Live No Lies

1. The devil is real and his primary weapon is deception

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

The devil is an intelligent force of evil that seeks to drive humanity into ruin. While many modern people dismiss the idea of a literal devil as superstition, Jesus and the Bible writers saw him as very real. The devil's primary strategy is not violence or possession, but deception - planting lies in our minds about God, ourselves, and reality. These lies play on our disordered desires and lead us away from truth and love. Recognizing the devil's existence and tactics is crucial for resisting his influence and living in alignment with God's truth.

2. Ideas shape our reality and can be weaponized for good or evil

"We truly live at the mercy of our ideas."

Our mental maps of reality determine how we navigate life. The ideas we believe shape our thoughts, actions, and character over time. This is why the devil targets our minds with deceptive ideas that play to our disordered desires. But ideas can also be powerful forces for good when aligned with truth. The battle for our souls takes place primarily in our minds as we choose which ideas to believe and act upon. Developing discernment and filling our minds with God's truth is essential for resisting lies and living wisely.

• Mental maps = collections of ideas we use to navigate life
• Ideas = assumptions about reality
• Deceptive ideas + disordered desires = recipe for ruin
• Truth-filled ideas + Spirit-led desires = path to flourishing

3. Our flesh drives us toward self-gratification, opposing love

"The flesh runs off our animal drives for self-gratification and survival, which, as Dr. Schwartz of UCLA accurately observed, perceive 'fellow sentient, suffering beings as nothing but objects of, or obstacles to, your desires.'"

The flesh refers to our base impulses for pleasure, control, and self-preservation. While not inherently evil, when unrestrained the flesh opposes love and leads to sin. The desires of the flesh are strong but shallow, focused on immediate gratification rather than long-term flourishing. Indulging the flesh feels freeing but actually enslaves us to our appetites. True freedom comes through disciplining our desires and learning to love. This requires denying our selfish impulses to make space for self-giving love.

• Flesh = animalistic drives for self-gratification
• Opposing forces: Flesh vs. Spirit, selfishness vs. love
• Indulging flesh leads to slavery; disciplining flesh leads to freedom
• Goal: Mature from self-centered to other-centered living

4. Freedom comes through self-denial, not self-fulfillment

"To follow him or not."

Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. This runs counter to our culture's obsession with self-fulfillment and doing whatever feels good. But paradoxically, trying to save our lives by indulging every desire leads to losing our souls. True freedom and life are found in surrendering our will to God's. Self-denial is not about repressing our identity, but crucifying our flesh so our true self can emerge. It's saying no to our disordered desires so we can say yes to love.

• Cultural norm: Freedom = doing whatever you want
• Jesus' way: Freedom = power to do what is good
• Dying to self → rising to new life
• Self-denial cultivates love, joy, peace - the fruits of the Spirit

5. The world normalizes sin and tempts us away from God

"Evil, be thou my good."

The world refers to the systems and values of a culture corrupted by sin and rebellion against God. It normalizes disordered desires and redefines good and evil based on popular opinion rather than God's truth. The world exerts a gravitational pull on our hearts, tempting us to conform rather than be transformed. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be "in the world but not of it" - engaging culture redemptively while resisting its corrupting influences. This requires developing countercultural convictions and practices.

• World = systems/values of culture corrupted by sin
• Normalizes disordered desires
• Redefines good/evil based on popular opinion
• Exerts gravitational pull toward conformity
• Christians called to engage culture while resisting corruption

6. Spiritual disciplines are our weapons against the three enemies

"The practices of Jesus are how we fight the world, the flesh, and the devil."

Spiritual disciplines are embodied practices that open us to God's transforming presence and power. They are not about earning God's favor, but cultivating the soil of our souls to receive his grace. Regular engagement in practices like prayer, Scripture meditation, fasting, and confession strengthens our spirit and weakens the flesh's hold on us. They retrain our desires and renew our minds with truth. Through disciplines, we access God's power to overcome temptation and live in freedom.

Key spiritual disciplines:

• Prayer
• Scripture meditation
• Fasting
• Confession
• Sabbath
• Worship
• Service

7. The church is called to be a creative minority and counterculture

"A Christian community in a web of stubbornly loyal relationships, knotted together in a living network of persons, in a complex and challenging cultural setting, who are committed to practicing the way of Jesus together for the renewal of the world."

As Western culture becomes increasingly post-Christian, the church is called to be a creative minority - a small but influential group living out an alternative way of life. This means forming tight-knit communities committed to following Jesus together. The church should function as a countercultural presence, embodying God's love and truth in a world that has rejected them. This requires developing thick practices of discipleship, mutual care, and mission that stand in contrast to the individualism and consumerism of the surrounding culture.

Characteristics of the church as creative minority:

• Deep relational ties in a culture of individualism
• Holiness and chastity in a hedonistic society
• Order and stability amidst chaos
• Generous stewardship in a materialistic world
• Racial reconciliation in divided times

8. Victory comes through dying to self and living for Christ

"Whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."

The path to true life paradoxically involves death - dying to our old self so Christ can live in and through us. This is not about suppressing our personality, but crucifying our flesh so our true identity can emerge. As we surrender control to God, we find the freedom and purpose we were made for. Victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil comes not through our own willpower, but through relying on Christ's power at work within us. By losing our lives for Jesus, we ultimately find and save them.

Stages of transformation:

1. Recognition of need for change
2. Surrender of control to God
3. Death to old self/way of living
4. New life in Christ emerges
5. Ongoing growth in Christlikeness

Last updated: August 8, 2024