Least Among You – BT12:  Other reasons to be like a Little Child to ‘see’ God’s kingdom

 

 

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Who are they that will inwardly horao ‘observe/perceive to know/discern’ the kingdom of God?  Those who are born again from above (a) – see Salvation – BT8!   For more about discernment – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  But to “come into the kingdom” this way, you must become like a paidion little child (b).  I find it strange that more people in ministry want to teach/preach to adults, and strive to do so as the so-called “wise and understanding ones,” despite what we’ve seen God say about these in previous BLOGS, but few are eager to minister to children nor do they find it “amazing to see” what goes on in children ministries.  At Christ United Methodist they sort of made fun of the quirky youth pastor the few times he took over for the regular pastor on vacation, but each time he did, his Spirit-led, spontaneous sermons about what the youth were experiencing absolutely plowed me!  One time I thought I was going to fall to the floor and start balling because the Spirit was so strong!  None of the polished, read-from-an-iPad, entertaining sermons from the main pastor had any such effect!  <Notes> a) John 3:3, b) before 7-8 years old:  Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17.

 

We are invited to approach God in enteuxis prayer, which is an “an attitude of child-like confidence, trust/faith, boldness, and freedom in approaching God, especially to intercede for others” (a).  The Law and Oral Traditions had many food laws to be holy, but Paul explains that “everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the [gospel] logos message of God and/coupled by enteuxis ‘child-like, confident prayer‘” (b).  After all, we really are dearly, unconditionally-loved children of the God (c), who rules the universe!  We are the king’s kids!  We have this bold-confidence because of the blood of Jesus!  <Notes> a) 1 Timothy 2:1-2, b) 1 Timothy 4:4-5, c) John 1:12, 11:52, 1 John 3:2, 10, 5:2, Romans 8:17, 21, Philippians 2:15; Dearly unconditionally-loved by God:  Ephesians 5:1, 1 John 3:1.

 

Little children are uninhibited and thus free to exuberantly praise and worship!  The adults stood back as Jesus entered Jerusalem as the King of kings, but it was the crowds of nepios unlearned little children and/coupled even thelazo breast-feeding infants that had perfected praise, shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!” (a).  A multitude of His disciples also did this (b).  Little children aren’t looking around wondering what people will think about them if they raise their hands, dance, skip, or even run with joy in the presence of the Lord.  They aren’t blocked by their own pride!  They are free to respond to the move of the Spirit on their heart.  God gives grace to the humble!  <Notes> a) Matthew 21:16 citing Psalms 8:2, b) Luke 19:37-39, c) James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 citing Proverbs 3:34 and Isaiah 54:7-8.

 

I will never forget my old roommate Robert Block!  I caught him regularly kneeling in prayer in his room more than anybody I’ve known. Every time he drove into the driveway He would be loudly praising God to the radio.  I went a few times to his Pentecostal church and he would get so fired up in worship that he would run like a mad-man in the Spirit along the wall to the front and back around the other side.  He did not care what people thought!  He was compelled by the Spirit!  He drove a city bus and would lead one person after another to the Lord and divine healings would regularly happen.  He didn’t care when City of Tucson told him he couldn’t do it.  He found a more discrete way to do it.  I think he just had the favor of God and Tucson was afraid of a religious discrimination lawsuit!

 

Little children are free to dance before the Lord!  In 2 Samuel 6:14, that’s exactly what King David did “with all his might.”  Psalms 149:1-9 says: “Shine forth clamorous, foolish-looking, boastful, adoring praise to Yahweh (a)!  Sing to the praise of (b) Yahweh a completely-different-in-kind NEW Praise Song (c), His hymn of thanks-offering, honor, or praise (d) in the assembly of the godly!  Let Israel brighten/cheer up/rejoice (e) in their Maker; let the children of Zion spin around with joy/rejoicing (f) or in the LXX: jump with exceeding joy (g) IN their King!  Shine forth clamorous, foolish-looking, boastful, adoring praise to (h) or LXX: sing praises of thanksgiving to honor (o) His name with dancing, psalming (i) to Him with tambourine and harp/lyre! . . . Let the pious/saints to jump for joy/rejoice (j) in glory; let them shout and jump with exceeding joy (k) [even] on their sleeping beds.  Let the lifted-up praises (l) or height/high things (m) of God be in their throats . . . Shine forth clamorous, foolish-looking, boastful, adoring praise to Yahweh (n)!”  Will we be like inhibited little children to shout and dance to the Lord like King David did without caring if we look foolish? <Notes> a) halal YHWH, allelouia, b) shiyr, ado, c) chadash shiyr, kainos atos – see Spontaneous Music d) t’hillah, ainesis, e) samach, euphraino, f) giyl, g) agalliao, h) halal, i) zamar, psallo, j) ‘alaz, k) ranan, agalliao, l) rowmam, m) LXX: uqwseiv, n) halal YHWH, allelouia, o) aineo.

 

Little children love to play play play with joy!  They enjoy!   Joy is the most common “flavor” or “facet” of the singular fruit/essence/nature of unconditional-love that defines the Spirit (a) and the kingdom (b) mentioned in the NT.  It’s no coincidence that in the Greek word for joy is chara, and grace is charis, and God’s gifts given by grace are charisma!  They are all integrally related because they are from One God who is the Joy of Love!  The first thing I felt in all my Spirit-baptisms after overwhelming unconditional-love was overwhelming grateful tears of joy!  Sometimes I’ve been so happy I had to jump around like a crazy man, shout praises into the desert, drum like a mad-man, or ride my bike so fast to tell all my bible-study friends at the University of Arizona!  The one thing kids love to do is play, play, and play!  They love having joy!  This is where God wants to take us!  I’ve really felt this in my Spirit-practice-drumming – see this video.  <Notes> a) Galatians 5:22; Acts 13:52; Romans 15:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:6, b) Matthew 13:44; Romans 14:17.

 

 

 

I once had a vision of a kid building a sand castle on the beach, his father watching with a smile as his son was lost in the joy and curious fascination of his project.  When I looked back it was me playing my drums all those years as a kid and I saw The Father’s smile of pride and pleasure that there was no better place He would rather have me be as I was “lost in the zone of creativity.”  However, throughout much of my childhood, even though I could feel intense joy and success in my drumming through so many bands from the time I was in 7^th grade, I didn’t know it was God’s joy and success but claimed it for myself.  It’s only been the last few years that I became aware that it was actually God’s joy He was sharing with me and that He was calling me into deeper fellowship through this.  And this led to this website!

 

On 8/5/2016 I had a God-dream:  I was enjoying playing my childhood drum-set in my home’s carport.  As I was, I saw what looked like a butterfly, colored and shining like the sun, coming into the carport, being attracted to my drumming.  It was mesmerizing and I just wanted to watch it!  It landed on a cymbal and I was compelled to play on it.  Now I had mallets and I felt compelled to roll on it.  I felt a kiddish joy!  Then it moved to a tom and I felt compelled to play on it.  More joy!  It just kept moving and I kept chasing it because I was compelled by joy.  This is exactly like Paul saying in 2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the unconditional-love compels/constrains/controls us” – see Surrender Control!  We were like two children playing a “cat and mouse” game and I started laughing more and more – I didn’t want the game to stop, I was having the best time!  Also, I was absolutely amazed at the skill of the drumming – I was watching myself in awe as the Holy Spirit was controlling me.  God’s skill was given to me as I was lost in God’s joy!

 

Kids love to be spontaneous!  It’s discouraging to hear what the world says:  Christopher Sutton of Musical U says, “Learning to improvise is a long-term mission, one which will push you to your musical limits and then beyond,” and Sabrina Young echoes:  “Like any musical skill, improvisation is not a magical gift.  It takes practice and simply the art of doing – the more you improvise, the more confident and accurately you will play, and the more confident and accurate, the better you will improvise,” and James Stinton adds:  “The ability to improvise music is not some magical prowess bestowed on a select few by a muse above.  Rather, it is a skill that can be learned through practice.”  Furthermore, Eric from “Jazzadvice” says, “Jazz improvisation is hard . . . and why that’s a good thing!  . . . They (Jazz greats) had to go into their practice room every day and do their best to improve.  And the truth is, you’re no different.”  They all say it requires Zechariah 4:6 “might and power” skill, but some say that little children can learn this early on in their musical experience.  But others admit that it can be extremely complicated!  The world says “the jury is out.”

 

We have to remember that ALL of this is from the world’s viewpoint – their own worked-at, earned, deserved, merited “might and power!”  Yet, you can see that some are baffled how little children without much “wisdom and understanding” skill can “learn this early on in their musical experience.”  I’ve taught over 5000 students how to drum and I’ve seen so many young kids just blow your preconceptions out of the water!  They can do FAR more than most people have believe!  After a while I would stop parents from giving me a list of their kid’s deficiencies before their first lesson.  It’s a very limiting filter!  And if the Holy Spirit gets a hold of them, there is no stopping them, because they are the least inhibited, the humblest, and thus most open to the Spirit taking them wherever He wants to go!  When I’ve prayed for them and prayed that God would give me insight on how to reach them, I’ve seen amazing results!  Spontaneous playing is a piece of cake to God!  Lord, make us free like little children to “Go with Your flow!”

 

Little children learn so much by just being curious, messing around, experimenting, discovering, and going on adventures.  I don’t how many times the Lord has told me to “just let go and let God” to be like a little kid in a candy store again!  Remember all the things we created with Lincoln logs, Erector sets, Legos, Hot Wheels, etc.?  How about all the sand castles?  How about all the bike rides?  How about all the art and music we made?  We need to go back to this!

 

Little children are relentless when it comes to Asking, Seeking, and Knocking (A.S.K.) UNTIL they receive, find, and have the door opened!  I can’t remember how many times I tried everything to get to the cookie jar!  There’s a hundred verses about A.S.K. in the NT and persevering in our trusting-relying-faith UNTIL we receive, find, and the door is opened!  One night as I was hanging on my inversion table for my back.  When I came up each time, I thought I saw the words “Repentance” on the drum poster but I didn’t have my glasses on and things were blurry.  I thought how odd!  Is there something the Lord wants me to repent of?  When I got off the machine and looked closer I saw that it actually said “Relentless.”

 

Then I understood that God wanted me to repent about my defeatist attitude about prayer I was having and instead be relentless in my pursuit of Him.  Several nights later I was grumbling to the Lord again, “Why do we need to relentlessly pursue You?”  As I was drifting off, I heard Him tell me, “You must be like a little child to ‘see’ the kingdom of God.”  So, I asked the Lord, “Why a little child?” Then the Lord showed me a little child pulling relentlessly on their parent’s clothes, persistently calling out UNTIL their request was granted. Then the Lord said, “That’s what I meant when I said, ‘If you, not being ‘good,’ do give grace-gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father, who is ‘Good,’ give you the Holy Spirit (a) to those who routinely/habitually ask Him?” (b). Then I understood, this is the Way to pray for “Thy kingdom to come, Thy will to be done on earth as it is already in heaven” (c). This is the Way to “routinely/habitually seek the Kingdom of God first” (d) – relentless like a little child! <Notes> a) ‘good grace-gifts’ in Matthew 7:11, b) Luke 11:13, c) Luke 11:2; Matthew 6:10.

 

 Paul in 1 Corinthian 13:5 says that “Unconditional-love does absolutely-in-fact-NOT add up a list of wrongs.”  The one thing I noticed about little children is that they can’t do math, so they aren’t going to add much of anything up.  They can also be crying their eyes out about some physical or emotional hurt and in an hour be laughing and playing again!  It seems they are really great at forgiving and just “moving on!”  There are 59 verses in the NT about forgiveness – see Unconditional-Love – BT16 thru BT24.  It’s so important that we will forfeit our forgiveness from God if we refuse to forgive others (a) and thus is a key to Christ’s prayer model (b).  Unforgiveness can grieve the Holy Spirit (c)!  Lord, make us like little children in keeping the shortest of accounts!  <Notes> a) Matthew 6:15, 18:35; James 2:13, b) Matthew 9:12; Mark 11:25, c) Ephesians 4:30-32.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God revealed to Little Children & other Leasts Among You before Firsts or Greatest, Reasons to be like little children to see the kingdom of God, Youth ministry is close to Christ’s heart, Little children are free to be bold, Little children are free to exuberantly praise God, Little children dance before the Lord, Little children are willing to look foolish for God, Little children love to play play play for joy’s sake, Little kids get lost in curiosity just like God does, Little kids love to explore like God does, Little kids experiment like God does, Little kids go with the flow of God’s Spirit, Little kids love to be spontaneous like God does, Little kids are relentless in their asking seeking knocking, Little kids don’t keep a list of wrongs so they forgive quickly

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT11:  God’s ‘discipline’ is “educational-training of Little Children” that is gentle & patient

 

 

 

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See also Unconditional-Love – BT2:  Unconditional-love sometimes has to be tough, so it calls for ‘just judgment’

 

In the previous BLOG topics we saw the constant use of the noun paideia or verb paideuo for the educational-training or rearing of paidion little children who were younger than 7-8 years old, thus still under parental training, though it could apply to pais children up to 20 years old when they assume adult responsibilities.  We saw that “pas ‘all of a kind/class/category’ of [OT] scripture, “the kind” that is “breathed-out-by-the-Spirit” making it prophetic, was “the kind” that “was able to make Timothy wise unto salvation through trusting-relying-faith in Jesus Christ.”  This is “the kind” that “is profitable/useful for teaching/instruction . . . for paideia little-child-education/rearing” (a) – absolutely not “the whole/entirety of scripture” – see Logos Word of God – BT7, because of all that is written in the NT about being free from the dominion/slavery of the Law in fact is the basis of 97.4% of the [OT] scripture – see Logos Word of God – BT5a.  For that reason the NT writers, as all Jews today, refer to the OT as the “Law” or Torah “instruction” of God (b).  According to Wikipedia, the Torah can “most specifically mean the 5 books of Moses but also the continued narrative from all the 24 books.”  <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 3:15-16, b) For example, Jesus does this in:  John 10:34, 15:25; Paul does this in: 1 Corinthians 14:21 and Romans 3:19.

 

Christian fathers were “not to provoke their teknon ‘willfully-dependent children-as minors’ (a) to anger but instead raise them in/by/with the paideia little-child-education and/coupled nouthesia admonition belonging to the Lord” (b).  Parental provocation of children results in discouragement (c), leading us to believe that encouragement is part of both paideia little-child-education and/coupled nouthesia admonition!  In fact, “exhortation” or “encouragement” are often translations of parakaleo alongside-counseling of ministry/service, commonly used of the Holy Spirit’s and Paul’s ministry, as the way in which Jewish-Christians still attached to Judaism are derogatorily referred to as teknon ‘willfully-dependent children-as minors’ instead of as huios sons who are the rightful heirs (d), and concerning the need for corrective-training of such children (e).

 

<Notes> a) teknon: a child living in willing dependence and unprovoked obedience per Ephesians 6:1, 4, Colossians 3:20-21, and 1 Peter 1:14 because of effective parental management that doesn’t “lose one’s dignity, respect, honor, and admiration” in their own household per 1 Timothy 3:4, 12 and Titus 1:6 as proistemi managed-caregiving elders and deacons should exhibit, with gentleness as a nursing mother would give per 1 Thessalonians 2:7, even giving good grace-gifts to them:  Matthew 7:11, even the Holy Spirit:  Luke 11:13.  Such children draw guidance, care, and nurture from their parents.  They are disciples of Christ: Mark 10:24; children of God:  John 1:12, 11:52, 1 John 3:2, 10, 5:2, Romans 8:17, 21, Philippians 2:15; Dearly unconditionally-loved by God:  Ephesians 5:1, 1 John 3:1; True children of Sarah and Abraham: 1 Peter 3:6, Romans 9:7; children of the promise:  Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28 31; Of the light instead of the darkness we once were, being children of wrath:  Ephesians 2:3, 5:8; The Spirit, not a bible verse, tells us that we are:  Romans 8:16, b) Ephesians 6:4, c) Colossians 3:21, d) huios: although we are adopted sons, we are NOW under the New Covenant made to share the same nature as their Father, able to receive their inheritance:  Romans 8:14; Galatians 4:30, d) Hebrews 12:5, 7-8, 11-12.

 

Also, nouthesia admonition is directly linked to this paideia  little-child-education, meaning to “set into the mind via teaching through God-inspired warning by improving a person’s reasoning by helping them go through God’s thought-processes so they can reach God’s conclusion, thus part of renewing our mind per Romans 12:1-3.  The verb form noutheteo is directly linked to what Christians should be doing reciprocally for one another “teaching and/coupled admonishing one another with all-kinds-of wisdom” (a).   So we can see the gentle counseling approach that all Body-of-Christ ministry should be characterized as.  How does any of this fit with the format of a “speaker on an elevated platform speaking to a lower-sitting audience” format we see in most churches?  <Notes> a) Colossians 3:16.

 

We also see paideia little child-education done with gentleness even when correcting opponents of the gospel (a).  Thus gentleness is a trait ministers should pursue (b), a trait all Christians should have even when defending the hope they have IN them (c), or even restoring brethren caught in sin (d).  Divine wisdom is “peaceable, gentle, and open to reason” (e).  This kind of ministry’s gentleness is like that of a nursing mother (f).  It’s not God’s discouraging provocation, wrath, or anger but His unconditionally-loving-favor-of-grace that paideia little-child-education/rearing us to reject godless ways and worldly desire and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (g) and also being courteous, respectfully obedient, doing good works, gentle, and not quarreling or speaking evil of others (h).  <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 2:25, b) 1 Timothy 6:11, c) 1 Peter 3:15, d) Galatians 6:1, e) James 3:17, f) 1 Thessalonians 2:7, g) Titus 2:12, h) Titus 3:1-2.

 

Such good parenting also gives good grace-gifts (a), even the Holy Spirit (b), to God’s children!  Such gentleness is a “flavor” of “the singular fruit/nature/essence of the Spirit that is unconditional-love” (c), “the Spirit of gentleness” (d), which makes us “dearly unconditionally-loved by God” (e), and the Spirit is the one that tells us so – not a bible verse (f) or the song “Jesus loves me this I know because the bible tells me so.”  This is contrary to what the bible actually says!  <Notes> a) Matthew 7:11, b) Luke 11:13, c) Galatians 5:22-23, d) 1 Corinthians 4:21; Galatians 6:1, e) Ephesians 5:1; 1 John 3:1, f) Romans 8:16.

 

This gentleness is the kind of paideia little–child-education/training that God is giving us “for our own good” as “something all huios sons have become metochos changed-sharers in/by/with,” but especially of God toward His own huios sons (a) in order that we “are not condemned with world” (b).  The translations of paideia as “discipline” in many bibles can be extremely misleading because of our experience of human parents yelling, berating, whipping, and even physically beating kids into submission.  It’s easy from so much traumatic childhood memories to think that this would be the method of Father “God who alone is good” (c), Jesus said.  Notes> a) Hebrews 12:6-8, 10, b) 1 Corinthians 11:32, c) Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19.

 

Many adult behavioral problems and sin are caused by deeply-rooted images of terrible parental behavior that created childhood trauma, repression, resentment, and unforgiveness that demons build strongholds from and severely block intimacy with Father God.  However, we’ve already seen that God’s methods of molding our character don’t involve punishment but of gentle correction, inspiring example, His amazing unconditionally-loving-favor-of-grace, and Paul’s being “constrained/controlled by Christ’s unconditional-love” (a) through the “self-control/mastery of/belonging-to the Holy Spirit” (b) that “causes us to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules” (c). <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 5:14, b) Galatians 5:23; 2 Timothy 1:7, c) Ezekiel 36:27.

 

This incorrect translation of paideia as “discipline” has also been fueled by misinterpretations of “spare the rod and spoil the child” in Proverbs 13:24.  Careful analysis of the text indicates that “rod” was likely a “writing stick that little children used in their education,” because the worst thing a Jewish parent could do was keep their kid uneducated, an education they got primarily from reading the Hebrew of the OT scriptures!  Without this moral upbringing they were likely to be involved in crime.  Without the jobs that education prepares you for, they would also likely be involved in crime.  Nothing has changed!

 

The rabbi-teacher Jesus wasn’t offering a “yoke/harness of instruction” like any other rabbi did to teach their disciples – reading, studying, debating, arguing, and quarreling (a) over the writings of the scriptures (b) and those of their often over-bearing, prideful leaders.  It was a hard, heavy, and busy schedule to keep up with such rabbis!  It was like going to school at a prestigious university like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, MIT, Julliard, etc. <Notes> a) prohibited by Christians: Titus 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:20; Matthew 12:19; Romans 14:1; 1 Corinthians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20; 1 Timothy 2:8, 3:3; James 4:1-2, b) 1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14, 23-24; Titus 3:2, 9.

 

Instead, Jesus said:  “Come to Me, all who toil/work and are heavily-burdened [context:  with commandments], and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke (a) upon you and/coupled learn-the-essentials [directly] from Me for I am gentle and/coupled lowly in heart, and you will find rest for you souls, for My yoke is custom-fit/tailor-made and/coupled My burden [context:  of commandments] is feather/cloud-light to carry” (b).  In fact, there are only 2 commandments coupled into 1 in the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant – 1) to have trusting-relying-faith in Christ, and/coupled 2) to unconditionally-love one another just as Christ did even for His enemies (c), and these are certainly not burdensome (d).  This peaceful rest is the opposite of the “burdensome toil” of the old covenant!  Which can little children do?  This is so important for musicians that I made this video.  <Notes> a) a harness used for training novice animals by ‘connecting’ them to an experienced animal, b) Matthew 11:28-30, c) 1 John 3:23, d) 1 John 5:3.

 

No, the “Law of Christ” to “bear one another’s burdens” (a) involves “lowliness and/coupled gentleness – patience being the meta result” (b).  Zechariah said the coming righteous King of salvation was lowly, mounted on a donkey, just as Christ rode into Jerusalem on (c).  Paul knew this lowliness and humility to be key characteristics of Christ (d), even lowering Himself from God to man and then death on a cross (e).  We see gentleness and patience as “flavors” of the singular fruit of the Spirit that is unconditional-love (f).  Can you see how lowly little children would be perfect candidates for the “custom-fit and light” commandment of the “Law of Christ” to unconditionally-love one another with gentleness and patience? <Notes> a) Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21, b) Ephesians 4:2, c) Zechariah 9:9, d) 2 Corinthians 10:1, e) Philippians 2:8, f) Galatians 5:22-23; cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4.

 

I’ve taught hundreds of elementary, middle-school kids, and kids of all ages with Autism or that are Emotionally-Disturbed, and you have to handle them with great gentleness and patience because being fragile they can easily break.  But if you honor, respect, and show them dignity you generally get this back.  If you yell, criticize, make fun of them, or berate them in any way, then you will hurt them, build distrust, and provoke them to anger and resentment.  Their little minds/hearts just can’t process it, they will start “acting out” in unpredictable ways, and you will “lose their submissiveness and order.”  Why?  Because you lost your self-control!

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, we also need to be gentle and patient with our own “walk in the Spirit” (a) as we live down-from/according to the Spirit (b), being led by the Spirit (c), and even keeping in step with the Spirit like a soldier of their squad leader (d).  Click here for a video on patience for musicians.  We need to treat ourselves and others like our parents desired but our Father-God actually accomplished – parakaleo close-beside encouragement of us to crawl, then teeter, then walk a bit, then walk more and faster, run, skate or skateboard, roller-blade, bike ride, drive many motorcycles and cars, hang-glide, sky-dive, or fly in a plane!  When we failed, as sin is defined, and scuffed our knees or hit our head or slammed our fingers in the door or broke an arm or leg, Our Loving Father consoled us, picked us up, took us to the hospital or bandaged us up, gave us some corrective tips, gave us lessons, gave us training wheels, helped steady the bike, and said, “You can do it!”  <Notes> a) Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16, b) Romans 8:5, 13; Galatians 5:25; 1 Peter 4:6, c) Romans 8:14, d) Galatians 5:25,

 

James admitted, “We all stumble in many ways” (a)!  Paul boasted in his own weaknesses (b) once he realized that by surrendering his lack of self-control to the Lord through confession of our sins, Christ is the faithful One despite our lack of faithfulness and Christ is also legally just to forgive our sins because He pays for our sins Himself through His own sacrifice to wash us clean by His blood from ALL our unrighteousness” (c).  Thus by surrendering our weaknesses to the Lord, Christ’s dunamis enabling-power is made perfect as it rests upon us (d). This is a divine exchange of our flaws for God’s enabling-power, not just once but as often as we surrender – this is called Atonement or Propitiation.  <Notes> a) James 3:2, b) 2 Corinthians 12:5, 9, c) 1 John 1:9, d) 2 Corinthians 12:9.

 

That’s what God will do if we wait in proseuchomai conversational-prayer for Him (a) to proserchomai draw near to us as we draw near to Him in surrendering-submission – it’s the only way to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts (b)!  It all comes down to that genuine, experiential, relationship epignosis knowledge that can ONLY come from one step of trusting-relying-faith to another in our walk (c), just as Abraham did (d), sometimes not trusting our eyes at all but only our trusting-relying-faith in our loving God (e).  <Notes> a) Isaiah 40:31, b) James 4:7-8, Proserchomai:  a Hebraism for “seeking an audience with, approaching, inquiring of, calling on to visit, or be heard by” God, thus closely akin in spelling and meaning to proseuche conversational-prayer and proskuneo worship, c) Romans 1:17, d) Romans 4:12, e) 2 Corinthians 4:18, 5:7.

 

Shouldn’t we realize that 300 Messianic prophecies in the OT, were primarily to convert Jews, even Jewish children, to Christ, and that the early Jewish Church shunned the Law like the plague?  Shouldn’t we realize that by 150 AD only the Psalms were still being sung, and only in Jewish churches?  Are we forgetting the purpose of the OT, of which 97.4% is based on the Law, which was to simply prepare the Jews as little children for the Messiah?  Are we subjecting Gentiles, even Gentile children, to much of what failed the Jews so miserably, somehow expecting different results?

 

Shouldn’t we be gearing everything we do to reach “the least among you,” even the littlest children?  Are we expecting them to be “wise and understanding?”  Are we training all Christians gently with patience and encouragement, even our correcting, warning admonishment, as the little children of God that they are?  Or are we losing our cool, our self-control, and trying to “exercise authority over” others to get our way despite Christ’s warnings not to?  Are we quarreling or arguing back to defend ourselves, even to “apologetically defend our faith?”  Are we being like a nursing mother or a demanding father?  Are we walking in the Spirit of unconditional-love that shows itself in gentleness and patience?

 

Are we attempting to instruct others differently than the way Christ does?  Are we expecting them to learn from us as teacher–leaders, or simply coach and facilitate as true “equippers” to directly connect them to Christ in conversational-prayer and worship so that through that intimate relationship, Christ can be the rightful “One Teacher” by the enabling-power of the Holy Spirit?

 

Are we making the “yoke of instruction” any more than “custom-fit and feather-light to carry?”  Are we gentle and lowly also to minister effectively to the lowly “least among you?”  Are we teaching more than just 2 commandments rolled into one – Logos Word of God – BT14 – in the New Covenant, so simple that even the “least among you” can easily understand and do them by the indwelling Spirit?  Are we teaching dogma gnosis head-knowledge or an intimate, experiential, relationship epignosis knowledge?  Are we trying to hold onto our control, even when we fail, instead of “letting go and letting God” by confession and surrender?  In other words, are we trying to be proud adults that God resists/opposes or lowly children that God gives unconditionally-loving-favor-of-grace to?

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God revealed to Little Children & other Leasts Among You before Firsts or Greatest, Only the messianic passages were suitable to train the Jews as little children for salvation, little children ‘discipline’ is encouraging counseling and gentle correction as God does us, Gentleness is the Spirit’s nature of unconditional-love, Christ’s yoke of learning is gentle & light to carry, Christ’s Law or commandment to love is gentle resulting in patience

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT10:  Knowing the bible doesn’t keep disciples from being deceived

 

 

 

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Paul was concerned that Christians viewed as nepios breast-feeding infants were sitting ducks to being “tossed to and fro by the waves and/coupled carried about by every violent wind of doctrinal teaching, dice-playing deception/cheating of men by trickery/craftiness towards the end of being fraudulently cunning” (a).  He understood Christ’s solution to this threat:  “Christ gave grace-gifts to men . . . He gave [these 4 groups of grace-gifts] the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and/coupled teachers (b) to equip (c) the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the Body-of-Christ until we ALL attain to the unity of The Trusting-Relying-Faith (The Christian Faith) and/coupled of the genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of the Son of God eis ‘toward and reaching the goal/purpose of’ mature manhood, that is to the metron standard-sized measuring-cup of the fullness of Christ” (d).

 

<Notes> a) Ephesians 4:14, b) the definite article “the” in Greek distinguishes on 4 groups, and the coupler kai combines shepherds to teachers.  Kai is links related things together, unlike our word “and” which means “next in the list” – in Greek de is used for that purpose.  Kai can also be used for emphasis like “even as or indeed or also as” as here:  “shepherds who also are teachers.”  The episcopos overseer, presbyteros elder, and poimen shepherd praxis practicing-functions per Romans 12:4 all occurred within a single group of “faithful men” as “the Lord’s servants” that must be “able to teach” per 1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Timothy 2:2, 2:24.  We know from Ephesians 4:8 that these 4 groups are “grace-gifts” and not positions with offices or titles.  Each of these verbal-nouns are a shorthand form of saying in this case, “those practicing-the-function of shepherding who also are teaching.” The Catholic and Protestant Church incorrectly differentiated these and turned them into official positions, offices and titles despite Christ’s prohibition of this kind of behavior in Matthew 23:8-10, not to mention there is no biblical or early Church support for their behavior – see Teach One Another – BT10,  c) see Coaches and Facilitators, d) Ephesians 4:8-13.

 

This isn’t close to being a 5-fold ministry!  These 4 groups are only coaches and facilitators for Body-of-Christ ministry who ALL do the building up of the Church so they aren’t susceptible to deception, and it’s not through accumulating bible gnosis-informational knowledge, but direct, experiential, relationship epignosis knowledge of Christ – See Note ‘C’ of Tongues & Interpretation – BT4!

 

I have heard so much false teaching from pulpits and Christian books and my seminary classes – that’s where “the winds of doctrine” get taught, exactly because of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit – that the “equippers” think they are the ones “doing the work of the ministry” and in many cases they aren’t allowing Christians to “teach and/coupled admonish one another” (a) and “letting the others diakrino ‘judge thru-the-realizing-channel-of close investigation/reasoning, thus weighing in’ what is said . . . you can ALL prophesy one by one so that ALL may learn and/coupled ALL be encouraged” (b) so that the whole Body-of-Christ can do the work of ministry . . . to keep nepios breast-feeding infants from being tossed by winds of doctrines.” <Notes> a) Colossians 3:16, b) 1 Corinthians 14:29.

 

In other words, today’s average church service has eliminated all the biblical ways for the Body-of-Christ to “check” false prophecy and teaching in the church.  The leaders believe the service is supposed to be a monologue when it was designed to be a dialogue.  The leaders run the service very much like a seminar or business meeting, where the bosses do all the talking.  The pastors have wrongfully “exercised authority over others” to ‘kill the objections’ by not allowing a time or a format for them.

 

The “deceivers” in Christ’s time were bible-student scribes and Pharisee teachers likely infiltrating the the home churches or obviously present in synagogues if Christians dare meet there.  These bible-scholars were the ones twisting the scriptures to deceive Christians to come back to Moses, just as they were twisting Paul’s words to create controversy they could take advantage of (a).  Those spreading false doctrine are doing it from the pulpits, bookstores, and seminaries!  That’s where the deception of Christians is happening!  And it’s being done by scholars and bible students to those who have been told to be scholars and bible students!  <Notes> a) 2 Peter 3:16.

 

The solution to deception is NOT to try to become a bible expert yourself, though bible schools will charge you a lot of money holding out that “carrot” as the 5 that I went to did – see Bible Info – BT3.  The solution is to genuinely epiginosko know Christ.  I’ve heard too many pastors say the way to know a counterfeit is to really handle the real thing, like a bank teller does.  Now that part is correct, but here is where they really get it wrong:  They hold up their bible and say that if you become an expert at this bible, you will be able to recognize the counterfeit and be safe.  They cite Jesus: “You will know The Truth and The Truth will set you free [from slavery to routine/habitual sin].”  Never mind that they took the verse out of context and “The Truth” isn’t the bible at all, nor even the NT, or any writings for that matter, nor even Christ’s gospel logos message but instead is:  “The Son who set you free [from slavery to routine/habitual sin]” per John 8:32, 36, 14:6.  Jesus is the Living Logos Word of God that is “the real thing” and only by genuinely, experientially, relationally epiginosko knowing Him by-the-means-of “the Spirit of The Truth” will you be free from deception coming to you, which is more likely coming from the Christian world itself.

 

That’s how you keep from getting sucked into the arguments of the teachers of the Law or the Gentile debaters (a)!  When John “wrote Christians . . . about those who are trying to deceive you” (b), the solution wasn’t apologetic rebuttals to study, but simply a reminder that “you-all have been anointed by the Holy One (Christ) and/thus you-all had [with ongoing results] eido ‘seen’ to understand/know . . . the anointing that you have already received from Him abides/lives in you and/thus you have absolutely-in-fact-NO need than anyone should teach you, but just as His anointing teaches you about everything and is trustworthy and indeed no lie, just as it has already taught you, ongoingly, actually abide/live in Him” (c). The solution of false teachers isn’t to study more bible-info, but Spirit-baptism to continue living in Christ – see Holiness/Sanctification page!  <Notes> a) 1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14, 23-24; Titus 3:9; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Colossians 2:4; Romans 14:1, 16:18; Ephesians 5:6; 2 Peter 2:3, b) 1 John 2:26, c) 1 John 2:20, 27,

 

The ignorant fisherman Peter’s advice to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is IN you” (a) sure wasn’t to study biblical apologetics to argue against bible scholars or other naysayers!  In context, it’s about “honoring the Christ who is IN your heart” and “having a good conscience because of your good behavior, doing good, IN Christ.”  This is all about real relationship that results in real life-change.  That’s your testimony!  “They have conquered by the blood of the Lamb and by the logos message of their testimony” (b).  “Hope is IN us” through trusting-relying-faith by-the-means-of the dunamis enabling-power of the Holy Spirit to even abound with hope (c).  The Spirit of wisdom and of revelation by the genuinely, experientially, relationally epignosis knowledge of Christ causes the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened in order that we may eido mentally ‘see’ perception to understand/know what is the hope to which we are called” (d).  None of this has to do with reading and learning gnosis info-knowledge in a bible!  It’s about prophetic vision!  <Notes> a) 1 Peter 3:15, b) Revelation 12:11, c) Romans 15:13, d) Ephesians 1:17-18.

 

In 2 Corinthians 10:1-5, how did Paul “overthrow arguments and every high thing lifting itself up against the gnosis info-knowledge that [possessively] belongs-to God?”  He directly links this by kai to “taking every thought captive into the obedience of Christ.”  This is not about quarreling or arguing back & forth about words, which Jesus didn’t do (a), and that Paul also prohibited (b).  No, Paul didn’t use the world’s “fleshly” weapons back against them!  Instead he uses Spirit-kind-of warfare, “for the weapons of our warfare are not out-of the flesh (c), but have God’s dunamis ‘dynamite-like enabling-power’ to demolish strongholds.” <Notes> a) Matthew 12:19, b) Romans 14:1; 2 Timothy 2:14, 23-24; Titus 3:2, 9, c) see Identity.

 

Ephesians 6:10-20 is all about this Spirit-kind-of warfare, so we all need to learn this!  None of the weapons are used against people but against Satan and demons!  Paul explains his strategy:  “My logos message and/coupled preaching were absolutely-in-fact-NOT by plausible/persuasive logos messages of sophia wisdom [like the Gentile philosophers or Jewish Law debaters and mystic Kabbalists] but instead by demonstrating-proof of the Spirit and/coupled dunamis ‘dynamite-like enabling-power‘” (a). <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 2:4.

 

It’s really hard to argue against the “signs and wonders” of God that should “accompany those who have trusting-relying-faith . . . speaking in new tongues . . . laying hands on the sick to recover . . . and they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the [gospel] logos message by accompanying signs” (a).  I suspect the problems and ineffectiveness of most pulpit and street preaching is that they don’t believe or obey this, leaving them only with a “logos message that may be plausible/persuasive” to play on the same field using the same “fleshly” (b) weapons of their enemy.  Futile!  <Notes> a) Mark 16:17-20, b) see Identity.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, are we still expecting the uneducated, little children, and other “least among you” to become bible experts, just like the Jewish scribes and Pharisees were, to “do the work of ministry to build up the Body-of-Christ?  Aren’t we showing the same partiality and favoritism that plagued OT ministry?  Aren’t we missing the real task of the 4 “equipping grace-gift” functioning groups of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and elder/overseer/shepherd-teachers that were to simply coach or facilitate the saints to build trusting-relying faith and/coupled a genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of the Son of God?  2 simple tasks!  Only the indwelling Spirit of God can be our “One Teacher” who will keep us from being deceived!

 

Many will still be deceived by preachers/teachers in the churches and seminaries who quench the Spirit when they “exercise authority over others” to prevent the Body-of-Christ from prophesying, speaking in tongues with interpretation, and exercising their other grace-gifts, and ALL weighing in on what they heard in order to “teach and/coupled admonish one another” so that “one by one you ALL may learn [together] and/coupled ALL be encouraged [together].”  In these environments you can still be deceived because we don’t have Body-of-Christ Ministry correcting itself, which is what admonishment is all about!

 

Even the uneducated, little children, and other “least among you” can follow the NT solution to deception, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the “might and power” of the flesh but of the dunamis enabling-power and “signs and wonders” demonstrating proofs of the Spirit!  The solution is the anointing of Spirit-baptism which shows no favoritism!  It’s routinely available to everyone!

 

The “asking for the good grace-gift of the Holy Spirit” that can make “Thy kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven” a reality in Luke 11:13’s Lord’s Prayer Model is the present, routinely/habitually participle form of Paul’s Ephesians 5:18’s “Be pleroo filled-to-completion by-the-means-of the Spirit.”  The “defense of our trusting-relying-faith” with our “weapons of warfare,” are accessible and effective by everyone because they have nothing to do with gnosis info-knowledge to read, study, and learn, but about epignosis genuine, experiential, relational knowledge we learn directly from God by-the-means-of the Holy Spirit.  It’s really all about being genuinely “abiding IN Christ!”  Is that what we are pointing people toward?

 

We don’t need to argue our case to prove it!  We simply prophesy right into our opponent’s life so they are “convicted since the secrets of his heart are disclosed and falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” as in 1 Corinthians 14:24.  All we have to do is “lay hands on the sick and heal them” per Mark 16:18.  Then they will know that our message is “the real thing!”  Signs & wonders was the testimony of Paul’s ministry and the early Church, testifying to the dunamis enabling-power of the Spirit of God per Romans 15:19.

 

I’ve seen so many Christians on YouTube evangelizing on the streets that follow this advice and in less than 30 minutes many people come to the Lord, healed in many ways, and Spirit-baptized.  I’ve seen them run down into the ocean, lake, or stream to get immediately water-baptized just like we see in the Book of Acts.  It’s supposed to be simple enough for “the least among you” to experience and share with others!  Why is the Church trying to minister with only a “logos message of plausible/persuasive words” when Paul said that using the enemy’s “fleshly” weapons was futile!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God revealed to Little Children & other Leasts Among You before Firsts or Greatest, No 5-fold ministry but 4 groups of equippers, Saints are ministers, Body-ministry is solution to deception NOT more bible-study, False-teaching spreads because the congregation is NOT interacting with the speakers to check them, False-teaching spreads because the Body isn’t ALL contributing to teaching, Filling by the Spirit and intimate fellowship with Jesus is the solution to deception, a changed life is your testimony NOT apologetic arguments, Paul’s arguments was the Spirit’s miraculous proof, the Full Gospel is signs & wonders confirming the message

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT9:  Only Old Testament Prophets were used in Church – only to convert Jews

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

We know from Justin Martyr that by 150 A.D. the OT wasn’t used in the churches except in the Jewish ones and only for singing Psalms.  The Church Fathers of the time indicate that the Church was mostly Gentile and viewed the OT as mostly irrelevant since Christ fulfilled its purpose.  We also saw that before then, especially before 70 AD when the Church was predominantly Jewish, the Church had a list of about 300 Messianic prophecies called the “logion oracles/utterances of God” (a) used to convert/catechize Jews, viewed especially “as milk and not solid food,” just as all religious writings are considered stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamentals of the world (b), especially for paidion little-child education (c).  The NT is clear that the old covenant Law or the 5 books of Moses were NOT allowed to be taught in the Church (d).

 

<Notes> a) Romans 3:2; Hebrews 5:12; Acts 7:38; 1 Peter 4:11, b) Galatians 4:3, 9, c) paideia or verb paideuo:  2 Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 6:4, which includes corrective-training of children:  Hebrews 12:5, 7-8, 11-12, even using this approach to correct opponents of the gospel with gentleness:  2 Timothy 2:25; trained just as Moses was raised in Egypt: Acts 7:22; God’s grace trains us this way to reject godless ways and worldly desire and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age: Titus 2:12; Titus 3:1, d) 2 Corinthians 3:6-18; 1 Timothy 1:3, 7, 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:5; Galatians 1:6-9; Titus 1:9-16.

 

Careful analysis of the Greek words and context of 2 Timothy 3:16 in Logos Word of God – BT7 make it clear that pas “all of a kind/class/category” (rarely, “the entirety/whole of”) of OT scripture is the “God-breathed” ones, i.e., prophetic, that actually “is profitable/useful for teaching . . . for paideia child-rearing education in dikaiosune righteousness.”  This is the “kind/class/category” that is the gramma “sacred writings that from childhood Timothy had eido mentally ‘seen’ to understand/know and/coupled manthano learned-the-essentials from” (a), “the ones that are able to make you wise for salvation through trusting-relying-faith in Christ Jesus,” because the dikaiosune “righteousness” that Paul ever writes about is “the dikaiosune righteousness of God through trusting-relying-faith in Jesus Christ for ALL who have trusting-relying-faith” (b), which certainly NOT the “works of righteousness” (c) doesn’t from the 5 books of Moses or the essence of 97.4% of the OT  – see Logos Word of God – BT5a.  We know there are only 300 of these Christ-oriented salvation verses!  <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 1:5 from Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, b) Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 1:11; Galatians 3:24, e) Galatians 2:16, 21, 3:11; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:20, 28, c) Romans 3:27, 4:2, 5-6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:10; Ephesians 2:9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Acts 13:39.

 

We see all the NT writers ONLY citing OT passages to prove the superiority of the Messiah and His gospel logos message over Moses and his messages by sometimes pointing out either the impossibility of keeping the Law or the insufficiency of the “rules, regulations, ordinances, precepts, and commandments” of holiness in “curbing the indulgences of the flesh” (a), especially because “the Law made absolutely-in-fact-NO thing perfect/complete” (b).  <Notes> a) Colossians 2:23, b) Hebrews 7:19.

 

A Catholic theologian around 233 AD named Origen became wealthy and powerful because he single-handedly reinstated the use of the OT in the Church.  It gave the other bishops many OT Laws they could re-instate or adapt to “exercise authority over” others, despite Christ’s warnings (a).  It was a slippery slope they all slipped on – see The Great Wall quenching the Spirit.  It’s no coincidence that they soon persecuted all the “people of the Spirit,” particularly the “New Prophecy” that was spear-headed by the bishop Marcion and many prophets in the Church.  Even the great Holy Spirit and apologetics theologian Tertullian was excommunicated, his churches burned to the ground, his followers scattered, and after he died they scattered his bones – that is an evil Catholic Church!  <Notes> a) Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42; Luke 22:25.

 

Paul explains the purpose of the old covenant or Law, 97.4% of the OT:  “Now BEFORE trusting-relying-faith [in Christ] came, we were held captive under the Law, imprisoned UNTIL the coming trusting-relying-faith [in Christ] would be revealed. So then the Law WAS our paidagogos ‘legally-appointed child-educator or superintendent-guardian’ (a) UNTIL Christ came that we would be made/declared righteous/justified by trusting-relying-faith [in Christ].  But-instead NOW that trusting-relying-faith [in Christ] has come, we are NO LONGER under a paidagogos legally-appointed child-educator or superintendent-guardian’, for in Christ Jesus you are ALL [huios mature] sons (b) of God through trusting-relying-faith [in Christ]” (c).  Why are so many Christians trapped in the OT still wanting to be treated like children when they could be mature sons in the NT? <Notes> a) paidagogos:  servants hired by the upper class to take their little boys to/from school UNTIL the age of manhood, cf. ‘the 10,000 supervisor-guardians’ of 1 Corinthians 4:15, b) huios: although we are adopted sons, we are NOW under the New Covenant made to share the same nature as their Father, able to receive their inheritance, c) Galatians 3:23-26.

 

Children don’t have son-ship rights!  Paul explains that even though technically the future heir is the rightful owner, he is still a nepios breast-feeding infant (a) and no different than a doulos slave under epitropos household-guardians (b) and/coupled oikonomos household-managers (c) until the date set by his Father” (d).  Who then are the actual huios sons of God ready for their inheritance?  Paul answers:  “All who are led by the Spirit of God are huios sons of God” (e).  Our son-ship and inheritance won’t come by the OT Law (f), but “in Christ” as we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (g).  UNTIL this son-ship, we are imprisoned and enslaved under the OT Law (h), since “we were nepios breast-feeding infants (a) enslaved to the stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamentals of the world (i).

 

<Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 5:13, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person, b) epitropos: household managers, esp. of minor children, c) oikonomos: household managers, overseers of finances and minor children, d) Galatians 4:1-2, e) Romans 8:14, f) Galatians 3:18, g) Ephesians 1:11, 13-14, h) Galatians 4:25, 5:1, i) and in context: the Jewish religion, of which the scriptures are composed of such ‘abc’ milk:  Galatians 4:3, 9,

 

Paul continues:  “But WHEN the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son . . . to redeem/ransom those who were under the Law so that we might receive adoption as huios sons. And because you are huios sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts . . . so you are no longer a doulos slave, but a huios son, and if a huios son, then an heir through God. . . . How can you turn back again to the weak and/coupled worthless stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamentals of the world (i), whose slaves you want to be once more again? . . . For freedom [from slavery] Christ as set us free [from slavery]; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (j).”  Slaves don’t inherit anything, only huios sons do (k).  The entire context is freedom from slavery to the Law, which is 97.4% of the OT!  <Notes> i) and in context: the Jewish religion, of which the scriptures are composed of such ‘abc’ milk:  Galatians 4:3, 9, j) Galatians 4:3-9; 5:1, k) Galatians 4:30.

 

Reflections:

 

 

As Christian musicians under the completely-differently-in-kind New Covenant, mostly Gentile now, why are we still using the OT scriptures, of which 97.4% is based on the old covenant Law, when most of the early Church didn’t use them except for the prophetic “oracles/utterances of God” used to katecheo convert the Jews as if they were infants being breast-fed “milk,” and used for singing Psalms in the predominantly Jewish churches until 70 AD?  Do we not understand the OT’s intended audience and purpose to prepare the Jews for their Messiah, acting as a paidagogos child-guardian school-escorts only UNTIL they became mature sons of God through trusting-relying-faith in Christ and could receive their inheritance of eternal life through Christ’s righteousness per Galatians 3:24-25, 4:2?

 

Are we ignorant of how many places in the NT the Law is strictly prohibited to be read or taught in the Church, because “to this very day WHENEVER Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts to harden them?”  Aren’t we aware that 97.4% of the OT is based on the so-many-strings-attached conditional, merited, earned, loving-favor of God that “imprisons” us under the Law based on our works of obedience, and that 100% of the NT is all about the no-strings-attached, unmerited, undeserved, unconditionally-loving favor of God “sets us free” because of grace based on trusting-relying-faith in Christ’s perfect obedience per Romans 5:19?  Do we really want to be like the Jewish-Christians still needing the “milk” of scripture when we should be ready for the “solid food” of learning the will of God through the constant practice of discernment by the Holy Spirit – see New Covenant Ways – BT16?  Let us not slip on the slippery slope as the early Catholic Church did by building The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit by “borrowing” from the OT Law to build a faulty foundation and then “borrowing” stones from the world to build the rest of the The Great Wall!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God revealed to Little Children & other Leasts Among You before Firsts or Greatest, Old Testament limited to Psalms and then none when mostly Gentile, Early Jewish Church used 300 messianic prophecies to convert Jews & encourage Christians, Old Testament added back in 233 AD by Origen, The Mosaic Law was only UNTIL Christ was revealed, Christians are no longer under the Law, Christians are to be FREE from the Law, The Spirit is a mature-son Christian’s first-fruits of their inheritance

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Reflections:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT7:  Little children don’t study the bible to know God but learn directly

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

The “wise and understanding” megas greats, protos firsts, or archon top leaders have always been the ones who could financially afford to be educated to read and study the bible in the original languages, but this partiality or favoritism, which we’ve seen God abhors, leaves the “least among you” eschatos lasts, such as paidion little children (before 7 years old) and nepios breast-feeding children completely out.  Why are Christians continuing to show this partiality that is required to disseminate through greatest-to-least teaching the scriptural gnosis head-knowledge the same way the Jews did under the old covenant when we are supposed to be under a completely-different-in-kind New Covenant that is supposed share nothing with the old by definition? This is baffling!  Why do we idolize bible study?

 

The Greek text and more accurate translations like the ASV, CSB, DARBY, DLNT, EXB, HCSB, MOUNCE, NASB, NKJV, NMB, WEB, and YLT prove that the King James Version’s “Study to shew thyself an approved workman of God” (a) to be false and misleading, because spoudazo means “to use speed or be prompt; make effort or be earnest, diligent, or zealous,” which has absolutely nothing to do with reading, analyzing, or memorizing bible verses to quote them back to Satan in spiritual warfare or in evangelism as we’ve been told in church to do!  It’s a shame that the KJ21, AKJV, AMP, AMPC, BRG, DRA, GNV, JUB, and MEV have perpetuated this heresy – Logos Word of God – BT19!  <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 2:15.

 

The scribes and Pharisees were expert bible students, but look what Jesus said of them:  “You diligently search/study (a) the scriptures (b) because you suppose/opinionate (c) that in them you will take hold of zoe genuine-life everlasting, but-instead it is they that testify/bear-witness of Me, yet you refuse to COME TO ME that you may have zoe genuine-life” (d).  In fact, their “tables” for rolling out their scrolls to compare and study them had become a “snare, trap, and stumbling block” and God had cursed their efforts with a “retribution/pay-back – bend backs forever” – see New Covenant Ways – BT17!  Smart people can really get stuck (e)!  <Notes> a) ereunao:  diligently search, inquire, seek, examine, or investigate to know, b) the bible of their day, c) dokeo:  have the opinion of, seem to think, suppose what seems to be, make a subjective mental estimate, which directly reflects the personal values of the person making this a subjective judgment call.  In other words, it may not be the truth at all, d) John 5:39-40, e) Romans 11:7-10 quoting Isaiah 28:13, cf. Romans 11:7-10; 1 Corinthians 3:19; Job 5:13, 2 Timothy 3:7, 1 Corinthians 1:20.

 

Little children manthano learn-the-essentials directly from their parents, i.e., what is best for them.  They don’t get a memo from their parents!  This is “the promise” of the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant that we have seen – that God is no longer delegating or trusting human teachers to get it right.  He is assuming all responsibility to directly teach His children by “writing His torah/nomos instruction directly on the tablets of their heart.”  We have seen that He does this as revelation (a) by the means of the “Holy Spirit of The Truth” (b) who “guides us into ALL The Truth” (c) so that we “have absolutely-in-fact-NO need that any man teach us” (d).  Are we trusting human teachers more than the mind of our Heavenly Father, through the voice of His Logos–communicator Son, by-the-means-of the “breath” of the Spirit?  Is it because we can see the people but not God?  <Notes> a) Ephesians 1:17, b) John 14:17, 15:26; 1 John 4:6, 5:6, c) John 16:13, d) 1 John 2:20, 27.

 

“Seeing” is how “little children” disciples manthano learn-the-essentials directly from their heavenly Father thru the Logos-communicator Son by-the-means-of the Holy Spirit.  It’s like any intimate, love relationship – you need to spend regular, quality time just being together, optanomai gazing in awe with wide-open eyes into each other’s eyes (a).  It’s this katoptrizo “manner of gazing with wide-open eyes as a reflection in a mirror the glory of Christ [that is within us as the Spirit] that metamorphically transforms us from one level of glory to another, which comes from the Spirit who is the Lord [who is in us]” Jesus Christ (b) – not reading Moses because “whenever Moses is read, to this very day, a veil lies over their hearts and/coupled their minds are hardened” (c).  That’s why Jesus and Paul linked gregoreo vigilant-watching with proseuche conversational-prayer (d) just as the OT often associates the two (e), which is the WAY of “seers” or prophets (f). <Notes> a) Matthew 5:8; John 16:22; Romans 15:21; Acts 13:31; 1 John 3:2, b) 2 Corinthians 3:18, c) 2 Corinthians 3:14-15, d) Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Colossians 4:2, e) Psalms 130:6; Isaiah 52:8, f) Isaiah 56:10; Ezekiel 33:7; Hosea 9:8.

 

This is certainly part of the eido mental ‘seeing’ to perceive/know “with eyes of your hearts enlightened” (a) that God promises to be the way ALL His children will experientially, relationally yada/ginosko know Him to replace being taught by men – and that this time it will be from “the least to the greatest” (b) in the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant.  Jesus links eido ‘seeing’ with their eyes to perceive/know and akouo hearing/listening to understand/know to noeo ‘concluding with the heart to understand/know‘ that results in healing after repentance (c).  Healing is a key meaning of soteria salvation!  <Notes> a) Ephesians 1:18; Hebrews 6:4, 10:32; cf. Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27, b) Jeremiah 31:33-34 cited in Hebrews 8:11 and 10:16; 1 Corinthians 2:2, c) John 12:40 and Matthew 13:14-15 citing Isaiah 6:10; noeo: applying mental effort needed to reach ‘bottom-line’ conclusion, especially moral reasoning for which we are accountable on Judgment Day.

 

Eido ‘seeing’ is the essence of prophetic horasis visions (a) and dreams that is the “promise” for “the last days” or Church Age (b), which is like our “aphorao ‘routine observing/perceiving to know/discern by looking away from all else’ to fix our gaze upon’ Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our trusting-relying-faith who [also] set before Himself joy to endure the cross” (c).  For more about discernment – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  The Lord sent Paul specifically for the reason of “opening people’s eyes that they may turn from darkness to light . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those having been sanctified by trusting-relying-faith in Christ” (d).  John couples horao “observing/perceiving-knowing/discerning” internal vision and experiential, relational ginosko knowing of Jesus together as the only way to not routinely/habitually keep on sinning, despite your claims (e) – see the Holiness/Sanctification page.  <Notes> a) Horasis comes from the verb horao – see below, b) Joel 2:28-29 cited in Acts 2:17-19, 33, 38-39, c) Hebrews 12:2, d) Acts 26:18, e) 1 John 3:6.

 

Horasis comes from the verb horao that means generally to observe with the eyes, implying attention, concern, or heed, sometimes being acquainted through experience, but often emphasizing a mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive or comprehend with a discerning or ‘weighing-in’ mind (a).  Some things that the NT disciples blepo physically saw, many OT people prophesied about them via revelation, but “they could only long to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know (b) them,” having only “searched or carefully-inquired-about them” (c), having only been horao ‘observed/perceived to be known or discerned’ by the forefathers (d), like Abraham wanting to horao ‘observed/perceived to be known or discerned’ Christ’s coming and he did eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know it (e).  See how horao and eido are linked!  Compare this to optanomai:  gaze in awe with wide-open eyes upon (f) or katoptrizo that is kataptron mirror + a derivative of optanomai together meaning to gaze in awe with wide-open eyes as in a mirror (g). <Notes> a) Revelation 4:3, 9:17; Matthew 9:30; Luke 24:31; Matthew 20:33; Mark 8:25; Jeremiah 6:16; Numbers 12:6; Job 7:14, 20:8, 33:15; Daniel 1:17, 2:28, 4:5, 9, 7:1, b) Luke 10:24, c) 1 Peter 1:10-12, d) Hebrews 11:13, e) John 8:56, f) Matthew 5:8; John 16:22; Romans 15:21; Acts 13:31; 1 John 3:2, g) only used in 1 Corinthians 3:18.

 

 

 

The secret to enduring “momentary affliction” is to “skopeo attentively observe with scrutiny not to the things that are physically seen but to the things that are physically unseen, for what can be physically seen is temporary but what cannot be physically seen is eternal” (a).  Jesus said, “The one who is routinely theoreo ‘beholding with particular interest’ Me actually is ongoingly theoreo ‘beholding with particular interest’ the [One] having sent Me” (b).  That’s why he “counsels us to buy . . . salve to anoint our eyes [for healing] so that we may blepo ‘primarily physically see, but as here, to go deeper into the non-physical realm to perceive the needed action of alertness, etc.’ (c).”  He doesn’t counsel us to buy a bible to read it or to put glasses on to read it better, but to go into the Spirit’s realm by the anointing of the Spirit.  <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, b) John 12:45, cf. John 6:2, 14:19, 16:16; Luke 24:37; theoreo where we get “theater,” gazing or concentrating on for the purpose of analyzing, contemplating, or discriminating, c) Revelations 3:18.

 

Paul says “we manthano learn-the-essentials-of (a) Christ by having indeed akouo heard-to-understand/know and/coupled having been didasko taught in/by/with Him (Christ) as [singular] Truth is presently/ongoing existing/defined in/by/with the [one] Jesus” (b).  Jesus is the key to learning!  Jesus said that the Prophets wrote about us:  ‘And they will all be taught by God.’  Everyone who akouo hears/listens-to-understand/know and/coupled manthano learns-the-essentials from the Father comes to Me” (c).  Therefore Christ’s  ‘next step’ invitation is:  “Take My yoke [harness of instruction] upon you and/coupled manthano learn-the-essentials from Me because I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (d).  <Notes> a) manthano is the learning of a mathetes disciple, learning key facts from experience often with the implication of reflection, b) Ephesians 4:20-21, c) John 6:45, d) Matthew 11:29

 

Nevertheless, Paul explains the benefits of Body-of-Christ prophecy:  “You can ALL prophesy one after another, so that ALL can manthano learn-the-essentials and/coupled be encouraged” (a).  Why are we so quick to replace “learning FROM Jesus” directly by “listening to Him teach us” with “learning ABOUT Jesus” by reading ancient writings about Him?  The former can be easily done by the uneducated and little children, but the latter requires “wise and understanding” teachers!  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:31.

 

Paul told his evangelist-in-training Timothy to “noeo ‘mentally reason to reach his conclusion’ I speak to you for the reason of [that] the Lord will give you sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding/knowledge in ALL things” (a).  You don’t have to get this from Paul’s writings but Jesus gives it to you!  When Jesus did miracles or even taught, He wondered why His disciples didn’t have this noeo ‘mental-reasoning to reach His desired conclusions’ (b).  Also, Paul’s hope was that Christians would thus noeo ‘mentally-reason to reach his desired conclusion’ my insights into the mystery of Christ from my letters (c).  Paul criticizes teachers of the Law because they really don’t noeo ‘mentally-reason to reach his desired conclusion’ (d). <Notes> a) 2 Timothy 2:7, b) Matthew 15:17 [Mark 7:18], 16:9, 11 [Mark 8:17], cf. Matthew 24:15 [Mark 13:14], c) Ephesians 3:4, d) 1 Timothy 1:7.

 

It certainly takes trusting-relying-faith to noeo ‘mentally-reason to reach the author’s desired conclusion’ about so much of what we read in the bible because we simply don’t have all the information we need to validate it (a).  However, God is able to go far beyond what we ask or even noeo ‘mentally-reason toward reaching the author’s desired conclusion’ (b).  Nevertheless, Paul says mankind will be without excuse on the Judgement Day because the invisible attributes of God, like His eternal power and divine nature, having been clearly visible through creation so that people should have noeo ‘mentally-reasoned to reach God’s desired conclusion’ and/subsequently worshipped God instead of creation itself (c). <Notes> a) Hebrews 11:3, b) Ephesians 3:20, c) Romans 1:20.

 

We already saw how Jesus links eido ‘mentally ‘seeing’ with their mind’s eyes to perceive/know‘ and akouo ‘hearing/listening-to-understand/know’ to noeo ‘mentally-reason toward reaching Jesus’ desired conclusion’ with the heart – an understanding that could result in healing after repentance (a).  So God gives us information through our eyes and ears to sunesis ‘connect the dots’ and noeo ‘mentally-reason to reach a God’s desired conclusion.  God holds us accountable to this process, even resulting in a ‘turning’ confession and repentance.  Yet, some things we will just need to have trusting-relying-faith in God about until more information comes in.  Even “the least among you” are capable of this! <Notes> a) John 12:40 and Matthew 13:14-15 citing Isaiah 6:10.

 

 

 

Akouo “hearing/listening to understand/know” (a) directly from the Father is something that little children can certainly do!  We already saw Jesus in the previous BLOG take eido mentally ‘seeing’ with their eyes to mentally understand/know and/coupled this to akouo hearing/listening to understand/know and then links both of these to noeo ‘mental-reasoning to reach God’s desired conclusions’ with the heart an understanding/knowledge that could result in healing after repentance (b).  John had revelation when he eido mentally ‘saw’ and/coupled akouo heard an eagle flying while speaking (c).  Jesus takes akouo hearing/listening to His phone voice and links this to His own experiential, relational ginosko knowing of His sheep (d).  <Notes> a) akouo is where we get the word acoustics.  Sound received by the ear has to still be mentally processed, which goes back to mental picture seeing, this eido knowledge.  That’s why prophetic rhema words are “seen” as horasis visions and dreams even if they are akouo heard  per Acts 2:17-29 citing Joel 2:28-29,  b) John 12:40 and Matthew 13:14-15 citing Isaiah 6:10, cf. Jeremiah 5:21, c) Revelation 8:13, d) John 10:27, cf. John 17:3.

 

John says those that experientially, relationally ginosko know God akouo hear/listen to us [the apostles] (a).  In his revelation of Jesus Christ, John says “blessed are those experientially, relationally ginosko knowing again [by reading] and/coupled akouo hearing/listening to the logos messages of this prophecy” (b). The secrets of the kingdom were revealed/un-hidden to Christ’s disciples to experientially, relationally ginosko know, to Christ’s teknion deeply-loved little children (c) or teknon willfully-dependent-children-minors (d), not to the masses who hung around for the free food or entertainment, and not to the “wise and understanding” critics, because although they ALL akouo heard Jesus preach, they evidently didn’t have sunesis ‘connect-to-dots’ understanding/knowledge (e), which brings us to the next point about the Parable of the Sower and the Seed.

 

<Notes> a) 1 John 4:6, b) Revelation 1:3, c) John 13:33; 1 John 2:1, 12, 28, 3:7, 18, 4:4, 5:21; Galatians 4:19, d) teknon:  a child living in willing dependence and unprovoked obedience per Ephesians 6:1, 4, Colossians 3:20-21, and 1 Peter 1:14 because of effective household management per 1 Timothy 3:4, 12 and Titus 1:6 as elders and deacons should be doing, with gentleness as a nursing mother would give per 1 Thessalonians 2:7, even giving good gifts to them:  Matthews 7:11, even the Holy Spirit:  Luke 11:13.  Such children draw guidance, care, and nurture from their parents.  They are disciples of Christ: Mark 10:24; children of God:  John 1:12, 11:52, 1 John 3:2, 10, 5:2, Romans 8:17, 21, Philippians 2:15; Dearly unconditionally-loved by God:  Ephesians 5:1, 1 John 3:1; True children of Sarah and Abraham: 1 Peter 3:6, Romans 9:7; children of the promise:  Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28 31; Of the light instead of the darkness we once were, being children of wrath:  Ephesians 2:3, 5:8; The Spirit, not a bible verse, tells us that we are:  Romans 8:16;  e) Luke 8:10, 10:21; Matthew 11:25.

 

Physically “seeing and hearing” will do us absolutely no good, unless the Lord helps us get sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding/knowledge in order to noeo ‘mentally-reasoned to reach Christ’s desired conclusion’ in order to experientially, relationally ginosko know The Truth.  The entire process has to come together for the “seed to sprout!”  It’s really quite a miracle!  As a gardener I can tell you that a combination of a lot of things go into growing a healthy plant!  The number of plants Home Depot and Lowes has seen me return speak volumes!

 

Paul explains:  The “wisdom of this age or of its rulers is doomed to pass away . . . but we impart a mysterious and hidden wisdom of/belonging-to God . . . but none of the rulers of this age experientially, relationally ginosko knew this . . . these things God has revealed to us [who are] hupo ‘under or subordinately-under the authority of’ the Spirit. . . . We have absolutely-in-fact-NOT received the [blinding] spirit of this world, but-instead the Spirit who is from God in order that we might eido ‘mentally ‘see’ to understand/know’ the things freely given us by God, and/thus we impart these in logos message absolutely-in-fact-NOT taught by human wisdom but taught by-the-means-of the Spirit . . . The natural man does absolutely-in-fact-NOT accept/welcome the things of the Spirit of God for they are folly to him and/coupled he is absolutely-in-fact-NOT dunamis powerfully-enabled to experientially, relationally ginosko know them because they are Spirit-kind-of discerned” (a). <Notes> a) 1 Corinthian 2:6-14.

 

That’s why Jesus says that the Father keeps the hidden things of the kingdom hidden for the so-called “wise and/coupled sunesis rational, inductive ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding ones” but reveals them to little children, such as His disciples (a).  Job understood this:  “But it is the Spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ to understand” (b).  Jesus was the One that Isaiah prophesied about:  “The Spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of sophia wisdom and/coupled sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of/associated-to gnosis informational-knowledge [of/belonging-to God] and/coupled the reverential awe of Yahweh” (c). <Notes> a) Luke 10:21, Matthew 11:25; 1 Corinthians 1:19-25 citing Isaiah 29:14; 2 Corinthians 3:14; Job 5:12-13, b) Job 32:8, c) Isaiah 11:2.

 

That’s exactly why Paul never stops proseuche conversationally-praying for Christians:  “asking that you-all may be pleroo filled to completion with the genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of His will by-the-means-of pas ‘all/every of a kind/category/class of’ Spirit-kind-of sophia wisdom and/coupled sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding/knowledge to walk worthily of the Lord” (a) – see New Covenant – BT16.  Can you see why it is vital that we are Spirit-baptized more and more often?  Can you see why “Blessed are the beggarly poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom” (b)?  This leads us to our next BLOG.  <Notes> a) Colossians 1:9-10, b) Matthew 5:3.

 

 

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, why are we continuing to show partiality to the educated ‘greats, firsts, and rulers’ over the uneducated and little children by expecting the knowledge of God to still be disseminated the same way it was under the old covenant, even when we are supposed to be in a completely-different-in-kind New Covenant?  Maybe because many Christians have been misled by the King James Bible and others based on that falsely translated 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself an approved workman of God” when more accurate translations have shown that it has absolutely NOTHING to do with reading or analyzing gnosis-informational-knowledge but about being speedily prompt, earnest, diligent, or zealous!  In fact, Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul all criticize the bible students of their times for completely missing the point of scripture that was to simply reveal Jesus, and that such a “study approach” actually has trapped them into NOT experientially, relationally ginosko knowing of God, leaving them only with a “puffed-up head” and a curse of “bend-backs forever.”  Are we also stuck in this failed old covenant of a hierarchy of top-down authoritative teaching of ancient writings?

 

As Christian musicians, are we ignorant of the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant way that God directly teaches His people NOW, the way He reveals the secret, hidden things of the kingdom to little children but keeps them hidden from the “wise and understanding” bible students?  Are we requiring the uneducated to become educated from the bible and/or its teachers in order to “so learn Christ” just like the Jews learned Moses?  Isn’t this showing favoritism to the educated?  Don’t we trust God when He said that He has done away with gramma writings to communicate His instruction, NOW instead writing it directly on our hearts by the Spirit?  If so, why are we still relying on the collection of these writings called graphe scripture?  Isn’t that like re-reading and studying old car loan contracts that were paid off long ago?  Isn’t that crazy?  Don’t we trust the Father to teach and guide/counsel His children into ALL of The Truth personally, when that was actually His promise by the Spirit so we “have absolutely-in-fact no need for any man teach us?”  Doesn’t it show a lack of trusting-relying-faith in God when we rely on the bible for most truth and believe that only the fanatical “mystics” or charismatic “kooks” think they actually hear/see from God?

 

As Christian musicians, are we talking about “a trusting relationship with God” but then promoting “a trusting relationship with the bible?”  Are we ignorant of the many specific Greek words the New Covenant uses to describe how especially the uneducated, little children, and other “least among you” learn from God before the so-called “greats, first, and top leaders?”  Are we putting the same “traps, snares, and stumbling blocks” before people that the Jews had?  The NT words talk about mentally ‘seeing’ in order to know by having the eyes of our heart enlightened, gazing with wide-open eyes at or fixing our gaze upon Jesus to transform us so we won’t habitually sin, beholding with particular interest Christ, attentively observing with scrutiny invisible-to-the-physical-eye kingdom realities – not visible bible pages or anything else on this planet – to be able to endure our momentary affliction, thus needing to be vigilantly-watching in conversational-prayer, and particularly to zealously desire more than any of the other Spirit’s grace-gifts the prophetic visions and dreams that is NOW God’s form of communication to us in the Church Age.  What is holding us back?

 

As Christian musicians, are we clear that akouo hearing/listening to understand/know the prophetic rhema words of Christ “that alone are Spirit and zoe genuine-life” such that all else “is unprofitable flesh,” still requires eido mental ‘seeing’ to process it – a picture is a 1000 words?  To be “taught by God” is to “be yoked/harnessed to Christ in order to directly learn from Him.  This is not a burden of commandments at all – the New Covenant only has 1 compound commandment in 2 parts!  Christ’s harness-of-instruction is “custom-fit and light as a feather to carry!”  Prophecy is how we teach one another as we all weigh in together on what is said, as well as “teaching and admonishing one another thru psalms, hymns, and Spirit-kind-of songs.”  Are we clear on what the NT really teaches about these things?

 

As Christian musicians, are we clear that the world’s sophia wisdom and sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ logical, rational understanding, absolutely includes all religious study, even the Jewish religion?  It’s all called the “flesh” part of man’s identity, that Jesus and Paul says “profits nothing, is weak, feeble, useless, and counts for nothing.”  Zechariah 4:6 calls all the external resources and internal abilities of men, particularly the religious people of the old covenant, “might and power” that God was going to replace in the New Covenant with “by My Spirit.”  That’s why Jesus and Paul said God was going to keep kingdom realities and the things of the Spirit hidden from the so-called “wise and understanding ones” but reveal them to little children by GIVING them His own sophia wisdom and sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding, which I have to say is often times not sequentially-logical or rational, and certainly not based on reading, comprehension, analysis, or study!  The world’s approach can be misleading, causing them to be “the blind leading the blind,” by drawing the wrong conclusions!  Only the Spirit of God can reveal the truth and it requires absolutely NO READING or STUDY.  In fact, God teaches the “least before the greatest” – the uneducated before the educated.  That’s how He can hold everybody accountable on the Judgment Day – He has not made the world’s WAY to “wisdom and understanding” through reading and study a prerequisite at all!  In fact, it’s a “trap, snare, and stumbling block” to bible students!  The only way to the Father is through Jesus per John 14:6 by hearing Christ’s voice and following Him per John 10:2 and this ginosko experiential relationship alone is genuine-life everlasting per John 17:3.

 

Finally, as Christian musicians, are we clearly pointing others to “seeing and hearing” prophetically by the Spirit of God “opening our eyes and ears” to seeing & hearing Christ’s voice and “being beggarly poor in Spirit so that we will be blessed with the kingdom” as Jesus promised in the beatitudes?  Are we leading people to “routinely ask for the good grace-gift of the Holy Spirit” to actually realize “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” as Jesus taught us to pray?  Like Paul, are we “unceasingly praying for the Spirit’s sophia wisdom and sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding so that we can be filled to completion with the genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of His will to walk worthily of the Lord?”  Can you see that absolutely none of this requires reading or study, but instead habitually/routinely asking, seeking, and knocking for the door to be opened for us?  The “least among us” will be the first to get it because they are not “trapped, snared, or stumbling” like the so-called “greats and firsts” bible-scholars were!  What we need is the Spirit to give us discernment, which is the next BLOG topic!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, Afforded education shows partiality against The Leasts, God shows no partiality and neither should we, KJV study to show yourself approved is a bad translation, Bible-students often miss the point of the bible that is a personal relationship with Jesus, Little children learn directly from their parents just as we should from God, We are ALL to be taught by God not men, The Holy Spirit is our One Teacher, We are all called to be Seers or Prophets, Watching in prayer, Internal seeing hearing reasoning of mind & heart, New Covenant promise is prophetic visions & dreams NOT scripture, Sin results from not internally seeing & knowing God, Greek words for seeing God & His will, We need the Spirit to help us see prophetically, Little children can easily prophesy yet not understand the bible, We are to go past visible sight to the invisible world by faith, Genuine knowledge comes from internally seeing & hearing God teach us directly by the Spirit, Internally seeing and hearing often linked together to genuine knowing of God, We have to understand the gospel in our heart to experientially know Jesus, Paul didn’t preach a Word-only gospel with human wisdom, We have to have prophetic vision to grasp what God has given us, Natural man can’t understand Spirit’s things, Wisdom and Understanding come from revelation by the Spirit, Spirit-baptism or filling is the way to genuine knowledge of God & His will, New Covenant Way to know God and His Will is thru prophetic revelation by intimate prayer, Reflections on Parts 1 – 3

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT6:  God opposes the pride of ‘wise & understanding ones’ but gives grace to the humble ‘leasts’

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

In the last BLOG Topic we saw Isaiah 28:1-13 criticize the teachers of Christ’s time saying, “Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim.”  We also saw that “God opposes (a) the proud, but gives unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace to the lowly/humble (b)” (c).  God’s restored “Plan A” from Exodos 20:18-21 of direct communication bypasses favoring the “wise and understanding ones” and gives complete equal and impartial access to “the least among you” by “un-hiding or revealing the secrets of the kingdom to even little children and keeping them hidden from the wise and learned.”  What do you want?  <Notes> a) stands firmly against, b) the lowly who are teachable, c) 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6 citing Proverbs 3:34.

 

The “learned” Jewish bible scholars and Greek debaters have plenty of gnosis head-knowledge, but Paul says it only “puffs your head up with conceit” (a) and that these people are “puffed up with conceit and actually understand nothing” (b).  However, this gnosis head-knowledge is worthless compared to genuinely, fully, experientially, relationally epiginosko knowing the mystery of God that is Christ (c), which evidently the uneducated “least among you” have unfettered access to!  Which kind of knowledge do you want?  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 8:1, b) 1 Timothy 6:4, c) Colossians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:6, 10:5; Philippians 3:8; Ephesians 3:19, 4:13, Titus 1:1; Philemon 1:6; 2 Peter 1:8; 2 Peter 2:20; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 5:20,

 

It’s very likely that this proud, conceited arrogance of putting your trusting-relying-faith in our own “might and power” external resources and internal abilities of Zechariah 4:6 is a major roadblock to coming to Jesus and coming into the presence of God through the Holy Spirit, and that’s why it really defiles a man (a).  The “pride that God opposes or stands His ground against” keeps us from surrendering control to the Lord – it keeps us from “lifting up holy hands (b) to God when we pray” or in worship (c) as a little child would to a Father to say, “Daddy, pick me up and hold me in your arms.”  Having been saved in the Church of Christ, it took quite a while in 1985 in a Spirit-filled charismatic church to surrender my pride and control to the Lord in order to finally be free to raise my hands to God as godly people have always done, just as obedient creation does (d).

 

<Notes> a) Luke 1:51; 1 John 2:16; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 11:20; 2 Timothy 3:2; James 4:6, 16; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:26; Philippians 2:3; 1 Timothy 3:6, 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:4; Romans 11:18; 1 Corinthians 4:18-19, 13:4; 2 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7, b) 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 12:12; Luke 24:50; Leviticus 9:22; Psalms 28:2, 63:4, 119:48, 134:2, 141:2; Lamentations 2:19, 3:41, c) Nehemiah 8:6, d) Habakkuk 3:10.

 

Gnosis head-knowledge doesn’t require a relationship because it’s just factual information!  However ginosko, epiginosko, and epignosis knowledge absolutely does by definition because it is experiential, relational knowledge that requires pistis or pisteuo trusting-relying-faith in order to develop such a relationship!  Scholars are rich in gnosis but often poor in epignosis genuine, full, experiential, relational knowledge.  Little children and the other uneducated “least among us” are poor in gnosis but can be rich in epignosis.

 

Gnosis can be crammed into your head, but relational knowledge is grown little by little through relationship!  This relationship knowledge is all progressive!  It’s gained one bite and one meal at a time while having supper with the Lord.  That’s why it’s called “walking by the Spirit” (a) and “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is unhidden/revealed from trusting-relying-faith to trusting-relying-faith (b), just as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by trusting-relying-faith” (c).  <Notes> a) Galatians 5:16, b) an idiom meaning “from one step of trusting-relying-faith to the other,” c) Romans 1:17.

 

Paul tells us how the will of God is known: “walking as children of light . . . routinely/habitually testing/examining to genuinely-prove (a) what is pleasing to the Lord” (b).  It’s not gained from reading the bible as an “owner’s manual” as I’ve heard it preached and that “everything we need to know about life is in this book!”  That’s not what the NT says!  Hebrews 5:14 says that “solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.  Do you want “fast-food drive-thru” gnosis or many “solid-food meals” in koinonia relationship with Christ? <Notes> a) dokimazo by examination to prove what is genuine, (b) Ephesians 5:10.

 

Paidion little children and nepiois infants, the blind, the mentally handicapped, and many other “least among you” may hardly be able to read the bible, let alone study, memorize, categorize, doctrinize, theologize, rationalize, or any other –ize to become the so-called “wise and learned or understanding ones.”  And even if a teacher does all this for them and “dumbs it down” for them, it’s absolutely unnecessary!  God wants to teach His little children the way our little children learn from their loving parents – by waiting, watching, and listening!  Not by reading a manual!  That’s why the Lord so often tells us we must be humble, lowly, teachable, and trusting/relying/depending like little children!

 

Educated adults may indeed have gnosis head-knowledge but the uneducated, little children, and other “least among you” can still have heart–knowledge, which is exactly the emphasis of in New Testament.   However, we have to be careful that we don’t try to separate the nous mind from the kardia heart like the Greeks did, because the Jews who the NT writers were, saw the mind and heart as the same part of the inner being (a).  It’s cute to say “the longest yard for God is to get it from our heads into our hearts,” but that’s not entirely correct!

 

<Notes> a) Luke 9:47 “reasoning/dialogue/debate of their hearts.”  Proverbs 7:3 says to “write God’s commandments on the tablet of your heart.”  Ezra 7:10 says he “set his heart to study the Law.”  Psalms 119:1 says “In In my heart I have hidden Thy imrah, logion divine oracle/brief utterance so I would not sin against You.”  Yet, Paul says in Romans 12:2 that we are “transformed by the ‘making again a completely-different-in-kind’ nous mind” and in Ephesians that this “renewing” occurs “within the Spirit of your nous minds.”  But in 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul says “our inner man is being renewed” and in Ephesians 3:16 says that’s the place where we can be “strengthened with dunamis enabling-power through His Spirit.”  In Romans 7:22, Paul, as a Jewish-Christian, delights in God’s Law in his inner man”  – see Identity.

 

Nevertheless, God promises that unlike the old covenant the New Covenant would be completely-different-in-kind:  “I shall actually put My torah/nomos law/instruction within them and/coupled I will write it on their hearts (a).”  Paul explains that Christians are NOW the “epistle letter [of gramma writings] of Christ . . . eggrapho written/inscribed absolutely-in-fact-NOT with ink but-instead by the means of [the] Spirit of the living God, absolutely-in-fact-NOT on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (b) – see Logos Word of God – BT20.  God’s unconditional-love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (c).  <Notes> a) Jeremiah 31:33-34 cited in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16, b) 2 Corinthians 3:3, c) Romans 5:5; John 17:26; 1 John 4:12.

 

Jesus explains that the “good soil [people] are they who [upon] akouo hearing/listening to understand/know the [gospel] logos message [of His] hold onto it firmly in an honest and good heart and/thus bear fruit with endurance” (a). The ones healed by Jesus are those who “noeo ‘conclusion-making understanding of the mind‘ with their heart, not just those who [physically] see with their eyes or [physically] hear with their ears” (b), so Paul prays for Christian’s “eyes of their hearts to be enlightened (c) that they may eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know . . . the immeasurable greatness of His Spirit’s enabling-power” (d).  No matter who we are, we are called to an akouo listening and eido ‘seeing’ heart/mind-knowledge, which goes far deeper than gnosis bible head-information!

 

<Notes> a) Luke 8:15, b) Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27, c) photizo: “enlightened, God sharing His life, exposing and overcoming darkness like the ignorance caused by sin” like a lamp giving light in Luke 11:36, Jesus being our light John 1:9 and Revelation 18:1, Christ exposing our hearts on judgment day in 1 Corinthians 4:5, and Paul’s revelation of the gospel to the Gentiles in Ephesians 3:9, d) Ephesians 1:18-19, cf. Hebrews 6:4, 10:32.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, do we really believe the “anointing of the Holy One” of 1 John 2:20 requires a certain IQ from someone to learn directly from God?  Or do we believe that without a bible translated in their language, even if they don’t have a written language yet, that people can NOT be “taught by God?”  I used to support Wycliffe and other translators because I believed this!  But native missionaries filled by the Spirit tell a different story!  The Jesus Film with audio in their language will do just fine, too!  What did the early Church do in all the countries of the Roman Empire?  They didn’t all speak or read Greek!  Tongues and other “demonstrations of the Spirit of God in signs & wonders” work just great as Mark 16:14-20 said they would!  Thousands of Muslims are being visited by Christ and angels and flocking into the kingdom!  Little children empowered by the Spirit in Africa are leading thousands to Christ!

 

As Christian musicians, do we really believe that God requires people to become “wise and understanding” in order to “learn Christ?”  If we do, then how are Christians under the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant any different than Jews under the old covenant when it comes to the way we learn to know God?  How is your ministry different from the Jews?  If the gramma sacred writings never got the Jews anywhere but lost, even killing all their prophets and then their Messiah, do we think we will produce different results still “supposing/opinionating that in the scriptures that we diligently search/study we will take hold of everlasting zoe genuine-life?”  Will we escape the prideful conceit of the biblical scholars?  Do we want God to stand against our pride or give us grace as with little children, who don’t have gnosis head-knowledge but instead have a progressive, relational, experential epignosis heart-knowledge.  It behooves us to examine more deeply in the next BLOG Topics how to be more like little children in “knowing the Lord” directly!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, God opposes the proud Wise and Understanding ones, God gives grace to the humble “lasts before the firsts,” God mocks the expository bible-teachers, Gnosis head knowledge just puffs your head up, Epignosis knowledge is genuine relational experiential knowledge, Old covenant was by man’s Might & Power external & internal resources, New Covenant is by God’s Spirit, We have to be humble like little children to have Kingdom Secrets revealed to us, Kingdom secrets kept hidden from bible scholars, Little children & infants learn directly and so must we, Heart NOT Head knowledge by the Spirit is what we need

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT5:  Being taught by men or by God?

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

 

In the previous BLOG Topics we have seen that God had a better plan for the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant than a top-down hierarchy of authoritative teachers that essentially favors “the greatest” or educated “wise and understanding” people but leaves “the least among you” uneducated, mentally and physically handicapped, little children, and those without money or access to education out!  However, we have seen “hints” on how God will reach even the so-called “lasts” and actually make them “firsts,” whereas He destroys the “wisdom and understanding” of the educated “firsts” and makes them “lasts.”  Now we will see more about how God accomplishes this.

 

In John 6:45 Jesus cites Isaiah 54:13, “It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will ALL be taught/instructed by Yahweh [and great shall be the peace of Your children.]’  Everyone who has akouo heard/listened to understand/know and/coupled manthano learned (a) from the Father comes to Me.”  Paul cites this same passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:9, “Now concerning brotherly-love, you have absolutely-in-fact-NO need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are actually, presently/ongoing taught by God to unconditionally-love one another.”

 

This completely-different-in-kind New Covenant method of direct teaching by God “to test you to prove what is genuine” and so that “the awesome reverential-awe of Him may be upon/in/by/with you so that you may not sin” is actually a restoration of God’s original intent for Israel at Mt. Sinai in Exodos 20:18-21 recounted in Hebrews 12:18-21, 25 to Jewish-Christians being tempted by teachers of the Law to go back to the writings of Moses.  At Mt. Sinai the people rejected God’s “plan A,” but instead appointed Moses to do the akouo listening and eido ‘seeing’ to understand/know, and thus was the birth of the old covenant religion and indirect communication through gramma sacred writings, just as with every other religion in the world!  “While the people stood far off,” Moses was the only one who “drew near” to God “into the thick darkness where God was,” and only Moses was directly changed by God, with his face shining like the sun!  Religion has to do with writings but relationship has to do with listening and seeing.  God invited them to have a relationship but they opted for the religion of graphe scripture writings. <Notes> a) manthano:  learning key facts through experience, much like yada/ginosko knowing, with the reflection implied leading to realization.  This is the process of being a disciple mathetes.

 

Again, in Jeremiah 31:33-34 cited in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16, The Lord says:  “I will make a completely-different-in-kind New (a) Covenant . . . absolutely-in-fact-NOT or in-possibility-NOT (b) like the covenant that I had made . . . My [previous] covenant they (c) broke. . . . I shall actually put My torah/nomos law/instruction within them and/coupled I will write it on their hearts . . . and/coupled absolutely-in-fact-NOT longer shall every person teach his neighbor (fellow Jews) or [even] his family members to experientially, relationally ginosko know Yahweh, for My people shall actually ALL eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know Me– from the least of them (d) to the greatest (e).”  I keep bringing this up because the NT does – it’s the basis of the entire NT – but it’s rare to hear pastors bring it up!

 

<Notes> a) chadash, kainos: fresh, completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior, b) this rare ou me is the strongest possible negative, c) the Jews led out of Egypt, d) qatan, micros:  small or little in size, stature, rank, influence, or age but especially of children or youth; weak, insignificant or unimportant people, e) gadowl, megas: great or large in magnitude or extent, number, degree or intensity, sound/voice, space, importance; of distinguished, eminent, important, exalted, notable, majestic people or God, of age or might.

 

This is a radical deviation from Proverbs 7:3 that tells the Jews concerning God’s “commandments to keep and live; keep My instruction as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; you-all write them on the tablet of your heart.”  So the Jews created fashion apparel to do this!  Crazy!  However, Paul explains that now Christians are the “epistle letter [of gramma writings] of Christ . . . eggrapho written/inscribed (a) absolutely-in-fact-NOT with ink but instead by the means of [the] Spirit of the living God, absolutely-in-fact-NOT on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (b) – see Logos Word of God – BT20.  Paul is directly attacking the entire OT scripture as the communication of God NOW, even using the phrase “tablets of human hearts” THEN from Proverbs 7:3!

 

If this verse was still true for us, then every Christian is still responsible to somehow “write God’s instruction on the tablet of their hearts,” and so you have many pastors erroneously teaching Christians to do the same things the Jews did:  read, study, memorize, recite, and debate the scriptures.  But Paul says this NOW the responsibility of the Spirit of God, not us!  The “Everlasting Covenant” is a completely NEW direction for God as Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:26 say: “I will give them a completely-different-in-kind New Spirit that I will put within them . . . that they may walk in My statutes and keep My rules and obey them . . . and I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.”  This sounds just like Exodus 20:18-21 “Plan A” above – God taking control of disciple-making and obedience!  Are you going to live in the OLD that was THEN or the NEW that is NOW?  <Notes> a) Graphe scriptures is the product of eggrapho writing of gramma letters, b) 2 Corinthians 3:3.

 

NOW God (a title, not a name) takes full control of the teaching process, eliminating all the middlemen who “exercise authority over others,” which Jesus repeatedly warned against (a), and all the manuscript-copying errors (b), the “lost in translation” problems from one language to another, and the fact that although we have many manuscripts we are still a long way from the originals with new discoveries always revising previous “authorized versions” – see Bible Info.  The real biggie is that God’s restored “Plan A” of communication bypasses favoring the “wise and understanding ones” and gives complete equal and impartial access to the uneducated “the least among you.”  In fact, God actually gives them more access to the “un-hidden or revealed secrets of the kingdom” because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the lowly” (c). <Notes> a) Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42; Luke 22:25, b) especially in the Greek texts where there are 400,000 textual variants and 4000 that have major significant differences in meaning, c) James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5 citing Proverbs 3:34 and Isaiah 54:7.

 

We must see God as the “One Teacher,” just as Jesus warned in Matthew 23:8 (see Teach One Another – BT10) “You are not to be called ‘rabbi’ (teacher), for you have One Teacher and/coupled you are ALL brethren.”  John warns in 1 John 2:20, 26-27 of the deception brought about by human teachers:  “But you have been anointed by The Holy One (Christ) and/so you-ALL eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know ALL things (exactly as Jeremiah 31:34 promises) . . .  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. However, the anointing (the Baptism of Holy Spirit) that you have already received from Him (Christ) abides/lives in you and/thus you have absolutely-in-fact-NO need that anyone should teach you.  But just as His anointing teaches you about everything and/coupled is trustworthy and/thus no lie – just as it has already taught you, abide/continue in Him.”

 

 

 

What we see is a transferring of teaching responsibility within the Godhead. Jesus said that God, the Father had to have taught a person first to even be able to come to Jesus (a), but then Jesus said, “You call me Teacher and/coupled Lord-Master-Owner and you are right for so I am” (b).  Yet right before His departure, He comforts His disciples by saying:  “Let not your hearts be troubled . . . I will ask the Father and He will give you ANOTHER Parakletos Helper to be with you FOREVER, that is the Spirit of The Truth . . . You already know Him for He dwells WITH you (as Jesus) and will be IN you.  I will not leave you as orphans . . . In that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in Me and I in you. . . these things I have spoken to you while I am still with you, but the Parakletos Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name/authority, He will teach you ALL things” (c) and “When the Spirit of The Truth comes, He will guide you into ALL The Truth” (d).  <Notes> a) John 6:45, b) John 13:13, c) John 14:1-26, d) John 16:13.

 

The NT makes it clear that the Holy Spirit of Christ and of the Father is NOW our “One Teacher!”  The Parakletos is our ‘close-beside’ caller, summoner, or inviter; helper, succorer, or assistant; encouraging teacher, counselor, comforter, or consoler; defense-attorney, judicial-advocate, or court-intercessor. Unlike every other rabbi who traveled with a scribe to write down everything they said, Jesus never asked for any of His spoken rhema words put together into logos messages to be recorded. I really don’t think He wanted another set of scriptures as there is no hint of this, or even using the old set of scriptures for that matter!  Also, you never see any more talk about people assigned to teach God’s people but NOW plenty about God teaching His people directly within them by His Spirit!  What you do see is “ministers/servants of a completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, absolutely-in-fact-NOT of the gramma letter/writing but of the [Holy] Spirit, for the gramma letter/writing kills, but the [Holy] Spirit gives zoe genuine-life” (a).”  What kind of ministry do you have?  <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 3:6.

 

Yet, we still see a few verses in the NT about teaching one another, like Colossians 3:16 “The logos [gospel] message of Christ [I strongly urge you to] presently/ongoingly dwell in-the-location/sphere-of you-all richly by-the-means-of pas all-of-a-category-of [Spirit] wisdom, teaching and/coupled ‘admonishing, warning, counseling, exhorting’ one another by-the-means-of psalms, hymns, and Spirit-kind-of odes (psalms & hymns).”  We have to be careful not to think of “teaching” as an office or title though.  In the Greek of Ephesians 4:11 “teachers” is coupled to “shepherds” as 1 described group, not 2, and these are simply “grace-gifts given to men” (v. 8), one of many given to the Body-of-Christ that simply differ in praxis practicing-function per Romans 12:4-8.  The noun “teacher” is actually just a verbal-noun and thus a shorter, easier way of saying “the shepherding person who also has the grace-gift praxis practicing-function of teaching.”  We have many instances of 1 person with a practicing-function in different grace-gifts depending on the situation.  No office or titles were ever intended but actually explicitly prohibited in Matthew 23:8-10 – see Teach One Another – BT10.  And certainly no “exercising authority over others,” despite warnings in Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42; Luke 22:25.

 

Reflections for the last 2 video parts:

 

 

As Christian musicians, are we going to continue to teach and promote a reliance upon sacred gramma writings to “know God” that rely on “wise and understanding” human teachers to relay the meaning of these writings, despite the fact that the scholars are in constant debate?  Or are we just ignorant of that fact?  Is our job to “dumb it down” to even “the least among us?”  Many think so and are carrying out the old covenant plan to the “T!”  Or do we trust God when He says that He has assumed complete responsibility and control of the entire process to get His perfect results, especially to “the least among us?”  After all, this was God’s original “Plan A” on Mt. Sinai but the people opted out in exchange for a religion of human teachers instead of simply “One Teacher!”  Shouldn’t we now obey and simply say “Yes, I will akouo listen and eido ‘see” in order to understand/know You, Lord!”  Do we heed Christ’s warnings to “Call NO MAN teacher for you have only One Teacher?”  Are we going to believe Paul that Christians are now the sacred writings of God because the indwelling Holy Spirit is now our “One Teacher,” our “Wonderful Counselor” who is “writing God’s torah/nomos instruction directly into our hearts, guiding us into ALL truth and teaching us ALL things” since He is “the Spirit of The Truth,” so that as John said, “You have absolutely-in-fact-NO need that ANY MAN teach you because you have the anointing of the Holy One, Christ?”  Will we believe all the other OT prophecies that promised this?  Will we see that “teaching” in the NT is simply a grace-gift or praxis practicing-function of the different members of the Body-of-Christ that we all can share in as the Spirit moves us, and in no way is an office or title – that these are but a fabrication of the Catholic Church still unreformed in the Protestant Church?

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, God’s people are directly taught by God not by men, Christ’s sheep hear His voice, New Covenant restores God’s original plan to teach His people directly NOT thru taught writings, God’s original plan was teach thru relationship for genuine epignosis knowledge, New Covenant ministry no longer by writings but by Spirit, Christians are NOW the letters of God, The Spirit NOW writes on human hearts directly, God has eliminated the complexity and errors of the intermediary writings and teachers, Spirit of Christ is the One Teacher so no need of any others, God’s people are directly taught by God not by men, God’s Spirit is NOW the One Teacher so we have no need of teacher, Yet God teaches by His Spirit gifts thru Christians in church assemblies, All Christians were to bring a teaching NOT just a leader, Body Ministry not ball-hogging leaders was the Church model

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT4:  Wisdom of God and some hints of how we get it

 

 

 

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Paul declares:  “Christ is the dunamis dynamite-like enabling-power (Spirit) of God and/coupled the sophia wisdom of God . . . we speak of the wisdom of God by-the-means-of/with-the-company-of a hidden-mystery/secret, the one having been hidden, which God foreordained before the ages for our glory . . . God’s grace was given to me for you, the hidden-mystery/secret was gnorizo experientially-recognized/made-known to me by un-hiding/revelation . . . the hidden-mystery/secret of Christ, which was absolutely-in-fact-NOT gnorizo experientially-recognized/made-known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been un-hidden/revealed to His holy/set-apart apostles and/coupled prophets by-the-means-of the Spirit. This hidden-mystery/secret is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same joint-Body and/coupled joint-partakers of ‘the promise’ (b) in/by/with Christ Jesus through-the-realizing-channel of the gospel.  Of this gospel I was made a minister/servant . . . to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and/coupled to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the hidden-mystery/secret, hidden for ages inside God . . . so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God (Christ) might now be gnorizo experientially-recognized/made-known to the rulers and/coupled authorities in the heavenly places according to the eternal purpose that He has accomplished/done in Christ Jesus our Lord” (a).

 

<Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 1:24, 2:7; Ephesians 3:1-11, b) Paul already defined “The promise” in Ephesians 1:13 as the Holy Spirit that Christians were sealed with when they had trusting-relying-faith in Christ through the gospel of their salvation when they heard the logos message of The Truth, who we know from Ephesians 4:21 and John 14:6 is actually Jesus.

 

The wisdom of God is Christ and His gospel plan to include the Gentiles, which was a hidden-mystery/secret and despite all the great “wise and understanding” men there have been, still remained hidden.  Then how was it gnorizo experientially-recognized or made known?  By revelation or un-hiding it by the means of the Spirit to the apostles and/coupled prophets!  Can you see why Paul tells Christians to make prophesying their #1 Spiritual Gift pursuit in 1 Corinthians 14:1, 39?  “Apostles and prophets” are coupled together and associated to what was “now” happening in the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant!

 

Part of the mystery of Christ is that there is ONE joint-Body-of-Christ with Jew and Gentile in it – ONE because they both are joint-partakers of the promised Holy Spirit that is in Christ, which all came about through the preaching of the gospel, and this is exactly the way even the heavenly authorities found out The Truth!  God’s plan was a big surprise to the angels!  Prophetic Spirit-revelation is how we are going to get the wisdom of God, not the way that “wise and understanding” men remained in the dark – bible reading and study!  800 before Christ and now 2000 more years after!

 

 

 

Every religion, even the Old Testament one, has “wise and understanding” men in it that teach and promote regulations (a) ordinances (b) of holiness. Paul calls the OT Law, as with all religious regulations, stoicheion “elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamental principles“ that enslaved the Jews into bondage and imprisoned them under the “household guardianship and management” of the old covenant scripture (c).  He questioned why now as Christians, having been placed into God’s family as mature-sons (d), thus no longer a slave but an heir of God, and now having come to relationally, experientially ginosko know God, or rather to be relationally, experientially ginosko known by God [through Christ], how you can [now] turn back again to the ptochos ‘weak, worthless, beggarly, destitute’ stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamental principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?  Verses 4-5 indicate that the Law is clearly in mind!  <Notes> a) Colossians 2:20; Hebrews 9:1, 10, b) Ephesians 2:15, c) Galatians 4:2-9, d) huiothesia: having same nature/likeness as their Father, particularly the legal right to the Father’s inheritance since they are of age.

 

Yes, the OT, which is 97.4% based on the Law – see Logos Word of God – BT5a, is foundationally built on the same “abc” rudiments of the world and it keeps people enslaved!  This is the context of Galatians 5:1 “For freedom [from slavery] Christ has set us free [from slavery]!  Stand firm therefore, and do absolutely-in-fact-NOT submit again to a yoke/harness of slavery.”  Now as a drum teacher who teaches 40 International Drum Rudiments, I understand how something can be built on rudiments even if they aren’t obviously apparent.  It’s a “working vocabulary” that shades almost everything that you express in drumming!  Almost everything in drumming is a combination of the rudiments of Single (R or L) and Double-Strokes (RR and LL).  The same is true about the Law.  In fact, all the NT writers, just as Jews do today, quote from all parts of the OT but still refer to it as the Law, not just the 5 books of Moses!  Paul says that relying on any of these, is like going back to the abc’s and back into slavery!  If Paul were alive today, he would be saying the same thing in many churches who spend so much time in the OT.

 

In Colossians 2:8, 16-23, Paul continues: “See to it that no one takes you captive into slavery (a) by philosophy (b) and/coupled empty (c) deceit (d), kata down-from/according-to the tradition of men (e), kata down-from/according-to the stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamental principles of the world, and/coupled absolutely-in-fact-NOT kata down-from/according-to Christ. . . Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of [Jewish] food and drink, or with regard to a [Jewish] festival or a new moon or Sabbaths (f). These are a shadow (g) of the things to come (h), but the reality (i) is [of, belonging to] Christ.  Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels (j). . . If with Christ you died to the stoicheion elementary/rudimentary ‘abc’ fundamental principles of the world (k), why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations — ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ – referring to things that all perish after they are used — kata down-from/according-to the ‘injunctions, ordinances, commands, precepts’ and/coupled teachings of men (l)?  These routinely/habitually have/hold/possess indeed a logos message of wisdom (m) in promoting self-determined religion (n) and/coupled asceticism and/coupled severity to the body, but they are absolutely-in-fact-NOT of value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

 

<Notes> a) sulagogeo: lead away, sway, or seduce from the  truth, carry one off as a captive, slave, or one’s booty or spoils, b) love of sophia wisdom, c) kenos: useless, devoid of the truth, fruitless, vain, d) apate: seductive, deceptive, delusion, e) many “wise and understanding” rabbis added many more rules to the Mosaic Law but even Moses is in view here because Paul is setting “from Christ” against “from men” and we know later that many of the rules that Paul mentions are indeed from the Mosaic Law, rules that Paul says are no longer applicable or of any value in curbing the indulgence of the flesh, f) The OT Law has many rules about all of these as the rabbis enforced and even elaborated on, g) skia: shade cast backward from a body, Hebrews 8:5, 10:1.  The fact that Paul says this indicates that he is referring to legitimate Mosaic Laws and not just rabbinical add-ons, h) see ‘copies’ of Hebrews 9:23-24, ‘type’ of Romans 5:14, ‘symbol’ of Hebrews 9:9, ‘corresponds to’ of 1 Peter 3:21.  Again Paul is referring to legitimate OT rules pointing forward to the future, i) soma: body.  In other words, Christ is the real person and the OT is His shadow being cast backward in time, j) as with Jewish mysticism.  We know that at this period in history there was a good deal of superstitious reliance on guardian angels as well as Essene holiness rites including asceticism, k) again, we know that Paul has the OT Law of rules in mind because Christians have “died to the Law through the Body of Christ” (Romans 7:4-9) and “through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live to God” (Galatians 2:19), l) entalma is related to entole, the commandments of God.  Again, Paul is recognizing that the Law came down from the human Moses and his teachings.  Although initially from God, the dissemination has been by a top-down hierarchy of men “from the greatest to the least.”  John 1:17 says the same thing:  “The Law was given through-the-realizing-channel-of Moses, but The Grace and/coupled The Truth was begotten/came into existence through-the-realizing-channel-of Jesus Christ,” m) There’s that phrase “logos message of wisdom” that Paul said that, unlike others, he wasn’t only bringing, per 1 Corinthians 1:17, 2:1, 4, 13, n) ethelothreskeia: self-determined religion via ceremonies, rituals, and religious disciplines.  This is exactly what is in mind as “might and power” by Zechariah 4:6.

 

Yes, that is Paul’s conclusion about the OT Law of God and all that Oral Law came after it – “regulations, injunctions, ordinances, commands, precepts” to DO/WORK are fundamental ‘abc” principles of every religion but they simply don’t work!  Yes, it was a Jewish religion, not based on a relationship with God but of works of obedience or “works of righteousness” (a) to please God.  Indeed, what the legalists teach does sound wise, but it is worthless against the power of the flesh!  Such wisdom is ultimately of the world and not the wisdom of God that alone is Christ and His Spirit!  Paul calls the old covenant “the Law of sin and death” that the “Law of the Spirit of zoe genuine-life has set us free [from slavery] from in Christ Jesus” (b).  Why?  Because “the sting of death is sin, and the dunamis enabling-power of sin is the Law” (c).  There is not much good written in the NT about the Law, which again is about 97.4% of the OT.  <Notes> a) Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:10, cf. Romans 4:6, b) Romans 8:2, c) 1 Corinthians 15:56.

 

This is the great danger of reading the OT – 97.4% is based on the Law, which empowers sin and enslaves us!  The OT is full of land-mines that will blow your soul right into hell!  Every religion has “special wisdom sayings” or “proverbs” to read, study, and memorize to become “wise and understanding.” The Jewish religion isn’t any different.  Many of the Psalms and Proverbs nobody knows where they came from!  And the others we think are from David and Solomon, respectively, are unverifiable.  However, although these “logos messages of wisdom indeed promote self-determined religion and/coupled asceticism (fasting) and/coupled severity to the body, they are of absolutely-in-fact-NO value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”  Here are some examples that I’ve heard preached to obey or else face the consequences:

 

Proverbs 4:10-13, “Listen, my son:  Accept my words, and you’ll live a long, long time.  I have directed you in the way of wisdom, and I have led you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble.  Hold on to instruction, do not let it go!  Guard wisdom, because she is your life!”  Sounds all good doesn’t it?  What’s the context though?  Obeying the Law of God!

Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to ALL that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”  Romans 3:20, 28, Galatians 2:16, 3:11, and many other verse directly contradict this!

Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of Yahweh, and to do it and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel.”  Yet in the NT Paul would have nothing of the “teaching of the Law” in the Church!

Psalm 119:15-16, “I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.

Psalm 119:96-98, “To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless. Oh, how I love your Law!  I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.”

Psalm 119:47-48, “I will take delight in Your commands, which I love. I will lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.”

 

This is the exact opposite message of the New Testament and there are hundreds of verses that lay waste to these statements!  This is exactly the “wisdom and understanding” that Paul is constantly combatting!

 

If the true “Wisdom of God” that is in Christ and His gospel is un-hidden or revealed to us, how do we get this?  There were hints in the other 2.6% of OT scripture called the prophetic “oracles/utterances of God!”  See Logos Word of God – BT6.  Here are some examples:

 

Proverbs 30:5, “Every imrah utterance/logos message of God is tested pure; He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.  Do not add to His dabar speech/logos message or He will reprove you, and prove you to be a liar.”  Hint:  It has to do with God speaking His content of logos message to you and you trusting Him.

Proverbs 1:5-6, “Let the wise akouo hear/listen to understand/know and/coupled increase in learning . . . to understand a proverb and/coupled a parable, the dabar/rhema words of the wise and their riddles.” (cf. Proverbs 22:17).  Hint:  It has to do with directly listening to the directly-spoken prophetic-rhema words of God.

Job 32:11, “Behold, I waited for your dabar speech/rhema words, I akouo heard/listened to understand/know for Your tabuwn intelligent reasoning/ wise logos-messages, while You searched out what to say.”  Hint:  Job was listening to God’s directly-spoken prophetic-rhema words long before Moses and his writings of the Law!

Psalms 119:1, “In my heart I have hidden Thy imrah, logion divine oracle/brief utterance (derived from logios eloquent, learned, skilled in speech, wise) that I might not sin against thee.”  Hint:  Although David was directly hearing from God, the Jews who didn’t, applied this saying to the Law.  And I’ve heard a 100 legalists do the same!

 

 

 

Eido ‘seeing’ to perceive/know is the very basis of visions and dreams that are the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant Way for God to prophetically speak to the Church in the last days per Acts 2:17-18 as prophesied by Joel 2:28-29.  This is exactly what God said would happen in Jeremiah 31:33-34 as cited in Hebrews 8:11 and 10:16 to completely deviate from “the greatest to least” top-down hierarchy of teachers of the scriptures as the old covenant way to “know God”  Paul or his companion Barnabas writes:  “in speaking of the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, He makes the first one obsolete” (a), “for if the first covenant had been not memphomai faulted-blameworthy-rejectable-condemnable, there would have been no occasion to look for a second” (b), so “He does away with the first in order to establish the second” (c). <Notes> a) Hebrews 8:13, b) Hebrews 8:7, c) Hebrews 10:9.

 

Paul says:  “Christ is the telos consummating-ending-aim of the Law for righteousness to everyone who has trusting-relying-faith” (a).  Christians who don’t understand the clean break from the old to the New will continue to “borrow” from the old, which becomes the foundational problem building The Great Wall that is quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church today.  I hear a lot of Christians quoting OT commandments and even teaching that they need to be publicly displayed!  Paul would scream!  The uneducated, little children, and other “least among you” likely won’t understand a word of them, but God has another plan to know Him, and it’s called eido “seeing!”  <Notes> a) Romans 10:4.

 

Again Jeremiah 31:33-34 bears repeating! The Lord says:  “I will make a New (a) Covenant . . . absolutely-in-fact-NOT or in-possibility-NOT (b) like the covenant that I had made . . . My [previous] covenant they (c) broke. . . . I shall actually put My torah/nomos law/instruction within them and/coupled I will write it on their hearts . . . and/coupled absolutely-in-fact-NO longer shall every person teach his neighbor (other fellow Jews) or [even] his family members to experientially, relationally ginosko know Yahweh, for My people shall actually ALL eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know Me – from the least of them (d) to the greatest (e).”

 

<Notes> a) chadash, kainos: fresh, completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior, b) this rare ou me is the strongest possible negative, c) the Jews led out of Egypt, d) qatan, micros:  small or little in size, stature, rank, influence, or age but especially of children or youth; weak, insignificant or unimportant people, e) gadowl, megas: great or large in magnitude or extent, number, degree or intensity, sound/voice, space, importance; of distinguished, eminent, important, exalted, notable, majestic people or God, of age or might.

 

 

Reflections of the last 3 parts:

 

As Christian musicians, are we going to take God’s clear “hints” of how “the wisdom of God” is gnorizo experientially knowable through akouo hearing and eido seeing prophetic-rhema words directly from God through the Holy Spirit’s un-hiding/reveals them within the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, or will we insist on perpetuating the OT’s way of becoming “wise and understanding” through reading, study, memorization, teaching, and obedience to what is 97.4% of the OT scriptures that are based on ‘rules, regulations, ordinances, precepts, injunctions, and commandments’ of the Law that is completely conditional, or should we follow the Way of unconditional, unmerited, undeserved, unearned, loving-favor grace of God accessible only by trusting-relying-faith?  Although these “rules appear to be wise, they are simply elementary/rudimental ‘abc” fundamental principles common to every religion that simply doesn’t work on curbing the indulgence of the flesh.”  Will we continue to convey failed methods at holiness/sanctification that have been spewed from the pulpits and have filled the Christian bookstores, or will we bring people directly into the presence of a Holy God through prophetic akouo hearing and eido seeing?  We will explore these more in the next BLOG Topic.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, Wisdom of God is not learned by study but revealed by the Spirit, Wisdom & Understanding of God comes as prophecy thru prayer NOT readying & study, The Truth is not words to study but Jesus to personally know, Every religion has teachers of elementary “ABC” writings with rules to live by, Religious rules enslave people in prison or as guardians of little children, Jesus came to set us free from rules for a relationship with God, Old Testament is 97.4% rules to live by, rules appear wise but don’t curb the flesh, obedience of rules doesn’t work to make us holy because the flesh is weak, only the Spirit of Christ can set us free from slavery of sin, Much of the Old Testament is flawed based on the New Covenant that replaced it, Much of the Old Testament contradicts the New Covenant, The Wisdom & Understanding of God now revealed by the Spirit, Eido prophetic seeing by visions and dreams NOW the Spirit’s teaching, No more teachers needed to know God, Christ is the end of the Law that is 97.4% of the Old Testament, We can’t mix Law and Grace, New Covenant WAY to know God not like the old covenant Way of study

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT3:  God mocks the “wise and understanding ones” WAY to knowing Him

 

 

 

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So many “wise and understanding” Christians and churches advise people today exactly the same way the scribes and Pharisees did the Jewish people, on the best way to “know God” – to read and study the bible every day!  Yet to the bible students of Christ’s day, Jesus said “The Father who sent Me has Himself borne witness/testimony about Me.  His phone Voice you have never heard, . . . and you do absolutely-in-fact-NOT have His logos message abiding/living in you, for you do absolutely-in-fact-NOT have trusting-relying-faith in the One whom He has sent. You ongoingly, diligently search/examine/investigate (aka study) the graphe scriptures because you ongoingly suppose/opinionate that in them you ongoingly take hold of zoe genuine-life everlasting, and/but it is they that routinely/habitually bear witness/testify about Me, yet you ongoingly are absolutely-in-fact-NOT intending/willing to come to Me in order that you might take hold of zoe genuine-life  . . . I know that you do not have the unconditional-love of God within you” (a). <Notes> a) John 5:37-42.

 

Bible students are the ones who “diligently search/examine/investigate the graphe scriptures,” but “the least among you” like the nepios breast-feeding infants (a), paidion young children (b), and the other uneducated sure can NOT do this!  Paul makes it clear that nepios breast-feeding infants don’t think like adults (c)!  But they can still hear “Christ’s phone Voice!”  Hint!  Hint!  And they can still do God’s will:  It was these same nepios breast-feeding infants that were crying out in the temple courts “Hosanna to the Son of David” as Jesus entered Jerusalem shortly before His death (d).  What are you advising people to do in order to know God – study the bible or actually hearing Christ’s voice? <Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 5:13, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person, b) paidion: a child younger than 7-8, thus still under training, whereas pais applies to children up to 20 as adults, c) 1 Corinthians 13:11, d) Matthew 21:15-16.

 

God mocks the Jewish teachers and false prophets of Christ’s day in Isaiah 28:1-13, “Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim . . . these also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they reel in [what should have been God’s prophetic] vision, they stumble in giving discerning-judgment – see New Covenant Ways – BT16, for all their tables are full of filthy vomit with no space left [for the scrolls of scriptures].  These Jewish leaders were a real mess!  The tables where these scholars traditionally rolled out the scriptures to compare, contrast, and study them were being used to party on!  But Isaiah asks:  “To whom will the Lord announce/report (a) prophetic knowledge (b), and to whom will He explain/make-to-understand (c) the ‘news, announcement, report, message (d)?”  In other words, will anybody listen to the Lord?  Many other passages about Jesus as God’s “Servant” use similar language to describe the climate He would come into.  <Notes> a) yarah: cast/throw out as water or rain, shoot or point out as with an arrow, pointedly instruct; anagello announce/report news, where we get evangelize, b) deah: knowledge of God as taught by prophets, c) biyn: mentally distinguish for understanding, diligently/eloquently instruct, d) shemuah, aggelia.

 

We know about these study “tables” from Paul in Romans 11:7-10 to explain why much of “Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.  The elect (Church) obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written in Isaiah 29:10 (h) – “God gave them a spirit of stupor (a), eyes that would not see and ears that would not akouo hear, down to this very day.”  It’s still going on!  Then Paul cites David in Psalms 69:22-23, “Let their table become a snare (b) and a trap (c), a stumbling block (d) and [finally] a retribution (e) for them – see New Covenant Ways – BT17:  [by] letting their eyes be darkened so that cannot eido ‘see’ to perceive/know (f) and their backs completely bent (g) continually.”  There’s that key word eido from Jeremiah 31:34 that God promises for ALL His children under the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant, especially to the “least among you.”  Bible students can really only prove they have gnosis info-knowledge!  But they are cursed!  They are “blind guides, the blind leading the blind so that both fall into the pit [of hell]” (i). All they have to show for all their study is sore, bent backs and they are cursed with these “bent backs forever!”  Are we calling Christians to this same failed, cursed approach to knowing God?

 

<Notes> a) appropriate for the drunks they were, b) for birds, c) for animals, d) the trigger causing the trap/snare to be sprung, e) vengeful recompense: pay back! f) eido is prophetic vision – see Jeremiah 31:34 and Acts 2:17-19, g) also a metaphor of a captive under a securing, burdening yoke of slavery, but also figuratively of hardness of heart from error, h) This is a common theme in Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 43:8, Jeremiah 5:21, and Ezekiel 12:2, i) Matthew 15:14; 23:16, 24.

 

Who was Christ going to instruct when He came?  “Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?” per Isaiah 28:9.  God is telling these “wise and understanding” leaders that their approach is utterly childish!  That’s exactly the argument Hebrews 5:12-14 written to Jewish-Christians tempted to go back to the writings of Moses, and also still relying on the prophetic “oracles/utterances of God” that early Jewish-Christians were using to convert Jews to Christ, though by now they should be teachers of the gospel.  They were “milk” for these baby Christians, but after so long they should have “grown up into Christ” and moved on to the “solid food” of the Spirit’s gift of discernment, “who by constant use have trained themselves to discern good from evil.”  They should have been walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit instead of ancient prophetic gramma writings!   So, God mocks the Jewish expository teachers in Isaiah 28:10  –  “For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” all written in Hebrew gibberish!

 

Many Hebrew commentaries have correctly seen this as a little child’s song, nearly gibberish – see New Covenant Ways – BT17.  The very verses that Calvary Chapel, Precept Ministries, and others hold up as the epitome of biblical teaching, is none other than an ancient rabbinical method that God is actually mocking as quite childish!  That’s exactly what Jesus said above in John 5:37-42 – their bible-study method completely mislead them into looking for zoe genuine-life in the wrong place – they didn’t embrace current prophets like John the Baptist nor the voice of Christ their Messiah.  They rather study their bible!

 

Isaiah repeats their faulty approach in Isaiah 8:13:  “And the dabar/logion utterance of Yahweh will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”  Although the Jewish leadership killed all their prophets at the time, just as they rejected John the Baptist currently, these bible students always loved reading and studying about them after the fact!  Indeed “to them they are just precepts upon precepts, lines of scripture” that they used to know about God and expositionally  teach in the same way.

 

And what is the result of such a childish approach from God’s point of view in Isaiah 8:13?  “That they move forward a little, then fall backward, and ultimately fall down broken, snared/trapped, and are taken captive.”  The scholars make a little progress, but ultimately “reel” and lose ground, fall to pieces, become snared like a bird or trapped like an animal, and enslaved.  That’s what expository study and teaching ultimately will do to you!  Many people really don’t learn from the failures in history.  They think they can repeat the same approaches and somehow get different results.  Insanity!

 

The reason we know this passage is about Christ’s teaching to the Jews is Isaiah 28:11-12 that were cited in 1 Corinthians 14:21 to explain the supernatural tongues of Pentecost and the early Church that were a witness/testimony of Christ to foreigners who heard the “good anagello news” being anagello preached/announced:  “For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue Yahweh will speak to this people, to whom He has said, ‘This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose; yet they would absolutely-in-fact-NOT akouo listen to understand/know.”  We will see this word akouo in later BLOG Topics – something even “the least among you” can easily do.  This is exactly, why Christ preached “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened [by the commandments of the Law and the teachers of it], and I will give you rest” (a). <Notes> a) Matthew 11:28.

 

But the accusation in John 5:37-42 above and all through the NT is that “this people . . . they would absolutely-in-fact-NOT akouo listen to understand/know,” especially these “wise and understanding” teachers who had mocked Christ’s teaching and the Holy Spirit’s testimony thru strange tongues.  How ironic!

 

In fact, just as Isaiah 28 above predicted, the Jews mocked the 120 disciples at Pentecost:  “They are filled with new wine” (a), but God knew these Jews were the real drunkards and that their teaching was the real gibberish!  The problem with these scholars was that although they always studied the prophetic “oracles/utterances of Yahweh,” they really didn’t lead them forward much but instead only trapped and enslaved them.  They rejected these prophetic “utterances” when they were originally given, because they were always a “stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, who always resisted the Holy Spirit . . . killing those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered” (b).  Even today so many churches and Christians mock the grace-gifts of the Spirit and the millions of prophecies that are readily available on YouTube.  Yet, my wife, myself, and several friends I know have had hundreds of prophecies that aren’t even on YouTube – see My Prophetic Words. <Notes> a) Acts 2:13, b) Acts 2:51-52.

 

 

 

 

It is clear that God was mocking the scholarly approach to knowing God and His will because of many other NT verses.  Paul was previously one of those Jewish scholars, but after his conversion his “counted everything (a) as loss because of the surpassing worth of the gnosis info-knowledge belonging-to Jesus Christ my Lord-Master-Owner.  For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and/coupled count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him” (b).  This clearly is not biblical “gnosis knowledge that only puffs your head up” (c) but that “belongs in the possession of Jesus Christ,” what is called in Greek “the genitive case of possession.”  Christ’s gnosis info-knowledge is “holding all things together” (d).  Paul explains what starts the downfall of man:  “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (e)!  <Notes> a) a long list of accomplishments, b) Philippians 3:7-9, c) 1 Corinthians 8:1, d) Colossians 1:17, e) Romans 1:22.

 

Paul really lays into the Jewish scholars and Gentile philosophers in 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 – “For Christ did . . . send me  . . .  to preach the gospel, absolutely-in-fact-NOT with sophia wisdom of logos messages, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”  That’s all the Jew and Gentile teachers had!  Many sermons I’ve heard were no different!  “For the logos message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are routinely/habitually being saved (b) it is the enabling-power of God.  For it is written in Isaiah 29:14:  ‘I will fully destroy the sophia wisdom of the wise, and the sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ rational, logical, inductive understanding of the sunetos rational-understanding/learned ones I will thwart (a).”  Do we think we will get different results using the same methods of knowing God that the Jews used?  <Notes> a) atheteo: un-place, do away with, reject as invalid what is already laid down, set aside or disregard as spurious, nullify, make void, remove out of its place, disrespect, despise, cancel, disannul, abrogate, refuse to acknowledge, b) being restored or mended-back together into wholeness, thus healed.

 

Later in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4, Paul explained that it’s not just about a good sermon:  “When I came to you brethren, I did absolutely-in-fact-NOT come to you kataggello ‘declaring/announcing exactly/decisively down to a point’ a testimony of God with preeminence/superiority/excellence of logos message or sophia wisdom, for I decided to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know absolutely-in-fact-NOT anything among you except Jesus Christ and/couple Him crucified . . . my logos message and my kerugma ‘proclamation, preaching, heralding’ were absolutely-in-fact-NOT by-the-means-of peithos ‘persuasive, enticing, skillful’ logos messages of sophia wisdom, but instead by-the-means-of apodeixis showing-off/demonstrable-proof of the Spirit and/coupled of dunamis enabling-power, so that your trusting-relying-faith might in-possibility-NOT rest in the sophia wisdom of men but in the dunamis enabling-power of God.”  It seems that with most churches “showing off” nothing of the Spirit’s enabling-power, all that is left is people putting their “trusting-relying-faith in the sophia wisdom of men!”  Most of the Church does not have a “full gospel!”  What are we presenting to others?  I’ve heard many Christians say they were bored with evangelistic meetings about the “milk” of the gospel and the cross, desiring more theological “meat!” <Notes> a) kataggello, b) kerugma, d) peithos, e) apodeixis.

 

Paul continues blasting them in 1 Corinthians 1:20-31, “Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through [human] sophia wisdom did absolutely-in-fact-NOT experientially, relationally ginosko know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the proclamation [of the gospel] to save those who have trusting-relying-faith.  For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after sophia wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, [we preach] Christ, the [Spirit’s] enabling-power of God and/coupled the sophia wisdom of/belonging-to God.”

 

Paul continues:  “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise kata down-from/according-to the [human] flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that in-possibility-NO flesh should glory/boast in His presence.  But because of Him, you are IN Christ Jesus, [He] who became for us sophia wisdom from God – and righteousness/justification and sanctification/holiness and ransom-paid-freedom – so that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in Yahweh.'”  This is exactly why God did away with “might and power” in favor of “by-the-means-of My Spirit” in Zechariah 4:6 regarding the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant!  Are we still expecting people to be wise, debate-worthy, scholarly bible-students, especially to “defend their faith?”

 

Can you see how “the least among you” – “the weak, not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble, the foolish things, the weak things, the base things, the despised things, and the things which are not” may indeed by viewed as “the lasts” or “the leasts” by the world?  But the Lord has exalted them to the “first” and the “greatest among you” made the “last?”  Who is Paul pointing his finger at?  The educated scribes, Pharisees, Greek philosophers, governors, kings – all those that could read, study, and debate scripture!

 

Later on in 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Paul warns: “Let no one deceive himself – if anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God, for it written in Job 5:13, ‘He snares the wise in their craftiness’ and again in Psalms 94:11, ‘Yahweh knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are but a breath/emptiness (Hebrew) or futile (Greek)’.”  There’s that use of “snare” we saw in Isaiah 28:13 and Psalms 69:22-23, and Jeremiah 8:9 sounds very similar:  The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and caught/trapped; behold, they have rejected the [prophetic] dabar utterance/logos message of Yahweh, so what wisdom is in them?”

 

Paul gives another warning in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat (a) you through philosophy (b) and/coupled empty (c) deceit (d), kata down-from/according-to the tradition of men, kata down-from/according-to the stoicheion ‘abc’ elementary principles (e) of the world (f), which are absolutely-in-fact-NOT kata down-from/according-to (g) Christ.  We see a lot about these stoicheion abc’s and traditions of religion throughout NT, but much of the Church is still perpetuating it! <Notes> a) sulagogeo: lead away, sway, or seduce from truth, carry one off as a captive, slave, or one’s booty or spoils, b) philosophia, c) kenos: useless, devoid of truth, fruitless, vain, d) apate: seductive, deceptive, delusion, e) stoicheion: fundamental, elementary abc-like, even demonic-inspired elements f) context: the religion of the Gentiles and even the Jews because of the scriptures, g) kata:  down from, in the same manner of, according to.

 

 

 

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, are we going to continue promoting the OT way of “knowing God” through the “wise and understanding” reading and studying of scripture or believe Jesus in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21 when He says: “the Father . . . who keeps hidden the hidden things of the kingdom from the wise and learned/understanding-ones but un-hides them to nepios breast-feeding infants and/coupled paidion young children [before 7 years old]?”  Are we telling people to study their bibles “precept upon precept and line upon line,” just as the scribes and Pharisees did for thousands of years, even when so many verses show that God mocks this ‘abc’ elementary, childish approach to knowing God and even curses their “backs to be bent over their study tables forever?”  Are we expecting different results doing the same things?  Isn’t that the definition of insanity according to Einstein?  They were experts of the scriptures but totally missed their Messiah!  Jesus said that God’s actual word wasn’t in them at all, nor the resultant unconditional-love of God!

 

As Christian musicians, do we believe that the gospel message of trusting-relying-faith is dependent on akouo hearing Christ’s voice as the actual “utterance of Yahweh” or eido mentally ‘seeing’ to perceive/know through visions and dreams and also having the discernment of the Holy Spirit as our Parakletos “wonderful counselor?”  Or do we “suppose/opinionate” that God’s plan is for us to be relying on reading and understanding highly-debated manuscripts in antiquated languages from thousands of years ago – see Bible Info?  Are we trying to mix oil and wine, or trying to put old wine in new wineskins – see New Covenant?  Are we telling people that God really hasn’t made a completely-different-in-kind NEW Living Way to God through Christ by the means of the Holy Spirit, and that He is really still relying on the old way of gramma writings in order to “know God,” despite Jeremiah 31:31-34, 2 Corinthians 3:3-6, and a hundred other verses – see Logos Word of God – BT20?

 

As Christian musicians, are we showing partiality and favoritism once again to those who can read and comprehend the bible, but are leaving “the least among you” out just as the Jews did, and are also failing to realize that God’s completely-different-in-kind New Covenant is specifically geared for “the least down to the greatest, the last before the first?”  Have we fallen into the same “snare and trap” as all the other religions of this world that build their house of cards on top of stoicheion fundamental, elementary abc-like principles such as “sacred manuscripts” for the “wise and understanding one” to study and then to teach the rest of us?  What are you communicating through your music and leadership?

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, God mocks the Way to know God by the Wise and Understanding ones, God mocks the bible-students who mock prophets, God mocks expository study & teaching to know God, Little children are before reading age but they can know God better than scholars, The bible-students were the blind leading the blind, even bible prophecy to convert Jews was called Milk, Solid food is discernment by the Holy Spirit, Paul considered his previous bible-study way to know God rubbish, Gnosis head knowledge to puffs you up, God will destroy the wisdom & understanding of the scholars, Our faith should be in the power of God not man’s preaching skills, Full gospel needed not just bible writings, Philosophy can cheat you, religious writings are childish ‘ABCs’ way to learn God, Old Testament Way of God doesn’t work, New Covenant Way is Prophecy by the Spirit thru prayer, Study of writings is childish “ABC”s MILK common to all religions, Solid Food way of knowing God is discernment by the Spirit, Bible-study knowledge favors the Wise & Understanding but God favors little Children, Bible Study is a trap with a payback of bent backs forever

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT2:  New Covenant Way to know God doesn’t show partiality or favoritism

 

 

 

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The “least among you” of the Jews – the children, Gentiles, servants, bond-servants, and slaves – would likely have very little education, or access, money, or time for it, or if they did like some Gentiles, they would either not have access to the Old Testament (OT) gramma sacred writings nor the desire to acquire this gnosis informational-knowledge of God through them.

 

And what about the other “least among them” in every society – the mentally-handicapped and autism spectrum people, the blind, deaf, and mute people?  I have had to teach drums to many of these – it’s a real challenge and you have to have a completely-different attitude and WAY to reach them than through gnosis head-knowledge!

 

If God decided to continue the OT’s WAY of disseminating the gnosis informational-knowledge of God through gramma sacred writings, collected hundreds of years later by mere men into graphe scripture, through a top-down hierarchy of the “greatest to the least” (a) teachers, wouldn’t God then be showing partiality and favoritism to “the greatest” over “the least?”  Wouldn’t that be contrary to every verse we have seen already about the completely-different-in-kind nature of the chadash/kainos New Covenant Way?  <Notes> a) Jonah 3:5.

 

The OT way would also violate many NT verses that argue that the gospel logos message of Jesus and His apostles is kainos “unprecedented, unique and superior,” exactly because it’s based on the charis grace as the “unearned, unmerited, unconditional-loving favor” of God that shows absolutely-in-fact-NO partiality (a), and therefore neither should God’s people (b).  But aren’t we in most church services?  Even by our worship format? <Notes> a) Luke 20:21; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6; Ephesians 6:9, b) Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Timothy 5:21; James 2:1, 9.

 

The OT way favored the educated Jews, the wealthy, and the privileged who afford such education.  The scribes, Pharisees, and rabbis were “the greatest among them,” even teaching the Gentiles wanting to “know about God.”  It certainly requires “might and power” IQ, mental prowess, reading comprehension, vocabulary and study skills!   After straight-A’s in 5 bible colleges, I’m still “a minnow in a shark tank” – see Bible Info.  Even to this day so many scholars are still debating bible manuscript authenticity, 400,000 textual variants of the NT not to mention the OT, meanings of the multiple ancient languages used, biblical interpretation approaches, and what the actual book/letter list or “canon” actually is.

 

This all clearly favors “the sophia wise and sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ inductive-reasoning, logical, rational understanding ones,” even though there are many NT verses that say God’s New Covenant Ways keep “The Truth” of the kingdom “hidden from the wise and understanding ones but un-hides it to nepios breast-feeding infants (a)” (b), particularly to Christ’s disciples He viewed as such (c).  And didn’t Zechariah 4:6 say that that God was going to do away with this “might and power” ‘external resources and internal abilities’ approach and replace it with the “By My Spirit” approach?  Is the modern Church reverted back to the old Jewish ways?  <Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 5:13, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person, b) Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21, c) Matthew 13:10-11; Mark 4:10-11; Luke 8:10.

 

The fact that the OT has 613 commandments, along with many more added by the Jewish “tradition of the elders,” shows favoritism for only the most intelligent and zealous of Jews.  Doing a quick Google search I see websites saying that Christians have 1050 NT commandments that include the 2 greatest OT commandments of “loving God completely and loving your neighbor as yourself” and certainly the OT’s 10 commandments.  This is a daunting task to even understand let alone do for educated adults, let alone the uneducated, little children, and the other “least among you!”

 

However, the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant says it has only 1 compound entole officially-decreed, universally-binding commandment consisting of only 2 commandments, defined very clearly and simply in 1 John 3:23 for any of “least among you” to easily understand and do:  1) trusting-relying-faith in Christ (a), and 2) unconditionally-love one another just as Christ did us (b).  <Notes> a) John 8:42, 14:15, 24, 28, 16:27, 21:17, b) John 13:34-35, 15:12, 17; Romans 12:10, 13:8; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 10:24; 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8, 5:14; 1 John 3:11, 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 1:5-6.

 

And to make Christ’s “yoke/harness of learning ‘burden/work-load’ ‘custom-fit and thus pain-free’ and feather-light to carry [as wind-blown clouds]” (a), God’s unconditional-love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (b), which we are called to simply remain/live in (c).  Again, what God requires of us in the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant absolutely cannot show partiality!  Even the uneducated, little children, deaf, blind, and other handicapped people can easily do these 2 parts of 1 commandment by-the-means-of the Holy Spirit within them!  <Notes> a) Matthew 11:30; 1 John 5:3, b) Romans 5:5; John 17:26; 1 John 4:12, c) John 15:9-10; 1 John 3:17, 4:12, 16.

 

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, do we want to continue the OT ways of communicating the knowledge of God to God’s people, doing the same things the Jews did, but hoping for different results?  Didn’t Einstein define that as “insanity?”  The bible students of Christ’s day, the scribes and Pharisees, were certainly the “wise and understanding ones” and were viewed as “the greatest” by the people, but Christ constantly pointed out they were the furthest from the kingdom of God!  In John 5:38-40, He told them that their “diligent, zealous searching (aka study) of the scriptures to take hold of zoe genuine, everlasting life” was ‘all in their heads!’  The gramma sacred writings were simply a “witness/testimony of Christ so that they would come to Him for that zoe genuine-life, but they ongoingly refused!”  How sad!  They missed the point of the scriptures – for Christ’s arrival to “pleroo fulfill the scriptures” so they would be katargeo “abolished, invalidated, and put away from us” (a)!  Yet, I’ve heard so many Christians and churches say the opposite – we still need to read, study, and obey them!  Are we also pointing people to gnosis informational-knowledge of God in a bible as the scribes and Pharisees did?  Or do we point them to a genuine, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of Christ who has already come?  <Notes> a) Matthew 5:17 pleroo:  fill to fullness, capacity, or completeness.  What is thus ‘filled’ is complete, finished, or ended.  Ephesians 2:14-15 Christ katargeo “abolished the Law of commandments expressed in ordinances”:  rendered inoperative by working/bringing them down to the point of being idle, inert, inoperative, ceased, abolished, invalid, abrogated, and put out from us.

 

As Christian musicians, are we “keeping people captive” in the “BEFORE trusting-relying-faith came” instead of the “UNTIL the coming of trusting-relying-faith would be un-hidden” (a)?  Are we requiring people to have the same “might and power” the Jews needed to understand or “un-hide” the meaning of their ancient book?  Are we showing the same partiality and favoritism to such “wisdom and understanding?”  Are we also leaving “the least among us” at the bottom of a top-down hierarchy of “knowing God” because we are repeating the old faulty system and methods?  Are we also relying on a top-down hierarchy of teachers to reach the bottom, even though God disposed of this method?  Or will we agree with the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant prophecies (b) and Paul that there is a completely-different-in-kind New Way of “learning Christ” (c)? <Notes> a) Galatians 3:23; Matthew 11:12-15; Luke 16:16; Acts 2:17-19, b) Jeremiah 31:31-34 as cited by Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:16-17, and Romans 11:27 but also alluded to in Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, and Hebrews 9:15, 12:24, c) Ephesians 4:20.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, Old way of bible writings and teachers favors Wise & Understanding Ones, God shows now Favoritism in the New Covenant, Secrets of the kingdom revealed to little children, New Covenant is NOT about might & power resources & ability, Lots of commandments favor the zealous, 1 command with 2 parts favors the simple, The Holy Spirit’s power enables the simple

 

 

 

 

 

Least Among You – BT1:  God reverses the hierarchal structure of who really knows Him

 

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

As we saw in the introduction page in Jeremiah 31:34, God says the radical difference of the completely-different-in-kind New Covenant over the old covenant is that “My people shall actually ALL eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know Me”– not just Moses who was the only one who actually saw God face to face (c).  Furthermore, God emphasizes in the grammar and sentence structure that the hierarchy of knowledge dissemination by teachers will be reversed:  “from the least of them (a) to the greatest (b).”  <Notes> a) qatan, micros:  small or little in size, stature, rank, influence, or age but especially of children or youth; weak, insignificant or unimportant people, b) gadowl, megas: great or large in magnitude or extent, number, degree or intensity, sound/voice, space, importance; of distinguished, eminent, important, exalted, notable, majestic people or God, of age or might, c) Exodus 33:11.

 

This reversal of hierarchy of importance is a precursor of the millennial kingdom that Isaiah 60:2-22 describes for a redeemed Israel after a “darkness shall cover the earth . . . but Yahweh shall arise upon you . . . and nations shall come to your light . . . the wealth of the nations shall come to you . . . for the name of Yahweh your God and/coupled for the Holy One (Yeshua, the Messiah) of Israel . . . for the nation and kingdom that will not serve you, shall perish . . . be utterly laid to waste (a) . . . I will make the place of My feet glorious . . . you shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior and your Redeemer . . .  the sun . . . and moon shall not be your light, but Yahweh will be your everlasting Light . . . The least one (b) shall become a clan and the smallest one (c) a mighty (d) nation – I am Yahweh, so in its time I will hasten it.”  Once again we see an allusion to the everlasting New Covanent and Christ’s return at the end of it.

 

<Notes> a) at the 2^nd coming of Christ after the battle of Armageddon, b) qatan: small or little in size, stature, rank, influence, or age but especially of children or youth; weak, insignificant or unimportant people, oligos:  little, small, few, c) tsair, elachistos: little, insignificant, young; the very micros small, the least, d) atsuwm: mighty, vast, numerous; great; megas: large in magnitude or extent, number, degree or intensity, sound/voice, space, importance; of distinguished, eminent, important, exalted, notable, majestic people or God, of age or might, e) The “Everlasting Covenant” is elaborated on in Ezekiel 11:19-20, 16:60, 36:22-27, 37:23-28.

 

Jesus’ teaching ties right into these Old Testament (OT) references, even using the same words!  He teaches:  “For he who is [so-called] micros least among you all is the one who is actually megas great” (a).  But just who are the “least among you?”  Well, the Greek word gar for “for . . .” links the phrase back to the previous situation:  “An argument arose among them (His disciples) as to which of them was meizon greater (a).  But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a hold of a paidion young child (b) and histemi set/stood him upright (c) by His side.  Whoever receives/welcomes this paidion young child (b) in My name receives/welcomes Me . . .”.  Clearly, the “least among you” included very young children that most people thought of as insignificant, but Jesus exalts them to megas greatness.  <Notes> a) Luke 9:46-48:  mega is great, meizon is greater or greatest, b) paidion: a child younger than 7-8, even before reading age, thus still under training, whereas pais applies to children up to 20 as adults, c) histemi: placed, made to stand up, balanced into place.  The child must have been very young for Jesus to lay a hold of him and then enabled him to stand by His side.

 

In a parallel or possibly different occasion of Matthew 18:1-10, when His disciples asked about “Who is the meizon greater in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus “calls to Himself a paidion young child, histemi set/stood him in the midst/middle of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you change direction and become like these paidion young children, you will not in possibility or in fact enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever lowers himself like this paidion young child is meizon greater in the kingdom of heaven (a) . . . See that you do not despise one of these micros little ones (b), for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”  Little children are humble or “lowly,” to whom God gives unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace to rather than the “high and mighty” proud that God opposes (c).  Which group will we emulate?  <Notes> a) Luke 18:17 People must receive the kingdom like a paidion young child to enter it; Mark 10:15 People will never enter the kingdom unless receive it like a paidion young child, b) micros: small or little in size, stature, rank, influence, or age but especially of children or youth, c) James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5.

 

In a similar passage of Mark 9:34-37, Jesus squares away the 12 apostles “arguing about who were the meizon greatest . . . saying, ‘If anyone would be protos first (a), they must be eschatos last (b) of all . . .’ and having taken a paidion young child and having embraced him in His arms, He histemi set/stood it in the midst/middle of them and said to them: ‘Whoever receives/welcomes one such paidion young child in My name receives/welcomes Me.” <Notes> a) protos:  those before others, most important, principal, chief, first, b) eschatos: end, furthest, last.

 

Society considered paidion young children as eschatos “lasts,” but Jesus made them protos “firsts.” Later in Matthew 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-15, paidion young child were brought to Jesus to lay hands on and pray for them, but the disciples rebuked the people for this.  Jesus was indignant and told them to not only let them come but not to hinder them for the kingdom belongs to such as these”  In Matthew’s account, the disciples witness an “important” rich young ruler fail to enter the kingdom.  Certainly, society viewed them as protos “firsts.”  But Jesus remarks in Matthew 19:30, “Many who are protos ‘firsts’ shall actually be eschatos lasts, and the ‘lasts’ firsts.”  Jesus is turning the tables on who we view as important, but why?  Well, we saw that being “lowly” or humble has something to do with it!  And little children have powerful angels watching out over them!

 

Jesus also applied this saying in Matthew 20:16 to those who only served Him for a short while receiving the same reward as those who served Him for much longer.  Although the Jews were protos “first” to serve God and the Gentiles eschatos “last,” many Gentiles will have entered the kingdom ahead of many of the Jews, although Paul says in Romans 11:25 that this “partial hardening [of their hearts due to unbelief] has come upon Israel only until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  In Luke 13:30 Jesus applied this saying to those who will come from all over the world into the kingdom, that is Gentiles that the Jews considered eschatos “lasts” compared to themselves as protos “firsts.” Jesus said this while journeying toward Jerusalem, replying to someone who asked if only a few would be saved.

 

During that time the Essenes believed that only a few Jews would be saved.  Also, I’m sure many Pharisees believed they were the hand-picked!  Nobody even considered the Gentiles!  Jesus said the way/door was narrow and many will seek to enter after the door is closed and thus won’t be able to.  These were the Jews who rejected Christ’s preaching in their own streets! The proud Jews thought they were “workers” of God, but Christ called them “workers of evil,” to be “cast out into the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Jesus said He was the only Way to the Father (a) and the only door of His sheep (b).  Judgment Day is going to be a real shock to a LOT of people!  So now we see the list of “the least among you” that consists of little children and Gentiles.  <Notes> a) John 14:6, b) John 10:7.

 

But the eschatos “lasts” were also servants, bond-servants, and slaves.  Jesus caught His disciples more than once “arguing with one another about who was the meizon greatest.”  In Mark 9:34-37, Jesus said to them:  “If anyone would be protos first, he must be eschatos last of all and/coupled diakanos servant (a) of all.”  Here Jesus is directly coupling “last of all” to “servant of all.”  The servants didn’t belong to the family or business, but were truly on/near the bottom of the stack.  But Jesus goes further, as we already spoke of:  “Having taken a paidion young child and having embraced him in His arms, He histemi set/stood it in the midst/middle of them and said to them: ‘Whoever receives/welcomes one such paidion young child in My name receives/welcomes Me.”  <Notes> a) diakanos: “those who thoroughly raise/kick up dust by moving/running in a hurry so as to minister.”

 

We know from Galatians 4:1 that according to Jewish tradition, “the heir, as long as he is a nepios breast-feeding infant (a) is nothing different from a doulos slave (b), even though he is the kurios owner (c) of everything.”  Clearly, Jesus is directly including nepios breast-feeding infants and paidion young children into the category of “the lasts of all” and to “servants of all,” and even to slaves whether willing bond-slaves or not!  Now the list of “the least among you” is even bigger!  This is the last place the dissemination of the knowledge of God under the old covenant ever got to, if it did at all!  <Notes> a) nepios: a milk-feeding infant or little child that requires the gentleness of a nursing mother – 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Hebrews 5:13, or minor not of the age of inheritance, or figuratively of a simple-minded or immature, unlearned, unenlightened person, b) doulos: a servant who belongs by “bond” to another, thus have no rights of their own.  “Bond-servants” are freed slaves that choose to still serve their masters, c) kurios:  lord, master, or owner.

 

 

 

Jesus really drives home the point of being a servant or slave, who obviously can’t “exercise authority over” anybody!  His disciples and family members were always arguing about leadership, greatness, and who would sit at Christ’s right hand of authority!  Jesus kept having to set them straight!  In Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45, Jesus said:  “You all know that the archon ‘top leaders’ (a) of the world’s peoples exercise authority over (b) them and their megas ‘greats’ (c) exercise authority over others (d), BUT-INSTEAD THIS ABSOLUTELY IN FACT SHALL NOT (e) be so among you, for whoever would [desire] to be megas ‘great’ (f) among you-all must/shall actually become you-all’s deaconos servant (h) and/coupled whoever would be protos ‘first’ among you-all [then] actually, ongoingly be you-all’s duolos slave (g), just as the Son of Man came absolutely-in-fact-not to be diakoneo served but to diakoneo serve (h) and/coupled give His life as a ransom for many.”  Servants and slaves, who Jesus lived as for our example, don’t give orders to others – they take them!

 

<Notes> a) archon: preeminent ruler, chief, or leader who takes precedence, or commander with authority/influence over people of a jurisdiction, b) katexousiazo: act as masters:  having or wielding privilege, might and power, will, authority, or control over or down upon, c) underling governors, majors, supervisors, bosses, etc., d) this is the common top-down hierarchy we see in the old covenant rule over Israel and its dissemination of the knowledge of God, and what we see in every organization of the world including its religions, even many Christian churches and businesses, e) ouk:  objectively negates a statement, absolutely ruling it out as a matter of fact, f) Luke 22:24-27 says hegeomai leader/chief, g) doulos slaves are on the bottom of the barrel in society, giving nobody orders.  Mark 10:44 says “must be slave of all,” h) diakoneo is the verb of diakanos: “those who thoroughly raise/kick up dust by moving/running in a hurry so as to minister.”

 

Jesus really drives this home in the abridged Luke 22:24-27 version to correct the arguing disciples about who would be meizon greater, Jesus added to the list of who society viewed as “the meizon greater among you” using the imperative: “I strongly urge them to presently/ongoingly be as the neos younger-in-age, and/coupled the one that is presently/ongoingly hegeomai chief-leading as those who are presently/ongoingly diakoneo serving, for who is the meizon greater?  The one who reclines at table or the one who is diakoneo serving?  By no means, absolutely-in-fact-NOT the one reclining!  Indeed, I am among you as the one who serves!” (a). There are a lot of church leaders who are in for a rude awakening on Judgment Day!  And a lot of Christian bosses!

 

<Notes> a) some bibles improperly translate this as:  “Who is greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves?  Is it not the one who reclines at table?  But I am among you as the one who serve.”  This ignore the normal use of de for “Indeed, moreover.”  Ouchi ho anakeimenos is statement “By no means . . . the one reclining,” not a question!  Certainly, the disciples were thinking the greater is the one reclining, because that’s what they were arguing about!  Jesus doesn’t have to restate their false reasoning – He needs to correct them with this forceful statement and then use Himself as an example!  Some bibles really miss the obvious, which makes me believe they lack the Holy Spirit’s discernment and are having to twist bible verses to say what their agenda is – see New Covenant Ways – BT16.

 

So the willing-bond-servant or slave is society’s absolute eschatos “last,” but Jesus makes Himself as one of these as our model to follow!  Paul says the same in Philippians 2:3-8, “Do absolutely-in-possibility-NO thing from self-gain (a) or kata down-from/according-to vain-pride (b), but instead in lowliness routinely/habitually counting/holding one another as being superiorly/surpassingly above yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God . . . emptied Himself by taking the form of a diakanos servant . . . He lowered Himself.”  If you lower ourselves to elevate others, serving the interests of others over your own, then you are living like Christ, and thus actually making yourself greater in the long run!  This is the exact opposite of the world and much of its religions, even the Christian religions!

 

<Notes> a) eritheia: acting for one’s own gain, regardless of the discord or strife it causes. Self-ambition places self-interest ahead of the Lord’s or the good of others.  Mercenaries are those who are hired self-seekers.  People coming into the Church were seeking followers by the means of gifts – to themselves, b) kenodoksia:  a state of pride which is without basis or justification, so it is empty, cheap, and vain.

 

In Matthew 25:41-45, Jesus describes Judgment Day:  “Jesus will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ . . . Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these (a), you did not do it to Me.”  Here we see “the least among you” list grow to include all of the Christian disciples, who were being persecuted by the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles.  Certainly, the unbelieving world is in for a rude awakening at Judgement Day!

 

<Notes> a) v. 25:40 make it clear that Jesus is referring to “My brethren” – Christians were consider even worse than Jewish slaves, so dead “last” – and many Jews wanted them dead.  Here we see the various forms of persecution!  In Matthew 10:40-42 micros little ones that were given a cup of water in His name were any disciple of Christ.  I know an African man that built his entire ministry on a misinterpretation of these passages, believing that he needed to go through Africa and feed, clothe, etc. every person, even the unbelievers, or Christ would judge Him on the last day.

 

Do you think that most church organizational structures follow any of this advice above or do they resemble more of “the greatest to the least” (a) hierarchal structure of OT religion or almost every organization in the world patterned after the demonic realm according to Ephesians 6:12 with hegeomai chief-leaders who have positions, offices, and titles who then exercise authority over those under them, despite everything Jesus taught against this?  The Lord showed me that this is the “borrowing” from the OT and the world that is building The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in the Church, from the first century on!  See Body Ministry – BT1:  Ministry positions, offices, and titles are NOT taught in the New Testament.  <Notes> a) Jonah 3:5.

 

Isn’t much of Church teaching of the bible simply a continuation of the OT’s hierarchy of disseminating the knowledge of God?  By the educational-formats they choose and the stage, isn’t it still favoring society’s “firsts” over the “lasts?”  Are we relying on old methods that appeal to the “wise and understanding” over the “uneducated, little children, and other least among us?” Isn’t most of the leadership still barking out orders?  Or are they the servants and slaves taking the orders from the saints?  If so, why are you still in the audience, why is there even a stage usually elevated, when’s the last time you “weighed in on what was said,” and were you able to correct the speaker “so that all may learn and ALL may be encouraged” per Paul’s instructions for “orderly worship services” in 1 Corinthians 14:29, 31?  See Body Ministry.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christians musicians, are we arranging ourselves on stages as those “over” the audience?  Are we having them follow our “orders?”  Are we “exercising authority over” members of the band or the audience?  Are we treating ourselves as “the workers of ministry” instead of realizing that we are simply “equippers – coaches and facilitators for the saints to do the work of ministry to build up the Church” per Paul’s instructions for ministry in Ephesians 4:8-16?  Are we looking to the audience as somehow serving our ministry, or are we servants to help them be the ministers to build up the Church?  Why do we call it “our worship ministry” when this really is the ministry of the congregation as a whole?  Our language betrays our true beliefs!  Are we appealing to society’s “firsts” or focusing on the “lasts?”  Are we showing the same kinds of partiality in the Church that James 2:1-13 was describing?  Aren’t we also thus “committing sin and are convicted by God’s nomos instruction as transgressors?” Are we trying to become like the “wise and learned” and expecting others to learn about God indirectly the same way through biblical writings just as the OT tradition dictated, and indirectly through a chain of teachers?  Or are we trying to become like the “little children” and other “least among you” of the completely-different-in-king New Covenant and leading others into this mindset/attitude so that “the secrets of the kingdom are made-unhidden to such as these, but kept hidden to the ‘wise and learned’?”  The other BLOG topics will explore all these questions and more to help us take obedient steps of trusting-relying-faith to move forward like humble, teachable, little children!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, God is revealed to the Little Children and other Leasts Among You before the Firsts or Greatest, Christ destroyed Leadership hierarchy, Last shall be First, No more teachers needed to know God, God reveals Himself by the Holy Spirit through Prophetic Visions & Dreams, Wise & Understanding Bible-students will be the LAST to get God’s secrets if not like Little Children, New Covenant Way now shows NO favoritism to educated people, No exercising authority over others, no bossing others around, The greats shall be lasts, The lasts shall be firsts, We must become slaves & servants not leaders defined by the world, biblical leaders are serving managed care-givers, most church structures are worldly and disobey Jesus, elevating others on a stage is NOT a biblical model but borrowed from the world