people are not likely to end up in Heaven if they fail to be born again or experience spiritual regeneration in Christ Jesus. There could be people sitting in church who are hell bound but have no idea of their impending doom.

There are ministers in charge of large flocks of ‘Christians’ who have no experience of the new birth in Christ Jesus. Not too long ago I heard the esteemed evangelist Pastor Billy Graham describe his encounter with a Bishop of a mainstream orthodox church who had no experience of the new birth in Christ. This Bishop according to Pastor Billy Graham had been a ‘Christian’ for many years but hadn’t gone through the process of receiving Christ. People innocently follow ‘Christian leaders’ they perceive as worthy spiritual shepherds but unfortunately it turns out sometimes to be the case of the blind leading the blind.

Know The Truth For Yourself

I once had an interesting conversation with a member of a large mainstream church who disclosed he had no views of his own apart from what he heard from his pastor. His position was that whatever views he held about Christian issues were what his church held to be true. That by itself isn’t bad, if one is affiliated to a true Bible believing church. 

But what worried me a little was the fact that he didn’t appear to have a personal relationship with Christ. His relationship with God was only through the doctrinal position of his church as it were. From our conversation it appeared the doctrine of his church took precedence over his personal relationship with God through Christ.

Though he agreed with what I had to say about the need to establish a personal relationship with Christ, he insisted he had to hear it first from his church. He didn’t appreciate the importance in studying Scripture for himself when he could rely on his church to teach him the Word. It’s commendable to believe in your spiritual shepherd and church. But that doesn’t preclude you from studying the Word to know the truth for yourself.

Christians who fail to study the Word for themselves are invariably those who are misled into engaging in practices not prescribed by God. The worshipping of images for example is clearly out of line with Scripture. It’s not acceptable for a Christian to worship an image of Jesus or that of His ‘earthly’ family members. That is idolatry and not Christianity. Christ dwells in your heart and not in an image. You can’t worship God through the earthly parents of Jesus. God assigned only one mediator and intercessor for men and His name is Jesus Christ.

Mary the mother of Jesus was a virtuous woman by all accounts but she is NOT a mediator to God. Scripture doesn’t support worshiping the mother of Jesus or her image. This may be a hard truth for those who engage in it. Scripture also doesn’t support the idea of worshipping the images of dead people declared ‘saints’ by their churches.

A saint according to Scripture is simply a believer in Christ Jesus. It is synonymous with ‘Christian’ or ‘believer’. It’s not supposed to be an honorary title, just as Christian or believer isn’t. A person doesn’t qualify to become a saint only after physical death. According to Scripture a saint is a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Saviour. In that regard there are saints who are alive on earth and some who have passed on into glory.

1 Corinthians 1:2

…To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints

With all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours

Even an image of Christ is not to be worshipped. The worship of any image is synonymous with idolatry according to Scripture and Scripture can’t be broken.

Exodus 20:4-5

You shall not make for yourself a carved image

Any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath

Or that is in the water under the earth

You shall not bow down to them or serve them…

There is only one pathway to God and not several pathways like the religious folks