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 A
New Relationship - The transformation of self through the Spirit and our
new way of relating to the world nullifies any obligation that we may have had
in a world dominated by “flesh” or any rebellion we may have had against
God. Our allegiance is now to the new world into which the Spirit has placed
us. [1]
A Second Transformation? - Not only do we relate differently to the
world through the Spirit, but Paul suggests that a second transformation
alters the way we relate to God. If under the old paradigm we cowered and fled
God’s presence, the new order invites us to think very differently about
ourselves. “You should behave instead like God’s very own children,
adopted into his family” (v. 15, NLT) [2]
J.I. Packer on Mortification - The Spirit now indwells the believer
(Ro. 8:9-11), to convey life each moment from Christ to him (Col. 2:19) and
thus to make the ‘seed’ in his heart grow and bear the Spirit’s fruit
(Gal. 5:22) . . . Sin can be mortified only ‘through the Spirit’, for The
Spirit alone makes us willing and able for the task . . . where the indwelling
Spirit exerts his sovereign power, failure is impossible. [3]
 List some of the
different programs, methods, or ways have you observed that promise personal
transformation.
Name the factors that keep relationships from flourishing-lack of conflict
management, unresolved emotional baggage from a previous relationship, fear,
etc. What does it mean personally to know that God calls you “child” and
not “slave” and calls you through love and not fear?
List all of the activities attributed to the Holy Spirit in the life of the
Christian community and the world without any research; what is at the top of
your list?
 Insatiable
Longings-Augustine’s “you have made us for yourself and our hearts are
restless until they find their rest in You,” and Pascal’s “god-shaped
vacuum” describe the yearning that drives our search for meaning. Listen to
such yearning for meaning in this passage: how do people express that
yearning? For some it is deeply interior, insulated and never raised to
conscious awareness; to others the yearning is expressed in a deeply pious and
devotional life; still others become activist, marching for justice, feeding
the hungry, standing with the marginalized.
God has our zip code. A careful reading of this lesson will raise the work of
the Spirit before the listening community. This longing of the Spirit, nourished
in the soul and expressed through the community and to the world. We live in
that hope and in opposition to sinful nature that drags us away from walking in
the yearning for God and love of neighbor. The Spirit brings life and sustains
that life through Jesus Christ
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