The Master, The Manager, and The Mover

In one paragraph

Brian opened this message as the first in a series on walking in the Spirit, which he framed as a practical skill the Tribe fam needs for 2024, a year the church believes will bring more complexity alongside a corresponding release of clarity. The central question was simple: what does it actually mean to walk in the Spirit? The answer came through a framework he called the master, the manager,...

Read together

1. Romans 8:1-16 Read aloud as the primary foundation passage for the sermon on walking in the spirit
2. Galatians 5:16-18 Read and quoted in three translations to explain living by the spirit versus the sinful nature
3. Genesis 1:27 Cited to establish that God made humans male and female in his image as a triune being
4. Romans 3:10-23 Referenced loosely as no one is righteous and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
5. Hebrews 11:6 Cited as it is impossible to please the lord without faith
6. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Quoted as Paul beating his body and making it his slave, used to illustrate the spirit commanding the flesh
7. Matthew 10 Referenced as anyone who gives a cup of cold water in his name will not lose their reward
8. Matthew 4:4 Referenced as man does not live by bread alone, used to show Jesus keeping his spirit in authority over his flesh

Talk about it

1. Brian described the soul or manager as something that spent years running the show before a person was saved, and said it is feisty and wants to stay in charge even after. Where do you see that tension playing out in your own life?
2. Brian used the little pink monkey illustration to make the point that focusing on not sinning just keeps your attention on the sin itself. How have you experienced that, and what has it looked like practically to shift your focus toward the Spirit instead?
3. Brian said that good deeds done from the flesh, even religious ones, have no eternal value and will be burned up, while even something as small as a cup of cold water given in genuine obedience to God counts. How do you personally try to tell the difference between something your flesh is driving and something the Spirit is actually directing?
4. The good Samaritan story was used to point out that there were plenty of seemingly good things the Samaritan could have done that he did not do, and that the master being in charge meant knowing when to stop as much as when to act. Has there been a time when you felt God telling you not to do something that looked good on the surface? What happened?
5. Lanisha and Brian both talked about unconfessed sin becoming a roadblock to hearing the Holy Spirit clearly. What makes it hard to take that first step of confession, and what has helped you actually do it?