Greetings to all who seek after our Lord Jesus Christ,

I, a continuing servant of our Father in Heaven, fellow worker in Christ Jesus, do write to you today with the reiteration of the realms of the flesh and the realms of the everlasting Spirit of God.  For in our world today have matters of the flesh become paramount to our culture of the world, in power, fortune, war, and self righteousness.  The divide between that which is corruptible and that which is incorruptible is being made clear, not only to the sons and daughters of God, but also to the lost sheep and they who as of yet have not heard or been given to hear the Word of Jesus Christ.

Let us first start with the works of the flesh.  We refer to Paul, in Galatians.

Galatians 6:19-21 (NKJV) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20: idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21: envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We should not dismiss Pauls ending “and the like” to be specific for the last example of revelries, but as continuation of his thought.  Therefore could we add to the list also, if we understood the nature of the list itself.  For there is a common theme to each example on his list, that theme being that each one of the items are based on self.  They are self satisfying principles of man’s desires for self pleasure, self pride, self power, self judgement of others, self revenge of others and self righteousness.  Gathered together into small groups we also see the same with sects, revelries and dissensions, that as a group they are self serving to their own cause and not to cause of God when divided against another.

What does this tell you about the nature of the flesh?  That the flesh is concerned with itself, and matters of the self and self interest.  It is not a sin to have self interest in areas of our lives, but the matters of works of the flesh are contrary even to those.  For if one wishes to be a musician because they love music, and works in order to buy instruments and lessons – do they not in time also share their music with the world?  But if one wishes to be a musician so that they can be rich and powerful and treat everyone as a slave, and surrounded themselves with worshippers, raising them self up, are they not doing their works solely for self?  The works of the flesh are a corruptible crown of glory which neither strengthens our position before God, nor survives the Day of the Lord.  Therefore leaving us without any spiritual clothing, naked before all of creation as a vain vessel of self.  Nothin in God’s world is of vanity, or pride, but of greatness, power, might, love and worth.  How can nothingness enter into the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of everything?

To be children of God, brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus, we are to act in the manner of Spirit, not of the flesh.  The flesh will have needs, food, clothing, shelter, water, yet even our will is a need in that it sets about the revelation of our desire for either life or death.  Flesh dies, and withers into the ground, and all things of the flesh do likewise.  To obey the matters of the flesh exclusively, is to obey the path of death, for not one thing we do or did not do will continue on with us, for it dies also with us in this life.   If I exalted myself to a throne on earth, that throne rests without me after I die.

Let us look at the fruits of the spirit:

Galatians 6:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Here we see a different set of variables within the principles listed.  Each one of the items on the list benefit not only the self, but also the whole of the world also.  Love expressed is beautiful, peace expressed is beautiful, longsuffering given to another in need is beautiful, kindess, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, self control… all beautiful.  Christ made clear that these principles are the foundations of Spirit.  He stated clearly that His Father is Spirit, and that the everlasting life offered to us is in The Spirit.  HE taught us that the realm of heaven is a Spiritual Realm, and we also know that the Kingdom of God, is a place for those in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit writes the laws of Jesus upon our hearts, guides us, instructs us, motivates us, moves us.  It is not literally written on our heart, for we know this to mean it is written in our very personal Character of Spirit.  That essence of LIFE that makes each of us who we are, given a personal name, and the spirit we love in another, is the spiritual matter where the everlasting Laws of God, and Fruits of God reside.  Being so, just as the wants of the flesh speak to our minds and bodies, so too does the Law of God speak to us and effects also our minds and bodies.  For the Spirit of love, which is the foundation of all the fruits of the spirit, is everlasting and incorruptible and all powerful.  We cannot see the full power of love while in the state of flesh, but we often see the effect of love over time if we are so blessed by God to follow His Way of Life.

To shorten this whole thing, I will say a few other words.  The way of the flesh serves the flesh well, but it does not serve the spirit within us.  Because of this, living by way of the flesh is what leaves us old and angry, lonely, isolated, frustrated, and bitter.  For when we reach our older years, are we not even capable of continuing to feed our flesh with matters of the flesh, for our strength has also parted from us. Ultimately, it brings nothing but division and destruction, leaving us without recourse but repentance.  Sadly many do not even repent then, but of they who do in earnest and truth, are they also counted as sons of God.  For even the path of death can lead those to God who desire still to love God.

The essence of the fruits of the spirit are the keys to our following of Christ.  In the practise of such matters, are we co-converters of our own self, into a child of the everlasting God.  It is a choice we make daily, to follow after the principles which are everlasting and of the spirit.  Some will argue that God alone does such work in us, but it is still God who requires we make the choice of life or death.  How do we know we have made our choice?  When we find ourselves practising the fruits of the spirit, we know we have chosen life.  For us to speak of such things, yet do them not, are we also just vain-glory and self seeking, which is a matter of flesh and not spirit.  The Spirit within us becomes compelled to do goodness, for the Holy Spirit shows us the greatness of God through the manifestation of spiritual awareness.  Our love for God, grows outward to our love for ALL mankind as our brothers and sisters, refusing no one the love of God given also to us.  They who divide and judge and set themselves aside are not doers of the fruits of the spirit, or the laws of Jesus, but doers of the works of flesh.

Some will say, YES, but we are to come out of the world, and the ways of the world.  Is it not clear?  The ways of the world are the ways of flesh, and the ways of the Kingdom of God are the ways of the Spirit. We are not to be divided as a people, for we are all God’s, we are all Christ’s, for Jesus paid for us all… the sinner and the righteous.  Only God can say who is who, for man is not wise enough to discern spirit, but wise enough to discern law and the fruits of either life or death.  When we see the fruit of death in our fellow, offer them the fruit of the spirit, not judgement of their spirit, or condemnation of their character, but objection to their behavior with love – for he is your brother.  When we see the fruit of life, share also of it with everyone, for it may feed a hungered soul we are not made aware of.  That spirit, which is God, is where our spirit, which is us, originated. Therefore none can judge the life of another, without judging God. But we can discern the works of the flesh, and seeing them clearly know also their outcome.  In order that we may one day join the Spirit Realm and be heir to God through Christ, we practise these beautiful, simple and powerful fruits.  For Christ redeemed us from the ways of flesh, which dies, and offered us the truth of love which lives on forever and ever.

Ryan