Into and beyond all heavens Heb 4:14, 12:22

Restorative justice and peacemaking (an overview) Ambassadors of reconciliation ~



Probing the meaning of ‘ambassadors of reconciliation’
Cheap grace is grace w/o discipleship, the cross or Jesus Christ. The fight today is for costly grace. A ministry of reconciliation is a vocation of restorative justice and peacemaking. The argument revolves around what is true righteousness — Christ’s or Caesars? What gospel has the power to make the world truly peaceful? These 2 regimes stand fundamentally opposed to each other.


In comparison to

Ministry of reconciliation is a theology of radical inclusiveness w/o ethnocentrism (Jewish) or ideologies of superiority. (Hellenistic)

From now on we are to regard no one from a human point of view, iow, minus the socially conditioned worldview we inherited from our upbringing, and deeming it deforming to the biblical interpretation of what it means to be human. The flesh cannot dictate what and how we ‘know’ because it constrains the imagination and locks us into habitual enslavement.To reject the flesh is indeed liberation from the dominion of Pharaoh. “Let My people go” The new creation eclipses those things that have passed away.

The message ‘given’ and the ministry ‘entrusted’ is not w/o responsibility.

The theological assertion of
1) All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself in Christ
2) that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself (not counting their transgressions against them)

Becomes the practical assertion
1)and has given us the message of reconciliation
2)and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us

With the responsibility being
We are ambassadors therefore for Christ, God as [it were] beseeching by us, we entreat for Christ, Be reconciled to God.
Him who knew not sin he has made sin for us, that *we* might become God's righteousness in him.

Divine realities are waiting to be realized in our lives but the balancing of the books is demanding because it predicates making peace with not just ethnic divisions but political ones also. Ambassadors are needed to facilitate the challenging social vision, one that excludes divisions.

Christ took on the debt system in order to liberate us from it’s totalitarianism.
For all accounts that is the jubilee message carried out to usward.
Paul adds the cost of nonviolent discipleship in 2 Corinthians 6:3-13
1)inevitable distress/hardships 6:4b
2) political persecutions 6:5a
3) physical wear and tear 6:5b

And a self-portrait of the ambassador 2 Cor 6:8b-10

It is in fact the lack of solidarity with God’s restorative mission that inhibits them.
2 Corinthians 6:11-13
The reality check is that such work requires a discipleship of nonviolence that can prove costly in the real world of empire and it's discontents.

continued from last post

A House Divided Cannot Stand ~~The Gospel vs Caesar

Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels was an anointed man who ministered to the poor, relentlessly challenged the rich and powerful and was executed as a political dissident .


Yet the call of the gospel was to a vocation of advocacy for the oppressed, of love for adversaries, and of non-violent resistance to injustice played out inside the matrix of subjugation of the Jews under the Roman Empire.
We need to go back to 1 Samuel 8:5-7 to realize that they had first rejected God in finding themselves at this outcome and had been warned of the consequences 1 Samuel 8:11-17. The moral of the story: a people freed from slavery had re-created Pharoah’s society of domination.
But the Jubilee proposed was not for some distant heaven because He has said “the time is now, the Kingdom is here” hence the empirical rule of Caesar was on it’s way out by all intents and purposes.
Fishers of mankind would bring them to the good news from on high. Not to be overlooked however is the Hebrew root that the metaphor refers to; the Lord God said at the time of Israel’s restoration from captivity, that the wayward of His people will also be captured by Him.


We can see that in this Jesus of Nazareth “the same prophet who ‘disturbs the peace’ of the political status quo in order to advocate for ‘true shalom with justice’ also demands His followers to embrace a deeply personal nonviolence based on transformation and reconciliation, communally, that leaves no conflict unresolved. Matthew 5:21-25
And He had a strident warning against behaviour that objectifies or exploits. Matthew 5:27-32
Also in His words for victim responsibility, beginning with an exhortation to ensure one’s testimony be truthful Matthew 5:33-37 because a perjurer is no longer a victim but a violator who must be exposed. Matthew 5:38-42
Culminating His instructions on restorative justices in its love for enemies. Romans 12:20

The adversary must be held accountable, but never dehumanized, never hated and certainly never killed. An ethic predicated on the character of God ..


Be mature as your heavenly Father is mature Matthew 5:48 for the intended purpose for which we were created in love must ultimately include our enemies.
Specifically like God in this way.
It’s the reliable foundation on which our ‘remodelled’ house must stand Matthew 7:24-27 with the least (victims) and the lost (perpetrators) at the centre of community concerns.


*notes from Ambassadors of reconciliation ` Chad Myers & Elaine Enns

tbc

~Cassia~ said:

OT term for Greek Phronesis is Hebrew Tsaddik or Zaddik
Stronge Concordence # 6663 in the Hebrew. ~Righteous~

ie:
Prov 10:25
As the whirlwind passes, so the wicked (rasha) are no more;
but the rightous (tsaddik) is an everlasting foundation.

(Built on rock, not sand)

From this is seen the righteous priesthood of the millenium
called the Zadok priests in Ezekial.

Psalm 1 is a general outline of righteousness.(Psalm 15 also)
1) Happy is the person who doesn't follow wicked guidance
nor walks the roads that sinners tread
nor sits in the company of mockers
2) but rather finds joy in the Eternal's laws
pouring over it day and night
3) And so becomes firm as a tree planted by rivers of water,
the fruit shall not fall untimely,
and whose leaves never fade,
whatsoever it bears comes to fruitation.
4) Not so the lawless
they are chaff scattered by the wind
5) When judgement comes, the ungodly will not stand
sinners will have no part in the reunion of the just
6) The Eternal cares for the Way of the righteous
but the ways of the wicked vanish forever.

Solomon's 'wise and understanding heart' was Sophia wisdom
able to see between rasha and tsaddik as proofed by the split baby.
__________________
Just to scrape this into one message

Bracketed by Joseph's message of Sophiac Wisdom's human care
comes Phronesis Wisdom's message of God's move thru Tamar.
Where the Princely family of crippled and blind Israel
were in the process of selling themselves into slavery
by their own actions,
God was moving past son after son to bring Himself to the point
of eventually spilling the seed of Himself into the earth
that out of death might come life.

Where Sarah represents grace in human life,
Tamar represents truth of God's actions.
See Gen 28

What is also seen is the northern Kingdom under Ephraim
separation from the southern tribe of Judah
symbolically and Phronesically in Ezek 16:52

Ezekiel 16:52 (Darby Translation)
52Thou also, who hast judged thy sisters,
bear thine own confusion, because of thy sins
in which thou hast acted more abominably than they:
they are more righteous than thou.
So be thou ashamed also, and bear thy confusion,
in that thou hast justified (Tsaddiked) thy sisters.

It seems the righteous Tamar had overstepped Sophia Godhead's bounds.
Be careful where you think you stand, lest you fall.
__________________
So then, the Word of God and Truth are aspects of God.
Righteousness comes from the breastplate

Song of Songs 1:2b
Your breast (bridegroom's) is better than wine.(original)

Wisdom is better than the diversity of teaching of both old and new.
The Nazirite moves beyond the water turned wine (law and prophets)
Righteousness of the Heart conceals treasures of wisdom beyond the good and evil.

((((( Thy heart, O Bridegroom, the grace of the teachings within, surpasses all the wine
that is wont to gladden the human heart)))))

Click to expand...

The case of the crippled Israel is reminiscent of the movie 'The Secret Garden'

In the study of Phronesis we find the scarlett thread weaving around and past the time of Judges to land in Ruth with the generations of Pereez (descending from Judah)

Ruth 4:18-22, Genesis 38:28-30

accumulating in the birth of David (one who, because of ancestry, would not have been allowed in the Levitical temple)

In fact the scarlett thread began with Pereez’ birth but was accredited to the twin left unnamed. Thoughts on Grace

Salmon was one of the spies that became the wife of Rahab (also of the scarlet thread) that is found in the genealogy of Christ.

The name Jesse means God’s Grace. And of course Boaz is representative of the Kinsman redeemer.

Ruth 4:18-22
18 Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron, 19 Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab, 20 Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon, 21 Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed, 22 Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.

Imo the structure given is repeated at Ruth and begins again with Hannah's answered prayer of the 'anointed'

THE BARN

Body soul and spirit of biblical translation can be viewed within the structure of the tabernacle in the wilderness quite simply. Outer court, Holy Place and Holy of Holies comparatively with the historical, moral and mystical of the writings. Circumcision of the flesh, with the protective covering of the moral code, ultimately protecting the spirit of the law and then the ideal with it’s circumcision of the heart which contains within the germ of life.

We are 3-fold in our existence, as the Godhead is:
-sinner in the world
-priest in the Holy Place
-glorification in Eternity (from glory to glory)

As a sinner we offer ourselves a living sacrifice daily, as a priest to worship and intercede, then in glorified resurrected power growing from glory to glory.
Picture the Tabernacle as an Xray of Yourself
In fact a good read of this (not too long) old thread can explain it best
https://www.christianforums.com/threads/christ-in-the-tabernacle.5624621/#post-36201906

Foundational is the historical sense , while those seeking wisdom must understand the moral content within the words written (Book of Proverbs) recognizing that one must leave behind the vain things (Ecclesiastes) to hasten on to the eternal lasting things of oneness with the Great “I Am’ (Songs of Solomon) clothed in the images of love.

Scripture is made up of the seen and the unseen things. 2 Corinthians 4:18 what can be seen is temporary and what can not be seen is eternal. Scripture consists of the body which is the visible letter, the soul which is the meaning found within it, and a spirit which has something of the heavenly within it. They serve as the copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. Hebrews 8:5 In seeing this let us not seek out the letter but the soul and in doing so we will ascend to the spirit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Body, soul and spirit of the biblical account of the fall of humankind:

The historical (fleshly) aspect of the fall is a condition of cause and effect. Cain is told how to deal with flesh (sin nature) that the fall produced. (Meant for both the male and female aspect of the human creature.) The connection is the serpent that s given dust to eat and the (old) nature obtained from the fall as bottom of satan's food chain. He is as a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. The only safety is in the new creation.

Looking past that to the moral of the story (using reasoning of the soul) , God has lost the key element (death of the spirit of humans that is connection to God). For that there are consequences to pay.

When relating God to morality we can see that giving birth to new creations has become difficult and painful stemming from the fact that another husband (referred to as old nature) now has dominion over the creature. For God that is the consequences that He has had to absorb into Himself but with the safeguard to Himself that protects against that contacting Himself directly.

Cain points to the spiritual solution but which was unobtainable for him, could never be because it comes from the old earth. Only death to the old nature in the form of a substitute could save him. But the cost becomes obvious when seen what ‘natural’ man (old adam) tend () toward. Death to Abel (the ability to do good?)

Spiritually, morally and factually Jesus Christ came thru the fog of reasoning to present the real substitute to give back to God that which had been usurped from God. His work in the heavenliness is for the new creation's benefit. Like a household that is without the head (kingship) present the Old Testament representatives were faithful stewards. The new testament presents the bride waiting on His return.

Like any household today the mature are perfectly capable of running the household while the Husband is away but when He returns home the weaker gives place to the stronger. The stronger is the spiritual, the soul gives place to the spiritual (which is our reasonable service) so the body is correctly ruled. Jesus wondered Himself if there would be any faithful at His return, whether the church would step down to receive Him.

Therefore, Christ’s rule in one’s heart is the correction of the fall that is represented in His finished work. Morality cannot be found in the flesh, but the spiritual can be found in the morality when placed at Jesus' feet.

https://www.christianforums.com/threads/body-soul-and-spirit-of-the-bible.8074627/

1 Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Binding and Loosing

To bind means to condemn, and to loose means to forgive. Binding satan’s influence over self looses the freedom of forgiveness provided at the cross Matthew 6:10, Revelation 11:15, Matthew 4:17, Romans 16:20 and is the meaning of the power of dominion. ‘For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.’

Matthew 18:18
Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
John 20:23
Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whosever sins you retain, they are retained.

The Lord's way of condemning allows for one's own words and thoughts to do the condemning. Genesis 38:26, Ezekiel 36:31, Matthew 26:25

The sinless Lord only was fit to condemn the woman caught in adultery and He refused to. John 8:1-11, Jeremiah 17:13. It makes me wonder if the power to bind and lose won't end up being a test upon the church and us as individuals because of being a test of Jesus' authority when He forgave the man lifted down thru the ceiling. The Pharisees sought to condemn Him because "only God can forgive sins" Luke 5:17-26

John 16:8
And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning …

In conviction people condemn themselves. But it is God who forgives thru the accepted work of Christ Jesus. The bible says to basically forgive everyone everything or we will not be forgiven ourselves. That includes forgiving oneself for our own safekeeping. On earth as it is in heaven.

1 Corinthians 4:5
So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God.
1 John 3:20
Because if our heart blames us, it is because God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Directly following the verse of sins forgiven or retained, Jesus made the point of saying ’blessed are they that believe without seeing' referring to Thomas's confession of 'my Lord and my God' John 20:24-29.
Can there be salvation apart from that belief I wonder?
"Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Belief that leads to a glorious life. Not w/o trials but is of the inheritance 1 Peter 1:4, 7 The spiritual world of the invisible is as real as any material thing. In fact that which is seem is merely a shadow of reality.
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

In the final analysis my stand must be with that which took place outside the camp, where the innocent, the neglected and those silenced by death are gathered together. ..Where Jesus suffered and died. Hebrews 13:12-16, Exodus 33:1-11
Hebrews 13:10
We have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
Joshua 22:28
And if they will say so, they shall answer them: Behold the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, nor for sacrifice, but for a testimony between us and you.
As the red heifer that purified outside the camp so is Christ Jesus. Hebrews 10:12

Moses was not a prophet but he was one to whom God spoke with face to face. Speaking against him brought about a leprose condition for His Holy Name’s sake Ezekiel 36:23 After all prophets merely heard from God in dreams and visions and not in face to face encounters where God shone on him in transformation glory. God dealt with him directly as Moses was beholding and reflecting God. Numbers 12:8, Hebrews 3:5, Revelation 21:11, Revelation 21:23-24, Proverbs 25:12

The first healing performed by Jesus was to heal the leper, “Lord,”he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” The unclean outside the camp are willingly brought nigh to Him. Lepers knew that the willing Jesus could cleanse them but the priests wouldn’t have thought so. Them, as professional diagnosers, declaring the leper clean was giving an expert eyewitness account to the authenticity of the miracle. Romans 12:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God

With the image of God exercising dominion over the enemy of God, God Himself completes His rest, we find our rest, and the rest is yet to come. Hosea 2:21-23, Matthew 6:33

2 Corinthians 3:18.
"And we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit."
The Lord Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, There are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. And after six days Jesus takes with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as the light."

Simply, beholding and reflecting ‘as in a mirror’ at the transformative figure of Christ , heaven finds it’s way to earth and death and the grave are swallowed in victory in a new creation’s life.

I'm leaving this forum and ftr I believe that the first post of this thread and this last one to be God's word that He has passed on for the saints. No others will I claim to be the word of God except these because other people have influenced the understanding of the rest. But not these two. IMHO they are "And God said" I believe my mission to have only been to the saints and not to unbelievers and hopefully I have been able to help. God bless you saints and sinners alike with the Presence of Himself in your lives. Sianara once again.

As members of one body the Father has bestowed gifts to all for the purpose of edifying one another .. and .. all are to bring their gifts to the table. 1 Corinthians 14:26, Romans 12:5-18

Being confident in His care and His love, growing from infancy to maturity in moral character, 1 Corinthians 14:20 we're at the same time being fitted together as living stones building up His temple, knowing that our own care for each other spiritually establishes the other great commandment of one heart toward each other Jeremiah 32:38-40, Ezekiel 11:19-20, Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35, Matthew 6:21 in all heart, soul, mind and strength. Romans 15:1, 1 John 2
So vertically and horizontally the cross is doing it's work. Peace becomes established when we don't take on His Name in vain. Exodus 20:7, Isaiah 29, Matthew 15:7-9

In deed that is vanity. Being aware that the battle is not against flesh and blood, flesh and blood needs also be aware that the alternative is fighting against God. John 3:17-19, Jeremiah 7:4-11, Hebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:15
As people separated to the Lord we reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son together in making ourselves ready for His return Ephesians 4:13-14, Revelation 19:7, Matthew 5:14-16 while the Savior fights the battle against the world/satan and self for us. 2 Corinthians 2:15-17, John 8:12.
In always keeping His return in sight we can't slack off but be vigilent as keepers of the house that awaits in faith. Luke 18:8, Matthew 5:13, 2 Peter 1:10 “He spoke a parable to them that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Matthew 25:29, 1 Peter 4:10, Titus 2:11-14


1 Peter 1:17-21
Psalms 2 Is the key here that may not seem obvious to some.

There's an attribute of God as to His mercy and justice that is carried thru-out the prophets and psalmists and given a different emphasis of meaning to each as it has related to their own experiences. Nahum 1:2-3 in vindication. Or repentant community Joel 2:13 In fact Jonah used it in a prayer motivated by anger to accuse God! Jonah 4:2 Others used it for hymns such as Psalms 111:4, Psalms 112:4, Psalms 145:8 or a song of thanksgiving Psalms 103:8 and as an individual lament in Psalms 85:5 Psalms 86:15. The same attribute used in prayer Numbers 14:18; Jeremiah 32:18 and in supplication Nehemiah 1:5 and used to sustain even the guilty Nehemiah 9:27-28, 31.
All of which shows forth God’s care for each individual that comes to Him as well as for His inclusive care of His Family.
Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 5:9-10; Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 5:3; Deuteronomy 7:9-10
In all it shows a balanced picture that entails scripture itself revealing multiple levels of interpretation of itself that involves a process of understanding.

But I especially love how God Himself drew the picture of His own hermeneutics of Mercy and Justice, offering the interpretative clue within the text, in the form of shelter, shade and wind to bring it into present context. (re: Jonah 4:5-11) In this can be seen (individually) how His ways are so much higher than our own while also (nationally) how the Jews were shaded by the law but tribulation came from the wind of change to those who didn't accept Gentile/Jewish/bond/free/etc inclusiveness of the new covenant as seen in the destruction of temple, sacrifices and priesthood (the book of Hebrews). Jonah would rather have died than see Nineveh saved.

The old covenant only had the shadow of good things to come, protecting them in the land of promise from temporal evil, but emptied out and faded away in captive dispersion. Jonah only enjoyed the shade for one day before the caterpillar came and ate it gone. Then came the heat of the east wind. Jonah’s values were backwards. He cared more for the plant life than he did for the higher forms of life of animals and human beings. He was being fleshly and not of soul or spirit. Thankfully God is nothing like that and cares about all of our life and salvation. So in the final analysis, like Jonah it doesn’t necessarily follow that the church of God can build it’s own little shelter to watch the walls of our own little Nineveh tumble down.

Elijah also had extreme despondency but his was in zeal for the glory of God, Isaiah 33:16 while Jonah mourned the loss of his own glory. Philippians 2:21

God provided both the whale and the worm just as He provides for both the huge and little things in our lives. Our own shelters, built with human hands, do nothing against God's other provisions of wind and scorching sun. Raining fire upon Nineveh isn't always a part of His plan no matter how much we think it should be. Jonah 1:12, Jonah 4:3, Jonah 4:8 Jonah lost the vine for protection but he still had God. And from that picture we can see God and humankind reasoning together to come to the fuller understanding. Ephesians 4:13-14

Once again, in the final analysis, conformity to His Divine Will, by continuing or ceasing from a work, as the Lord’s servant, is compared to the vanity of doing things in vain without His blessing. We can’t all make the sun stand still. Instead we look to the Captain of Salvation and realize (the reality of) where our post did began and on what He says it ends. according to our posts as ambassadors of Christ with a ministry of reconciliation to show forth His manifold wisdom to the principalities. Ephesians 3:10-11 not to mention the great cloud of witnesses. In this we must not forsake gathering together.

DEPRAVITY
I was born as bad off as I could get. I couldn't stop doing things totally wrong and I knew that before I'd really lived, I knew I was condemned to die. That old wicked one that ruled this world had me rocked to sleep in his arms. I had no idea how lost I really was. I mean, I lived in the material world and my whole self moved in the physical, yet half of me was dead. I couldn't have pleased God if I'd tried b/c I was totally unable to. I was not only spiritually dead, but I was accountable for sins of mine and also sins I'd inherited. But the most fearsome thing of all was that I was under the control of Satan. I needed help desperately

GRACE
It was at this time that I looked up and saw Jesus standing there, reaching His hand toward me. He said he wanted to show me the way to safety and this way was now mine. It made me feel so good when He said that in this "gracious state" He would be with me to supply all my needs.

REGENERATION (Born again)
I began to wonder how all of this was possible and must have asked out loud b/c Jesus said that He would tell me of "our Father's" plan. He actually said that He's my Father, too. Am I awake? Anyway, our Father has a plan to bring His children home. Jesus called it a "new birth". He said our Father had made the plan for us and Jesus made it happen by laying aside His heavenly power to come live among us. Then when the creation (in actuality) killed the creator, God rose Jesus up, along with His human body, up from the dead. And the Holy Spirit carries on the work Jesus began. (This Holy Spirit is apparently also responsible for the wake-up call on my spiritual self) (I'm beginning to see how important that is)
But for the most it was getting way over my head. And being a wee baby christian, over my head was not high up.
So, He continued on, in His loving voice, to tell me that to have a new nature I needed to have a new father. (What! Satan gets the boot from my life?) My Father wasn't giving me a new body, but He was giving me a new life.
The Holy Spirit awakens new areas in my life as God speaks His Word into it. He says it's like a soda pop that grows larger as bubbles are blown into it. I think I actually understood that.
And so, know what I did? I just looked at Jesus and reached out my hand to Him. And He did the most amazing thing! He put my hand in my Father's Hand! I couldn't believe my ears when my Father said "On the basis of Jesus' shed blood on the cross, you may now call me Father."

IMPUTATION
Then, as I stood open-mouthed, God took a huge book marked "accounts" and said He was going to record our transaction. I didn't understand what He meant but as I peered at what He was doing it began to make sense. First I saw that my account had a huge debt going all the way back to Adam and Eve. Then I saw Him cross off all my debts and transfer them into Jesus' account. Jesus is now responsible for all of my debts!! And if that isn't amazing enough, He also transferred all of Jesus' credit into my account!! I knew that gave me the right to get into heaven itself! I couldn't believe it!! Me, a nobody, and here's this Jesus saying to the Father " She has sinned. I don't plead for leniency. I don't ask you to ignore her sin. But" Jesus said to Him "I offer you a full and complete payment. Charge it all to my account" And the heavenly Father accepted. I must be in heaven!!!

SUBSTITUTION
When the shock of this most amazing thing had worn off I was left with only one question. "WHY?" I was then led to understand (thru the Spirit, I guess, I don't know, but I suddenly just knew) the necessity of accepting payment from Someone else. From Someone like me, yet unlike me, sinless, as a substitute for my debt. Because if He didn't pay for them, then I was going to have to pay for them myself and the price was beyond description.

REPENTANCE
Suddenly I was standing face to face with the truth. My thoughts began to move in a different direction. I realized what my former status was; that thru accepting help I had accepted God's offer to meet the need in my life. I no longer saw things in the same light. Once I was lost and didn't know I needed a Savior. I hadn't known how guilty and helpless I was. Thank You God, Jesus has found me. Thank You God that You found me Jesus.

REDEMPTION
You know, I really see Jesus as a kinda big brother to me. I'll be honest with you. I was on the slave-block of the world. Now I know a purchase was necessary. Big Bro accomplished that for me. And it wasn't so easy for Him to make it so that I never see that slave market again. The price was blood and the method of payment was thru death. He's my redeemer and He says the destination He's bringing me to (and my body as well, in a better form) is a glorious inheritance. Can you believe this? All for free!

RECONCILIATION
Oh this is weird. I could hear someone speaking to me in the Spirit. God was saying that according to him the world is out of balance and needs to conform to the standards He has set. So, what did that mean to me? Well, I knew that Adam had provoked ALL my privileges originally and Jesus had given them back to me...so...I listened carefully. He was saying that He'd been right all along and that now I was back on His wavelength, not Him on my wavelength. I knew this was a new dimension brought on by what Jesus did. People need to be told about this or how will they know that's it's here. God has the way for the world to return to Him. He didn't need to return to me but I needed to return to Him.

PROPITIATION
OK, so let me get this straight
Jesus redeemed me: brought me out of sin ..
I'm reconciled to God: Jesus opened the door to God ..
God is free to act on my account:
I know now that I can't change God's attitude toward me because i know inside He is loving and merciful
( He's not like those heathens whose form of good sport is spearing fish in a bucket, who take verse out of context to hang their dirty pool doctrine on and who are repelled by goodness in others)
I only need to speak softly to Him for Him to hear me. The concern He has for my needs and the delight He has in meeting them has found a home in my heart.

JUSTIFICATION
So what is the logical conclusion of all this? Is it just that a Holy and Righteous God accepts me, a sinner, into His Presence? There had to be more. And He mentioned "glorification" and said that was yet to come. For now all I could figger out was that God's saving work takes place instantaneously upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no logical procession. IT JUST IS.
In God's sight I am righteous and complete, thanks to Jesus. And there is nothing that belongs to Him that He has not shared with me, apart from His essential diety. It's all so overwhelming and amazing. Outside of Christ and His work I'm guilty and condemned to God's wrath. Yet to be with Christ I stand equited.
My oh so imperfect mind finds it hard to wrap around these facts. I mean, ..what God is doing...to think I needed..needed... Jesus' blood.
It's now so easy to believe. And i feel that I'm no longer alone. I'm still in this the world but the material and the physical aspects of life are now under the control of the spirituality within me. I feel whole now, I find myself wanting to do good b/c of the place of high esteem I find myself.

SANCTIFICATION
iT WASN'T JUST THAT I FELT SO SET APART FROM ALL THAT I'D EVER KNOWN. BUT I KNEW I WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE FATHER'S EYES, AS A FINISHED WORK, SET APART AS HIS BELOVED. I ALSO KNOW THAT HE WILL WORK AT AWAKENING MY SPIRIT TO MOVE HIGHER 'TILL I FILL THE POSITION OF BEING FAULTLESS IN HIS PRESENCE. WOW, THIS STUFF IS SO TOO MUCH! I HAVE SO MUCH GOING FOR ME. THERE'S JESUS WHO SET ME APaRT WHEN HE GAVE HIS LIFE AND BLOOD FOR ME ON THE CROSS, CLEANSING THE CRUD OF SIN FROM ME. AND OUR FATHER WHO SAID HE "WANTED ME" TO LIVE WITHIN HIS SPOKEN WORD. AND THEN THERE'S THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO SETS ME APART DAILY BY APPLYING THE BENEFITS OF JESUS' WORK ON MY LIFE. AND FOR MY PART I JUST NEED FAITH THAT WHAT GOD TELLS ME IS TRUE. THEN ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN PROMISED WILL BE MINE.

SECURITY
But how could I be sure? Had He really saved me or had He only provided a chance to be saved? I mean, does He do this healing thing for me? or am I supposed to contribute something on my part? How could I find out? I decided then and there to test this "coming to our Father thru Jesus Christ thing."
I screamed out "Will this always be mine?" I was so afraid I would mess it up. Jesus said" Some people use me as if by my death they inherit all I stand for, but reject that I am alive and full of power. Have truth behind your convictions and you will not lose rewards. That is your work.
This is the work of God for you; The Father's work is basic to your security, b/c He is able to keep and save you. His only offer being eternal life. His offer of love is the basis of security. My work," Jesus continued " is to provide a payment no enemy can ever challenge to your being at home in God's presence. And the Holy Spirit's work is to permenantly construct a temple within you placing God's seal upon you. As I am to the Father so also are you to Him. Do you understand now that now I would never leave you" Yes, I thought perhaps I did.

PREDESTINATION
But having adventured thus far into conversation with the great "I AM" now I asked if He could possibly explain to my limited mind all about the infinite God. Why am I here? Am I a part of the purpose and the plan? What, where, and when and how and all of it? Please tell me Lord, I need to know.
"You cannot possibly know it all, " He answered me, "yet listen to this. God settled upon one plan, in the beginning, and He had one purpose. He established an irreversable decree - that is based on the law of love. In doing so He limited Himself to a specific course of action. He knew the events that would take place and no human will can ever set limits on them. God also knows who will be included in His plan and who will fulfill His Divine purpose. He elects those based on His will and not on whether they are good or evil, from amongst all of the lost. All humans are cursed, but election is of grace ; to conform you to My glory. Our Father's will, will be accomplished.
And thru the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He will give you the power to respond. No one can come to Me unless the Father has sent him. All are rendered savable yet all are not called. You could not be here unless He had enabled you to respond. And He did that b/c it suited His purpose to do so."

RESSURECTION
"But" said I, "what is the final outcome for me then?" I knew I was pushing it but, well, "could you be more specific? Like where do I fit into this cosmic plan? I know it's in relationship to what You did, but, like, how?" My brain was stalling for time so I could think, but hey, really, where were we going with this? I suppose what I really wanted to know was, what about death? How do I get from here to there?

Amazingly He picked up exactly where my thoughts left off. "My purpose" my Lord began " was foretold from the beginning of mankind thru Words spoken by God's chosen people. The prophesies were fulfilled when I came for the purpose of giving life (I knew He meant the awakening of the spiritual life) (I was catching on!) to those who believe that I lived on the earth and that I died and that our Father has given a powerful new life in heaven, having the same body as before death. All this was done for the purpose of giving you gifts in this life and also the gift of eternal life.

All those who believe this is true will join Me. I Am the proof that God can do this for you also. I, Jesus, was the first to show you where death leads. When i arose from the dead I gave you power in your life and I will maintain that for you. That same power is what carries you heavenly, your spirit first and your body to follow, after physical death, to be with Me forever. Trust Me for it. This is My work."


I do trust you Jesus. Thank you

I’ve returned to my original account and because I’ve used this thread to link so many other threads I would like to continue to do so by linking 2 new threads from my recent posts as well as all those tagged in ‘Christ and the church’ which Zao’s are also my postings. Sorry for any confusion.

The heart of the matter

Notes on Hebrews, women of the bible and other biblical things

Stephen was one of the seven delegated to care for the widows. Even in the fledgling church their biggest problem was the treatment of women. This is where the divisions of languages and racism/bigotry showed up first.

The apostles represented the teachings, Stephen represented the caregiver. The apostles were the teachers of the church at Jerusalem, but when the people were scattered after this incident they became the teachers while the apostles stayed in that city. The scattered people preached the Kingdom of God, meaning, they preached Jesus. Stephen was the martyr that set the kingdom’s growth in motion. He was also the finest example of what the kingdom produces.

When he was about to be stoned he called upon the "God of Glory"

Acts of the apostles 7:2-3 to this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.’
Acts of the apostles 7:55-56 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”​

The highest glory of the creature is in being only a vessel, to receive and enjoy and show forth the glory of God. It can do this only as it is willing to be nothing in itself, that God may be all. Water always fills first the lowest places. The lower, the emptier a person lies before God, the speedier and the fuller will be the inflow of the divine glory.



Being an honourable vessel of the Lord’s Stephen fully represented the new creation, his eyes fully fixed to gaze on the heavenliness, seeing Jesus face to face.

​

Stephen was fully drawn and attracted to Jesus, he was infused with His Spirit. He was a man of great learning, full of the Holy Spirit, yet the job enlisted to him was to feed the widows. May we learn from his example.

As he was being stoned he asked God to forgive them, and with his mind completely on heaven, he saw Jesus standing there. Jesus standing shows His present activity in Heaven and His participation still in earthly things, especially concerning His church!

Btw, it was the Sanhedrin, the keepers of the temple, that stoned Stephen. They were the ones who didn't believe in the resurrection. Representing the flesh, they laid their cloaks at the feet of Saul, a Pharisee. The Pharisees didn't partake in the stoning, but were participants none the less. They represent the intellect.

And Stephen represents the spirit in relationship to the Holy Spirit.Typology is very important in the remembrance of events as they flow thru the bible. Another example seen from Stephen as representing the church and God’s care for it is the following example.

Christians all are the widow of satan and just as all the widows were at that time incapable of meeting their needs themselves, we also are incapable of meeting our own spiritual needs.

The food is the good news but it's as the Holy Spirit that ministers to our needs, and regardless of the background that we come from.
Jesus still stands as the overseer, the head of all who die to satan and fix our gaze on the heavenlies.

Why Christians are represented by the widows:

Romans 7:3 ...but if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress, though she is joined to another man. (4) So then, my brothers and sisters, you also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit to God.

...we, the believers, after being saved, have two statuses; the old and the new (we still possess the lessons learnt from both trees). As the old man we were the husband having satan as our helpmeet, now as the betrothed we are legally bound in submissive rule to Jesus.

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him.

No doubt, the you that have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ in Romans 7:4 is the old man who has been crucified with Him in 6:6.

Paul puts together a funeral and a wedding. On the one hand, we were buried; on the other hand, we were married.

We have been made dead that we might marry another. We were made dead according to our old status that we might marry another according to our new status.

According to our new status, we marry Him who has been raised from among the dead, that we might bear fruit to God. Brothers and sisters, we are the betrothed who is dead to the old marraige of satan's worldly self-rule.

Today we are being called on to build our future on the sure foundation of love, trust and belief in Him who is our 1st Love that begat the new creation, the new life of God, the blossomed fruit of our new status as belonging forever to the House of God.

What or rather Who is the power and glory that raised Christ from the dead so many years ago on this resurrection morning and with Whom true Christians have been instructed to address?


“Give unto Jehovah", here true Christians are called upon to give unto Him, the God of Glory, worship, saying "Glory" in holy splendour. His powerful Voice, full of majesty, speaking to us, shaking our wilderness. Forever my King, giving strength to His people and blessing them with peace.
In Hebrew the root meaning of the word translated “glory” is “heavy” or “weighty.” The idea is that there is no more weighty or significant being in the universe than Yahweh, for He alone truly is majestic and high above all.


When ascribing the glory to God that He describes one must also realize the glory with which Christ is about to come to His Own.


And the power that is impossible, without Him, to achieve the smallest bit of true wisdom



So to abide with Him in His city


To Whom I have to do, is brought the sacrifice of praise to You.


My heart being set on You above all!


Thank You for Your glorious care

Happy Resurrection Day!!!!

The idea of peace includes the idea of wholeness or integration. When one is at peace, every part is united and working in harmony.
God sanctify them completely, emphasizing again the aspect of wholeness —spirit, soul and body. God’s desire is that His children continually grow towards wholeness.


The need is to learn and receive instruction in God’s Word. We need to hear and see God’s Word lived out by others. Yet it is only when we “do” that we live close to our Lord and that we experience the God of Peace with us.


It takes courage and character to face adversity, and the only One who can prepare us to do that is our heavenly Father working through His Son and Spirit.


A Promise to Complete the Great Work in You

Wait in peace for that hour when “the God of peace shall sanctify thee wholly, so that thy whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!”


A most appropriate prayer for a city whose name means peace and is the residency of the God of peace.

Now the God of hope—Literally, “the God of the hope,” because He is the author of that hope and therein His grace is set before both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female in Christ.

The hope is not mere expectancy; it carries with it the assurance of faith.


Hope is central to the teaching of the bible. Hebrews unfolds two great heavenly mysteries. The first is the heavenly priesthood of Christ, and the second mystery is the heavenly sanctuary. There Christ ministers to us and into which He gives us access. Both of these mysteries are mentioned as the Hope set before us.

Hope enters into the veil and finds our Forerunner who has entered for us. This Hope is objective. It’s the Hope contained in these verses that is the anchor of our soul!

As our hearts are fixed on the Hope, that Hope, as a subjective grace, is stirred up, drawing the heart to enter within the veil with Him. Mind (soul) along with heart and emotion (stirred and drawn) is the power of the universe realized!

Where our Hope lives there the heart lives too. Therefore we, our real selves, are living with Him also, the two being One.

An anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Fill you with all joy and peace in believing.

This is our petition to our God of hope that hope might come to you "in believing";

in the way of faith, and the exercise of that grace; for joy comes this way;

faith and joy go together; where one is, the other is also;

and as the one increases, so does the other; a believing view of interest in Christ is attended with joy unspeakable, and full of glory:

and so peace comes in at the door of faith:

because there is no true peace until a soul is brought to believe in Christ;

and that is promoted and increased by repeated acts of faith on Christ, or by a constant living by faith on him.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Click to expand...

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Click to expand...

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Taking an example of patience from God: that both the weak and the strong, serving God with a mutual consent, may bring one another to God, as Christ also received us to Himself, although we were ever so unworthy.

What does that mean?
Without the walls of double-mindedness, living half in God's truth and half in satan's lies.

Likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus …
according to Christ Jesus; according to the doctrine of Christ, which teaches, directs, and engages, as to sameness of judgment and practice, so to mutual love and affection; and according to the new commandment of Christ, which obliges to love one another;

and according to the example of Christ, who is the great pattern of patience and forbearance, of meekness and humility, of condescension and goodness, and of equal love and affection to all his members.

Christ is the pattern of walking in oneness of mutual love, spirit and mind. What God does not condemn, neither should we.

"Behold, how these Christians love one another!" was the amazed but constant testimony of paganism, yea, of Judaism, also, regarding believers in the early days of the Church.
And this Spirit-wrought unity and tender affection is by far the greatest need amongst believers today!


The accord, that unity, is not brought about by outward organization. In answer to the earnest, persistent cry of God's people that He would revive His Church, the real saints are being drawn more and more by His Word into the true fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Being of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus, doesn't have reference to opinions or views of doctrines, but does have reference to gracious dispositions of spirit; for God is not spoken of here as the God of wisdom and knowledge, but as the God of patience and of comfort.

God's Himself is acting in these blessed graces toward the saints that will enable them to be "of one mind together according to Christ Jesus.” When the Spirit of God is freely operating among a company of believers, the eyes of all of them, first, are toward Christ Jesus. They're thinking of Him, of His love, of His service, and of what will please Him. They are conscious of their blessed place in Him. ... Then follows, naturally, patient dealing with one another, comforting one another.

Some of this company may know much more truth than others; many may hold varying judgments or opinions concerning particular matters. But that doesn't at all touch their unity--their conscious- unity, in Christ; and it does not in the slightest degree hinder their being of one mind, and working- together with one accord, and, in the vivid words of Scripture, be with one mind together according to Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2 The Example of Jesus
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 3:8
Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ

1) the power of indwelling sin nature is broken
2) results in the obligation to remain free from sins(s)

Logical results. The physical body dominated by the sin nature by death is rendered inoperative as a servant of sins because of standing in a permanent relationship of freedom from it. Romans 6:6 To do anything but is to revert to the sin nature by choice and deliberation... Again rendering it inoperative to the plans for mankind from God’s perspective. Rather we are to maintain the relationship of disconnection from the old nature.


The Greek grammar is absolutely sure that the lusts are from the human body and not that of evil nature. While the source is the nature it is impossible to fight that nature, like shadow boxing. But to watch for the human cravings is practical and has promise of success.

See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil is something I was taught as a child but it goes further than just keeping a watch over those things. Where the feet carry us and what our hands find to do are forever ways in which to grieve the Holy Spirit who accompanies our journey and can easily be grieved in the process.

That king has been dethroned, self. We have the same power over self as we do to a light switch. But should even a tiny anything come between the source and the power switch the connection is broken and the offending partical removed to be connected to the source again.


Stop feeding bullets to the enemy!!! Stop habitually yielding to the sin nature! Start living a victorious life!



*Peace*

Mark 12 is about inheritance beginning with who gets what if all that the owner sends is killed. The answer is no one has been killed, those who have been killed by the hired hands still live. They may have killed the flesh, that which is of Ceasar, but they have not killed what is of the Spirit.

Those to whom He was speaking knew that it was to them He was speaking. The inheritance could go thru any set of numbers (7 being the fullness of earth) and it still would not be their possession. Their error was not realizing the power of God according to the scriptures.

Female and male are equal before God not possessions of any one another. Singleness of heart is the only thing that counts before God. And that displayed in accounting others as equal as self.

When flesh bows to the Spirit as sovereign then you shall see how the Son is in subjection to the Father, how life on a lower plain can be made worthy of eternal life, not by anything that the world dying can do to alter the facts. The head cannot be directed by the tail.

Greater judgement will be upon those who try to steal others rights to their own inheritances in applying false teachings when the resurrection does take place. All it truly effects is in lessening your own input into the treasuries of heaven.

Those who give place to Christ now will be rewarded abundantly. In this too, there is nothing new under the Son.

Revelation is God opening the eyes to intentions and deepest thoughts about how God sees what is being revealed. Being naked before Him is being naked before ourselves after receiving the revelation. What is done with what is revealed is what the Lord shows to ourselves. Knowing that which is soulish and what is spiritual simplifies the answer. When we're able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart, we are able to divide soul from spirit.

To be useful is to let the word of God divide soul from spirit and give the soul into submission to the Power of the Holy Ghost. Even our natural abilities that are good can cause pride and need to come into control of the Holy Spirit. In that way He can use the body and the body will not fight against Him.

Revelations of His Word placed on the heart to allow it to shine, in order to be useful to God, brings the Lord's judgement, according to His standards, and according to our true nature, into focus. Once the light has shone we need never be deceived again. Knowing "this is my soul” acting against the spirit or "this is my spirit" in obedience given to the higher call.

The spirit and the soul are distinguishable one from the other and are invaluable in discovering the inner self. Things seen under the light that are not compatible with or controlled by God will be rejected again and again when words, things, intentions of similar nature arise, and as we disconnect from these things glory to glory becomes clearer.

When Paul saw the light of Jesus shining on him and realized ‘Him of whom we have to do’ ,, in relationship to whom he was persecuting he immediately fell down.

Likewise as soon as God shows us our true condition, we fall. With every revelation He gives us in His word that divides spirit from soul, that part of the worldly self withers and dies.

Impressions from the revelation remain and what was once a thing of pride becomes filthy and evil. When we see everything as God sees them we can only accept His judgement and His view of the matter as the correct view.

Beneath the noblest goals we may discover base and ugly motives and plans made for ourselves. Before Paul fell he had a plan for everything and was confident for everything. After exposure he was ashamed and dare not lift up his head.

Scales have been on our eyes for years and when now we see by His light, the scales fall from our own eyes … then … receiving our sight we arise and baptize the revelation into the death of Jesus, conformation leading to transformation according to the revelation, and thereby picking up the cross revealed, follow Him in the new way, … from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the skies, as He lifts the new creation order up on high. Amen. Refreshing daily we walk with Him.

*Peace*

Love, the banner of the Father of Lights, has pure rays of primitive light, shining from the origin of the seed uncorrupted, and as every good gift that comes only from above, from that sole source of all good, blossoms into a kind of canopy of first fruits of His creatures. Love councils in honour, teaches in fear, and is taxing in it’s warnings in order to save yet remains veiled to those to whom to error is human, and forgiveness divine. The Presence is wrapped in light without alternation or changing shadow. In this we error not.

Intent is acting in a particular manner for a specific reason using a certain means to reach an end. It's a mental attitude that an individual acts upon so therefore isn't directly provable but must be inferred from surrounding facts and circumstances. It's a state of mind with which the act is done or omitted.

Differing from motive, which is what prompts a person to act or fail to act it’s an attitude that in Christian terms is referred to as circumcision of the heart. Outward acts of the old circumcision covenant have been replaced with the covenant of inner acts. The spirit of the law takes the written law and applies it to the heart where Christ abides and in yielding (which is the state of mind) to the law in obedience it causes growth within. Something the old law could never do.

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.[/indent]

Living by faith and not by sight, from the very beginning is a mental assent, a yielding of self that takes place within. Faith comes from hearing but not all folks that hear also believe. Only those who believe are entitled to receive. Without believing there is no eternal life, only condemnation. Galatians 3:2, Ephesians 1:13

Because we stand before Him rightly accepted thru Christ He becomes to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption Philippians 3:9

The patterns are there. The only thing that remains permanant to this world is child bearing and the means to obtain it. (for those who have ears to hear) Hebrews 1 says that in this day all is made known thru His Son where previously it was made known thru the prophets and various other means.

In the maintainance of the truth to prevent decline, Paul said it's God's will that all His loved ones come to a full knowledge of truth. The truth is to be maintained thru scripture 1 Timothy 2:15
that scripture is to be unfolded with precision 2 Timothy 2:15
and that those who deviate from that truth, the reality of what he taught presented in the scriptures, should return to it. 2 Timothy 2:25

Paul taught according to the spirit of the law and never according to the letter of the law. Those who misinterpret him are cleaving to the letters of death rather than to the spirit of life, which is displayed in a circumcised heart that is joined with Him in saving souls.

The House in Bethany ~ an early miniature of the church.

John 11:1

Now there was a certain man who was sick, Lazareth from Bethany,

of the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Religion was the main frustration and opposition of Jesus.

Jn 10 shows Him withdrawing from those who were out to kill Him

to the place at the Jorden where John baptised and 'He remained there'

(Jn 10:40)

Bethany was the place where He would raise the dead, outside of religion

Yet He still remained frustrated by the disciples opinions ( 11:8-16)

Martha's opinions (11:32-33)

Mary's opinions (11:36-38)

Jewish opinion (11:36-38)

and again Martha's opinion (11:39-40)

Opinions are from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, so the Lord,

who is the tree of life that will remain when knowledge is gone,

had a job ahead to show His disciples where edification in Him was.

Philadelphia the sixth city, the authority is found in the hands of the Holy Spirit but in Laodocea it's in the hands of the layman. - laity custom/opinions. There the opinion of the majority rules. Whereas brotherly love, in the context of spiritual truth, has only truth according to the substance beyond the shadow.

The fraternity of believers in Philadelphia are one in Christ. Laodocea leaves Christ outside. Opening the door to fellowship with Him is a great experience. I think it's one that all overcomers experience. If it is a higher promise it could be because the church age is ending.


Also I don't think anyone but a Philadephian can backslide to a Laodocean. Most are in a Sardis state. Just the appearance of life, but still under a pastorial system. Philadelphia was the only one that could be considered 'hot'


Revelation 3:20-21

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.


No matter what is the situation of the church the main thing that Rev 2-3 points to is Who Christ is. It's only in knowing Him that the remedy for any church situation exists. That is what the Revelation to the churches is and without it corporately and individually will not stand.