Least Among You – BT8:  Little children discern God’s will by the Spirit

 

 

 

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For more on the subject of discernment, see New Covenant Ways – BT16  and Bible Info – BT2.

 

We’ve already seen in the previous BLOGs that little children, the uneducated, and the other “least among you” don’t read and study the bible to figure out the will of God like the “wise and understanding” scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducee bible-students did, “supposing/opinionating that in the scriptures they would take hold of zoe genuine-life everlasting” as Jesus criticized them of (a). <Notes> a) John 5:39-40.

 

Paul correctly tells Christians how to know God’s will:  “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk/live as teknon willfully-dependent-children-minors of light….and/coupled routinely/habitually try to dokimazo scrutinize/discern (a) what is pleasing to the Lord . . . to be wise, buying back (b) the time because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but instead routinely/habitually sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ to understand/know what the will of the Lord is,” strongly urging them not to be “unwise” or “foolish,” or “getting drunk with wine which is (or leads to) debauchery,” but instead “be wholly/definitively pleroo filled-to-completion eis ‘toward and reaching the goal/purpose of’ ALL the pleroma abundant-fullness of/belonging-to God . . . habitually/routinely being pleroo filled-to-completion by-the-means-of [singular] Spirit” (c).  <Notes> a) John 5:39-40, a) dokimazo: test, examine, or discern to demonstrate or prove something is acceptable, genuine, good, and approved, b) making best use of, taking advantage of, c) Ephesians 4:24, 5:1-2, 8, 10, 3:19, 4:17-18.

 

Furthermore, in Paul’s thesis on the gospel to the Romans, he tells us how to “dokimazo scrutinize/discern what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is – by being metamorphically transformed by the completely-different-in-kind re-newing of your mind” (a). He rightfully conversationally-prays for Christians for their unconditional-love to abound more and more by the means of genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge and/coupled ALL aiesthesis sizing-up discernment (b) so that they may dokimazo scrutinize/discern what is excellent, and thus be pure and blameless for the Day of Christ” – see also Holiness/Sanctification page.  Having this kind of unconditional-love is at the very center of God’s will – it’s 1 of only 2 commandments in the New Covenant per 1 John 3:23!  I’ve even created a video on this for musicians! <Notes> a) Romans 12:2, b) aiesthesis:  a brand of sense-discernment which ‘cuts through’ hazy ethical/moral matters to really ‘size things up,’ used only here in Philippians 1:9-10, c) 1 Thessalonians 5:18-21.

 

Finally in another letter about God’s will Paul advises:  “Do in-possibility-NOT quench the Spirit – do in-possibility-NOT despise prophecies, but-instead dokimazo scrutinize/discern everything, holding fast to what is good” (a).  Once again we see that prophecy through the Spirit is NOW the key way to know, learn, and be encouraged within the Church (b).  It is absolutely baffling and tragic that so much of the Church has turned off that spigot.  Paul explains the discerning-judgment of the Spirit: “The things of the Spirit of God . . . they are Spirit-kind-of anakrino discerned-by-close-examination (c). The Spirit-kind-of person anakrino discerns-by-close-examination ALL things” (d).  <Notes> (a) 1 Thessalonians 5:18-21, b) Acts 2:17-18, 19:6; 1 Corinthians 13:9, 14:1, 5, 23, 30-31, 39 – see Prophetic Rhema, c) anakrino: to judge/distinguish vigorously ‘down to up’ by closely, even forensically, examining, investigating, or interrogating, thus a careful study or evaluation, d) 1 Corinthians 2:14, 15.

 

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard Christians and churches say that deep bible study and theology is real “meat” and that the gospel of righteousness is “milk” for baby Christians!  They couldn’t have twisted the NT verses on the subject anymore!  The writer of Hebrews spends so much time citing OT prophetic scriptures about the superiority of Christ and the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant to combat the teachers of the Law that were trying to convince the Jewish-Christians that they needed to go back to Moses’ Law to be right with God.  Nevertheless, the writer admits these prophetic “logion oracles/utterances of God entrusted to the Jews” (a) are still only stoicheion “elementary, fundamental, abc, principle” doctrines, even though they led them originally to Christ.  The early Church had about 300 verses they regularly used to catechize/convert (b) Jews to Christ.  Justin Martyr said by 150 AD, the OT wasn’t even used except for singing Psalms in a few Jewish churches.  The Church fathers viewed Christ as having fulfilled the OT so there was no need for it.  <Notes> a) Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; Acts 7:38; 1 Peter 4:11, b) katecheo:  to sound down from or according to, thus to exactly learn ‘by sounds’ or repetition, to catechize or teach foundational truths for conversion purposes:  Luke 1:4; Acts 18:25, 21:21, 24; Romans 2:18; Galatians 6:6; 1 Corinthians 14:19.

 

Hebrews 5:11-14 really blasts these lapsing Jewish-Christians:  “You have become dull of akoe inner-hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you AGAIN the stoicheion ‘abc’ elementary principles of the logion oracles/utterances of God.  You need milk [again], not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is un-skilled in the logos message of righteousness since he is but a nepios breast-feeding infant (a).  But solid food is for the mature, those through-the-realizing-channel of the habit of constant use/practice of their senses being gumnazo trained [like an athlete in a gymnasium] for diakrisis judging-through-discernment-to-distinguish good from evil.”  This “solid food” method is how God’s will is determined – not by reading a book to gain dogma and theology, which is “milk!”  <Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person.

 

The Lord told my wife: “Compared to hearing from Him directly, using scripture to learn was like relying on a tricycle when He gave us the ability to fly!”  Paul expresses the same frustration: “Brethren, I could not address you as Spirit-kind-of people, but as flesh-kind-of people, even as nepios breast-feeding infants (a) in Christ.  I had to feed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it” (b).  So many Christians complaining about gospel “milk” are so dead wrong that they have nearly starved to death for lack of the Spirit’s “solid food.”  <Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person, b) 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

 

Contrary to so much terrible pulpit preaching, the “living logos Word of God” is not the bible’s many gramma writings!  Hebrews 4:12 “The zoe genuine-living Logos Communication of God that is energes full of operating-energy and sharper than any 2-edged sword that is able to kritikos critically-discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” is the [singular] imperishable spora sowing-seed that is Jesus Christ Himself.  This “seed” is the same as the good [singular] sperma seed of the gospel logos message of Jesus Christ sown in God’s field (a).  The Holy Spirit of Christ is also God’s [singular] sperma seed that zoe genuinely-lives in a Christian to break habitual sin (b). All this is true because Jesus Christ is the [singular] Logos Word or Message of God that became flesh and lived among us (c). <Notes> a) Matthew 13:31; Mark 4:4; Luke 8:5, 13:19, b) 1 John 3:9, c) John 1:14.

 

Jesus is the Logos Word or Message of zoe genuine-life (a).  All this is very similar to Paul’s argument that the promises made by God to Abraham are also to his [singular] offspring, referring to One who is Christ (b).  Jesus Christ is the only living Logos Communicator for God, giving us His gospel logos message for righteousness and zoe genuine-life by His indwelling Holy Spirit.  All of this is God’s “living sperma seed” because they are “One” that is alive!  It’s just not true to hold the bible up in the air and say that it’s the “living Word of God!”  <Notes> a) 1 John 1:1, b) Galatians 3:16.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, shouldn’t we be pointing people to the Spirit of discernment who will actually teach everyone regardless of their education or age what God’s will is?  Or will we continue to point people in the wrong direction to their bible like the Jews did?  Don’t we need to get the sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding/knowledge of the Spirit to actually know what pleases God?  Wasn’t the advice to routinely get filled to completion by the means of the Spirit the key, and that’s exactly what Spirit-baptism is?  Paul says the transforming renewal of our hearts/minds gives us this discernment and this is only by the Spirit, but this comes through a conversational-prayer relationship, not reading books!  That’s why we should zealously desire to prophesy – it’s the key to hearing and seeing the mind/heart of God and discerning the things of the Spirit.

 

“Real meat” isn’t bible study and theology – it’s the solid food of those that wean themselves off the milk of scripture, even from the rudimentary/elementary stoicheion ‘abc’ fundamental principles found in the prophetic logion oracles/utterances of God in the OT that were used to convert Jews to Christ in the early Church.  The “meat” isn’t reading gramma writings in graphe scripture like the Jews did, but constantly training our senses like an athlete by walking and running in the Spirit to discern good from evil.

 

If we want zoe genuine-life, we won’t find it in a book like the Jews “supposed/opinionated.”  Jesus Christ is the Living Gospel Logos Message who is the ultra-sharp sword that critically discerns our thoughts and intentions and this is accomplished only by the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ, who is the singular sperma-seed of God.  That’s what gives us zoe genuine-life, not a bible!  The “living Word of God” is certainly not the OT that is 97.4% old covenant Law-based – see Logos Word of God – BT5a, “the Law of sin and death,” and is not even any gramma writings of the NT collected 300-plus years later into any of many differing kinds of bibles by counsels of mere men that rarely have agreed!  That leads us to our next BLOG topic!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, New Covenant Will of God is rarely spelled out but discerned by wisdom & understanding of the Spirit thru prayer, Spirit-baptism is the key to holiness, Transformation comes from internal renewing by the Spirit thru prophetic fixation on Christ and Spirit’s things above, Transformation comes thru intimate relationship, Spirit’s things are discerned by close examination, forbidding Spirit’s gifts quenches the Spirit, Prophecy is the key gift to seek, bible writings even old messianic prophecy is milk compared to the meat of Spirit’s discernment, bible writings are childish abc’s compared to Spirit’s teaching, the bible is NOT the living logos word of God – Jesus is