This morning, I was reading in Philippians 1:15 two ways the gospel can be preached – the first way is from envy, rivalry and selfish ambition, while the other way is from good will and in sincerity. 

Whoever thought that even preaching the gospel by which we are saved can be preached in two different ways? 

Whoever thought that even though we are saved we can react in two very different ways?

Further in Philippians 1:27, Paul encourages the church to ‘let our manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ’. We are encouraged to live our lives from His ways  – our new created self, and not continue in our old ways – our dead self.

Even though we are bought with a price and are not our own, we still have a daily choice to make in how we live out our lives – live out the gospel from which we are saved.

To live out our lives worthy of Christ, literally, means to daily take up our cross and follow Him; just like Jesus did.

Daily, we can choose to live from a worldly perspective – the world’s culture, or choose to live from a Kingdom perspective – God’s heavenly culture. Only born again believers can make this choice. Those not born of the Spirit of God do not have the capacity to walk in Kingdom perspective because they do not have the mind of Christ.

However, the actual choosing and operating in your new creation self is more easier said then done! I totally agree! It is a daily, incremental process to surrender and live obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:1-2 gives us guidance on how we can take up our cross daily and follow him:

This daily taking up of my cross and following Him happens daily when we DELIBERATELY:

• present our bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, and
• be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

‘Presenting our bodies’ has not really been something I have thought about a lot, but my daughter, Sinead, has recently challenged me on this point. She has just started an elite dance education where the body is very much in focus. Every muscle group, ligament, movement is focused upon. The sole purpose of the education is to create exceptionally strong, excellent, professional dances that can dance on all the stages of the world. Before she started this dance education, she felt the Spirit direct her to every morning before she got out of bed to ‘present her body’ as a living sacrifice to Him. I believe it is to protect her from physical injury, but also as a vessel to carry His message and power into the area of dance. I am very challenged by this. Here is a secret I still need more revelation on, but I do believe it is one tool to walk in Kingdom Culture; to walk in our new creation self.

When we speak about renewing our minds to His Kingdom Culture, I am always brought back to my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE SCRIPTURE!

‘Have this MIND among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking a form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

Christ – presented his body by surrendering it, and humbled himself by obeying God’s commandments and the Spirits daily guidance.

THIS IS THE HIS WAY!

THIS IS THE WAY OF KINGDOM CULTURE!