Fellowship – BT4:  Growing our relationship with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit

 

 

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See also the Holiness/Sanctification page.

 

Now that we have become a Christian from the previous BLOG, our koinonia relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit grows by only ONE thing that I could find in the New Testament (NT) – koinonia sharing-together God’s zoe genuine-life through proseuchomai conversational-praying.  Out of 5 early Church “devotions” (c), proseuche conversational-prayer is what is mentioned most (a) and the most frequently strongly-urged by the imperative to be routinely/habitually practiced, as expressed by the Greek present participle (b), and the only one explicitly stated as “the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (d).  Tragically, this is one of the last priorities in many churches and Christian lives!  This could explain why they are so powerless.  But I’ve dedicated the Conversational-Prayer page to this – it is radically changing my life and will yours too!  <Notes> a) Acts 1:14, 2:42, 6:4; 1 Corinthians 7:5, b) Luke 11:9, 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1, c) proskartereo: earnest towards, persevering, constantly diligent, attend assiduously, d) 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.

 

After a very long study on “The Plan A of God,” I found that Jesus came to “save or restore” God’s original, perfect “Plan A” given for the “least among you to the greatest” and simple enough for even little children so that no partiality is shown (a).  God had spelled it out to Moses to present to His people in Exodus 20:18-21 at Mt. Sinai, a perfect plan for God to speak to the people directly – that is the definition of prophetic rhema words – to “inspect them closely” in order to “purge sin from them,” a perfect plan that the people rejected but that only Moses obeyed. Thus only Moses received the benefits of a direct personal relationship meta ‘changed by close proximity with’ God, and the people got what they wanted instead God’s permissible-will “Plan B” –

 

It was a religion of indirect communication with God, delivered by Moses as a go-between mediator-teacher, rules grapho written down in gramma letters/writings as graphe scripture to “imprison them all under sin” (a), treating them as little-children instead of mature-sons by giving them strict rules that order them around like slaves (b) by using the Law of rules like strictly-controlling school-escort-guardians or house-managers (c), only giving them gnosis info head-knowledge with stoicheion fundamental ‘abc’ principles (d) secondarily taught by ‘line upon line, precept upon precept’ (e) by rote to stoicheo walk in a line by rules through at top-down hierarchy of fallible humans down “from the greatest to the least.” <Notes> a) Galatians 3:22, b) Galatians 4:1, 24-25, 31, c) Galatians 3:23-25, 4:2, d) Galatians 4:3, 9; Colossians 2:8, 20, Hebrews 5:12, e) Isaiah 28:10, 13, written as a gibberish to mock the rabbis for choosing bible-study instead of prophetic vision to know God – see New Covenant Ways – BT17 and – BT18l

 

But Jesus came to sozo restore/save “Plan A” for how God’s little children were to relate to their loving Heavenly Father – by the means of the “obedience of faith” where the righteous ones live by trusting-relying-faith, from one step of faith to another,” which is the very thesis (b) of Paul’s “Book of Romans,” his gospel plan of salvation explained to the entire Gentile world! <Notes> a) Luke 20:21; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6; James 2:1, b) Romans 1:5, 17, 16:26.

 

God’s original perfect-will “Plan A” still is to have:  a genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge that is an abundantly fulfilling, powerfully transforming, and an abiding fellowship with God thru:  Coming near/close-beside to God with simple, child-like trusting-relying-faith and relentless boldness thru:  A devoted, restful-waiting, still-watching, quietly-listening, worshipful, conversational-prayer dialogue where any routine/habitual ‘asking, seeking, and knocking’ is for God’s Holy Spirit to fill us to completion with all the abundant-fullness of God Himself by-the-means-of the Holy Spirit!

 

The Lord has shared with me several times as I was landscaping and watering, that genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of Him requires the same attention, the same cultivation, and the same care for this relationship knowledge to GROW.  There are no short cuts.  This is not a “lump-sum event” or instant download that you have to just “take by faith” happened, but grows progressively and experientially during fellowship.

 

It’s like any intimate, love relationship – you need to spend regular, quality time just being together, optanomai gazing in awe with wide-open eyes into each other’s eyes (a), holding hands, really akouo listening to each other, and just enjoying doing things together.  The Hebrew idiom “drawing near/close beside, even very close beside” (b) God is exactly the meaning of fellowship WITH God in proseuchomai conversational-prayer.  This is also where all the “work” gets done from God by the means of His Holy Spirit by “inspecting them closely” in order to “purge sin from them.”  And it’s where we really learn to worship!

 

<Notes> a) Matthew 5:8; John 16:22; Romans 15:21; Acts 13:31; 1 John 3:2, b) eggizo very close beside, into the very presence: James 4:8; 1 Peter 4:7; Hebrews 7:19, and proserchomai: Hebrews 7:25. Proserchomai:  a Hebraism for “seeking an audience with, approaching, inquiring of, calling on to visit, or be heard by” God, thus closely akin in spelling and meaning to proseuche conversational-prayer and proskuneo worship

 

 

 

In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus warns a region of churches, headed by one of the oldest churches in Ephesus:  “I have this against you:  You have abandoned The Unconditional-Love you had at first.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent (a) and/coupled the first-in-time/foremost ergon ‘doings/works’, you definitely/wholly poieo make/do/cause.  If in-possibility-NOT, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – IF you should in-possibility-NOT repent (a).”  The “light” Christians and churches are to “let shine before others, like a lamp on a stand, so that the world may see your good ‘doings’ and give glory to your Father in heaven” (b) sure isn’t OT ergon ‘doings/works,’ but those associated with “The Unconditional-Love that you had at first.”

 

When you FIRST fall in love with someone, what is it that you “do” most of?  We talked about this above – being, watching, listening, laughing, loving, living – all this done really together-WITH each other!  I really didn’t understand this passage until after I had been married about 5 years and kind of fell into a “rut” of just going through the routines of life with my wife, the house, our jobs, etc.  Ephesus also fell into that “hard work and/coupled perseverance . . . having endured hardships for My name sake and/thus have not grown weary” routine year after year.

 

The Lord talked to me at length one morning about “remembering back to those first things we did TOGETHER,” and I took this to mean my wife and I, so this was a good exercise for me to improve my marriage, but He said: “No,’ and then He reminded me of this Revelation 2:4-5 passage above I hadn’t read in years!  Then He said, “A lot of churches just like a lot of Christians are in that same place.”  I knew the Lord was getting me back on track, telling me what His priorities are – it’s ALL about our relationship of unconditional-love!  Otherwise the “hard works” turn into a duty and drudgery all in Christ’s name, doings/works FOR Him!  This is NO different than the religion of the Old Covenant or any world religions. <Notes> a) metanoia:  an after-effect of mind/heart/inner man, implying an internal change after an activity, where the ‘activity’ is defined by the context – see Surrender Control, b) Matthew 5:14-16.

 

Peter believes that if we have a genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of the Father and/coupled the Son, then we’ll have unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace and/coupled peace multiplied to us, and then God’s Spirit-power will [as it has already] grant us all things pertaining to zoe genuine-life and/coupled godliness, along with His great precious promises, so that we can be koinonos partakers of God’s divine nature in order to escape the corruption of the world (a) – see Holiness/Sanctification.  <Notes> a) 2 Peter 1:2-5.

 

Yes, zoe genuine-life and/coupled godliness, starts and grows with the genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge, just as Jesus said:  “Now this actually, presently/ongoingly exist-as/is-defined-as the everlasting, zoe genuine life – that they might (it’s our choice) presently/ongoingly ginosko experientially, relationally know You the only true God and/coupled who You actually, already sent:  Jesus Christ (The Anointed One, the Messiah)” (a). <Notes> a) John 17:3.

 

We are also to ongoingly fellowship with the Holy Spirit!  “God also bore-witness/testified by-the-means-of signs, wonders, and various miracles and/coupled by-the-means-of grace-gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed kata down-from/according-to His will” (a) to these same Jewish-Christians “who having already been enlightened/illuminated, who have already tasted the heavenly grace-gift (the Holy Spirit) and/coupled have already been changed-sharers (b) of [singular] Holy Spirit and/coupled have already tasted the kalos beautiful-goodness’ of the logos gospel message of God and/coupled the dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power [the Holy Spirit] of the age that is presently/routinely/habitually mello ‘surely ready-to-happen” (c).  The Pentecost experience was still going on!  <Notes> a) Hebrews 2:4, b) metochos: changed due to sharing or being an active-partaker with, c) Hebrews 6:4-5.

 

From Hebrews 3:1, these Jewish-Christians as “holy brethren were changed-sharers (b) of/possessing a heavenly calling,” because “we have already become changed-sharers (a) of Christ – IF in fact we definitively/wholly should-hold our first confidence/assurance (b) as-far-as-until the end” (c) – this is the enduring faith of Obedient Steps of Faith – BT16.

 

<Notes> a) metochos: changed due to sharing or being an active-partaker with, b) hupostasis: ‘standing under’ a guaranteed agreement, a title-deed or legal claim to precious promises or property, thus entitling someone to what is guaranteed under the particular agreement.  We are only entitled to God’s “precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) if what we do “proceeds from faith” (Romans 14:23), for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), c) Hebrews 3:1, 14.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, our playing must be birthed and growing from regular fellowship with God and the only NT earnest, persevering, diligent “devotion” that was strong-urged with the imperative the most that early Christians practiced the most, was “drawing near to God” proseuche conversational-prayer, but this is not primarily the monologue of deesis asking-supplication prayer that religion has converted prayer into!

 

God’s perfect-will “Plan A” was always to speak prophetic rhema words directly to His people.  Whenever we refuse to enter His presence to be “taught by God” due to unbelief, shame from sin, or fear of judgment, we will end up with second-hand gnosis info head-knowledge at best through a hierarchy of authoritative teachers who will introduce error, but it sure won’t be transforming relationship WITH God!

 

No, first-hand knowledge is genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge that is only acquired in an koinonia intimate love relationship through proseuche conversational-prayer – real quality time for lovers to build a relationship with!  Many older Christians and churches fall into the “routines of marriage” and need to “repent, and do the first things” that naturally lovers do!  That’s when we actually experience God’s unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace, love’s joy, restful-peace, Spirit-power, and precious promises so that we can actually share in God’s holy nature, thus having godliness and zoe genuine-life, including the Spirit’s grace-gifts and signs & wonders.

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, gnosis Bible-info isn’t epignosis relationship knowledge, using the bible to win arguments against bible-experts a waste of time and not often Christ-like, The conn artists twist the scripture, Better to confirm the gospel with signs wonders and miracle demonstrable-proofs of the Spirit, Better to share the effect of God’s relationship on you as your witness, My experience with bible-knowledge verses direct-connection relationship knowledge, older churches & Christians can forget they first love, remember those first works of love and turn back to them, Genuine-life & Godliness grows only by genuine epignosis relationship-knowledge, Relationship with God via the Holy Spirit gives us holiness