February 26, 2023
Jon Schock
Carnal Christianity
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” —1 Corinthians 2:14-3:9
What
Like a
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… because of
How does someone become a Carnal Christian?
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Two Applications:
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- Are you good at growing things? Could be a garden, business, a talent/skill. If so, what would you say is critical for something to grow/mature?
- Have you experienced a time in your life when you wandered from the faith? How do you reflect upon it now?
- Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:9. What parts of the passage stick out to you? Why?
- What do you think having “the mind of Christ” means? Read Philippians 2:1-11. How does that impact your understanding?
- Talk through the difference of terms that Paul uses in 3:1-3. What is the difference between “fleshy” and “fleshly”?
- What do you think stunts the spiritual growth of the church today? What do you think causes you, or could cause you, to not grow in your own spiritual maturity?
- Spiritual Maturity can be defined as “Increasing Obedience”. Do you agree or disagree? Would you change that definition?
- How do you think GCC is doing in growing in spiritual maturity? If so, how can we become a Better Church in this area, and what part should you play?
Close in prayer.