The Christian Mind

Bro Koay Kheng Hin

Today I'm going to talk about an interesting topic called The Christian Mind. I've actually planned this topic some time back because it was actually for another preaching engagement but I changed topic so I'm talking about this today.

It is going to be more teaching than preaching. As a charismatic church we are often talking more about the move of the Holy Spirit than about the Christian who thinks.

Today, there are few what I called Christians thinkers. Men like Martin Luther King, St Augustine, John Wesley, John Calvin to whom we owe a lot of what we learn today.

Many think that Christianity begins when we accepted the Lord. But there is a treasure of biblical insights and experience that we can receive from men in the past that have been imparted to us. Today there are few Christian thinkers. But all of us are called to be thinking Christians.

I speak today not because we are in an age of critical thinking but it has all the time been through the age of history that people think. Not because the young are asking questions or the world is challenging our Christian thinkers.

My dad said "Ah Hin, I bless you because your faith is such that you are destined to follow Christ." He believed in destiny but for us it's like predestination. But it's his second statement that caught me. He said belief is good but don't be fanatical. Don't have a blind faith. It struck me. At that time I didn't really appreciate what he said. But along the way I think back about what my dad told me, I do believe there is such a thing called blind faith. It is blind faith that creates cult and also perverted gospels.

So today I'm gong to be talking about the Christian Mind. To be a thinking Christian.

I want to ask, every morning when you wake up what do you think of? Some people wake up thinking of your wife. Or their children. Some think about how they will enjoy themselves that morning. For most people, I would say a lot will be thinking about more dollars than devotion. More on investment than insights. More money than maturity.

Prosperity rather than the presence of God is your focus. Probably thinking of your investment which God blesses you with and you may thank God but you'll be thinking of your investment.

What is the meaning of Christian maturity? If you ask people most may have a vague idea. I would say most people think of it chronologically. Like I've been a Christian 40 years so I'm mature. Or I serve the Lord many years, 20 to 30 years so I've done more than others so that's maturity. Or you're the church secretary so you think position is Christian maturity. But how does the Bible look at Christian maturity?

Ephesians 4:11-15

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

We need to see the context of Ephesians. What was on Paul's mind? The Spirit of God comes upon the church and the focus was on unity. The Bible teaches not uniformity but unity. But there is potential in diversity in that unity. Unity was one heart, one soul one mind for the glory of Christ. Uniformity is like when everybody sounds and looks like one another. We are not called to uniformity.

In that diversity of apostles, teachers and Pastor's etc all is called to be in unity with one purpose to prepare God's people for the work of ministry.

This is the context of what Paul was working on. But the crux of my message is the word mature. In our Christian life, this is not for those who is involved in ministry alone but for all of us. We are to become mature.

What is maturity? It is the fullness of the measure of Christ. But what is the fullness of Christ? Run down 10 verses.

Ephesians 4:21-24

21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

One important measure of the fullness of Christ is like God in true righteousness and holiness. That's what maturity has got to do it the fullness of Christ. For a person to be like God, he needs to have his kind renewed. And Paul actually repeats this in Romans 12.

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

To offer your life and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Christian maturity is true righteousness and holiness. But it's not what we will focus on. I want to flash back thousands of years. Some people asked me when was Adam created? Some say a few thousand years. Some said 100,000 years based on evolutionists. We did not come from ape and that we are created by God in his image.

When the serpent came and when he tempted Eve the serpent ask Eve a question. If God really commanded Eve not to partake of the fruit, Eve had to think and the serpent told half truths and she got confused. In that disorientation of Eve, the devil struck. It was what the devil told Eve, you will be like God. It was too good to miss.

It was true in a way. Paul says here you will be like God. But in true righteousness and holiness was what God said. And one of it to true righteousness and holiness is to have perfect obedience to him. To obey his commandments in its fullness. And the devil said you will know what is good and evil. You don't need God to tell you what is right and wrong. Instead of obeying God you can set your own standard. That was what the devil offered Eve and she fell.

The spiritual battlefield was the mind. And the serpent's modus operandi was to confuse Eve. The rattlesnake rattles not to warn the prey but to confuse the prey.

This week I received two calls. First, a friend of mine called me because he woke up in the morning and felt dizzy. He said he was scared to move because he was dizzy. He was afraid he gets dizzy, and can black out and then gets a stroke. It's in the mind. The half truth is he is dizzy but the half lie is that dizzy doesn't mean he will black out and black out does not mean he will get a stroke. It is fear. That is how people can get into a depression.

Second call was about a friend getting treatment. The person don't know whether to get chemo or not. It is all in the mind where the battlefield is.

Paul says you have to transform yourself through the renewing of your mind. What does Paul say?

Ephesians 4:13-14

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

We need teaching for our mind to be renewed. You can look at Colossians 1:28. When you say teaching it is in the word of God. And it is the role of the pastor and teacher to teach as mentioned by Paul.

Knowledge alone is not enough. There are people who has been reading the Bible like a literature. In school we have Bible knowledge class. I realised I have to teach the Bible like a literature book in order for the students to get A. Then thinking of it, I thought the Bible should never be taught like a literature book so I stopped.

Some people treat the Bible like a literature book. They know in detail all the facts. And us Christians may not know as much. The Bible is also not a philosophical book. So I want to put to you that teaching the Bible is to know it's a spiritual book. It cannot be about the facts without the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:16

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:13

These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

It's about spiritual truth. Not human wisdom but spiritual insights. The Bible is supposed to be read prayerfully, submissively and humbly.

Immerse yourself in the word and you'll be able to see things like God sees.

The other aspect is this.

2 Peter 1:21

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

You must understand we believe in the inspiration of the Bible but how many of you understand what that inspiration of the Holy Spirit means?

Some say possibly Paul went into a trance and wrote the Bible. That's not it. Another is Paul look up and God gave him the words. That dictation. Ours is that while Paul wrote he was inspired with a spiritual insight that came from the Holy Spirit. Our believe and it's the position of the church is that the Holy Spirit was hovering over Paul as he wrote. The Holy Spirit was guiding every thought and every word of Paul but it was Paul that wrote. That's why the way Paul wrote and Peter is different. They were guided but it is them that wrote.

Someone put it very well. If you studied the Bible philosophically, you will have an objective view of the word. It is the word without the spirit and you will become judgemental. On the other hand if you say no need of the Bible and that God can speak to you, you become fanatical. That's what my father said to me, don't have blind faith.

The Christian Mind is a mind that needs to be taught and you need to study. But at the same time you need the Holy Spirit to give you the insight. So that the word of God in your head becomes the word of God in your experience.

John Wesley said the word of God can only be understood if you put on the spectacles of faith. That happened to me. My spiritual eyes were opened.

Another one is Jonathan Edwards. He was considered one of America's leading philosophers. He was the seed to the great awakening in America and he recorded this in his journal. He saw thousands and thousands came to the Lord. He was one of the few that had the balance of the word of God and the spirit of God. He preached one of the greatest sermon - sinners in the hands of an angry God. It takes someone like Jonathan Edwards to preach something like that. It was neither judgemental yet it carried so much spiritual truth.

What exactly is true righteousness and holiness? In the OT it's how you conform to the word of God.

Romans 13:9-10

9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

But Paul is saying on true righteousness and holiness is not about what you do. It cannot be discerned from your conduct but by your motivation.

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

For the Pharisees it was about keeping the letter of the law but Jesus broke that understanding. Jesus says true righteousness and holiness is expressed or sourced from loving God with all your heart, soul and mind. To love God with all his mind. Only then can he love his neighbour like himself.

Spiritual maturity is that agape love of God, so do you agape God and do you love your neighbour as yourself? When you study the word of God, it must produce in you a greater love for your neighbour or there is something wrong with your Bible study. A spiritually mature mind will love not just himself but others as himself.

When we talk about love we think of husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend. But love is a many splendored thing because it is love of the mind and heart. The agape love of God begins in the mind and not the heart. Go and think about it. Agape love is a love by choice. It does not flow from the heart. It starts from the mind. My feelings and the choice to love are different things.

The Christian Mind can only be renewed by the teaching of God's word and must not just be words in the head and the word of God experienced in your life. Only Christians can do what the world says is impossible because with God all things are possible. Only the children of God can say even though I don't like you I can love.

I encourage all of you to be thinking Christians and grow in maturity.