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Most of what I teach is what the spirit of Christ has been revealed within me. I teach it from the Bible, and mostly from the writings of Paul. His writings are the primary means by which God has taught me within the true workings of the spirit of His son.
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles (he was an actual prisoner at the time), If you have heard of the administration of the grace of God which is given to me for you; How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery (of Christ); (as I wrote before in few words, Whereby, when you read, you may understand my knowledge (should read have my understanding) in the mystery of Christ);
Ephesians 3:1-4
It’s a simple “formula” really. Read Paul’s general epistles, which are for the most part being addressed to Gentile believers. Look to the spirit of Christ within to have the true spiritual, powerful understanding of what is written be revealed within you, just like what happened to Paul. All other Scripture I read in light of the truths revealed by Paul. Even today, I can be reading a verse I’ve read 100’s of other times and have it come to life within me in an excitingly novel way, and I’m like a little kid being taught some otherworldly truth by my heavenly Father.
For this cause I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Out of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (God names us by birthing the spirit of His son into us), That He would give you, according to the riches of His glory (excellence manifested) to be strengthened with might by His spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height; And to know the love of Christ, which is the ultimate in knowledge (gnosis – what is known by experiencing it), that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
Filled with all the fullness of God! You can know it in your head; even be able to teach it, but until you actually experience being filled with all the fullness of God, you won’t… in fact you can’t understand it. It goes beyond any human carnal understanding or experience.
For I would that you knew what great conflict (agon – struggle for victory) I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh (like you and I); That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment (epignosis – thorough experiential knowing) of the mystery of God… Christ (and of the Father and of not in the text); In whom (or which, referring to the mystery of Christ) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:1-3
All the treasures of wisdom and knowing by experience (relational knowing)! There’s not anything bigger. If you get bored with it, you’re not seeing it or experiencing it. If you are experiencing it, then you are being lifted up into the very presence of your spiritual Father, whose power and majesty gives your whole life value and worth and meaning. It’s spiritual ecstasy and goes beyond normal, regular understanding. What is being described here by Paul is the greatest, the ultimate in the whole of human experience!
But then….
And this I say, lest any man should beguile you (miscount, reason falsely, to delude by false reasoning) with enticing words. Beware lest any man spoil you (to lead off as prey) through philosophy (the love or appreciation of human wisdom) and vain deceit (deceit, especially by false statements… here, false statements which emphasize the one speaking and his/her rightness), after the rudiments (basic elements) of the world (and its wisdom) and not after Christ. Colossians 2:4,8
What makes a person susceptible to being beguiled and spoiled is failure to be rooted in the revelation of Christ within. Unless you hear, believe, take unto yourself and exalt what Christ is revealing within you, you will be open to being led away from this fullness of God… and to what? Spiritual confusion, conflict, apathy and eventually boredom. The “same old same old” mindset of apathetic Christianity being guided by the devil’s deceit into “this is great, but what’s next?” thinking. Like needing to scratch an itch, only for the itch to come back stronger than before. Always looking for the next great thing… author, book, concept, revival, personality.
As you have therefore received (taken unto yourself) Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him; Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught (by revelation), abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6,7)
In order to really have at hand, truly have so that you benefit from and can’t easily lose, the revelation of Christ within, two things are necessary.
One: The Lordship of Jesus Christ. You have received his revelation and exalted it in your mind, heart and life as being the highest priority. You have latched onto this knowing of Christ as being of the utmost importance, and you adhere and follow it like the quality of your life depends on it. You allow it to take the lead in making your decisions and you devote at least a portion of your life to pursuing a furtherance and growth of his revelation in your heart, life and understanding. You have a new identity as being what is being revealed within you (you are what God says you are) and are in the continual process of forsaking your old way of thinking and living.
Two: Thankfulness for what has been and is being given to you by the hand of your Lord. If you’re not thankful for it, then it’s not practically present in your life. Thankfulness is the visceral response to the receipt of a gift. It affects you. If the revelation of the Christ within (whatever he is revealing to you) is not affecting you, then you are not thankful for it (if you even received it in the first place) , and the full effect that revelation is intended to have cannot take place. If the worries and concerns of this present material world take precedence in your thinking over what God is revealing, you will become spiritually unfruitful. If you will not lay aside your old way of thinking and reasoning and feeling in order to take on this new Christ-inspired revelation as your new identity, then your spiritual life will be choked off.
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Matthew 13:22
Jesus Christ cannot and will not impose himself, will never force what is revealed of his spirit to become lord of your life… not in this age. That’s up to you. You are generously and completely loved of the Father even if you never walk in or accept fully the power and wisdom of the lordship of His love within you. He loved us when we were spiritually dead, and He is eternally patient to see His love dominate in our lives and change us.
No man can serve two masters (lords); for either he will hate (have no love for) the one, and love the other; or else he will cling to the one, and despise (think down upon, think slightly of) the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (success in this world). Matthew 6:24
If the revelation of Christ doesn’t become your life, your reason for living, it can become relegated to simply a curiosity, an interesting bit of knowledge or experience you carry in your pocket so to speak. Every Christ believer has to find his or her personal place of importance in the body of Christ. Especially if you find no spiritually productive outlet, or ministry for what God is imparting to you by the revelation of the Christ within, that experiential knowing can become stagnant, insignificant in your life and mind and heart.
Worse yet, all the knowing of God you have can become dogmatic trivia which, rather than being freely and lovingly shared with others, becomes a religious bludgeon used to isolate, insulate and harden the heart. In that case, apathy will rule your heart rather than love, and you will treat others with condescension, envy and strife rather than longsuffering, love and joy. Why? Because the spirit is not bearing fruit in your life, and you start to wither away spiritually. You still have all this knowledge in your head, but your heart falls farther and farther away from the Lord of love.
A minister does not have to be perfect (thank God!), just faithful. Just stay on the journey into Christ, seeking to live out the fantastic, glorious revelations being imparted to you. Don’t let go or give up. Don’t let your heart get hard when others reject what you share, for you serve the Lord Christ, not man. And of the Lord you shall receive the reward of your inheritance, which is to partake of a larger and larger portion of our heavenly Father, God Himself.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the initiator and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1,2
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