Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Romans 8:5-9

Keep this in mind: the church is not a political institution, or a cultural force or a philosophical center, at least not first and foremost. The church is a group of people led by the Spirit to follow God’s will through Jesus’ teachings. Everything that comes out of that is a knock-on effect of following the will of God. Decisions we make must not be to protect the version of the church the world recognizes: the “institutional Christianity” that they see as a multifaceted force acting on the current events of the day and being acted upon.

The Church we are part of, if we indeed have the Spirit, is universal, eternal and not defined by human interpretation. The church was founded by God and is coming to us from his presence in heaven as much as we are going to him. The Bride in Revelation 22 and in Ephesians 5 are the same. God is calling us to something greater than this present moment, or indeed, any moment of mortal life. Will we answer? Or will we be ruled by the flesh?

Ethan Kirl