The Master, the Manager, and the Mover

In one paragraph

This message opened the "Walking in the Spirit" series, which Brian framed as a tool for building what he called the "clarity muscle" - the ability to hear God clearly as life grows more complex. The central question for the morning was simple: what does it actually mean to walk in the Spirit? The answer came through a framework Brian called the master, the manager, and the mover. Brian started by...

Read together

1. Romans 8:1-16 primary foundation passage read aloud by the congregation on walking in the spirit versus the sinful nature
2. Galatians 5:16-18 second foundation passage on letting the Holy Spirit guide your lives rather than your sinful nature, read from NIV, The Message, and The Passion Translation
3. Romans 8:5 narrowed focus verse from Romans 8 on having your mind set on what the spirit desires
4. Genesis 1:27 cited to establish that God made human beings male and female in his image
5. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul's image of running a race and beating his body to make it his slave
6. Hebrews 11 referenced for the statement that it is impossible to please God without faith
7. Matthew 10 referenced for the promise that anyone who gives a cup of cold water in Jesus name will not lose their reward

What was said

• Take one thing you have been doing in the name of God and honestly ask whether it started as a directive from the Holy Spirit or just your own idea.
• When you feel the pull of your flesh this week, stop and say out loud, 'Holy Spirit, come,' and ask him to take over rather than trying harder not to do the wrong thing.
• If there is unconfessed sin sitting between you and the Lord, bring it to him this week so your ears are open to what his Spirit wants to say to you.
• Show up to the men's or women's Bible study this week, because Pastor Brian and the team made clear that community is not optional and isolation is exactly what the enemy wants for you.
• If you sense the Spirit pointing you toward serving in Tribe Kids, go talk to Brian after a service rather than assuming someone else will step up.

Talk about it

1. Brian described the word for 2024 as 'clarity in complexity,' the idea that as life grows more complex, God releases clarity for those with ears to hear. Where have you personally seen that play out, or where are you still waiting to see it?
2. Brian used the image of the master, the manager, and the mover to describe how our spirit, soul, and body are meant to work together. Before you came to faith, or in seasons when you drifted, which part of that picture felt most out of order for you, and why?
3. Brian pointed out that religious activity, building orphanages, running Sunday school, even pastoring, can all be done entirely out of the flesh and still not please God. That is a hard claim. Where do you find yourself pushing back on it, and where do you find yourself convicted by it?
4. The little pink monkey illustration was used to say that Christians who focus on not sinning often end up meditating on the very thing they are trying to avoid. Has that been true in your experience, and what does 'focusing on the spirit instead of the rock' actually look like in a practical moment of temptation?
5. Lanisha prayed that unconfessed sin can become a roadblock to hearing the Holy Spirit clearly. Is there something you have been sensing you need to lay down so you can hear more clearly, and what has made that hard to do?