A friend who recently stopped attending church services wrote to me saying that she did not understand the sadness she sometimes felt. She longed for fellowship even though fellowship with church members was not fulfilling. She wrote: “What is the sadness I feel over not going to church even though I feel empty inside after attending? I miss, hope and long for fellowship with the saints, but at the same time I realize I don’t believe or live the same as most church goers.”
Grieving Over The Flesh
My friend was grieving over the loss of the flesh. This form of grief is normal for believers. When a believer tuns away form the terribly strong temptations of the flesh, it is like experiencing the death of a loved one. In fact, the passions and lusts of the flesh and their corresponding fleshly behavior are actually loved ones. Prior to becoming born again, we loved the flesh more than Truth. We followed the desires of the flesh even to our own detriment. Paul wrote, at the leading of the Holy Spirit, that denying the flesh was an act of death:
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh —
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body [the flesh], you will live.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14)
Putting the flesh to death is not a choice for believers. Rather we are obligated to do so because the consequence of living in obedience to the desires of the flesh is our own spiritual death. Our natural state is one of bondage to the flesh. Living in a fleshly manner is all we know. Acting in concert with the passions and desires of the flesh is as familiar to us as walking. Therefore, we are reluctant to turn away from that which is so very normal. However, continuing to live a fleshly life is to choose to walk in opposition to God’s commandments. And that is a walk in the domain of spiritual death, the death Adam and Eve experienced because of their decision to disobey God’s instruction. Remember Paul’s words: “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die.” (Romans 8:13) So the choice is either to continue living in a state of spiritual death, or to put the evil desires of the flesh to death by denying their power over you and live in eternal truth. The choice is ours and ours alone.
The Blessings Of Obedience
All of the desires of the flesh are lies and are contrary to God’s word, the Truth. When we place our flesh on the cross, the altar where Truth (Jesus Christ) was sacrificed, we become united with Jesus in the eternal blood covenant, and you become one of The Blessed.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! (Psalm 1:1)
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him [by entering His covenant]! (Psalm 2:12)
“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways.” (Proverbs 8:32)
There are great rewards for those who are blessed.
11 “Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.
12 “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers.
13 “He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.
14 “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle.
15 “The LORD will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you.” (Deuteronomy 7:11-15)
Read the more complete list of blessings in Deuteronomy 28 where you’ll see that every part of your life is blessed.
The blessings continue in the New Covenant.
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (Matthew 5:1-11)
Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will find it is those who make and keep the covenant who are blessed. Those who reject and transgress the covenant are the ones who receive the covenant’s cruses.
The characteristics listed above are characteristics of our Lord, Jesus Christ. They are also characteristics of the members of the body of Christ. And don’t be confused, these characteristics are not worked up or learned. Rather, they flow effortlessly out of everyone who has sacrificed his or her flesh on the cross, and who joyously proclaim along with the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The way to be a believer who is a recipient of God’s boundless blessings is simple and clearly stated in the Bible. All one must do is repent, that is, crucify yourself with Christ. The next step is one of continual dying to the flesh which is called the walk of sanctification. That’s it! While what to do is simple to describe, the doing of it is not easy. In fact, it is the most difficult of all undertakings. It is difficult by God’s design. In this way, God will be certain only the over-comers will enter into heaven. And though the gates to the Holy City will never be closed, those who have not kept the eternal covenant will never enter.
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:25-27)
Fleshly Church Doctrines
We’ll now return to the idea of not attending church services being an act of crucifying the flesh. All Church doctrine contains truth mixed with Biblical error. These doctrines originate in the imaginations of men and women who strive to establish their own way rather than God’s. These doctrines usually take the form of man-made Rules, Regulations, Rituals and Traditions. Jesus sharply rebuked the Pharisees for their man-made doctrines.
1 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 And He answered and said to them, “And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4 “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH.’
5 “But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or mother, “Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God,”
6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:1-6)
The doctrines of men are counter to God’s commandments, therefore all sorts of sinful behavior is acceptable among church members. Activities such as gossiping, slandering, enviousness, jealousies, lying, outbreaks of anger, sexual misconduct, bitterness towards a brother or sister, seeking revenge and many more such behaviors can be observed in whatever church you may attend. Make no mistake, activities such as these are not in keeping with the commandments of Jesus Christ who said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
False doctrines appeal to the flesh of those who desire to walk in the flesh. They also convince people they are keeping God’s commandments by their religious practices. Thus, their religion blinds them to the truth and satisfies the flesh. Therefore, leaving the Church and its fleshly practices is actually an act of sacrificing the flesh. And let me again say that sacrificing, or crucifying, the flesh is to be a continual practice in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. Walking in this manner is a walk of sanctification, and sanctification results in eternal life.
19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness [by walking according to the flesh], so now present your members as slaves to righteousness [by sacrificing the flesh], resulting in sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [You were not required to keep the commandments or to sacrifice the flesh.]
21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things [walking according to the flesh] is death.
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God [by the means of entering the blood covenant with Jesus Christ], you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. (Romans 6:19-)
Each time you crucify a portion of your flesh you experience a loss, therefore you can expect to grieve. Grieving a loss of your flesh feels no different than losing a loved one. Cutting yourself off from the Church and its practices that were so satisfying to your flesh, differs little, if at all, from the great loss of a parent or child. Therefore, expect to grieve.
It would seem that one would be crazy to reject the eternal life God is offering, yet multitudes have and will continue to do so. Such is the power of the flesh. How extremely joyful we should be who by God’s grace have thrown off the old self and put on the new.
