(01/10/2018) Proper Training For Belief?

PROVERBS 22:  6

Today, reply is on the place of discipline and proper training for expressing Christian belief.  “Do as you please” and “ones own opinion” are not the cornerstone of Christianity any more than they may serve as platforms for genuine citizenship within a nation.  Many in modern America now are insisting on freedom to exercise their civil rights; however, some  appear to be cancer cells within a healthy body insisting that they, too, have a lawful place and should be privileged to remain, for they exist and are alive; and their function and purpose are a matter of their own choice.  Similar arguments are being made by hypocrites, nominal Christians, and those who profess to belong to GOD, yet, are false.  They insist that they too are part of the Creation, and divinity has no right to eliminate their presence and process simply because of their sin.  The followers of Jesus Christ all are called to spread the doctrine, standards and values shared from GOD; however, all are not called to the same offices.  Some will serve as bishops, deacons, pastors, and pulpit preachers who are educated and ordained for their service.  Others will be caretakers, lay persons, and teachers.  Because the goal is to nourish the image of GOD and the imparted, indwelling Spirit within developing Christian believers, the sacred process and tools to be used are not the same always as those for instructing divine law as a secular work, or establishing the continual practice of ceremonies, memorials, and prophetic demonstrations as acceptable cultural and social activity.  In the effort to establish objectivity and remove bias, formal settings and procedures are used to transmit precise data and structured information such as law, policy, and rules.  By contrast, the sharing of spirit content must be continuous, gradual, organic, and personal like tenderly repeating the words, “I love you.”  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” who uses the ID “ari” (Level 7 with 94,408 points, a member since March 02, 2014) posted the following:

Is belief in God a discipline or the lack of discipline?

Does it require proper training to believe in God or is it due to the lack of proper training that a person believes in God

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.  (Isaiah 28:  9-11, King James Version, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Giving, A Divine Discipline? (10/09/2017); Tools For Knowing Divinity (05/12/2017); The Relationships With GOD? (11/30/2016); Become Like Jesus Christ? (10/27/2016); Discipline and The Cross (06/16/2016); Divine Discipline? (12/24/2015); Belief, Content And Works? (02/12/2016); Foolish For Not Believing? (03/22/2013); Science and the Laws of Nature? (03/23/2013)

“ari”, features such as academic discipline, child-rearing, and military regimen rely primarily on aspects of the flesh (e.g., appetite, sensation, emotion/mind).  Christian belief is a response to multiple sacred operations provided to make sovereign divinity knowable, known, accessible, and approachable.  Along with commitment, meekness, unselfish service, and zeal, sinners begin to manifest belief as a fruit of the divine seed that is planted by GOD (we also say, the divine fullness; the GODhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  Water baptism provides a picture of the unseen process for the death, burial, and rebirth of a sinner’s inborn spirit (we say, they must be “born again” from divine DNA, so to speak).  As the children of GOD, joint-heirs, and the new creation through Jesus Christ, these will go on to display the inseparable aspects of divine fullness in their own lifestyles and daily living routines.  Included will be faith, forbearance, forgiveness, holiness, joy, longsuffering, lovingkindness, oneness without sameness, righteousness, wisdom, and wrath against sin. 

Through operations carried out by the Holy Spirit (also called the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit of Truth), the life essence within those who are “born again” will be nourished so that the developing believer can “grow up again,” endure “growing pains,” meet life challenges on the earth that may include hardship and suffering, and become mature/ripe.  Developing believers are to acquire and apply sacred knowledge in place of secular knowledge by continuing fellowship with more mature believers (e.g., clergy, their own parents, and co-workers); regular study of the holy writings; ones private praise, prayer, sharing, and worship; sacred practices (we say, sacraments that also may require church attendance, such as baptism, confession, holy matrimony, the Lord’s Supper); and work to build up and maintain the community of faith as well as the place(s) sanctified through prayer for celebration, gathering, work, and rest.

Those who will be sealed as belonging to Christ will all have undergone permanent changes as part of their complete transformation to exist as companions to immortal, incorruptible GOD.  Like everyone else on the earth, mature Christian believers will have been increased through experiences of discovery, gradual growth, learning, and unlearning.  However, relatively little spiritual growth will have come by use of finite human tools such as emotion, intellect, logic, carnal reason, philosophy, and science.  The process of one becoming perfected is endless and everlasting.  At the return of Jesus (i.e., the Advent, his appearing, the harvest, the Rapture, the Second Coming) those who are saints of the kingdom are to be taken up from the earth, and made fully “perfected” for the “beginning of forever” in an instant as they meet him in the air.  Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)  Deuteronomy 6:  4-9, King James Version (KJV):  4 Hear, O Israel:   The LORD our God is one LORD:  5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

(2.)  Galatians 3:  26-29, KJV:  26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:  for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (3.)  1st Thessalonians 4:  13-18, KJV:  13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

Washington, DC

(06/04/2013) Faith for Facing Tragedy?

The validity of faith that appears only when challenged by death, sickness or suffering is the topic, today. Also, there is more on whether one may receive a new or “replacement” measure of the Holy Spirit. The “Yahoo! Answers” writer using ID “little prince” (Level 1 with 24 points, a member since May 30, 2013) posted the following:


Going to God because of tragedy?

I’ve been an agnostic, if I ever got close to God, I wanted it to be because of conviction rather than because I was pushed by tragedy.

But now that my mom has cancer, I’ve been just desperately seeking him.

Is this type of faith valid? One pushed by tragedy, hopelessness, and need?


THE BATTLE AXE: Need for A New Holy Spirit? (06/03/2013)—(5) While the spiritual death of a believer occurs in an instance, and rebirth from divine DNA is completed in the same moment, receiving the Holy Spirit is not a “one-time” event that is completed in one hour, one day, one decade, or one millennium. Finite and temporal behaviors may be completed such as church attendance, fasting, missionary service, and Scripture studies. However, Christian believers must make a continuing, uninterrupted commitment to accept a lifetime of change, growth, and transformation through operations performed by GOD. For this reason, language associated with marriage often is used to clarify Christian dedication (e.g., duty, faithfulness, intimacy, and trust). Believers become life companions to Christ, and through his Spirit, achieve fellowship, right standing, and unity with the Divine. See Galatians 4: 1-9, 1st John 1: 1-10 and 1st John 3: 1-10, King James Version. (6) Believers should not look for change in their physical appearance and social circumstances as the evidence of their new birth. The truth of rebirth must be accepted through an act of self-will (we say choice) dictated and influenced by faith. Faith appears within awareness as certainty, confidence, conviction, and trust based upon the word of GOD (i.e., divine proclamation, promise, and prophecy); and this is called “knowing by faith, rather than by sight.” A believer’s economic, employment, or marital status may continue to be undesirable for a very long period. Where indicators that are not generated by sacred content are relied upon, new believers may appear completely unaltered, unrepentant, and the same as before their embrace by GOD through Christ. Included are addictions, arbitrary differences (e.g., eye color, gender, height, weight), attitudes, behavior, character, conduct, habits, illnesses, and ones personal style. The changes that GOD will perform as a person’s salvation are to be within the believer, not others, not ones surroundings, not the church, not the world. (7) The behaviors that most indicate spiritual growth for Christian believers include actions and conduct that display increased generosity and giving, humility, impartiality, love, practice and understanding of the sacraments, willingness to forgive, unselfish service, and focus upon the person of Christ in place of introspection, self-examination and self-promotion. Believers learn to see, attend to, and serve Christ revealed within the sufferings of others. The “holy spirit” a person may have gotten “a few years ago” is proven to be alive and well by unselfish ministry to others. See Matthew 25: 31-46, Romans 8: 1-18, Romans 8: 24-31, Philippians 3: 7-14 and 2nd Corinthians 3: 17-18, KJV.


THE GOLDEN ARROW: For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2nd Corinthians 12: 6-10, King James Version)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Struggles? (05/11/2013); Through Much Tribulation (05/12/2013); Death Has Been Transformed (05/09/2013); Loving the Enemy? (05/10/2013); Experience Is Not Evidence? (05/05/2013); Church Mandatory? (05/06/2013); GOD Knows Tomorrow? (04/12/2013); Expect Healing (02/11/2012); Childhood Cancers? (01/17/2011); Denominations? (01/18/2011)


“little prince,” here are some points I have considered since my mother died of cancer, and that most Christian believers also encounter as they are perfected by GOD:

(1) The faith you begin with should not be the faith you end with. Believers enter into a continuing process of existence that is directed by divine influences, and so there must be change, growth, learning, and sanctification. Saying this another way: A person’s awareness of divinity must increase and include recognition of divine substance that is the make-up of GOD (e.g., faith, holiness, righteousness, wisdom, wrath against sin); the active operation of GOD within the human frameworks of time and space (e.g., covenant, divine law, forgiveness, judgment, salvation); and such aspects of divine focus as authority, fulfillment, intent, and purpose.

(2) Often believers must accept that the comfort and consolation provided by GOD for meeting life challenges and experience within the natural and social worlds of mankind ARE NOT carnal, emotional, material and physical. Intended for something higher, GOD may bestow spirit content and demonstrations of divine presence through expectations (i.e., what we are commanded to hope), miracles, proclamations, promises, prophesies, testimonies in judgment, visitations, and witness. 
 
(3) Where one relies on human faith, rather than the faith that is given through the imparted Spirit of GOD, confusion, disappointment, and a sense of having been betrayed are usually experienced. Such persons fail to grasp that the ministry of Jesus Christ must acknowledge aspects of divine order and obligation that do not permit an instant elimination of death, all disease, sickness and sin. There is an unseen universe of active forces, conditions, and demands that must be maintained in peculiar balance.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (4) While GOD did not eliminate death from human experience by appearing in the earth as Jesus Christ, GOD did transform the meaning and understanding of death. Death is revealed as temporal, not eternal; death is shown to not be a god; like aging, death is not always a punishment; and fear that death may operate contrary to GOD has been broken off among believers. As a divine tool death permits resurrection, and it is a further mechanism and tool needed to establish eternal life.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC