Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt5

Together in community, we find we are more than the sum of our congregations' human parts.

I have imagined it like a light panel. With one dim bulb, there is some illumination. But with multiple bulbs, there will be a bright array and fewer shadows. We are told love covers a multitude of sins. Indeed we are exhorted to pray for one another, with the result being we may affect for one another God's reconciling grace; as long as the other has not committed a sin unto death. Paul says he is not saying we should pray for those.

For those who follow obediently (meaning by faith, in love and knowledge of God), the adventure of abundant living awaits us. We are those servants Jesus speaks of who, while the Master is away, continue in our tasks as assigned, or in the manner which pleases Him (not the parable of the talents.

Others, upon entering into the community of faith, decide to rule it over others like the Gentiles do. Jesus told us not to do that, explicitly. By doing so, these individuals find themselves in a precarious position.

We must pray as instructed, forgiving these others but not allowing the damage to continue. We must be discerning and submissive to God in all disciplines and convictions that we serve the Great God. We must not allow such folks and their dark deeds to go unaddressed.

Anyone who loses track of their submission to Jesus becomes unhealthy. No one is immune.

Remember, we are new creations with renewed minds. The things of this world are supposed to be put away... the childish ego and everything un-Christlike.

We need to be working and praying for their reconciliation with Christ and then the rest of us.

No one can be an authority in the church unless they are recognized and empowered by God. This is not "majority-rules", nor is it power by might. We should not willingly be cooperating with their disobedience. We will be held culpable for allowing these folks to damage the children of God and others.

It matters not what a person claims, or convinces others about. There were false teachers and apostles in the first century just as there are today. In Jesus' letters to the seven churches, He is very plain about His opinion of these folks, their activities, and congregations who succumb to their wiles by lack of belief.

Being in the "know" increases our culpability in missing the mark, which is why the Spirit of God tells us that not many of us should consider ourselves teachers. Do not mistake these words as being ancient and not applicable. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

We like to divide sins into different unbiblical compartments. We also provide redefinitions of our sins so as to clear our own consciences before our eyes. Yet we cannot acquit ourselves in such fashion. Be careful what we are offended by, our own standards or God's.

So, with unveiled faces let us look to Christ. He tells us if we behold Him we see the Father. How do we see Him by faith? The picture we have of Jesus is found revealed in the Scriptures.

By tradition, we have received the bifurcated Scriptures, yet this is sorely misunderstood in several ways. By seeking revelation from God, expounded by faithful folks gifted and called especially, we can be corrected of many misperceptions.

Such is the result of the active filling of the Spirit of Truth in us, in our humility and the promised renewing of our mind.

The Scripture is what we receive today in the finished canon, known as the Holy Bible. The Older Testament is not a lesser Scripture; it was the Scripture Jesus spoke of. Peter and others validate this just as Jesus does. Jesus says the whole of Scripture testifies of Him.

The challenge is to be properly discerning in our reading, hearing, and studying of the printed word of God. It is the written truth. It is one thing to misunderstand it ourselves, but to proclaim our misunderstanding as "Thus saith the Lord" is dangerous ground.

Just as our actions portray Jesus to each other and to the fallen world, our words do as well. We speak what we believe, so being careful in our thoughts and expressions is necessary. Let us believe so that we may understand.

This is counter to the patterns we find in the world. This is counter to a significant amount of what we embrace as "Modern Christian Knowledge." Often our awareness, and our means of processing the same, is molded by the worldly culture around us, either positively or negatively. Note, all products of our worldly culture's proclamation and practice needs weighing by the discerning eye of a disciple and the Church and judged whether worthy or not worthy for retention and use in our life and worship.

There are mannerisms, habits, and styles of discourse which are acceptable in the world but should not find a home in our hearts or our gather together as the people of God.

May we seek the face of God and the mind of Christ in all things, in love and all humility. This is our devout duty and privilege.

Now, think about that! Selah
--your fellow suffering servant,
gralan

dsg

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt12

Due to my meditating on Matthew 25 while considering the Apostle's teachings in the Epistles (especially of 1John), I considered what I believe is the basic practical expression of the Gospel as we read it in the prophecy of Micah 6ff, and Isaiah 58. It would appear quite plain that the sheep of Jesus' explanation of the Judgement were surprised that what they did in terms of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God allowed them to be acceptable to our Betrothed, the Son of God, the Husband of the Bride of Jesus the Christ.

This is not some Communist plot, Socialist agenda, or the thinking of radical liberals. Such is the plain teaching of our great God and Savior Yahweh, the Lord God who reigns over all Creation since its beginning. May we humble ourselves as we truly must before God and others in order to obey the Commands of our Master, as we are told that if we obey Him then we truly do know Him.

While many do more than proclaim that Creeds of any kind are anathema to true faith in their own estimation, we find many examples in the complete Bible that deny such ignorance in even spiritually and intellectually conceivable for the person who is born of God. This is not to say that any creedal formulation outside of Scripture is equal to or superior to the Word of God to us through the Bible. As that may be, either we can formulate/express our core beliefs to ourselves and to the rest of Humanity through statements that are organized, well-thought-out, confirmed by proclamations of God's people about God and His Revelation, or we can do so mumbling and stuttering frank expressions which are full of personal or corporate bias, prejudice, creations of our own imagination as refined through worldly filters of culture and philosophies. There are many of us, worldwide, who from the beginning did not think the latter is obedient, necessary, or even sufficient for those who live by faith.

We each are born of God, as explained in John chapter one. We together form the Bride of Christ as explained expressly in Paul's Epistles. We stand together by choice and force of will, or we are rebelling against God. As such we individually are revealed as being a functioning member either the perfect wife, as described by Solomon, or we are individually acting like Hosea's adulterous wife. 

I personally think that we should call a shovel a shovel, sometimes. My desire is to be found faithful, rather than a spiritual slut. How about you? Have you examined yourself to see if you remain "in the faith"? Are you doing due diligence or just living like the worldlings around you in the neighborhood, at work, and such? Goats or sheep are the two camps Jesus referred to in his teaching us about Judgement Day. In my opinion, whether Hell is eventually annihilation or unending torment in a literal lake of fire that never goes out, we are not judged on our opinions, dear doctrinal teachings and traditions of prejudgement and ritual practice, et al.

Let me encourage you on your journey of submission and humility to consider the expression of Martin Luther when he stated: Let us live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is returning tomorrow. And while we proceed, let us recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who stated "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Be a friend by building up the faith of another believer. Be a friend by standing for compassion and justice for the poor, the disenfranchised, and aliens in our midst. I plead with you as I wish others did for me, for folks who are supportive in discipling, encouraging, and challenging me in my walk are mainly only those of history and print. Most of them are members of The Church Triumphant, so to speak. But I am engaging in this right now for any believers who may read these lines and any with whom I meet and will allow me.

Beyond being a brother to my fellow siblings of The Father, I seek to be an earnest friend to you as well. May the peace of Christ, which passes all understand, be upon you and guard your being because you pray about everything, all the time, in every conceivable fashion.

Shalom, and Maranatha!

your fellow suffering servant.

. 

 

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt11

It is important for us to realize that before we are corrected by God about a matter, it is emphatically natural for us to think errantly. Of course, when we think about it. We serve God with our mind, as Paul confesses, but our flesh carries about the body of death which shall be replaced when Jesus comes back. That which is rooted in old nature is natural to the old nature. In practical life, we make things too complicated for easy assimilation, and this complication should be a warning sign.

So how is it that we do not see the plain truth in the moment prior to God's revelation ?

We do not see what God corrects us about prior to His intervention because anything we know is revealed to us in His graceful sanctification of our new creation mind, spirit and soul. We are new creations; God's workmanship. We do not dare build upon that which God does not supply according to is plan, do we?

Some folks approach knowledge of God, of the truth, as if we ourselves discover God; as if we renew our own minds, or act of our own faith which we drum up like the proverbial pulling oneself up by one's bootstrap. This is really sad, my family. These views of God are Anthropological not Theological. We all have moments where this too is our approach, but we do not learn this way from Jesus or God the Spirit.

Paul writes of Judgment Day, where hay, wood and stubble are burnt away. Would God provide you materials such as these to build with? Absolutely not. What a poor view of God one would have if this was their view, true? I'm afraid that is true, and I'm afraid we all think this way on occasion.

This illustration Paul uses indicates the origins of the precious, eternal materials which are to be built upon the sure foundation. We either submit or we do not. We either die to ourselves or we do not. There is no half-way for us, God has not allowed that option for us. In fact, in Revelation Jesus says the lukewarm make Him want to "spew", "hurl", unceremoniously dispatch from His mouth.

How do we end up in this place? By not offering ourselves as living sacrifices unto God, by Jesus Christ our High Priest, empowered by God the Spirit; and by having our minds renewed.

As humans we readily conceive the building of 'mental constructs', including the famed Memory Palaces of renown. The process of renewing our mind can not be the process of our throwing data into the back of our minds hoping some of it sticks.

We may memorize Scripture for a variety of reasons. I've heard it said by teachers that this way we provide Scripture for God the Spirit to dig up for us in a moment of need. In fact I've used this justification myself when I was younger in the faith.

We do not have to help God bring Scripture to mind for us, we need to read the Bible and understand what we read before we start memorizing. But memorization allows for comparison and competition, judging value piecemeal.

In my writing this paper, I tried to recite the books of the New Testament even though I have made no attempt to do so in over 39 years. I was able to get them all although not in order after Hebrews. Because I've been studying the Scripture it flowed fairly well, with no conscious effort. Our awareness of the word of God needs to be learning the practical revelation of truth in Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Memorization of books, book order, apostles' names, can very well end up being wood, hay and stubble. Rather than this, we should be teaching and encouraging each other and the children is the basics: a survey of the Old Testament based upon age and awareness.

For example, if a person just came to faith and has never read the Bible, the last thing we need to do is put this person in a class of mature adults. Whereas if we have a 13 year old who has spiritual awareness of a mature believer, then we shouldn't confine the 13 year old to his peers by age but by spiritual maturity.

As a personal example, I'm going through my studies for finishing my associates in one year. There were a series of clear indications from God that this is what I need to do. It is a demanding schedule, but I have no time to waste. If I get involved with an indepth Bible study that does not point to my coursework, am I building with combustible or eternal material? Just because I'm studying for a bachelors of theology doesn't mean I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Another example is one we are all familiar with, those folks who are distracting themselves with too many activities in the Church to where they are visitors and strangers to their neighbors and sometimes even family. This is building with wood, hay and stubble. If we are supposed to be working on our marriage, but instead work on committees for mission, worship team and other activities - then I'm not being obedient.

What we ourself label as God's will and/or God's work may not be so. Sometimes it may even be intentional inactivity which is God's will for us. Compare Him saying "be still and know that I am God", and "He has told you O Man, what is required; to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

Ours is an interactive living relationship with God and others. Prescriptions for and codes of behaviors tend to be stifling to persons who are supposed to be in love of God and through that love of others as if they were more worthy than ourselves. We kknow there is need for training and education, yet beyond these there is the vibrant call to be who you are becoming by the grace of God in all its expression.

It was the compulsive and cultic-ritualist Jews who had prayers for every moment and action, who had formats, codes and regulations refined beyond what is written to show how holy they were compared with others. These they elevated above faith and mission which they were called to provide for the whole world. Form is easy to excel in, whereas function can not be faked before it is exposed before too long.

To have the form of godliness but denying the power thereof is not the description of faithful disciples of Jesus. It is descriptive of the product of a fallen, worldly, unrenewed mind. It is the exposure of a proud self who will not submit to God.

And before we look at others, as if "but Lord, what of these?", we need to examine ourselves to see if we remain firm in the faith. We stand or fall based upon the foundation of our confidence in God. We either have faith that Jesus provided all that is necessary for life and faith (and so much more) or we believe somehow that we are adequate in ourselves now that we've been given a hand-up instead of a hand-out.

Who is kidding here? We are all beggars in one view, but another we are all spiritually dead prior to being born of God (see John one).

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt10

Let us consider our poverty before Christ; that we are wholesome only in Him by the will of the Father and activity of God the Spirit. This is our sure claim: that we belong to Him who loves us more than we can fathom, who gives us what we receive, and to whom belongs all glory and worship and debt of love because He first loved us. Selah.

Now, because of the Incarnation, we are in union with Him by new creation; this body of fallen flesh shall one day be exchanged for new flesh in the likeness of Jesus as He is now and always. We are united, one flesh with the Divine Yes.

We are His own possession, the Bride of Christ.

Let us stir one another unto right thinking. Let us hear God exhort us in the following passages to see ourself in the mirror by faith, however dimly now, which is laid out according to the structure of Proverbs 31.

Deut5.33 -- You shall walk in all the way which the Lord God has commanded you...
Acts2.38 -- ...Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Rom12.1-3, 21; Titus2.14; 1Tim3.11

1Thes4.9-12 -- ...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

1Tim5.8 -- But if any one does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Matt10.16 -- Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Rom16.19

1Tim6.18,19 -- Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Eph4.1-16; Luke11.17(...every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house against a house falls.)

1Pet4.1,2 -- Therefore since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Rom13.10-14; Eph6.10-18; 1Pet5.6-10

2Tim2.4,5 -- No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

Col3.23-25 -- Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
Phil2.3-5 -- Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.
Eph6.5-8

James1.27 -- This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Gal2.10 -- They only asked us to remember the poor - the very thing I also was eager to do.
Luke6.30-33 -- Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back... and if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Amos4.1; 8.4-6; James2.5,14-17

1Pet4.7-11 -- The end of all things is at hand; therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another... be hospitable to one another, without complaint. As each has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God....
2Cor10.17

Phil1.20,21;2.13 -- for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure... according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything but that with all boldness Christ shall even now, as always be, exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
1Pet3.1-6

1Cor12.7 -- But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1Pet2.11,12; Heb10.23-25

2Cor4.15-18 -- For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our other man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glor far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Phil4.4-9; Eph3.13-21

Titus3.12 -- Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentions, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.
2Tim2.24-26; 4.1,2; 1Tim6.3-6

Eph4.1-16 -- ...from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
1Thes5.12-23

Titus3.14 -- And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

Ps122.6,9 -- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper who love you... For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.
Heb12.22-24 -- But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
1Jn3.1; 1Thes2.7; Gal4.19,22-31; 1Cor11.22; Rev19.7-9;21.9,10; Isa49.20-23

In our digestion of this spiritual nurishment, food for our renewing minds, let us not make haste.

And after considering Her who is considered by Jesus to be His Beloved, may we individually and collectively attend to these dual questions:
Do I/we see the good of Her (the New Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb)?
As members of the Body, am I/are we doing my/our main function?
Do I/we resemble the picture formed by reading these Bible texts?
Do I/we seek my/our own good, and not that of the Body?
Who am I/are we, and whom do I/we serve in submission under?
Am I/are we the Lord's Help-mate, corresponding to Him, bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh?

We are speaking of Her who is purchased as His own possession, remember, not any humanly organized gathering under our traditions. Gather we will, slight differences we have. It is my contention that my own position is within the Body, therefore there is an individual and corporate response to each of the previous questions. I must consider myself and ourself in relationship with Him.

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost... Listen to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. And the Spirit and the bride say,"Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.(Isa55, Rev22; John6)

Now, think about that. Selah!

sdg

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt9

We will find God's description of the excellent wife in Proverbs 31. Ruth is a good case study to supplement reading this Proverbial passage. Prayerfully let us approach to hear what the Spirit says to the Church.

In this proverb about the most excellent wife, verses 11 and 23 tell of her husband. But this telling is encompassed in relationship to her. Keep in mind that we are learning about ourself, the collected members of the new creation Body of Christ. Our spiritual Husband can be seen in the man of this Proverb; albeit not directly.

This husband trusts in her and is known in the gates for his leadership and wisdom. His wife is very productive, and it is to his gain. Note that only by her being trustworthy and gainfully productive can the husband be all that he is in the social and religious community at the gate; she is blessed by who he is, he is blessed by who she is. They are together in this, even with separate roles.

The rest of the passage is about who she is. This is our description, together we stand in His faith as the excellent wife. Recall that in this picture, the story picks up with the husband already having provided for her needs, just as Jesus has done for us.

Let us continue to think with our renewing minds, as God allows:

-- She does him good and not evil all her life.

-- She works with her palms, with quality items.

-- She feeds the household with the best of foods, even providing for all who labor within the house.

-- She judges situations with a keen, knowing eye; and invests wisely.

-- She produces the fruit of the vine, for the whole household to have joyful and glad hearts, that is nutritious as well; she is a wise manager.

-- She strengthens herself for taxing tasks ahead.

-- She discerns the good she does, working at all hours as needful.

-- She is not above doing the most menial of tasks.

-- She tends to the poor and needy outside the household.

-- She prepares for the seasons with quality provision.

-- She allows for her husband to be honored among men.

-- She provides garments, from finery to workbelts, for inside and outside the household, and to profit.

-- She looks forward in strength, hope and dignity.

-- She speaks with wisdom and teaches gently.

-- She attends all needs for function and fulfillment in the household she was provided.

-- She is industrious and fruitful, not idle.

-- She is honored by her children and praise by her husband, who calls for reverence of her.

Perhaps you will come up with a better list than I have, all the more wonderful. In our renewing mind we know this is just not a story that the Spirit of God presents us with.

Next time I will provide a list which I believe go along with the mentioned list that I've gleaned from the text. These came from my own search of the Scriptures in prayerful study of the word.

For now, what can we say about this liberated woman? Surely she has no time or inclination for idle gossip, for such would not fit the temperment and description provided us. She has not the manner of one given to addictions or ill-behaviors of any sort.

She even, think of this, addresses the needs from linen gowns to hardy workbelts for tradesmen and other laborers and that to a profit for the house.

She cannot be a micro-manager or abusive in the house. She knows, follows and teaches the instruction of the Lord. Her proficiency allows for her husband to be at the gate. This means he sits with elders gathered to teach and to make judgments civil and religious. This is a high place of honor in the society.

She has been allowed freedom to express herself with talents, ingenuity and intellect. She takes what is given and brings a bounty to the benefit of others. She is purposeful, energetic, and not above doing any task required.

When she engages in activity, she devotes herself to excellence with a discerning eye. She is aware not only of market value, she attends to the poor and needy who are outside the marketplace.

She has a hopeful outlook and is valued by her offspring. She provides for all who are in the household, even maids and other laborers. She could not be known for being cheap or tight-fisted; a hilarious giver, she is. She is self-aware enough to evaluate who she is without comparing herself against others.

This is who the Body of Christ is to be. This is the direction we are being built up into and conformed in every way according to the Father within our arranged marriage. This is why the Spirit of God indwells us, not for amusement, entertainment and self-indulgent use of our gifts and talents.

I must ask myself, and challenge you as well, if I am self-aware enough to evaluate who I am and how I function?

Similarly, are we behaving this way while our husband is at the gate?

It is easy to be critical, even of self, so we must keep perspective. The Body of Christ is not the individual member, nor the local, regional or national realm of individuals gathered in His Name.

She (the Bride) is not limited to our current activity in the house. She came to life officially in Abraham by God's promise to his Seed - who is Christ our Lord. She is in an arranged marriage since her birth.

We in person and in the local assembly are, by the Holy Spirit, either in cooperation with the Body or we are outside God's will. Perhaps we can mentally relate another good analogy to help us continue grasping the truth presented in this vein.

Let us compare us to cells, perhaps. We are in the body where we are created; during the life of the Body in this world. Every cell is called to function as and where God designed. Some cells may be said to be in the toe-nail, hair follicles, heart, tongue, liver or hip joint.

As Christ's body, we are integrally connected to the mind of Christ. All function stems from and for the mind of Christ.

The more the hard sciences probe the wonders of the human body, the more design we discover. All of these activities are coordinated under the head to function as designed. If any part of this activity is non-functioning or malfunctions, we call these diseases or disorders.

When you and I face God in our lives we need to allow His light to penetrate the darkness about us. In our prayers, study, worship, meditation, to all our relationships even, do we stand as healthy, vibrantly living in God's provision and grace?

This is the evaluation we do to see if we remain in the faith, as Paul urges us. This is the process of coordination, from the head to us, as we respond and communicate back to the head.

May the circle be unbroken. Selah

Soli Deo Gloria

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt8

Do I look like Jesus? Jesus looked with loving, gentle, knowing eyes. His eyes were aided by the Holy Spirit.
Do you sound like Jesus? Jesus spoke the truth in love, in every situation as gently as the situation warranted. He spoke what He heard from the Father because of the Holy Spirit's empowering Him to live the life we are called to.
Do we act like Jesus? He did what He saw the Father doing. He even told us that greater works shall we do.

So do we? Oh, I mean the greater works; do we do them like Jesus said we would? That question should be mulled around in the old noodle, to see what's cooking.

Is it soup yet?

The way we understand God, reality and ourselves is called a worldview or paradigm. Everyone has a paradigm, even Adam and Eve (though they didn't need belly buttons.) Every last one of us is created in a kind, and a type (or likeness therein).

During our development into adulthood, we are influenced by the worldviews we are exposed to by all mediums and means. As we move chemically into puberty we begin owning our own paradigm. Our brain chemistry continues to form until about the age of 23 for females and up to 28 for males. Same kind, different type or likeness.

When we speak of being "born of God", this is not speaking of an event we "grow" into, like evolving spiritual development. It is also not a role we mature into.

Being born of God is the intervention of God to create a new spiritual life form within our soul of this peculiar flesh and blood person. This new being we are lives forever, and we are not sure what actual form we will have on the other side of death or Rapture - but we do know we will be like our Master. The Bible tells us so.

Nicodemus was flabbergasted by the concept of being born again. Jesus disturbed the compacency in old Nick's scholarship and devotion as a leader of the Jewish faith. On our side of the coin, so many in the Christian arena are used to the phrase, and get a little-dulled to the concept. Their eyes glaze over. Yet, this is Jesus' own words. This isn't something made up in the 1970's. This is not something Jimmy Carter should have been slandered with by some in the Christian community. But he was.

We can help others in the community of faith understand the concept by hearing their real testimony of God's handiwork in their life. Others know it based upon an event or activity since which they are new people. The awareness of having been born of God is more important than knowing assundry items like time, place, event, etc.

Some people cannot comprehend that knowledge; nor that works are not the way we are born of God. Jesus tells us we are new creations by the power of the Spirit of God, who goes around untraceable as the winds. These are the words of Jesus, not some student of doctrine or theologian. Not all flesh receives the Holy Spirit of Christ in their life, but every new creation has gone through the process of receiving God the Holy Spirit who indwells us.

Proven track record

Once we start, we are spiritual babies, then spiritual children, then spiritual adulthood, and then maturing into spiritual adulthood -- which is of the stature owned by Jesus, you know, He who is the self-revealed Son of Man.

No amount of knowledge may make an event occur; so it is with our spiritual birthing into union with God through Jesus our Lord. It is not our will, nor actions we have or have not done. The righteous have always lived by faith. We are not Gnostics. Only God alone can speak things into existence, can make things happen by knowledge of it.

Now, to think with the unrenewing mind, means to buy into a complex set of concepts which have no foundation in reality. May we remind ourselves often enough that Jesus Himself had to grow in knowledge as he developed from childhood into young adulthood. He set aside the privileges of being God so as to become the Son of Man, the Servant, the perfect human who walked the real world without sin.

Because of a renewed mind, and interrelational activity between ourself and God, we find God revealing in us the paradigm of God. We being sharing the mind of Jesus by supernatural means. We do this through God's previous revelation in all its forms. This task is accomplished by God the Holy Spirit sealing us in communion with God.

There is joy discovered in God's worldview. It is the transcedent truth in immanent locale. The word of God becomes flesh, and in Christ Jesus we are promised to share in the peace, joy, satisfaction, security. We are released from captivity of our mortal mind and its inability to know truth. We, as saints, are now able to receive things of God.

A quote I saw stated that if our world is getting larger and funnier, our intelligence is increasing. If our world is geting smaller and depressing, our ignorance is increasing. This aligns itself with the experience we kknow from the history of faithful righteous saints of the past. Is this your experience?

Tell me, how else could we rejoice in our sufferings? How could it be that we maturing priests of God, are not driven by the same old compulsions, obsessions and preoccupations? Is it really possible for us to announce we are forgiven in Christ, without a peaceful Amen resounding in our being? How can we respond to inquiries as to the hope others see in us, if we have not the comfort of God with which to comfort others?

We can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. This we know for the Bible says so.

Plugged In

To be connected with the only source of all life and living means that we have abundant life, just as Jesus promised. Of course we like to think of that in terms of all blessings, which is true. But we live in a fallen world, and there is authentic heartache, sorrow, mourning and tragedy. This too we are now open to abundantly. This was the world as Jesus walked it, and we are called to follow Him.

In love we are created, in love we are sustained. In love we are corrected, healed, and conformed into His mature image of the human who walked according to the will of God the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus comes, this partial knowledge and conformity will by fulfilled and we will start eternity as completely new creations. Then we will know as fully as God intends and prepared us to be. This doesn't mean omniscience, for only God knows all. We will fully know as God's creatures designed for right relationship with Him and each other.

In our current position, our desire and obedience, to know in part, is not optional. It is deemed essential by God according to God's own counsel and wisdom. Healthy new creations have this desire, obedience and partial knowledge.

Should one have little to no desire to know in part, in a growing and maturing relationship of kknowing God, it is time for that one to pray "I believe, help my unbelief." To ask, seek and knock until the desire to be in union with Him and His household is restored. This is not said so as to swerve off in a mystical direction. What does Jesus say?

Love your enemies, do good to all men, pray for those who persecute you, forgive and you will be forgiven, love even those who do not love us. We are called to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. How is it that anyone can stand content that they love and share God's grace in action, perfectly. Please mull over the word "perfectly." It doesn't give room for almost or not quite, so it is beyond our own means even as new creations; that is, unless we are plugged into Jesus and bearing His fruit.

We are not to bear our own fruit, for such is worthless for eternity and pitiful before God.

Are we content with only with receiving God's partial grace, love and forgiveness? Does God settle for us getting in the way of Him providing grace, love, and forgiveness to others? Which God do you serve? We must be all means continue rejoicing and experiencing God's inviting us to the inner sanctum. This of course may sound "mystical " to some folks, it is beyond ourselves and our imaginations. It is mysterious to the old nature; which cannot know the truth.

You and I were raised by varying degrees, in conformity to the world, so as not to actually acknowledge the Supernatural. That is the world we live in. In Jesus finally no doubt is left, the Supernatural has invaded our planet. This realm for many is the habitat for boggarts, elves, ghosts, fairy tales and possessed tortured individuals. Of course the world considers it such, for their idea is full of childish rumor, fears and secrets. But as adults in Christ we move on because of knowledge which tells us this version of the supernatural does not exist. It is for the natural mind a delusion of the realm of Evil.

As new creations we know that when we were children we thought, spoke, and reasoned like children; as Paul says, "but when I became a man I put away childish things. Have you wrestled with all your own childish things? Do you want what you want when you want it, on your own terms? That is completely childish. Even if what you desire rightfully is maturity in the faith.

Purposeful Discipleship

Theology, as the study of knowledge of the persons of God Himself, must be our passion of Him. Proclamaton of God's truth and revelation is the point of theological study in our missional duty as citizens of His Kingdom. We believe, therefore we speak. The power of God is not seen in our ability to dazzle folks with theory, possibilities, and fancy language. It is not found in a pagan-style endorsement and persuasive tactic to "work a crowd."

We are absolutely not to walk in the futility of darkened understanding, in hardness of heart. But I do at times. God is faithful to break me, then. To experience God's discipline means that we are His offspring. Paul tells us that our worldly mental constructs and machinations of thought are not what we were taught by God. "You did not learn Christ this way", Paul exclaims in exasperation, "if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him."

I lay aside my corrupted, deceived old self to be renewed in the Spirit of my mind. We are to think, therefore, with the renewing mind. But having a renewing mind means we think about what?

Plainly spoken, we are to think the thoughts of God after Him. These are revealed by God the Spirit, according to our position we are placed within the Body. I take off the old suit, and put on the new garment, which is described by the Apostles' Teaching as "clothing ourselves with Christ." Sounds fancy and mystical, does it not?

Passionate Submission

In Christ we receive the annointing of His Spirit of Truth, whereby we know the word of God abides in us. We know this because God announced that ahead of time. Does the word of God teach us to contemplate and reason according to the flesh? But I do, at times; I know you do too. Our calling is to be taught by God, not by our fallen neighbors in this world.

We know there are elemental things which we can learn of by even the fallen humanity in this world. But we are called to be in the world, not of the world. Jesus did not come so that we could be happy pagans, enslaved by lusts, passions, pride and self-oriented egotism. No, we are told that Jesus has overcome the world by His coming as a Servant. We are told we are hidden in Him, by faith. If we only hope this is so, it is not enough. We know we have eternal life when we reason with our renewing minds. The renewed mind is faith and knowledge of God in action.

We are not the focus, either of God's love and salvation, nor of knowledge and function. This processing of information in terms of what this all means to "Me" is what we are to have put away with childish things. Such self-focus is not Godly reasoning, and Christ's mind does not agree with this manner of behavior. Instead, we are called into the community of the faithful saints alive here and in God's hands. We are called to be in unity with the Spirit of Truth, that we are the Bride of Christ, our Lord and Master, Jesus the Son of God.

Jesus' cousin John told his disciples: "He who has the bride is the bride-groom... He must increase, but I must decrease." This is the testimony of the one whom Jesus says "But I say to you, that Elijah has also come, and they did to Him whatever they wished..." He was the last of the Old Covenant prophets. He proclaimed Jesus was our Bride-groom. How is it then, that the Church acts like the husband in this relationship?

We know from Jesus' parents experience that betrothal meant they were man and wife so as, unlike today, if the betrothal was broken it entailed a writ of divorce. Remember, we are thinking with the renewed mind. Jesus Himself refers to being the Bridegroom.

In Genesis, we read that God tells Eve "... yet your urge will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." Paul when writing of this mystery in reference to Christ and the church says, "Wives be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the Head of the Church... as the church is subject to Christ... because we are members of His body... let the wife see to it that she respect her husband."

We of course find loving Jesus appealing, and so we must. However the church as always had trouble respecting Her husband.

BTW, WE are the CHURCH. We aren't just talking ancient history anymore.

Now, think about that. Selah!

Soli Deo Gloria

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt7

As did our great grandparents-squared (Adam and Eve), we too stand face to face with the question of "Did God really say?" (GEN3), or as in the Septuigint it reads "For why said God?"

If this question drives us to God's means of revelation then we have responded by faith. If we rely on our own understanding, we refute faith in our living God by considering ourselves as able judges of what is to be good and what is to be evil.

This is eating of the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This is the basis upon which it is said we are stained by the Original Sin; by spiritual heritage on our own we are dead, in Christ we are made alive unto God so as to know God. To actually know God is eternal life, according to Jesus.

The quality of the renewing mind, only available through Christ, is to flee to God. It is hard to judge others by this criteria, hence our reluctance to embrace it.

The frustrates us, for we like to find our place in comparison to others. Try to compare to Jesus, if you need an ego adjustment. This trait is of our fallen nature which woos us from the place it was put upon the cross, calling us to breathe new life as if to do CPR on our rotten flesh.

We fall victim to this trait by appealing to ourself, and like-minded souls, due to a misplaced sense of adequacy. It is as if we disciples say to ourselves, "Christ is my sufficiency", but the emphasis is on "my sufficiency" rather than "Christ is". Such is the basis of the Lie.

When we develop the habit of relying on "My sufficiency", we are not walking in the light as He is in the light. Jesus' adequacy, if you recall, was founded on His knowledgable faith in the Father, and not in His consideration of His own knowledge of what to do or say based upon His being the Logos, the Son of God. He put that aside, and became one with the lowliest of humble creatures of our human race. Jesus calls us friends, and brethren.

Jesus says that he does not do anything on His own, but only what He sees and hears the Father doing and saying. Jesus was not relient upon His own good self even to do His mission. He humbled Himself and became as a mere servant. And this is His missional call to all His disciples to do the same.

If we shall not be satisfied to be like our Master, than we are outside God's expressed will. We now this because of the revelation of God in Jesus, the Bible, and the faithful proclamation in word and deed of His Body. To err is human, to forgive is divine; this is a doubtful perspective when we realize that Jesus was human and did not err. To be fully human, we must be new creations.

In the vacua of evil, we must judge others in order for our old nature to have a place to stand... upon the backs and minds of others. This sub-human (post-Fall) is a means of self-elevation which is recognized by the world's culture(s). It is plain we judge ourselves superior to those in the present and/or the past. We judge ourselves more grateful for blessings than others, more inventive, more creative, more sincere, and even more authentic and transparent.

We may think we are better read, better with tools; but this is the mask of the fool. It takes real gall to judge ourselves more humble than others, as if we have no pride.

Each one of us stands or falls before their own Master, Paul tells us in Romans. Who are you, he says, to judge the servant of another? These people do not serve us but Jesus! What we hold by faith is ours. Anything that does not procede from faith is Sin. We need confidence of the path upon which we walk by faith into maturity. We are on solid ground, and we experience that solidity by our belonging to God and our renewing mind.

It is important to have a level of confidence by which we determine we are being loved first, and we are loving in response; that we are knowing God and also that God knows us; that we are acting in response to others and God as well as being acted upon.

This assurance is ours only by being hid in Christ with all our brothers and sisters in the same faith; for truly we know from Abel forward the "just" only live by faith. No one is righteous, no not one. Our expanding awareness is in line, part and parcel, with the Scriptures. It is included with membership within the functioning Body.

That in part is what it means to think with the renewing mind.

Peace to all who live by the rule of the new creation, unto the Israel of God.

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt6

It is important for us to realize that before we are corrected by God about a matter, it is emphatically natural for us to think errantly. Of course, when we think about it. We serve God with our mind, as Paul confesses, but our flesh carries about the body of death which shall be replaced when Jesus comes back. That which is rooted in old nature is natural to the old nature. In practical life, we make things too complicated for easy assimilation, and this complication should be a warning sign.

So how is it that we do not see the plain truth prior to God's revelation?

We can not see what God corrects us about prior to His intervention because anything we know is revealed to us in His graceful sanctification of our new creation mind, spirit, and soul. We are new creations; God's workmanship. We do not dare build upon that which God does not supply according to His plan, do we?

Some folks approach knowledge of God, of the truth, as if we ourselves discover God; as if we renew our own minds, or act of our own faith which we drum up like the proverbial pulling oneself up by one's bootstrap. This is really sad, my family. These views of God are Anthropological and not Theological. We all have moments where this too is our approach, but we do not learn this way from Jesus or God the Spirit.

Paul writes of Judgment Day, where hay, wood, and stubble are burnt away. Would God provide you materials such as these to build with? Absolutely not. What a poor view of God one would have if this was their view, true? I'm afraid that is true, and I'm afraid we all think this way on occasion.

This illustration Paul uses indicates the origins of the precious, eternal materials which are to be built upon the sure foundation. We either submit or we do not. We either die to ourselves or we do not. There is no half-way for us, God has not allowed that option for us. In fact, in Revelation Jesus says the lukewarm makes Him want to "spew", "hurl", unceremoniously dispatch from His mouth in other words.

How do we end up in this place? By not offering ourselves as living sacrifices unto God, by Jesus Christ our High Priest, empowered by God the Spirit; and by having our minds renewed.

As humans, we readily conceive the building of 'mental constructs', including the famed Memory Palaces of renown. The process of renewing our mind can not be the process of our throwing data into the back of our minds hoping some of it sticks.

We may memorize Scripture for a variety of reasons. I've heard it said by teachers that this way we provide Scripture for God the Spirit to dig up for us in a moment of need. In fact, I've used this justification myself when I was younger in the faith.

We do not have to help God bring Scripture to mind for us, we need to read the Bible and understand what we read before we start memorizing. But memorization allows for comparison and competition, judging value piecemeal.

In my writing this paper, I tried to recite the books of the New Testament even though I have made no attempt to do so in over 39 years. I was able to get them all although not in order after Hebrews. Because I've been studying the Scripture it flowed fairly well, with no conscious effort. Our awareness of the word of God needs to be learning the practical revelation of truth in Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Memorization of books, book order, apostles' names, can very well end up being wood, hay and stubble. Rather than this, we should be teaching and encouraging each other and the children is the basics: a survey of the Old Testament based upon age and awareness.

For example, if a person just came to faith and has never read the Bible, the last thing we need to do is put this person in a class of mature adults. Whereas if we have a 13-year-old who has spiritual awareness of a mature believer, then we shouldn't confine the 13-year-old to his peers by age but by spiritual maturity.

As a personal example, I'm going through my studies for finishing my associates in one year. There were a series of clear indications from God that this is what I need to do. It is a demanding schedule, but I have no time to waste. If I get involved with an in-depth Bible study that does not point to my coursework, am I building with combustible or eternal material? Just because I'm studying for a bachelor of theology doesn't mean I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Another example is one we are all familiar with, those folks who are distracting themselves with too many activities in the Church to where they are visitors and strangers to their neighbors and sometimes even family. This is building with wood, hay, and stubble. If we are supposed to be working on our marriage, but instead work on committees on mission, worship team, and other activities - then I'm not being obedient.

What we ourself label as God's will and/or God's work may not be so. Sometimes it may even be intentional inactivity which is God's will for us. Compare Him saying "be still and know that I am God", and "He has told you, O Man, what is required; to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

Ours is an interactive living relationship with God and others. Prescriptions for and codes of behaviors tend to be stifling to persons who are supposed to be in love with God and through that love of others as if they were more worthy than ourselves. We know there is need for training and education, yet beyond these, there is the vibrant call to be who you are becoming by the grace of God in all its expression.

It was the compulsive and cultic-ritualist Jews who had prayers for every moment and action, who had formats, codes, and regulations refined beyond what is written to show how holy they were compared with others. These they elevated above faith and mission which they were called to provide for the whole world. While form is easy to excel in, function can not be faked before it is exposed before too long.

To have the form of godliness but denying the power thereof is not the description of faithful disciples of Jesus. It is descriptive of the product of a fallen, worldly, un-renewed mind. It is the exposure of a proud self who will not submit to God.

And before we look at others, as if "but Lord, what of these?", we need to examine ourselves to see if we remain firm in the faith. We stand or fall based upon the foundation of our confidence in God. We either have faith that Jesus provided all that is necessary for life and faith (and so much more) or we believe somehow that we are adequate in ourselves now that we've been given a hand-up instead of a hand-out.

Who is kidding here? We are all beggars in one view, but another we are all spiritually dead prior to being born of God (see John one).

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt4

“If you have no power over the little things… “ Jesus

Luke describes Jesus’ comments regarding reality so that we have Jesus’ own thoughts about the matter. We value this because we have readily available the thoughts of ourself and those from our cultural settings. And so, we look to Christ.

Jesus continues, “…Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing”(Luke12.23), …”why are you anxious about other things?”(Luke12.26) and yet, these are indeed more than the simplest things in our estimation. Of course, we must say, Why would Jesus challenge us so?

We do not eve have control over our simple needs, apart from God’s direct provision and “accidents” of life. We react, we do not create. We cannot give what is not gifted to us. In this I’m reminded of my favorite prayer of some Jews at mealtime if there are ten men, one of them is “Blessed is He who gives us what we receive”.

We have no power even over the little things which are essential to our real self. We did not birth ourself. did we? We do not choose the culture around us as we go through our childhood, do we? As we make choices we have only that which is offered available for us. We do not make reality – but we may break ourselves upon it’s breakers, like waves smashing against the rocks.

We are not actors on a stage unless assigned a role by the Author of the play. A play involves actors, plot, scenery, and audience; depending on variables which are outside of the control of the components of production.

We know that actors may be replaced in their role, or roles may be altered, if the ploy changes. We know ploy may be left somewhat flexible if given license by the author/director. Scenery may be imagined or supplied in part depending on the impact the playwright wishes to immerse the audience with for the message the author/director wishes.

Whenever we approach orchestration of this sort in our lives, we begin thinking naturally of contrivance and the artificial. It appears to be what occurs if we manipulate people, environments and conditions around us.

Yet God is not artificially arranging a fiction for God’s or our amusement. Our roles are provided authenticating us within God’s production and creation, versus the self-centered view of estranged souls who view it all as a strange fiction from which they establish their own worth and value.

Life is not an improvisation. Such an idea is based upon having an unrealistic paradigm. Neither is it a manipulation of other agents, peers, for such a fantasy is based upon our own powerless Ego and ID.

We know not what it is to truly create, ex nihilo, for we can only work with materials at hand. We know that any information coming into God’s creation comes from God, and not we ourselves.

God is not so constrained as we are. Thus we seek to know God’s truth for us in our situation. We have no power even over available sources of life or substance. These are either available or not.

For us who trust God to be God, we accept what we are given and praise Him. When we forget ourselves and our position, in humility we find God faithful. God has not changed; being ever God, immutable and the sources of every good and perfect events and being which is.

The absence of God’s control of Love and consistent being is what we will call the vacua of sin. (Vacua is the plural form of vacuum.) Evil is not an action, but the absence of equity to reality, which subtracts from the object and subject is submission or under its influence. The state of inward vortex of sin is what humans embrace in the old nature by birth and free-will choice. Only the new creation has the option of conformity to God’s reality. The humanity reality is God’s grace in the person and work of the Word of God become flesh. Love is an action, faith without works is dead.

This is by our triune God’s own design, looking for a valid personal relationship with beings created in God’s image. For this God created a context of broad environmental and social interaction, which is embedded with information pointing to God. Paul writes of this in Romans.

Within the design of the Body of believers, the Bride of Christ, God reveals Himself to humble and faithful people basically who are not among the wise, clever and sufficient of self in this world. The self is not truly defined outside of it’s creator’s purposeful intent. We are who God declares us to be. He thinks, therefore we are.

There is power for us to grasp, in that we have no power over even the little things. We hold by faith knowledge of the One who does have such power. This is our strength, our lack thereof unless we are empowered by God the Holy Spirit who indwells and seals us. The fallen world does not know this power, because if they knew God the Holy Spirit they would not be fallen. It is contradiction to their vacuous abasing nature to submit to God, die to self, and to walk by faith – in the Spirit – with each other, thinking with the renewing minds which is ever growing with our being into adult maturity found in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord God and Savior.


– Soli Deo Gloria

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt3

The restorative living grace of God is prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying.

We live by His grace alone, yet that grace is not alone just as our faith is not alone. Our faith is in God who provides us grace. We receive God's revelation, we are saved by God's grace through living faith in Jesus' person and work. And we do this to God's glory forever. We know this by the Scripture.

I brought up last time that we find God's love, and through His love we know Him, and this knowledge causes us to be and think as His children. One cannot divorce Love, Theology and Doctrine from each other, for they are co-existent. We humans sure enjoy compartmentalizing, do we not?

It is God's own nature that constrains us to function as He wills. In submission we join our Lord in proclaiming that His will, not ours, be done.

Let us rejoice that one difference between Jesus and the pagan world is that Jesus knows the Father directly. It is Jesus who reveals God to us. In this we are called in Him to have the mind of Christ.

Paul asks rhetorically in his writing, who knows the mind of the person but the spirit in that person? He states then that we have the Spirit of God in us, so we have access to the mind of God; not due to our humanity but the divine human Jesus.

We are His royal priesthood, His holy nation, a kingdom of priests, His household and spiritual house; we are the New Jerusalem, His Bride, a people for His own possession. This is the identity expressed in the Bible by phrases each with their own unique connotations currently understood and as expressed in the Old Covenant text.

As humans we have historically understood that a nation is usually a people who believe they are related by ancestry. God tells us to consider Abraham as the father of the faithful. In Christ then, we are linked by faith and the blood of Christ into a common identity. No longer are we historically to be considered mere humans.

Pagans and Jews unite together because of the promise of God to Abraham, the Gentile who became the great Hebrew nation. We know that God has always planned from Creation to have a people with whom God has an active relationship with. We also know that the Fall was not a surprise to God, being as Chirst was determined prior to Creation to be our Redeemer.

This is truth, and the truth exists independent of our believing it, for any truth exists because God is. There is a context for every truth, apart from which the declarative premise becomes nonsense or a lie. When we deal with truth then, we are looking to be sure of what it is we know for sure.

Jesus in teaching on the Mount, is recorded as defining in his sermon the context of truths which had been compartmentalized incorrectly by the scholars and scribes, priests and rabbin of Israel up to that time.

"You have heard it said," Jesus says, "but I tell you..." This is almost a mantra in the Gospel texts. This divorce of truth from context, which Jesus exposed, existed not because of Rationality but because fallen humanity defined what God reveals in a way which goes beyond what is written.

This is a danger we always face, as His church.

By God's grace we are united by Jesus' righteousness into His people. Our heredity in Jesus goes back to the beginning because the Word of God made us. We are those who by God's grace have faith in God. Our knowledge of God's revelation finds its definition and completeness in Jesus. But the Lord's choice, being obedient to the Father, He chose twelve faithful disciples and allowed one son of perdition; all these were given to Jesus by the Father according to the will of the Father. This was not the result of offering themselves, or recommending others.

He personally trained these men, and personally assigned them their tasks and roles; except Judas who needed no training to be a tool of Satan just like every other human. By their testimony in word and deed, these apostles became the authority of God by proclamation, in matters of faith and practice. This was because of who He is, not who they were.

There have always been people who denied these men the role and office Jesus gave them. In Paul's writing we learn of divisions and false claims due to those who challenged the Apostles and their teaching. This prideful error is popular again today.

By God's grace, we enter into His active love by faith, and we learn of Him by God's revelation and especially the self-attesting Christ of God. We are transformed and conformed into His image, including participating in His sufferings and in the mind of Christ.

Being in the image of Jesus, yet needing continued sanctification in this life, we see to speak what the Father says, and do what we see the Father doing. This is the model we have in Jesus. It is enough that we be like our Master.

Blessed be Him who gives us what we receive. Amen.

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt2

Paul gave the Colossians, and ourselves, a command to be alert in this: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ(Col2.8).

Through philosophy, men of Paul’s day built complicated doctrines to justify their biases and prejudices. Humans still do this today, yes we do. Thinking with a renewed mind includes examination of ourselves and our thought processing. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2Cor13.5)

Peter warned against those who misused the writings of Paul “which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures”(2Pet3.16).

As we press on to the goal, with the intentionality of an well-trained athlete, let us remember that we seek to be pleasing to God. By the grace of God we approach three main functions of Christian thought and practice with humble caution.

We judge not only ourselves but assess the local community of faith that we meld with. The function of Body Life is for the benefit of all of God's gifted children, where we all bring something vital to our gathering. In our communications with others then, we express our understanding based upon three areas which have been part of the Church's proclamation historically.

Paul writes of Faith, Hope, and Love in his epistle to a very modern Church in Corinth. These three find themselves expressed as Theology, Doctrine and Love. Paul reminds us, that the greatest of these is love.

Love God with all our being, love our neighbor; this is who we are called to be - lovers not of self or of teachings that appeal to our itching ears. We know, O Father, we are not called to love the world, nor the things of this world.

Yet we do love ourselves, considering ourself more worthy than others. We find it difficult to mourn being in this world we are in. We cling to values and habits of life gleaned out of our negative or positive interaction within our worldly culture. And we like stuff, and enjoy more stuff.

We will not see clearly in this lifetime on Earth, but surely we may see more acutely than we do. We have glimpses of clarity, and in this we are transformed; no one deals with God and remains untouched. One grows, or becomes more self-absorbed out of defiance.

In this, it is written, we know that we belong to God: if we love one another just as Jesus loves us. Love then is the primary entrance into relationship with God and others. Prior to this, we have a relationship to God and others, as an object to other objects.

When we pretend we can enter into the Arena through Theology or Doctrine we err, and find ourselves remaining in the bleachers. We are called to be in the world, as His ambassadors.

God is love. God has a vibrant and vital relationship as the Triune Holy, holy, holy God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For God's love, Jesus was born of a virgin to testify to the Truth, even unto death. The Son of God eternal became the Word of God become flesh and pitched His tent with us. He died to defeat Sin and Death and rose in glorified flesh as the Victor.

He tabernacled with mere humans in the very world we live in. "Mere humans" because those who are born of God are His not by ethnicity, will of the mind, nor will of the flesh. God makes us His children by new birth.

In Love then, we find our creaturely place with God. All else is a result of the event in acceptance or rejection of God's love for us. Either He knows us, or does not... and this is the Judgement.

By His love only do we possess love for another. Love is the Word of God become flesh, not the Word of God become more word. There is not only faith, nor only practice. We have the hope of His calling to unite in Him because of the righteousness of Jesus our Lord.

We are imago Dei, because of the Logos. In Him we are restored into rationality. We are freed from our insanity, released from bondage to Sin and Death. It is in Him we have our identity as the sons and daughters of God, being zealous for good deeds and for being God's will.

Entering into newness of life, are we then drawn into a cocoon of our own understanding?

No, we must rely not on our own understanding but rather God now reveals knowledge of Himself in ways we could not receive previously, being spiritually dead.

Thus we are not the people of God based upon our awareness, but because of who God is. It is Jesus who leads us in the paths of righteousness, for His own name's sake.

Primarily and ever we know God through Jesus. He did not His own will, but the will of the Father. We experience this once we offer ourselves as living sacrifices in possession of a renewing mind. Jesus tells us that those who know God, do God's will; those who are not of God can not.

Knowledge of the self-revealing God, then, is our necessary place to stand from which we love. Unfortunately humans like to think of Theology as our thoughts about God. This is more accurately in the realm of Doctrine. Theology is thinking the thoughts of God after Him.

Knowledge of God is due to His Holy Spirit of Truth who indwells us as He did in Jesus in the Incarnation of His first coming. It is by the Spirit of God that we are created new beings in His love.

In plain words, we are created in Jesus to know God. Our first relationship is not with ourselves even, in the new creation. We are meaningful and purposeful because we know God, or better put, we are now known by God. It is by His love that we come to know Him who causes us both to will to do, and to do, according to His own purposes.

We find Love, and through love we know Him, and this causes us to be obedient children. Love, Theology and Doctrine are not of our choosing, this is how the faithful function in both Covenant periods.

When we approach our spirituality through a focus upon Theology or Doctrine we go against God's created order. This is known as rebellion against God, which is what Adam and Eve started and we continued. He is faithful and just to forgive us our Sin, faithful even if we are not (If we believe not, He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself. 2Tim2.13).


And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.(Rev15.3,4)

Thinking with a Renewing Mind pt1

In his 1974 Journal article, On Worshiping the Creature Rather Than the Creator, Dr. Greg Bahnsen argues that Romans 1.18-25 (among many other Scriptures) relates how God's direct and intentional creation reveals there is God to heathen, who wish to repress this basic revelation.

To escape this awareness, Men turn to religion of indulgence, of false Gods, of agnosticism, of capitalistic patriotism (as in State worship, which exists in the USA), substitution of other meanings for the word creation. As I read his article, I found convincing evidences in his portrayal of our history to escape, where we may idealize nature itself, and use pagan ideological terms such as Mother Nature, or more recently Hawking's idea that the Universe is its own Creator. Most of the time humans end up making a religion out of Mankind Himself asserting that we are the measure and arbiter of all knowledge.

Dr. Bahnsen concludes: "men can arrive at the perspective of the creationist position only by submitting unconditionally to God's revelation. The truth is clear from nature (leaving all men without excuse) but can be acknowledged only through the work of grace, leading men to trust the Savior and yield to the truth of His word."

Some Christians, by not wanting to look like second-class academics, have turned God's revelation in nature and in the Bible, and in the person of Jesus, into our thoughts about God rather than theology being knowledge of the self-attesting God and through the Son of God Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Accepting the idea that Theology is not the Queen of Sciences, but rather is a department of Religious Studies, Christianity has allowed the truth of God to be subservient to the world's awareness of knowledge and truth. And the world denies ultimate truth, and any idea of revelatory knowledge.

Cornelius Van Til, a presuppositional apologist, wrote: "As orthodox Christians we have to face the fact that we are at this point, as along the whole line of thought, out of accord with modern thought.... The assumption of brute fact is itself the most basic denial of the creation doctrine."

If this is true, which many Christians since the Reformation in fact do agree, then Humanity cannot know truth at all in the way that New Creations in Christ do. What they do is assumption of facts based upon their own personal bias. No human can interpret any fact unless the fact of creation of all, including mankind, is accepted as one of the primary truths we know.

This is because this truth is essential knowledge known and rejected by man, until God intervenes. The primary intervention was the Incarnation, and the Apostles' Teaching.

This is not only based upon the Bible, but on what some term "natural theology" of sorts. Nels Ferre, Emil Brunner and Reinhold Neibuhr are among those who charge that we are "bibliolators", making the Bible the authoritative source of all revelation, including the ends and means of all science and historical fact. They miss the point, and steer folks away from the authority we have for knowledge of God's truth. The Original Sin was seeking the knowledge of good and evil. When the Israelites erred, it was written of them that "everybody did what was right in their own eyes." Shall we continue in this pattern? I dare hope not, but we have.

There is bibliolatry, and it is used as a veil over bias and prejudice, worldliness, manipulation within communities of faith, and against the idea of rational thought. However, Men must believe the inspired, inerrant, infallible truth of Scripture. Orthodox Christianity, where it is upheld, stands against the idea that we can know anything contrary to God's revelation. Our inferences from this stand clear, as long as they are verified as being valid deductions from axiomatic truth, which only has its source in anything revealed by God.

We do not understand things because they are discovered. We understand things because God made them knowable, in their very nature being logical units.

Anything that tends to lead us in a direction of reliance upon the world's definition of truth and reality is anathema. It isn't rational thought that is being discarded, but rather the idea that humans are basically nice people. The Bible says all have fallen short. We are all the products of Sin and degradation of mind, soul and body.

I would welcome challenges to the basics of my posting here. I would ask that you would let me know if you are quoting me when you use any statements of mine so I can identify the context quickly. This is easily done, even if one just quotes me and then types in "Greg said:______________".

I challenge us to shake ourselves from the predisposition to rely on the world to guide our minds and hearts.

Nothing less than intentional activity on our part will allow us to be the citizens of God's Kingdom that we are called to be. This calling is activated right now, so we are either obedient or disobedient. We either are doing God's will and thinking His thoughts after Him, or we are participating in the delinquency of a sinful, evil-stained vacuous world. We should not be fiddling while Rome burns, so to speak.

Jesus came to be the Word become Flesh, who pitched his tent with us. How, if we are being conformed into His image, can we feel justified being anything else than having the word become flesh in us?

IMO, If Jesus is not the Word becoming Flesh in our lives, we have not offered ourselves as living sacrifices. We then are not displaying renewed minds, hence we are without any claim to even knowing the mind of Christ on any matters.

Please, interact with me and begin looking at how we are thinking about God, each other, our neighbor, and our Lord.

Will you join me?

"The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish... They are vanity, a work of delusion" (Jer. 10:11,15)."