Full Service

What does life look like when you are dominated by the Spirit of Christ (L.U.I.)?

How do you drink deeply of the Spirit (5:18)?

“Walk”

• Confession and repentance of sin
• Surrender of self
• Allowing of God’s Word to saturate your thinking

Three Distinct Characteristics of L.U.I.

• Unbridled Joy that originates from in your heart and spills naturally out of your life (5:19).
• Continual Gratitude to God who remains true to his goodness even in the badness of a given moment (5:20).
• Submissive to other believers, so your God-given relational structures reflect Christ as your real Master (5:21-6:9).

In Marriage…

Christianity changed everything

• Freed women
• Gave equal value to the two genders
• Demonstrated the manifold wisdom of God in creation; that authority and submission work.

Chauvinism, feminism, and egalitarianism are the unwise models of these evil days (man-centred attempts to solve sin-entrenched problems). Scripture-centred living for Spirit-filled saints has pleasing Christ as the central goal.

Out of reverence for Christ, Spirit-saturated wives submit to the headship of their husband (5:22-24).

Spirit-filled women yield to the healthy, hard calls of their husbands to live wisely for God.

Out of reverence for Christ, Spirit-saturated husbands surrender their self-centredness in order to sacrificially love their wives (5:25-33).

Spirit-filled men provide for their wife’s physical, emotional, and spiritual development and protect her from abuse or injustice.

In Parenting…

In Spirit-saturated homes children obey and honour their parents for the Lord’s sake (6:1-2).

At stake is the preservation of God’s truth to the next generations and the child enjoying the full lifespan intended for them (6:3).

Spirit-saturated fathers do not cause anger and bitterness to build in their children; rather their Spirit-filled authenticity reaches their children’s hearts with God’s truth (6:4).

Avoid…

• Overprotection/smothering
• Favouritism
• Pushing relentless achievement
• Praiselessness
• Making them feel unwanted
• Embarrassing them for failures/ weaknesses
• Holding love hostage to behaviour
• Intimidation over loving correction

In the Marketplace…

Spirit-saturated people under authority obey, respect, fear, and sincerely and wholeheartedly serve their employer as if their employer were Christ (6:5).

Spirit-filled employees give their best always because God’s eyes are always open and he rewards the undervalued or under-appreciated servant (6:6-8).

Spirit-saturated employers handle those placed under them by God with great care and respect because all people belong to Christ, the real Master of all (6:6, 9).

Spirit-filled employers find ways to motivate partnership over owner/ dictatorship since all are servants who answer to God.

Christians have been empowered to be the best employers and employees as slaves of the very best Master.

Are your relationships and behaviour characterized as Living Under the Influence of God’s Spirit?

Are you making the most of every opportunity to make a wise life step?