Walk In the Spirit Together

America is becoming a graveyard for churches. Across the land stand tombstones that were once church buildings. Some of these churches failed to accomodate changing neighborhoods. Others became unfaithful to the Word and God gave them up. Some destroyed themselves - they committed ecclesiastical suicide. It is these of whom we are going to study.

Galatians 5:13 - 6:5 is a passage full of huge themes that we won’t have time to cover, and since our primary focus is on the “one another’s” of the New Testament, we’ll focus on those phrases in context throughout the passage. I see the overall theme of the passage as being walking together in the Spirit.

How do self-centered, flesh-driven believers act?

According to Paul, they bite and devour one another to each other’s destruction and to the implosion of the church. Paul goes into great detail to say “this is what nonbelievers live like…” and he gives us a list of common lifestyle descriptions for those who are living strictly for self. He urges us not to be this way.

How do Spirit-filled, God-directed believers act?

This is the heart of the passage and Paul discusses several major points…

1. Spirit-filled believers understand what liberty is really all about. Freedom in Christ is not about freedom, it’s about responsibility, strangely enough. Heaven is the most free place in existence, yet nobody there is self-serving. Freedom doesn’t free us from serving others, it simply frees us from an obligation to serve others in the flesh. We are, in love, to serve one another.

2. Spirit-filled believers are in control of their flesh (self). Every relationship that ever gets destroyed is destroyed by the awful monster of selfish desire. Paul addresses this at the end of chapter five and mentions the green-eyed monster, greed. Those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill or give into the lusts of the flesh.

3. Spirit-filled believers bear the fruit of the Spirit. Paul names nine fruits that grow naturally (or supernaturally, really) out of the life of a Spirit-led believer: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. I wish we could explore this subject more, but understand that fruit is a blessing, it is refreshing to all those around us. The church should be thought of as an orchard along with other biblical images.

4. Spirit-filled believers restore the fallen. This is tough. We can talk about people with needs, but it’s tough to have the guts to get involved and to do so with compassion. We are to approach those with a deep spiritual weakness and seek to redeem them. We are to go in the opposite of self-righteousness, but in meekness, considering our own ability to be taken by the same fault. I believe we are to live redemptive lives that exhibit grace, mercy, and forgiveness toward the fallen, the broken, and the lost. That’s what a church should look like.

5. Spirit-filled believers bear each other’s burdens. That is, we carry each other’s weight. Hurt and pain are heavy, stress is nearly unbearable, temptation can be crushing, and we’re here to be a support group for one another. This is how a Spirit-filled family ought to behave.

What’s my individual responsibility?

Everything we’ve explored in this passage has to do with God’s people living in community together, walking in the Spirit together. But Paul closes the passage by saying that we each must bear our own burden. This might seem confusing in light of Paul’s urging us to bear each other’s burdens. But in verse 2, the word “burden” is a word that means weight, while the word “burden” in verse 5 means task. We are each responsiblie for what God has called us to do - that of bearing one another’s weight.

So even though this is a challenge to the community of God’s Spirit-led people, it’s ultimately up to every individual whether we walk together in the Spirit or not.