NT teaching doesn’t include any old commandments, only 2 completely NEW ones!

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The Jewish teachers were great at constantly judging people for not keeping the Old Testament’s 613 Torah Laws of conditional-favor and “binding” even more commandments on the backs of people with their Oral Torah or “Traditions of the Elders.”  However, they were terrible at “loosing” them by refusing to help people carry the burdens of the Law, forgiving people for there failure, or subtracting some of these “traditions of men.”  However, Jesus wanted His disciples to be completely different-in-kind.  He wanted them to simply follow His example of unconditional-love toward others, serving and forgiving others, which is a completely different-in-kind “New commandment” than even the OT commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  The Hebrew for “neighbor” meant “fellow Jews,” which allowed them to hate Gentiles, their Roman enemies.  And if you are self-loathing, does that mean you can loathe others?

No!  Christ’s “New (a) commandment to unconditionally-love one another as I have unconditionally-loved you” (b) is as completely different-in-kind as the New (a) Covenant Way is over the old covenant, especially because that’s what “New” (a) means!  Christ’s own “New Commandment” is “The Law of Christ to bear one another’s burdens” (c), which involves “unconditional-love for even your enemies” (d), and certainly God’s own children, the Christian brethren (e).  This alone distinguishes us as a disciple of Christ and not of some other rabbi teacher.  See also Only 2 Commandments. <Notes> a) chadash, kainos: fresh, completely different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior, b) John 13:34, 15:12, c) Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21, d) Matthew 5:43-44, e) 1 John 2:10, 3:10, 14, 16-17, 4:20-21, 5:1.

Jesus didn’t have any scribes record any of His teachings, nor ask His apostles to do so, like other important rabbis always did, and gave the reason to not worry:  “The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (a), and “He will teach you ALL things and bring to your remembrance ALL that I have [specifically] said to you” (b).  His “Great Commission” to the 11 apostles never commanded ALL His teachings to be taught to ALL others, as I’ve heard too many pastors erroneously teach.  He actually commanded in Matthew 28:20, “teaching them (c) to watch carefully to guard/keep ALL that I have officially-decreed as commandments (d) you,” but again, there were only 2 such commandments in a single compound commandment ever given in the NT: “having trusting-relying-faith in the name/authority of God’s Son Jesus Christ and/coupled unconditionally-loving one another, just as He (Jesus) has given us a commandment” (e).  It seems like the Church has grossly mistaken the only 2 NT commandments with the 2 greatest OT commandments to “unconditionally-love God and unconditionally-love your neighbor.”  I’m not the only one who has noticed!  An excellent book is Love Revolution: Rediscovering the Lost Command of Jesus by Gaylord Enns.  See also the Only 2 Commandments page. <Notes> a) Luke 12:12, b) John 14:26, c) i.e., those you were made disciples by water-baptizing them, d) entole, e) 1 John 3:23; John 13:34, 15:12.

As Christian musicians, it is time we stopped teaching old commandments when Jesus never did to His disciples, only mentioning them to answer trick questions from Jewish teachers and to show the masses the insufficiencies of the Law and their desperate need for a Messiah.  Only 2 commandments were given by Christ for the New Covenant and they are radically different than any old commandments – faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and unconditionally loving EVERYONE just as Jesus did!  This is what Jesus commanded that disciple be taught – not everything He ever said or did!  Most Christians will quote 2 old commandments as the greatest ones, not even knowing what the New Covenant is based on.  How truly sad!

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NT teaching has nothing to do with OT scripture’s Law, only the prophetic

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There’s absolutely nothing in the NT about teaching 613 commandments from the OT Torah Law of conditional-favor, because the NT says obeying the OT Law is all or nothing.  You can’t teach people to obey 1 commandment without teaching them to obey all 613 commandments!  Yet, I hear Christians and churches doing that all the time!  Paul calls these “commandments, rules, regulations, and ordinances” that promise to curb the indulgence of the flesh, “worthless and useless elementary ‘abc’ principles” common to all religions and human traditions, promising freedom but only continuing slavery (a).  The only enabling-power over sin is Spirit-power that only occurs when being ‘filled to completion with all the fullness of God,’ so that Christ lives in you – He alone has all rule and all authority.  Everything we need is “in Christ” by having “Christ in us!” <Notes> a) Galatians 4:9; Colossians 2:16-23

The only portions or gramma Letters of the OT graphe scripture that were NOT considered “worthless and useless” by any of the NT writers (a) were the prophetic Messianic and New Covenant passages that Jewish-Christians used to catechize the Jews by, those “able to make you wise unto salvation by trusting-relying-faith in Christ.”  Only those were considered “profitable or useful” because the Greek word pas rarely means “the whole of” but more often “every of a kind” and always defined by context, as is here, meaning the “OT prophetic scriptures about trusting-relying-faith in Jesus” (b).  This is basic bible interpretation, but so many have misused this verse!  <Notes> a) only 250 verses of 23,145 or only 1.08%, b) 2 Timothy 3:15-16.

OT prophetic passages are routinely used throughout the NT, especially in the Book of Hebrews and Paul’s writings, to combat Jewish teachers infiltrating the early Jewish Church who wanted to drag Jewish-Christians back into their “security blanket” of following Moses’ writings of “righteousness by works of the Torah Law of conditional-favor.”  Of course, the NT writers instead appealed to the Holy Spirit’s teaching and enabling-power to convince them to keep having trusting-relying-faith in the only 2 commandments of trusting-relying-faith and unconditional-love.

However, these OT prophetic passages weren’t ever used when writing to Gentiles, because they could care less about books of the Jewish religion.  The Church was predominantly Jewish for the first 20 years till about 55AD and predominantly Gentile after 65AD Jewish Wars and destruction of Jerusalem by 70AD, so there was only 10 years where it was mixed!  Paul rejected the Jews after so many beatings in 48 AD (Acts 13:46).  The NT writers knew their audience and wrote effectively as the Holy Spirit moved them! Predominantly Jewish books:  James, Matthew, Hebrews, 1 John, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy.  Mixed books to Gentiles and Jews far from home and in many cases secular:  John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Philemon.  Predominantly written from a Gentile perspective or for Gentiles:  Mark, Luke, Acts, and Philemon.  Even if this isn’t perfectly accurate, it’s important to know your audience!

Modern churches could take a lesson in knowing what to use and when, but if they aren’t quietly listening to the Holy Spirit through devoted, patiently waiting, watching, worshipful, conversational prayer, but instead relying on the “security blanket” of just quoting scripture, as if they were Jews writing to Jews or writing to anybody 2000 years ago, then they won’t be very effective with a today’s predominantly Gentile audience.  Paul only quotes 1 philosophical scripture when he was talking to the philosophers of Athens in Acts 17:16-21.

As Christian musicians, why are we teaching any of the Old Testament commandments when the New Testament not only doesn’t but tells us NOT to!  The NT and early Church only use prophetic portions of the OT scriptures to convert Jews by and to argue back at the Jewish teachers of the superiority of the Jesus as Messiah and the New Covenant He brought.  Instead the “meat” was to be led by the Spirit in prayer to discern the will of God – see New Covenant Ways – BT16, not read about it, and thus keep in step with and walk by the Spirit.  That was surely the approach in Gentile churches, especially after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, where they didn’t even use the Old Testament at all until Origen forced its re-entry around 200 AD to make a name for himself and to support the legalism the corrupted Church wanted to reinstitute.

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The ‘teaching of one another’ need not come from “specialists”

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In Colossians 3:1-17 Paul talks about Body-of-Christ Ministry including teaching.  He talks to Christians about their new life in Christ, having a mind set on heavenly, not earthly things (a) because they are “in Christ,” so they need to starve to death their earthly behavior that is bringing God’s wrath on the world (b), because they have already “stripped off”  their “old (c) self” that had been motivating this fleshly behavior and that they had already put on (d) their completely different-in-kind “new self”, who is ongoingly ‘renovated, renewed, freshly strengthened’ to the extent (e) of [their] genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge [that is] down-from/according-to the image of Him that create him (the new self). . . but Christ is all and in all . . . Therefore, definitively/wholly put on (f) then, as God’s chosen ones . . . [a list of godly traits within relationships] . . . and above all these unconditional-love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and/coupled let the relational peace of Christ rule in you-all’s hearts – to which you were called in one Body [to], and/coupled be thankful.”  So Paul went from individual to corporate behavior. <Notes> a) vv. 3:1-2, b) vv. 3:5-9, c) worn out, useless, d) like clothes, e) eis, f) Get those fresh clothes back on.

Now Paul expands on the “New” corporate “mindset” they should have:  “I strongly urge you to ongoingly let the logos gospel message of Christ dwell in/among you-all richly, by the means of all wisdom, routinely teaching and/coupled routinely admonishing (a) reciprocally one another in/by/with psalms (b), hymns, Spirit-kind-of odes (c) with unconditional-favor-of-grace (d) routinely singing/praising in/by/with your hearts to God, and/thus whatever you do, in logos message or deed, do everything in the name/authority of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father thru-the-realizing-channel-of Him (Christ).” The 2 “routinely teaching . . . admonishing” participle phrases describe “logos messages and deeds” that are to be done “routinely one to another reciprocally in Body-of-Christ Ministry so that teaching, encouraging, and music was to be equally shared!  <Notes> a) ‘placing in mind’ by warning through reason or instruction, b) psalmos: “hit, twanged, plucked, or twitched” out songs with/without singing, c) spontaneous hymns or psalms rather than pre-composed, d) here we are to be aware of/recognize “grace in/by/with your hearts,” and naturally our response would be thanksgiving expressed through “singing/praising in/by/with” those same “grateful hearts!”

In Ephesians 5:17-21 Paul similarly says:  “What the will of the Lord is  . . . instead routinely [passively] become filled (a) by the means of the Spirit (g), routinely conversationally speaking (b) to yourselves (reciprocally one another) by the means of psalms (c) and/coupled hymns (f) and/coupled Spirit-kind-of odes (d), routinely singing/praising and/coupled routinely psalming (g) in/by/with the hearts of yours in/by/with the Lord (Jesus), always routinely giving thanks in behalf of all things in/by/with the name/authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the God and Father, routinely submitting to (e) one another reciprocally, mutually in/by/with reverent awe of Christ.” Again note the “routinely” participles that pertain to Body-of-Christ ministry, all introduced by the main point of “routinely conversationally speaking to one another” – this absolutely is not a speaker-audience format!  Comparing it to Colossians 3:16-17 above, we know that “routinely conversationally speaking” includes “routinely teaching and admonishing.” <Notes> a) pleroo: completely to overflowing, b) laleo: conversational words emphasizing the social aspect, c) psalmos, psallo is the verb: “hit, twanged, plucked, or twitched” out songs with/without singing, d) a general word for song, instrumentally-accompanied or not, of any subject, but the ‘Spirit’ adjective narrows it to spontaneous praise, e) voluntarily subordinating, being subject to, f) acapella songs, g) see Spirit-Baptism.

We also see from 1 Corinthians 14:26 Paul says that: “When you ongoingly come together, each/every one (a) actually, presently has a psalm (b), a teaching (c), a revelation (from a prophecy), a tongue, or an interpretation.  Let all be done for building up.”  Earlier in v. 14:6 Paul says that “If I come to [plural] you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching (c)?”  He is describing what others should be bringing!  He explains in vv. 14:1-5 that “unless someone interprets” nobody is going to “understand him, because he utters mysteries by the Spirit.”  Interpretation is the only way to reveal “revelation . . . teaching,” but prophecy in a language people understands is more direct.  So you can see that in both cases many things were reciprocally shared one to another by ordinary saints, including teachings, who were “doing the work of the ministry” (d).  Again, this is all Body-of-Christ ministry, not a select few paid “pros” doing it for everybody else. <Notes> a) hekastos, b) psalmos, c) didache, d) Ephesians 4:12.

That’s what real fellowship (a) means:  sharing together your grace-gifts!  It’s sure rare to see this in a modern church service!  That’s because a few people “who think more highly of themselves than they ought” (b) are doing all or most of the “ministry” instead of simply being “equippers (h) of the saints for the work of the ministry” (c).  The Lord showed me that a key aspect of The Great Wall blocking or quenching the Holy Spirit and keeping the Church from revival is just this – the equippers think they are the ministers!  They are also unaware they contradict so many passages that speak of the equality of the Body’s members (d) and that God shows no favoritism or partiality (e).  Even the so-called “pillars of the Jerusalem church, who seemed to be influential (f) meant no difference at all” to Paul, for “God shows no favoritism or partiality” (g). <Notes> a) koinonia, b) Romans 12:3, c) Ephesians 4:12, d) Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, e) Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9, f) Peter, James, and John, g) Galatians 2:6-9, h) Coaches and Facilitators.

As Christian musicians, Body-Ministry doesn’t mean assigning 1 or a few hired or volunteer members to do the church services!  The verses about how the churches were to function when they “come together” all make it clear that it was an “each and every one of you” and “reciprocally one another” and koinonia sharing experience of ministry, which in no way would resemble most churches today with their stage-audience structure.  The problem started when the churches allowed “those who think more highly of themselves than they ought” to “hog the ball” or “where all the hats” and act as the “ministers doing the work of the ministry” when they were only part of the Body and at best simply “equipper” coaches and facilitators.  The result is the sin of showing partiality within the Body, especially by leaving out “the least among you.”

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Jesus didn’t command us to teach the bible or even the NT writings!

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Contrary to so much false teaching, Jesus did NOT command His 11 apostles or anybody else in Matthew 28:20’s Great Commission to “teach disciples everything I’ve taught you,” but instead said: “teaching them to watch/guard/attend to maintain all that I have officially-decreed as commandments (a) you,” but there were only 2 such commandments (a) in the NT combined into a single compound commandment: “having trusting-relying-faith in the name/authority of God’s Son Jesus Christ and/coupled unconditionally-loving one another, just as God has given us [single] commandment” (b). The Holy Spirit would do all the other teaching needed – there was absolutely no need to write down any of Christ’s teachings!  When you look at the Spirit’s grace-gifts, it’s very obvious that prophecy was going to be the way the Church would all be “taught by God” (c) by the “anointing for ALL informational gnosis knowledge so that you have absolutely in fact no need that any man teach you” (d). <Notes> a) entole, b) 1 John 3:23, c) John 6:45; 1 Thessalonians 4:9, d) 1 John 2:20, 27.

As Christian musicians, shouldn’t we stick with what the bible really says instead of making it up “on the fly” to justify what we want to do?  Can’t we just trust a perfect God to use a perfect Holy Spirit to be able to teach us everything He wants to us to know and do in our personal lives?  Why are we holding onto the security blanket of sacred writings that are so generalized that the Jews spent 1000s of years writing more laws to try to make it specific for people?  Are we not aware that there are only 2 simple commandments of faith and love in the New Covenant?

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“The promise” to be “taught by God” begins with “The Promise” of the Holy Spirit

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“The Promise” is not just an unnoticeable, initial deposit we receive when we are saved, which we have to simply take by trusting-relying-faith, as so many teach today!  The Spirit’s baptism, filling, outpouring, or coming of the Holy Spirit’s “living water” is very obvious to you and all those around you!  It results in supernatural manifestations or demonstrations of Spirit-power (a) to witness or evangelize (b) and the presence of overwhelming “unconditional-love, peace, joy, and righteousness” (c). None of this is gnosis info-knowledge but experiential, relational knowledge (d) and is in fact genuinely, experientially, relationally epiginosko knowing!  Throughout the bible, this intimate experience is symbolized as “springs of living water welling up from within your innermost being” (e).  This isn’t theological or imaginary but practical experience!  That’s really when you start to become “taught by God” (f) as this is the “anointing . . . so that you have in fact no need for any man to teach you” (g).  Yet, we see the Spirit’s grace-gift of prophecy being the way God uses Spirit-filled men in the Church to speak to His Body.  See the Anointing, Spirit-Baptism, Grace-Gifts, and Prophecy pages. <Notes> a) dunamis, b) Acts 1:8, c) Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22-23, d) ginosko, e) John 4:10-14, 7:38; Revelation 7:17, f) John 6:45; 1 Thessalonians 4:9, g) 1 John 2:20, 27.

As Christian musicians, The Promise of the Holy Spirit doesn’t come unnoticed and only taken by faith as so many theological Christians will tell you.  There is no biblical or historical evidence of this.  There are clear demonstrations that prove the presence of the Spirit.

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Warning against “might and power” or “in the flesh” ministry for God

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Around 200 AD the Catholic Church decided it could do ministry “in the flesh” using the natural talents of man’s “might and power” to lead and teach in the Catholic Church, but “what is begotten of the flesh can only be flesh” (a).  Even many Protestant churches are run by people using their own natural, fleshly talents and they wonder why they can’t get the Holy Spirit’s results, no matter how hard they try.  In 15 churches over 37 years, I’ve seen evangelism, preaching, pastoring, leading, prophesying, teaching, and even music ministry all being done for God “in the name/authority of Jesus” through great human effort even with iPad sermons and multimedia Power-Point presentations, but it seemed like a continuous struggle with lots stress, drama, power plays, and hard feelings that burned a lot of people out – see the Might and Power, Promised Spirit, and Spirit-Power pages. <Notes> a) John 3:6 – see Identity.

However, “lofty, elevated, eloquent speech with great human wisdom, philosophy, and understanding” was completely rejected by the NT writers, lest people place their trusting-relying-faith in men instead of the demonstrations of Spirit-power (a).  Jesus said He will have to say to many of these, “I never actually, experientially, relationally knew (b) you” (c).  All the NT writers warn about the self-deception, error, lies, ambition, greed, and sensuality that results from ministry of “might and power,” that is without the Spirit’s anointing.  One of the signs of false motives the NT and early Church writers (d) warned Christians about was expecting the “right” of financial support for ministry.  It seems like many church staffs have carefully chosen to ignore these clear passages – see the Donations page. <Notes> a) Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 2:1, 5, 4; Colossians 2:4; James 3:13, b) ginosko, c) Matthew 7:23, d) e.g., in the Didache.

As Christian musicians, we must resist the temptation to “take matters into our own hands” and “just do it” by relying on our own natural talents instead of seeking the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us.  Too much of church ministry has become no different than that of any other religious or worldly organization without trust in the Holy Spirit!

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God takes control of the entire process of teaching in the New Covenant

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Now God takes control of the entire process of teaching, just as He said in Zechariah 4:6, “It shall absolutely not in fact be by the means of might or power (a), but in/by/with My Spirit.”  Christ’s directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words alone are our daily bread for zoe genuine-life – maybe that’s what we should be praying for instead of more bread!  The only way to produce any fruit, let alone much fruit, is by abiding (b) in Him and He in us, and this intimate koinonia fellowship can only occur through the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of Christ is the only way we can genuinely, experientially, relationally epiginosko know the logos gospel message of The Truth, Christ who is “The Way and The Truth” (c), who embodies the only 2 NT commandments of God to “have trusting-relying-faith in Christ (d) and unconditionally-love one another.”  Christ’s Spirit is the only way for us to abide in God and He in us.  This must all be genuinely, experientially, relationally epiginosko knowing – doctrinal gnosis info-knowledge just isn’t enough!  The only way to “lighten the burden” of obedience and be “easily” “taught by God” (e) is to be “yoked” to Jesus, connected to Him by a training harness, and that is the Holy Spirit here on earth! <Notes> a) Hebrew for all of man’s external resources and internal abilities, b) meno: remaining connected and dwelling, c) John 14:6, d) pistis: relational conviction of trusting reliance, e) John 6:45; presently/ongoingly: 1 Thessalonians 4:9 citing Isaiah 54:13, cf. Jeremiah 31:33-34.

As Christian musicians, isn’t important to understand the radical change between covenants, relying now on the Holy Spirit instead of our own “might and power?”  Instead of always talking about the bible, shouldn’t we be always talking about Jesus?  Instead of bible study, shouldn’t we be communing with Jesus?  Isn’t there only 2 things to do now – stay in intimate relationship to Jesus by faith and love one another, and that both are the enabled by the Holy Spirit?  Shouldn’t we be ‘knowing’ God as a little child would?

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“The Promise” is for One Teacher, not many people to teach many sacred writings!

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In the last BT10 BLOG we saw that Jesus made it clear in Matthew 23:8 that “ONE is actually, ongoingly your Teacher,” so we aren’t supposed to call anybody “Teacher,” especially since He said, “But moreover You are actually, ongoingly ALL [Christian] brethren.”  The Satanic underworld, the human world, and its religions, even the Jewish one, are built on a hierarchical structure from “the greatest to the least” with leaders who have positions, offices, and titles who then ‘exercise authority over’ those under them, until you get to “the least among you”– little children and slaves.  Jesus says, “It shall absolutely in fact not be so among you,” and so there shouldn’t be any more titles of respect for “special people” such as “fathers, leaders or masters or lords, and rabbis or teachers!”  From now on, there is only “One Father” – the “Author and Original Thought or Mind that Originates” everything.  There is only “One Head, One Leader or Master or Lord who rightfully owns us” as the Logos Communicator of the logos gospel message of The Truth, who Jesus said He was in John 14:6, who has all rule and authority, and this is “The Lord Jesus Christ” as used 66 times in the NT!  There is only “One Teacher” who was the Father by His Spirit, then Christ on earth, then His Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended.  However, since The Triune God is “One” you really have to say that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work at all times as “one.”  The Son only says and does what He sees the Father say and do.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Father!  If these 3 have these positions, roles, offices, titles, and authority, it sure doesn’t leave any left for our claim, does it!

That’s why Jesus said in contrast to who “The Teacher” was, “but moreover you are actually, ongoingly ALL [Christian] brethren.”  Period!  Jesus makes the whole playing field under Him completely equal, absolutely destroying any other levels – it’s a horizontal structure with One GOD as Father, Son-Master, and Spirit-Teacher above all the rest of us!  Jesus made this crystal clear!  But Jesus says if you insist on a vertical structure of men, then the arches ‘firsts’ or megas ‘great ones’ in God’s kingdom are actually those who will be like slaves here on earth, only serving others like Jesus did, and certainly not bossing others around.  Jesus said, “The [so-called] ‘lasts’ shall be firsts and the [so-called] ‘firsts’ shall be lasts!”  This simply destroys much of the structure and worldly attitude of most of today’s Church that built itself with stones borrowed from an ungodly world ruled by a hierarchy of Satan and demons!  This is how much of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church is being built, one stone after another!

The Triune Godhead is unified – God is ONE!  The Father-Teacher draws people to Jesus Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit, just as He did while the Christ-Teacher taught on earth.  Jesus only taught what the Father taught Him, making Christ completely faithful in carrying out the Father’s commandment to preach the “Great News” of the logos gospel message of The Truth.  Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit without limit, so He completely represented the Father in every way.  Jesus confidently said, “I and the Father are ONE” and “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”

Now that Christ has ascended into heaven, He has given the Church “The Promised” grace-gift of the Holy Spirit–Teacher so that the Christ-Teacher (a) can continue being “beside us” and now “in us,” continuing to come “close beside” us as the Parakletos (b) to quietly and gently teach, counsel, and advise us in all things, whispering at our side “walk this way,” by “guiding us towards/at springs of living water.”  Like I said, the apostle John says that the Spirit’s “anointing, Spirit-baptism, outpouring or coming upon us . . . teaches us absolutely in fact all things, so that we have absolutely in fact no need for any other teacher.”  <Notes> a) the Logos Communicator, b) Parakletos: ‘Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor.

For sure, “The Promise” wasn’t for more gramma writings collected into scrolls and books called graphe scripture or many entole officially-decreed commandments that people had to do to be right with God and receive His unconditionally-loving favor – now there are only 2 commandments.  If we have Jesus Christ, the “living logos Word/Message of God” (a) now as His Holy Spirit directly teaching us, what do we need gramma writings in a book for?  <Notes> a) Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23.

Instead Peter, Paul, and John remind Christians that “They shall all be taught by God” by the means or through the Holy Spirit’s directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words – even through dreams and visions.  Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Paul, and Barnabas wrote that “The Promise” was that the Father’s instruction (d) would be directly written on the tablets of our hearts and minds, inwardly “causing” us by His Spirit-power to walk in His ways.  Thus, the Holy Spirit as Parakletos (e) also becomes our Helper! <Notes> a) gramma: letters, words, sentence, etc. mechanics of written communication, where get the term grammar, b) graphe where we get the term graph paper, c) entole, d) Torah, nomos, e) Parakletos: ‘Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor.

God’s directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words are what go out and never come back void – not written bible verses!  Discernment (a) means hearing the Voice of God to help us judge between the many right and wrong shades of grey in life, something a book could never do – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  This is “reading between the lines!”  This is the way the OT prophets learned and walked, which is now “The Promise” to all of God’s servants (b).  Christians are now the sacred “Letters of Christ, written absolutely not by ink but by the Spirit of the living God, absolutely not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (c) – see Logos Word of God – BT20.  Furthermore, “The Promise” is absolutely not for more written logos messages, but for “the living, active, abiding logos Word/Message of God” (d) to be living in us so that we can hear/listen-to-understand (e) His Voice of directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words so that we can follow Him by walking, being led, and keeping in obedient steps with Him by His Holy Spirit.  See the Prophetic Rhema page. <Notes> a) anakrino: judge/critique from within, b) Acts 2:17-18, c) 2 Corinthians 3:3, d) Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23, e) akouo.

As Christian musicians, shouldn’t we dispose of positions, offices, and titles and treat one another as equal brethren of His family, since Jesus adamantly commanded this?  Isn’t there only One Father, One Leader the Son, and only One Teacher the Holy Spirit?  Shouldn’t ALL of us be “submitting to one another” and “serving one another” and “outdoing each other in showing honor to all,” just as Christ became a slave to others?  The Promise of the Father was never to continue reading and studying old scripture or even creating more of it, but the Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL truth so that we no longer depend on any men.  We are free from their power-trips, errors, and even deception!  God has gone direct!

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Jesus as The Holy Spirit of The Truth is our “One Teacher”

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Jesus says this to all of His disciples: “You are not in possibility to be called rabbi (a), for ONE is your Teacher BUT moreover you are ALL brethren” (b). In context, Jesus implies this is Him while He was physically with them, but after He leaves the earth, “the Father would give them another Parakletos (c), the Holy Spirit (d), implying that Jesus was the first one! <Notes> a) rabbi is Hebrew for ‘teacher’ – John 1:38, b) Matthew 23:8, c) ‘Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor, d) John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7.

Before Christ came to earth, the Holy Spirit was the guiding teacher!  The Psalmist explains in Psalms 143:8, 10:  “Make me experientially, relationally gnorizo know (a) The Way I should go. . . .  Teach me to do Your will, . . . Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”  Nehemiah recounts the wilderness experience of the Jews with Moses (b): “You gave your good Spirit to teach them,” just as Isaiah recounts (c): “Who put in the midst of them His Holy Spirit . . . who led them through the depths [of the Red Sea], like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble . . . the Spirit of Yahweh gave them rest.  So you led your people.”  The Lord also appoints elders to help Moses manage the people (d):  “And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall actually bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.”  Note that the Holy Spirit doesn’t come into anybody until the NT!  And in Isaiah 58:11, “And Yahweh will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places . . . and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”  We know that the Holy Spirit is repeatedly referred to as “springs, fountains, and living water” (e) – see Spirit-Baptism. <Notes> a) gnorizo is a form of ginosko, b) Nehemiah 9:20, c) Isaiah 63:11-13, d) Numbers 11:17, e) Jeremiah 2:13, 17:13, 31:12; Song of Solomon 4:15.

The OT said that Jesus would be our ‘Counselor’ on earth.  Remember that Isaiah says (d) of Jesus, “a Child is born, a Son is given, . . . who is called Wonderful Counselor (a).”  He also says (e) of Jesus: “a shoot from the stump of Jesse, a branch from his roots that shall bear fruit . . . The Spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and/coupled ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding (b), the Spirit of counsel (a) and/coupled endowed might, the Spirit of gnosis info-knowledge and/coupled the reverential fear (c) of Yahweh.”  Paul says (f): “We, having been predestined down-from/according-to the intended purpose of Him who works all things down-from/according-to the boule counsel of His will.” <Notes> a) ya’ata, boule: counselor of advice, purpose, plan, b) sunesis, c) context: resulting in godliness and holiness, d) Isaiah 9:6, e) Isaiah 11:1-2, f) Ephesians 1:11.

The OT talks about Christ guiding us by His Spirit.  Isaiah says (a) the Holy Spirit is the “springs of water” by which the Messiah Servant will guide His people in the New Covenant:  “Yahweh says: . . . I will make You (My Servant) as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Thus says Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy One (Servant), to the One (Servant) deeply despised, abhorred by the nation (of Israel), . . . Thus says Yahweh: . . .I will keep You and give You as a [New] Covenant to the people, . . . saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Come forth.’ They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, . . . for He (My Servant) who has pity on them will lead them, that is, by the means of springs of water He will guide them.”  Notice that Christ guides them by the means of the Holy Spirit!  Isaiah also says (b), “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the parched ground; I will pour My Spirit upon Your offspring, and My blessing on Your descendants.” <Notes> a) Isaiah 49:6-11, b) Isaiah 44:3.

We see Christ teach this, also:  “Blessed are the pure (a) of heart shall optanomai gaze in awe with wide-open eyes upon God” and linked this that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be satisfied” (b), but later clarified: “I am the bread of zoe genuine-life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever has trusting-relying-faith in Me shall never thirst” (c), and “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him shall be in him a spring of water welling up to zoe genuine-life everlasting” (d), and for “whoever routinely has trusting-relying-faith in Me, as the [OT] scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall actually flow rivers of living water.’ Now He said this about the Spirit, who those who had trusting-relying-faith in Him were to [later] receive” (e). In Revelation 7:17, one of the 24 elders (f) said to John: “the Lamb in the middle of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them towards/at springs of living water.” <Notes> a) clean, undefiled from sin and guilt, b) Matthew 5:6, 8, c) John 6:35, d) John 4:14, e) John 7:38-39, f) 12 from the OT tribes and the 12 apostles.

After Jesus left, He sent another Parakletos Teacher-Counselor like Himself!  Jesus said (a): “Ongoingly I AM The Way [to the Father], and The Truth (b) [about the Father], and The Genuine-life (c) [of the Father] – Absolutely NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me. . . . The Father will give you another Close-Beside-Teacher/Counselor (d) to be with you forever, that is, The Spirit of The Truth (e) . . . Close-Beside-Teacher/Counselor (d), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father shall actually, in the future, send in My name/authority, He will teach you ALL things . . . You already experientially, relationally know (f) Him, because He presently dwells with (g) you (the Parakletos as Jesus) and/also shall, in the future, actually be in you (the Parakletos as the indwelling Holy Spirit of Pentecost forward). . . .When this Close-Beside-Teacher/Counselor (d) has come, whom I shall, in the future, actually send to you from the Father, The Spirit of The Truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness (testify) about Me. . . . When The Spirit of The Truth comes, He will guide you into ALL The Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears [from Jesus, the Logos Communicator of God] He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” <Notes> a) John 14:6, 16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:13-14, b) aletheia: absolute reality, c) zoe, d) Parakletos: ‘Close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor, e) Jesus in John 14:26 and through the NT, f) ginosko, g) para: close beside.

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher-Counselor now on earth!  John explains: “You have already been anointed (h) by the Holy One (a), and so you ALL, already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (b).  I write to you, not because you do not, already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (b) The Truth, but because you already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (b) it (The Truth), and because no lie [of the false teachers] is of The Truth. . . Let what you heard/listened-to-understand (c) from the beginning remain dwelling in you. If what you heard/listened-to-understand (c) from the beginning remains dwelling in you, then you too will remain dwelling in the Son and in the Father. . . I am actually writing these things to you because of those who are trying to deceive you [as false teachers]. However, the anointing that you already received from Him actually remains dwelling in you, and so you have absolutely in fact no need that anyone should teach you. But just as His anointing actually, ongoingly teaches you about ALL things, and is trustworthy, and thus is no lie – just as it has already taught you, meno remain abiding/dwelling in Him (Jesus). So now, little children, meno remain abiding/dwelling in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming (d). See A 11-21-2021 Vision about Meno abiding.  “The Truth” isn’t gnosis info-knowledge to inductively ‘connect-the-dots’ to understand (e), but “The Truth” of Jesus Christ (f), incarnate “trust-rely-Faith and Unconditional-love,” dwelling within Christians by the anointing of the Anointed One, who is Christ’s Holy Spirit (g)!  <Notes> a) Christ, the Holy and Righteous One: Acts 3:14, 7:52, 22:14, b) eido, c) akouo, d) 1 John 2:20-21, 24, 26-28, e) sunesis, f) John 14:6, g) 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, h) consecration, ordination, endowment.

Jesus is still our Parakletos Advocate in heaven!   John says: “But if anyone does sin, we have a [singular] Parakletos Defense-Advocate-Intercessor with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous [One]” (a). Paul asks: “Who is to condemn [us]?  Christ Jesus is the One who died [for us] – more than that, who was raised [for us] – who is at the right hand [of all authority] of God, who actually is interceding for us” (b).  “There is one God and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (c).  “Consequently, He (Jesus as High Priest) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near (d) to God through Him, since He always lives to the make intercession (d) for them” (e). <Notes> a) 1 John 2:1, b) Romans 8:34, c) 1 Timothy 2:5, d) see Conversational-Prayer, e) Hebrews 7:25.

As Christian musicians, it seems a lot of Christians will believe almost anybody else but Jesus, when it comes to ministry positions, offices, and titles.  Jesus made it clear that we are all simply “brethren and absolutely in no way to call any many Father, Leader, or Teacher, corresponding to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but from about 200 AD on the Church did and has rarely repented!  There are so many verses that talk about the enabling-power of the Holy Spirit to carry out the will of God, especially to hear-to-understand the Jesus as Logos Communicator of God.  Jesus is still teaching and counseling us, but since He is seated in heaven interceding for us as our Advocate, He has delegated His teaching/counseling responsibility on earth to His Holy Spirit.  There is no mention of Jesus leaving any kind of gramma writings for His people, but constant assurance He has left us His Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL truth!

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Teaching is a grace-gift of the Spirit, but that doesn’t make you a teacher

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The NT says the Spirit gives the grace-gift of teaching (a), that the early Church had teachers (b), that Paul included himself as a teacher (c), and that Hebrews 5:12 ridicules Jewish-Christians that should have been mature enough to “be teachers by this time,” yet James 3:1 warns “not many of you should become teachers.”  Just what is this and what is it not?  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 12:28-29, Ephesians 4:11, b) Acts 2:42, 13:1, 15:35, c) 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11, 4:3, Acts 18:11.

Just because a person has been given a “grace-gift to teach” or is “apt/skilled to teach” (a) doesn’t mean he should then be called “Teacher,” especially when Jesus clearly stated there is only “One Teacher” and thus to “call no man ‘Teacher’ (b) because WE are ALL brethren” (c).  ALL grace-gifts have to do with functions (d) – all the Greek words used for them are verbs or verbal-nouns, not positions, offices, or titles at all.  For example, verses about teaching use these words:  “training” (e), “to train” (f), “equipping” (g), and “nourishing” (h).  Because I can wash dishes and do wash dishes, especially when my wife calls on me to do so and because I love her, does that mean I am a dishwasher, that I have a position doing that, that I have my own private room for this, or that I have a name plate for that room, walk around with a name tag with that title, or walk around in public with my special uniform, collar, or hat so that everybody knows that I am a dishwasher?  How ridiculous!  That’s what the Pharisees did and what many clerical, churchmen do today!  Nothing really has changed that much since Christ’s day because religious men like “to be seen by others” (i).  <Notes> a) 1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:2, 24, b) rabbi, c) Matthew 23:8 – see Teach One Another – BT10, d) praxis, e) paideuo: correcting, chastening, disciplining, as with children: 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 2:12, Acts 22:3, f) gumnazo: exercise the body or mind: 1 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 5:14, 12:11 “trained by paideuo discipline,” g) katartizo: thoroughly make fit, prepare: Hebrews 13:21 – see Coaches and Factilitators, h) entrepho: form the mind, educate: 1 Timothy 4:6, i) Matthew 6:5, 23:5-8.

As we’ve seen, part of this confusion about “teachers and teaching” comes from reading our modern definitions of “teachers and teaching” into these ancient 1st century documents.  However, when these are read accurately in context, much of the early Church’s “teaching” was actually more like “child-rearing or elementary education (a) in righteousness” (b) that “made them wise for salvation in Christ by trusting-relying-faith” (c). This child-like educational approach even consisted of gentle correction of argumentative Jews (d), thus never done by argumentation (e) or as a debater (f) or by yelling or quarreling (g), and certainly not over words or controversies of the Torah Law of conditional-favor (h). <Notes> a) paideia: where we get the word pediatrics, b) 2 Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:5, 7, 8, 11, c) v. 3:15, d) 2 Timothy 2:25, e) Titus 2:9, f) 1 Corinthians 1:20, g) Matthew 12:19; Romans 14:1; 1 Corinthians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20; 1 Timothy 2:8, 3:3; James 4:1-2, h) 1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14, 23-24; Titus 3:2, 9.

Yet, this argumentative debate is exactly how Jewish and even Christian universities have taught from the beginning of time!  The Jews actually believe that debate is a form of obedient “meditation of scripture as worship to God” and thus part of their “unconditionally-loving God with their whole mind (a)” (b) – another tradition of men “borrowed” from the OT to maintain the status quo of their professions as teachers at bible colleges and universities!  This too is the foundational problem of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church.  It’s even more obvious the intellectual bias of the cunning scribe-lawyer who added to the OT commandment in Luke 10:27 “unconditionally-loving God with all your naturally-endowed strength/power (c)?”  This “internal capacity of firmness, vigor, strength, might, ability, efficiency, force, and power or control over external things including immediate resistance” is exactly the “power” of Zechariah 4:6’s “absolutely in fact not by might nor power” that God wants to dispose of in exchange for “by My Spirit.” <Notes> a) dianoia: thorough, balanced reasoning of intellect, b) Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30 citing Deuteronomy 6:5, c) koach, ishus in contrast to chayil/dunamis Spirit-power.

As we’ll see again, much of the confusion about “teachers and teaching” is also because of our modern emphasis on the noun “teachers,” as if the NT emphasis was upon individual people, positions, offices, or titles.  However, the emphasis in the NT was more on the verbal aspect of “teaching” (a) as only one of many functions (b) within the Body-of-Christ (c) or one of many forms of “service with different energetically effective/efficient results/effects” as one of many “demonstrations of the Holy Spirit” (d). Wouldn’t it sound foolish to give positions, offices, or titles to “helpers, tongue-speakers, tongue-interpreters, miracle-workers, and healers,” but we still feel determined to “cherry-pick” grace-gifts from the many lists and then call the people who get them:  “Apostles (e), Prophets (f), Evangelists (g), Pastors (h), Teachers, and Administrators (Managed-Caregiver Supervisors).”  It’s all so arbitrary!  However, out of 58 uses of “teacher” in the NT (i) only 8 (j) or 14% are used of Christians!  Most uses are negatively describing this within an unbelieving, hostile world!  <Notes> a) Romans 12:6-8; 1 Timothy 4:13; 5:17, b) praxis, c) Romans 12:4, d) 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 27-31, e) who are missionaries or church-planters, f) those who hear and speak the directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words of God, even from visions and dreams, g) preachers, h) shepherds, i) rabbi, didaskalos, j) 1 Corinthians 12:28-29; 2 Timothy 1:11; 1 Timothy 2:7; James 3:1; Ephesians 4:11; Acts 13:1; Hebrews 5:12.

Most Greek scholars see these nouns as “action or verbal nouns” and merely a convenience for getting around the awkwardness of always having to say: “the ones sent-out-on a mission, the ones who prophesy, the ones who preach the gospel, the ones who shepherds/cares/watches over others who are also apt/skilled in teaching, or the ones who administrate or organize others.”  It’s like saying “Garbage Collector” instead of “the one who drives down my alley and regularly picks up my garbage.”  I don’t think they care about have being called this, having a name tag that says this, a special shirt that says this, or a sign on their truck that says this.  In fact, most just want to be left alone to do their job, but they do appreciate cold water, a wave, candy bars, and oranges I’ve found out!  I think nowadays, the use of these church positions, offices, titles, and special clothing have more to do with the religion of “special people and all that is connected to them” and the “want to be seen by men” pride associated with all this, because there is certainly no NT justification for any of this!

BODY-teaching is the solution to the many pitfalls described above!  Ephesians 4:4-16 explains: “There is one Body and one Spirit . . . but unconditional-favor-of-grace was given (a) to EACH ONE of us down-from/according-to . . . of the [singular] grace-gift of Christ. . . He gave grace-gifts [of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12] to men . . . in order that He might pleroo fill to completion (b) all things (c), thus He gave . . . ” Christ is ultimately the agent, the giver of the Spirit and the grace-gifts from the Father (d). <Notes> a) being that it’s unmerited, b) pleroo, c) including ALL people of His Body, d) John 15:26, 16:7; Romans 11:29, Hebrews 2:4.

Now Paul continues:  “These [grace-gift] apostles, these [grace-gift] prophets, these [grace-gift] evangelists, these [grace-gift] shepherds kai and/coupled teachers.” Scholars note that only one article “these” governs each group of grace-gifts, as with the coupled/linked “shepherds and teachers” group, making a total of 4 grace-gift groups, not 5 as so many erroneously teach as “a five-fold ministry.” Thus scholars see this latter group simply as “these [grace-gift] shepherds [who are apt/skilled as] also teachers” as often linked (b). The definite articles “these” referring to 4 [grace-gift] groups (each is plural not singular) all point back to the “He (Christ) gave grace-gifts.”  Jesus isn’t speaking of what goes on in any one city or church gathering, but the entire Body-of-Christ worldwide!  Thus the “apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds [who are] also teachers” are not people, positions, offices, or titles, but functioning “grace-gifts,” and clearly there was no hint of a mono-episcopacy or one-bishop rule that the Catholic Church invented or that the Protestants perpetuated with a mere title change to “Head or Lead or Senior Pastor” to hide their own guilt! <Notes> a) the coupling conjunction kai often means “even” or “and also”, b) 1 Timothy 3:2, 5:17; 2 Timothy 2:2, 24; Titus 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:15.

Why did Christ give these functioning grace-gifts? “For the equipping (a) the saints for the work/doing of ministry/service.”  The “equippers” aren’t supposed to be the “ministry staff” of the church! ALL the saints are supposed to be!  The idea of “clergy” and “laity” was invented by the Catholic Church – do your homework!  But what kind of ministry?  To “build up the Body-of-Christ.”  That’s the role of ALL the saints, not just the “equippers!”  Does this mean building church attendance or increasing the money collected to build church buildings?  No, “until we ALL attain towards/at the unity of The-Trusting-Relying-Faith and/coupled of the genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of the Son of God.”  That’s what The Christian Faith is about – intimate fellowship with Christ. That’s what unifies churches, not a 100 programs to keep everybody busy!  <Notes> a) katartismos – see Coaching and Facilitating.

Paul continues with more clarity: “[That is] towards/at [being] a grown up (mature) person, [that is] to the measuring-device-size (a) of the size/stature of the fullness (b) of Christ.” Why is Christ our example to grow up to be like?  “In order that we may no longer be little children tossed to and from . . . carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking The Truth (c) by the means of unconditional-love, we are [ALL] to grow up in every way…into Christ who is the Head (d), [that is] into Christ. . . making the Body grow so that it builds itself up by the means of unconditional-love.” <Notes> a) metron: where we get ‘metronome’ from, a device that clicks out a set, equal, amount of time – God doesn’t show favoritism but is impartial by giving equal amounts, but expressed differently through different grace-gifts in us, different services through us, and different energetically-effective results in others, b) pleroma: completeness, Ephesians 3:19, c) Jesus and His sound logos gospel message of The Truth, d) master:  Ephesians 1:22, 5:23, the only ‘down-from/according-to’ authorized leader, leaving the rest of us simply ‘brethren’ per Matthew 23:8-10 – see Teach One Another – BT10.

Boy, have a lot of churches got this one wrong too!  Only if we are ALL growing up “into Christ” will we be actually hearing “The Truth,” who is Jesus (a) and then understand that “unconditional-love” is what we will then be hearing from Christ – not more sermons on bible doctrine!  Christ’s unconditional-love is what builds the Church, not building programs! Only when we are hearing The Truth for Jesus, The Truth, will other “winds of doctrine” blow right past us!  <Notes> a) John 14:6.

Jesus said, “The sheep follow Him, for they have already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (a) His Voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they have not in fact already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know (a) the voice of strangers” (b).  The solution to recognizing a counterfeit is to really know the real thing!   Yes, the directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words of God are seen in our mind’s eye to understand, thus the promises of prophecy are primarily through vision and dreams (c). We know from Paul’s many other lists of “grace-gifts” of the Spirit of Christ, that Ephesians 4:11 is a very limited list, simply focusing on “equipping functions” (d) and their very limited role!  It’s really sad to see church leaders read too much into this passage to justify so many personal ambitions and indulgences! <Notes> a) eido, b) John 10:4-6, c) Acts 2:17-19, d) not people.

As Christian musicians, do we care more about “being seen by men” as special leaders or teachers with special positions, offices, titles, and dress?  Or do we correctly see these as various functions of service to others, based on God’s grace and work of the Holy Spirit at the moment that God can change depending on the needs at the moment?  Only the free-flow ministry of the Holy Spirit through every member of the Body-of-Christ can we escape the imbalance and susceptibility of error that comes when only one or a few try to the be the “ministers.”  Only when the Body-of-Christ is free from “ball-hogging ministers,” will the “saints be able to do the work of ministry in order to build up the Church into the mature stature of Christ!”  If a church is only regularly hearing from one or a few on some stage placed “over them,” then the “audience” are sitting ducks to “be carried away by every form of error and deception!”  And shouldn’t any human voice simply being Coaching and Facilitating as “equippers,” especially when there is only One Teacher who is Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit?

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Music, teaching, prophecy, and grace-gifts were to be a ONE ANOTHER experience!

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Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “When you come together, [I strongly urge that] each one have a psalm, a didache teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” There’s nothing here about pulling out your bibles, reading, studying, or discussing them!  Could that be another reason why so many churches aren’t being “built up” – they don’t allow the reciprocal sharing of psalms, teachings, revelations, tongues, or interpretations?  That’s right, you can bring your musical instrument and share your psalm!  These aren’t acapella hymns!  How does the Church of Christ get around verses like this?  I sure never saw this verse while I was there!  And when is the last time you saw people from the “audience” on Sunday get up on stage and start singing and playing with the band?

Then Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 14:27-40 about taking turns with tongues and interpreting them, and then about prophets taking turns while the others listen to “weigh in on what was said. If a revelation is received by someone else, then the first prophet should stop, for [by this taking of turns] you can ALL ongoingly prophesy one by one, in order that ALL may ongoingly learn/understand (a), and ALL ongoingly be coming-alongside counseled, taught, encouraged, comforted, admonished (b) . . . therefore, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not in possibility forbid speaking in tongues, although all things should be done decently and in order.” Again, it amazes me how many churches disobey such clear instructions!  Look at the interactive teaching and learning going on! <Notes> a) manthano: hear/listen to be informed/understand. Cf. ‘learned from the Father’ to be ‘taught by God’ John 6:45, ‘learned Christ’ Ephesians 4:20, ‘learning from Christ’ Matthew 11:29, b) parakaleo.

When you only have ONE person doing all the teaching in a church, you really are set up for error, self-deception, and possibly intentional deception for personal gain, as we’ve seen is so common in the bible and throughout Church history. The “checks and balances” that the Lord has divinely instituted to keep this from happening is really the only model of the Church that has been given to us – and that is Body-of-Christ ministry, where EACH ONE OF YOU or ONE ANOTHER reciprocally is involved in the teaching, counseling, and correcting of EACH OTHER.

As Christian musicians, don’t you want to be part of that kind of church?  Is it about sounding good for God?  Or involving as much of the Body-of-Christ in the worship of the Lord?  Then why not invite them to get up on stage with an instrument and join in making music?  Why can’t they do it somewhere in the audience?  Why do we even have a stage and audience format?  Why can’t everybody sit around the musicians in the middle?  Why do we even have an audience all facing forward?  Who created that format?  A pagan Emperor who wanted to unite his empire around 300 AD used Christianity to do so, and he created the Church buildings patterned after pagan Greek and Roman temples!  Instead of borrowing from the world to build The Great Wall quenching the Spirit, shouldn’t we have the faith to return to New Testament ONE ANOTHER ministry?

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What about the Body-of-Christ’s ministry of teaching and correction?

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It amazes me how so many churches deviate from the clear instructions on what church meetings were to be like.  Paul says in Colossians 3:16, “I strongly urge you to ongoingly let the logos gospel message of Christ dwell in you-all richly, by the means of all wisdom, routinely teaching (a) and/coupled routinely admonishing (b) reciprocally one another in/by/with psalms (c), hymns (d), Spirit-kind-of odes (e) with unconditional-favor-of-grace singing/praising in/by/with your hearts to God (f), and/thus whatever you do, in logos message or deed, do everything in the name/authority of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father thru-the-realizing-channel-of Him (Christ).” <Notes> a) didasko, b) noutheteo: ‘placing in the mind of’ – urgent reasoning by instruction and warning, c) psalmos: “hit, twanged, plucked, or twitched” out songs with/without singing, d) acapella songs, e) prophetic, spontaneous hymns or psalms, f) here we are to be aware of/recognize “grace in/by/with your hearts,” and naturally our response would be thanksgiving expressed through “singing/praising in/by/with” those same “grateful hearts!”

This same “teaching and/coupled admonishing one another” phrase is used in Colossians 1:28 for Paul’s ministry “to present every person mature in Christ.”  We also find this to be the role of managed-caregivers (a).  However, “admonishing the unruly/undisciplined” is something ALL the “brothers and sisters” were to be doing along with “comforting the discouraged, helping the weak (b)” (c).  It’s also part of “coming alongside to counsel, teach, encourage, comfort, and admonish (d) ONE ANOTHER and building up ONE ANOTHER” (e).  Paul says this in Romans 15:14, “I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you are actually, ongoingly . . . filled to completion with all informational gnosis knowledge (f), also routinely enabled to admonish ONE ANOTHER, but I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you.” Somehow the modern Church has made the “teaching and admonishing” almost entirely the so-called “leadership staff’s” role – see Coaches and Facilitators. However, Paul tells the whole church in 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15, “As for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.  If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother/sister.”  This is clearly a Body-of-Christ ministry! <Notes> a) proistemi: 1 Thessalonians 5:12 – see Coaches and Facilitators, b) feeble, impotent, c) 1 Thessalonians 5:14, d) parakaleo, e) 1 Thessalonians 5:11, f) so why are you trying to get this from Gnostics, philosophers, or Jewish teachers?  Cf. 1 John 2:20, 27.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Paul teaches more about Body-of-Christ teaching of ONE ANOTHER: “When you come together, EACH ONE OF YOU has a hymn, teaching (a), [prophetic] revelation, tongue, interpretation…but let all things be done for building up.” And in Ephesians 5:18-19, “I strongly urge you to be ongoingly filled by the Spirit, routinely conversationally speaking to (b) reciprocally ONE ANOTHER by psalms and hymns and Spirit-kind-of odes, routinely singing/praising (c) and routinely psalming (d) in/by/with your hearts to the Lord . . . and routinely submitting reciprocally to ONE ANOTHER out of reverence to Christ.”  When is the last time you saw this kind of teaching in church or seen a pastor submitting to you instead of them calling you to submit to them? <Notes> a) didache, b) laleo, c) ado, d) psallo.

Most scholars don’t see these “routine” active participles as formulas describing how to “be [passively] filled by the Spirit” or Spirit-baptized but as a continuation of Paul’s imperative urgings to “routinely understand what the will of the Lord is” (a) and to be “walking as children of light . . . routinely learning (b) what is pleasing to the Lord” (c), and immediately to “not in possibility get drunk with wine, which is debauchery.”  That’s how the world parties in the dark, but Christians are called to an incredible party in the light and that’s where we will hear from the Lord about His will!  How?  Surely by “being [passively] filled by the Spirit!” And it’s very possible that Paul is saying that this can happen when you party with others who have been Spirit-baptized!  We will get filled and learn God’s will together!  This is Body-of-Christ ministry! <Notes> a) Ephesians 5:17, b) by examination to prove what is genuine, c) v. 5:10.

It’s not a one-man show but a party in the Spirit!  It’s not one bishop-pastor telling everybody what he thinks!  Sharing teachings and prophecies as in 1 Corinthians 14:29-31 is more consistent with “discernment, wisdom, and understanding” given “by revelation from the Holy Spirit” that Paul speaks of so much – see New Covenant Ways – BT16. The more you party with others in the Spirit the “more the things of this world will grow strangely dim,” as the song goes!  My point here is that the Spirit’s grace-gifts of tongues, interpretation, prophesy (a), and even teaching of Christian doctrine was supposed to be a ONE-ANOTHER ministry, not just by “the ministry staff” of the church!  <Notes> a) revelation, speaking by the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:3, even by tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:2.

Look what Paul’s traveling preacher-companion Barnabas likely wrote in more polished Greek than Paul writes in:  “Let US consider how to be stirring up ONE ANOTHER to unconditional-love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but routinely coming alongside to counsel, teach, encourage, comfort, admonish (a) ONE ANOTHER, even more as you see the Day [of Christ’s return] drawing near” (b). This was the party that the early Church was!  Ministry by the Body-of-Christ, not just a few “equippers” running the show, which are only supposed to be Coaches and Facilitators, not the ministers (c)! <Notes> a) parakaleo, b) Hebrews 10:24-25, c) Ephesians 4:4-16.

But Paul now talks about bringing order to the church services in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. But you have to read 1 Corinthians 12-14 together to see the crazy “party” of the Spirit’s grace-gifts poured out on the church gatherings.  People we so jazzed, caught up in the frenzy of the Spirit, they were cutting each other off in their zeal to share what God was doing in there life.  I’ve rarely seen this in a church because they would escort you out if you interrupted the pastor!  But I have been in some glorious home groups where there was an “electricity” in the air and so much enthusiasm that it was easy to interrupt someone sharing.  In some cases, Christians needed to be “gently corrected or admonished” because people get stuff out of books that just aren’t from the Lord at all.  They get stuff out of their English bibles that the original languages don’t remotely say and often out of the immediate context not to mention out of the context of that book of the bible, the other writings from that author, and that of the whole New Testament.  So prophets or other Spirit-kind-of people need to “admonish or gently correct” them, bring a balance from the whole counsel of God, so “that all may interact, learn, and be encouraged together.”  Otherwise, error will spread throughout the church!  The Body-of-Christ must correct itself!  There are so many things spoken from the pulpit that could have been corrected or brought into balance if the congregation were allowed to do this!  This is significant part of the foundational problem of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in churches.

As Christian musicians, wouldn’t you rather be part of a group patterned after the New Testament Church where everybody shares what the Lord is doing in their life, teachings, revelations, prophecies, wisdom, knowledge, encouragement, music, and where anyone can gently correct anyone as everybody weighs in on what is said?  This is how the Lord keeps the Body-of-Christ from being deceived by any one teacher and carried away by winds of doctrine borrowed from the Old Testament or from the world that don’t belong in the New Covenant and thus build The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit.  Although the Lord warned often about “hogging the ball” and “exercising authority over others” but “submitting to one another” and “outdoing each other in the showing of honor,” it hasn’t stopped leader-teachers from ignoring Him!  Most of the modern Church is a 1-man show or at least that of a small “team!”

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Warnings against ‘Wise and Learned’ teachers – knowledge is NOT power!

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The NT is full of warnings against following so-called “wise and learned” teachers:  They are often in error (a)!  Having been caused to believe something that is not true, they are then self-deceived (b), evil people and imposters who will go on from bad to worse, being deceived and deceiving (c), who are actually full of deceit (d).  They “use their tongues to deceive” (e), for “such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (f). Unlike Paul’s appeals, their “appeal springs from error or impurity or an attempt to deceive” (g).  1 John 3:7 warns, “Let no one deceive you . . . in any way” (h) or “with empty words” (i).  Colossians 2:8 warns, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy (human wisdom) and empty deceit, down-from/according-to human tradition, down-from/according-to the rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamentals (j) of the world (l), but not down-from/according-to Christ,” and Paul refers everywhere to these “abc’s” as the written Torah Law of conditional-favor, the Oral Torah, and Gentile religious commandments to “don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch . . . human precepts and teaching . . . that actually have an appearance of wisdom . . . but they are absolutely in fact of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (k). <Notes> a) 1 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:18, 3:17; 1 John 4:6; Jude 1:11, b) 1 Corinthians 3:18, 6:9, 15:33; Galatians 6:3, 7; 1 John 1:8, c) 2 Timothy 3:13, d) Acts 13:10; Romans 1:29, e) Romans 3:13, f) Romans 16:18, g) 1 Thessalonians 2:3, h) 2 Thessalonians 2:3, i) Ephesians 5:6, j) stoicheion, k) Galatians 4:3, 9; Colossians 2:20-23; cf. Hebrews 5:12, l) in context, these ‘abc’ fundamentals are common to all world religions, even Judaism.

Knowing what to do doesn’t give you the enabling-power to do them (a)!  The OT commandments actually increase sin (b), for the enabling-power of sin is the Torah Law of conditional-favor (c)!  The answer is to “die to the Law that held us captive” (d), by “being crucified with Him (e) in order that the body of sin might be rendered inactive (f), so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For the one who has died has been set free from sin” (g).  Then we can get “The Truth” directly “down-from/according-to Christ” Himself!  That’s the NT solution to the OT problem!  <Notes> a) Romans 7:15-19, 21-24, b) Romans 5:20, c) 1 Corinthians 15:56, d) Romans 7:6, e) context: in water-baptism, f) denied of its dunamis enabling-power source – the old self, g) Romans 6:6-7.

There are many warnings about these teachers and their deceptive teachings:  John says “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.” (a). Paul warns: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from The Trusting-Relying-Faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods (b)” (c). These teachers are even called liars (d), following Satan, the father of lies (e). The NT warns to avoid such people:  Everyone who routinely goes further than what is right/proper (f) and/coupled does not abide/continue/live (g) in/by/with the teaching of Christ (h) actually does not in fact have God, but whoever does abide/continue/live (g) in/by/with this teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works” (i).” <Notes> a) 1 John 2:26, b) OT and Oral Torah food Laws, but other religions teach these ‘abc’ fundamentals also, c) 1 Timothy 4:1-3, d) 1 John 1:6, 10, 2:4, 21-22, 4:20, 5:10; 1 Timothy 4:2, e) John 8:44-45, f) proago: either forward or backward in time – this is defined by what follows:  the singular teaching of Christ, g) meno, h) cf. the doctrine of the Father: John 7:15-16, i) 2 John 1:9-11.

Paul says: “Avoid those who . . . are contrary to the doctrine you have been taught” (a), and “avoid the irreverent babble (b) and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ (c) . . . but serving from The-Trusting-Relying-Faith [in Christ alone]” (d), “avoiding foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the Torah Law of conditional-favor (e) for they are worthless and useless” (f), and “avoid such people, who have the appearance/form of godliness, but deny the enabling-power (g) of it” (h).  Paul would have to scold many churches today who are quite enamored by the OT Law! <Notes> a) Romans 16:17, b) 2 Timothy 2:16, c) gnosis: informational knowledge, d) 1 Timothy 6:20-21, e) scholarly debate is still encouraged to ‘unlock’ the scriptures, and the Jews saw it as “worshipping God with their minds”, f) Titus 3:9, g) see Spirit-power, h) 2 Timothy 3:5-6.

The NT writers were always “afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (a), “for many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (b). There will be “false prophets (c), who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (d), “for many false prophets have already gone out into the world” (e), even “performing great signs & wonders” (f) to “lead many astray” (g), though the people “will speak well of them” (h). There will be “false apostles (i), deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (j), “those who call themselves apostles and are not – I (Christ) have found them to be false” (k). There will be “danger from false brothers” (l), “secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom (m) that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery” (n), and in context, Paul is referring to the slavery of OT Torah Laws of conditional-favor, including circumcision. There “will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master . . . In their greed they will exploit you with false words” (o). <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 11:3, b) 2 John 1:7, c) Acts 13:6, d) Matthew 7:15, e) 1 John 4:1, f) Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22, g) Matthew 24:11, h) Luke 6:26, i) sent-out ‘missionaries’, j) 2 Corinthians 11:13, k) Revelation 2:2, l) 2 Corinthians 11:26, m) from OT and Gentile religious rules, n), Galatians 2:4, o) 2 Peter 2:1, 3.

Paul repeatedly warned about these teachers of the Law (a), “charging certain persons not to teach any different doctrine. . . rather than that which is by trusting-relying-faith” (b), telling his young pastor-evangelist: “put these things before the brethren, being a good servant of Christ Jesus, ongoingly being nourished/educated (c) by the logos gospel message of The-Trusting-Relying-Faith and/coupled the [singular] beautiful, harmonious, excellent, praiseworthy (d) teaching (e) that you have followed” (f). Therefore, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine (e) that does not agree with the sound (g) logos messages of our Lord Jesus Christ and the didaskalia teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words (h), which produces . . . and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of The Truth (l), imagining that godliness is a means of gain” (i). The Hebrews writer says, “Do not be led away by diverse and strange doctrines, for it is best for the heart to be strengthened by unconditional-favor-of-grace, not by foods (j), which have not benefited those devoted to them” (k). <Notes> a) Romans 2:20-21, b) 1 Timothy 1:3-4, c) entrepho, d) kalos: beautiful physically or morally; distinctly the ‘beauty’ that comes from harmony or proportional symmetry and thus completeness; excellent in nature or character, thus well adapted for its use, and thus praiseworthy and noble., e) didaskalos, f) 1 Timothy 4:6, g) hugiaino: sound, in-balance, all-parts-working, healthy condition, h) again scholarly debate is still encouraged to ‘unlock’ the scriptures and the Jews saw it as “worshipping God with their minds”, i) 1 Timothy 6:3-5, j) of the written Torah Law of conditional-favor, the Oral Torah, or Gentile religions, k) Hebrews 13:9, l) Jesus per John 14:6.

As Christian musicians, the teachers coming into the Church have always been the deceived and the deceivers, especially those who continue to teach the commandments of the old covenant or wise-sounding regulations from the world.  Either builds The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit, and “they are absolutely in fact of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”  The problem has never been not knowing God’s will – He speaks to every man’s conscience and the Old Testament existed for 1000s of years!  The problem has always been the flesh’s inability to consistently “desire or do God’s pleasure.”  The problem is the lack of enabling-power!  The New Covenant promises something completely different than the old covenant – the Holy Spirit’s enabling-power and the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ when we fail!  “Mercy and Grace trump the judgment of the Law” per James 2:13.  Religious teachers always try to find a way to climb up a ladder toward God through some acts of obedience, but Paul’s gospel calls all men to “the obedience of faith” per Romans 1:5, 16:26 in “one man’s act of obedience that makes all men righteous” per Romans 5:19.  Much of the New Testament is written just to warn Christians about the deception of religious teachers and “to abide/remain in Christ so that you have absolutely in fact no need that anyone teach you” per 1 John 2:27 and then there will be no doubt you will “bear much fruit to prove we are Christ’s disciples” per John 15:7-8.

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Be careful about human leaders and teachers!  But what about New Testament writings?

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It amazes me that as often as the New Testament tells us that we should seek the Holy Spirit to be our “One Teacher,” how many people want to still be bible teachers.  I also did for years, because so many churches and 5 bible colleges erroneously preach this as the epitome of serving God!  Many people think that I do all this research and write these comprehensive studies and post them on my website to be a teacher for others. They think this is because of an erroneous “definition” of teaching that has been handed down to them as a “tradition of men” that then erroneously “filters” every subsequent discussion about teaching.

If you do a careful study of why the NT writers wrote what they did, especially by looking for their stated purposes, you will see they weren’t trying to teach so much as they were reminding of what God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His prophets have already said (a).  And they certainly believed that the teaching of Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit was never going to stop – but not just through a few “great men of God” throughout history, but now for every one of God’s servants, and especially “from the least to the greatest among you” (b) for “this promise is for your children’s children, to ALL those far off called by God, both My men and maid servants” (c). <Notes> a) 1 John 2:21-28, b) Hebrews 8:11 citing Jeremiah 31:34, c) Acts 2:17-18, 38-39.

Much of NT writing was simply to be a witness or testimony (a) to encourage trusting-relying-faith in Christ (b) and to encourage unconditional-love for one another (c), the only 2 official, universally binding commandments for the New Covenant Way!  However, they did spend a lot of time correcting errors by stating already-taught truth of God, and warnings against Jew & Gentile religious teachers of commandments (d) that would detract from salvation by unconditional-favor-of-grace through trusting-relying-faith (e) in Christ. <Notes> a) Matthew 24:14; Luke 21:13, 24:48; John 21:24- 25; Acts 8:25, 10:42, 20:21, b) John 20:31; Acts 20:21; Romans 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:13, c) 1 Timothy 1:5; Philippians 2:1-2; Colossians 2:2, d) 1 John 2:26, e) pistis: relational conviction of trusting reliance.

In the same way, 99% of what I write is simply organizing and presenting in a fresh unfiltered way from the original languages, what has already been taught by God, Jesus, His apostles, and prophets. So, in no way do I consider myself a teacher, nor do I desire to be one. I write to be able to see the plainly-stated truth in an organized way so that I can stay focused on “the main things” so I don’t end up “majoring in the minors.” The “main thing is to keep the main things the main things!” And I believe this is so valuable that I pass it onto others, to provoke them to stay focused as well, and for SpiritMusicMeetups for the Body-of-Christ to BLOG and learn from each other.  I explained why “I am NOT your teacher” on the Bible-Info – BT4 page.

James 3:1 gives a strong warning: “Not many of you should ongoingly be teachers (a), my brethren, having already known, with ongoing results, that we shall be judged greater.”  James is trying to dissuade all these people trying to come in to be teachers!  Paul was upset Christians were becoming followers of even Christian leader-teachers like himself, which he said was being very “fleshly” (human) and was actually dividing the Body-of-Christ (b), clarifying that “being imitators of me, only as I am of Christ” (c) and “following the pattern of sound logos gospel messages that you have heard from me – by the means of [singular] trusting-relying-faith and [singular] unconditional-love that are IN Christ Jesus” (d). Here’s that “trusting-relying-faith and unconditional-love” connection again – this is the ONLY way Christians were to follow even Paul, only in this way, by imitating Christ!  See also Coaches and Facilitators. <Notes> a) didaskalos, b) 1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4, c) 1 Corinthians 11:1, cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9, d) 2 Timothy 1:13 – see the Only 2 Commandments page.

Shouldn’t “Follow Me” be Christ’s invitation alone (a)?  I witnessed the Church of Christ that I was saved in during college in 1982 split because of an enthusiastic, but misguided, teacher-leader fall into sin. When this happened many of his followers fell away from Christ and went back to their previous ways, including drugs and promiscuity. Why? Because they had the religion of church-ianity that follows people instead of a genuine fellowship with Christ!  But Jesus said that “His sheep follow Him, for they have already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know (b) His Voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they have not already, with ongoing results, mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know (c) the voice of strangers. . . . My sheep ongoingly hear/listen-to-understand (d) My Voice, and ongoingly I experientially, relationally know (e) them, and they ongoingly follow Me” (f). <Notes> a) Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24, 19:21; Mark 1:17, 2:14, 8:34, 10:21; Luke 5:27, 9:23, 59, 18:22; John 1:43, 12:26, 21:19, 22, b) eido: prophetic understanding, c) eido, d) akouo, e) ginosko, f) John 10:4-5, 27.

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Peter knew that “The Promise” wasn’t any other teaching than prophetic

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The real problem warned about in every New Testament letter is of “teachers of the Law” or other religions, or just self-ambitious men anxious to be teachers in the Church.  Christians were listening to them instead of putting their trusting-relying-faith (a) in the Holy Spirit of Christ to be their “One Teacher” (b)!  The real “promise” about the dissemination of the knowledge of God under the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:34 cited in Hebrews 8:11 is that now ALL of God’s children shall actually be “taught by God” (c) so that “they shall actually absolutely no more in fact or in possibility teach (d) each one his neighbor nor each his brethren (g) to experientially, relationally know (e) the Lord, for they shall ALL eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (f) me – [but this time] from the least to the greatest.”  This is a key verse about the completely different-in-kind New Covenant Way! <Notes> a) pistis: relational conviction of trusting reliance, b) Matthew 23:8 – see Teach One Another – BT10, c) Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45; presently/ongoingly: 1 Thessalonians 4:9, d) lamad, didasko, e) yada, ginosko, f) eido is a word used typically of prophetic visions and dreams, g) that covered their Levitical responsibilities of teaching fellow Jews in synagogues and in the Temple, but also family members at home.

The exact problem of the old covenant was human teachers disseminating the knowledge of God through scripture down a hierarchy of “leadership” (see Coaches & Facilitators) from “the greatest to the least” (Jonah 3:5), just as in every worldly organization, from Moses to Aaron and his sons, to the Levite priests, to the men of every other tribe, to their women, to the children, and finally to the Gentiles and servant/slaves.  This introduces a lot of error, for much is lost in translation and transmission!  Anyone saying that’s not true is trying to sell you property in the Florida everglades!  I’ve had at least a 1000 books and online resources to piece together a more accurate view of the actual text and the meanings of the words, and 100s of scholars all disagree – they make it their living to disagree!  See the Bible Info page.

Instead, the apostle Peter citing Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:17-18 at the beginning of the Church Age, declared that the method that God will teach by in the “last days” is clearly through prophesy:  “In the last days it shall actually be . . . that I will pour out My Spirit . . . your sons and your daughters shall actually prophesy . . . gaze in awe with wide-open eyes upon (a) visions . . . dream dreams . . . on my male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall actually prophesy.”  This is a perfect case of English bibles obscuring the truth of the original languages – see Bible Info.  “Seeing visions” is a gross under-statement!  This Greek word is used for seeing a transfigured Christ, angels, and things of heaven!  See Prophetic-Rhema – BT9 and Least Among You – BT7. <Notes> a) optanomai: Matthew 5:8; Luke 3:6; John 19:37; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Revelation 22:4.

Actually, there is no mention in the NT about traditionally learning from God through OT scripture or even NT writings!  This concept came into the Catholic Church around 200 AD from “apologetic” theologians arguing against the Jews, panicking that Christians didn’t have authoritative writings like the Jews did.  Early Church history shows that this gave rise to the development of “dogma” or official Church teachings that they could then judge people by, determining if they were “heretics” to then excommunicate, persecute, and even kill!  This evil was all started by going down the slippery slope of “borrowing” from OT ideas and moving this into the NT Church, what God showed me was the foundation of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church.  As soon as the Church embraced the idea of “New Testament scripture” around 200 AD, it then could go on a quest to determine the “canon of New Testament scripture,” which then gave them the right to question and persecute all the grace-gifts of the Spirit, particularly prophecy – the very thing that the NT teaches the most.  But by then the bible was in Latin so nobody but the people in control knew this!  That was the “censuring media black-out” of their time!

However, Peter finishes by saying, “Repent and be water-baptized . . . and you will receive the grace-gift of the Holy Spirit, for this promise is for you and your children and for ALL who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (a).  “The Promise” of the New Covenant Way is clearly not teaching old scripture or writing “New scripture” as too many have erroneously taught, but the grace-gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us into ALL truth (b).  See the New Covenant Way, Prophetic-Rhema, Spirit-Baptism, and Grace-Gifts pages. <Notes> a) Acts 2:38-39, b) Ezekiel 11:19-21, 36:25-27; Luke 24:49; John 14:26, 16:13; Acts 1:4, 2:17-19 citing Joel 2:28, Acts 2:33, 38-39; Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13.

As Christian musicians, have you noticed it’s the “leaders” and “teachers” that tell everybody else it’s God’s will that you respect their authority and follow their teaching?  The problem of the early Church is the same today – those wanting to be leaders and teachers!  The NT writers keep warning us about them and pointing us back to the One Teacher of Christ, now as His Holy Spirit, “so that you have absolutely in fact no need of any other teacher” as John said in 1 John 2:27.  The New Covenant promise wasn’t more teachers but God to teach us through, even thru every member of the Body-of-Christ, but especially through prophecy!  Those who have turned their back on this have had to borrow Old Testament ways and worldly ways to disseminate the knowledge of God, but all of this creates The Great Wall quenching the Spirit.

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What about NT catechism teaching that utilized OT prophetic writings?

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Yes, the early Church had ‘catechism’ teaching, not just the Catholic Church!  There is no biblical Greek noun for this, but the verb katecheo means “repetitive instruction of foundational truths.”  That’s the way a prominent Roman named Theophilus was instructed about the logos gospel message, of which Luke would reinforce with his own account, which he continued as the Book of Acts (a).  The early Jewish-Christian church in Galatia was taught the logos gospel message of The Truth this way also, which had nothing to do with the Torah Law of conditional-favor but the ‘Law of Christ’ to bear one another’s burdens (b).  Paul refers to many of the Spirit’s grace-gifts for Body-of-Christ ministry for the “building up of the Church,” but especially emphasizes prophecy or tongues with understandable interpretation, because “in the church I would rather speak 5 words with my mind/understanding in order to catechize others, than 10,000 words in the [supernatural] tongues” (c).  There were other early Jewish-Christian evangelists like Apollos who were competent in the OT scripture but ‘catechized’ in the New Covenant Way of the Lord being fervent in the Spirit.  So they spoke and didasko taught the things concerning Jesus” (d). Very likely all of this teaching refers to the prophetic portions of OT scripture used to convert Jews to Christ, which Paul’s letters and Hebrews generously refer to, and most likely this has everything to do with the Only 2 Commandments of the New Covenant. <Notes> a) Luke 1:4; Acts 1:1, b) Galatians 6:6, c) 1 Corinthians 14:19, d) Acts 18:25.

But there is much written in the NT about directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words being God’s dominant way of teaching now under the New Covenant.  For example, regarding the use of the Spirit’s grace-gifts in church gatherings, Peter instructs with an imperative urgency:  “If a certain one presently/ongoingly speaks [publicly], [then] as with divine oracles (a) (b). In context, Peter isn’t referring to the OT prophetic scriptures used for catechism above, but clearly had in mind the grace-gift of prophecy (c). In fact, this is the only “speaking” people he mentions in the gathering, as if that was the dominant form of didaskalos teaching the Church was supposed to be routinely taught by!  We will speak of this more later, but also see the Prophetic Rhema page. <Notes> a) logion: uttered prophetic messages of the directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words of God, b) 1 Peter 4:11, c) Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:22; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Peter 1:20-21.

As Christian musicians, don’t we want to stick with the model of teaching that was left for us in the New Testament, instead of resuming Old Testament models or adding models from the world?  Both of these other models create The Great Wall that quenches the Holy Spirit!  If you are converting Jews, then it makes sense to use a catechism of Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament.  But if converting Gentiles, are we trying to make them Jews first to revere the Old just to get them into the New?  Seems like “the long scenic route” that would be ineffective for most Gentiles who hold no reverence, let alone confidence, in the Old Testament!

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