1.A "spiritual person" is one who has experienced "spirit-union" with the Spirit of Christ in spiritual regeneration. Such a spiritual condition of "spirit-union" is not an end in itself, but the character of the Spirit of God who lives within is to be expressed in psychological and physical behavior.
That is why Paul went on to write, "I could not speak to you as to (those acting as) spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ" (I Cor. 3:1). And to the Galatians, Paul explained that those "who are spiritual" should restore one who is caught in a trespass with gentleness (6:1). Biblical spirituality involves the presence and function of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the triune God in an individual. In other words, what we are calling "spirit-union" and "soul-rest."
The sacerdotal polity ever more completely
changed and depraved the the social ideal of Christ and his apostles , Dr.
Fairbairn 1910
That ideal was free spiritual brother hood, where
men lived in the spirit and walked by it. Clergy and laity did not stand
apart , opposed and divided by officialism, which are ever factious sanities:
nay clergy and laity did not even exist than. cheers the told the truth !!!!
The most
eminent distinctions were moral, the best gifts spiritual, and possible to all.
THE MAN LIVED NEAREST TO God STOOD HIGHEST Among men .... he who loved the
most lived the best. quote
God blesses his love characterized through his people?? through faith .
Spiritual Light
The Christian in "spirit-union" has exchanged darkness for light. The risen Lord Jesus told Saul that his mission was to "convert people from darkness to light" (Acts 26:18). To the Colossian Christians, Paul wrote, "He (Jesus) delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). "Called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (II Pet. 2:9), Christians are "saints in light" (Col. 1:12), "sons of light" (I Thess. 5:5), and "children of light" (Eph. 5:8), for "the life was the light of men" (Jn. 1:4).
Whereas we were once "ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), we are now identified as "godly" (II Pet. 2:9). Whereas we were once "excluded from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18) and "separate from Christ" (Eph. 2:12), we are now the "chosen ones" of God (Eph. 1:4; Col.3:12), who have been "reconciled to God" (Rom. 5:10,11) and have been "accepted to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). Whereas we were once "unrighteous" (I Cor. 6:9), we have now been "made righteous" (Rom. 5:19), for we have been "created in righteousness" (Eph. 4:24), and have "become the righteousness of God in Christ" (II Cor. 5:21), as the "Righteous One" (Acts 7:52; 22:14), Jesus Christ, has become the basis of who we are. We have been made "holy, and blameless and beyond reproach" (Col. 1:22). Christians are even identified as "perfect" (Phil. 3:15; Heb. 12:23) in spiritual condition, because the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, dwells within their spirit in spirit-union.
this is who you become despite all the performance labels required!!!
we may be beset but can if true faith unions exist get back and go we do that even those who seek to impose the law as some form of spirit injunction reduces the work of Christ , amazing , few know who to aid in any oppression of any sort yet bide others the warning Galatians those who go the law have lost their place in Christ? Galatians , your question we are longways from the first century faith? they battles sure did no romantic abut many would unify and bring an end to them selves the pagan unions they mixed in Asia minor was laden with those unions since than the murky sea of doing so has not cleared it continue mix and merge ....
In like manner, Dave Hunt has written that,
“Satan’s primary tactic in opposing God is not to foster
atheism, but religion. A perverted ‘Christianity’ is Satan’s ultimate
weapon.”32
priest craft and king craft ,
If we are to understand religion correctly we must recognize its satanic source and the spiritual conflict that is taking place between God and Satan in Christianity and religion.The sociological attachment of “religion”It might be pointed out that mankind has a natural tendency to develop religious practices, and that every known civilization of man has engaged in some form of
religion. Indeed it is “natural” for man to form religions, for “the natural man does not understand spiritual things” (ICor. 2:14). His “natural” wisdom is demonically inspired (James 3:15), for “the prince of the power of the air is the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).
Sociologists have on occasion argued that religion serves a beneficial social purpose of attaching people together in group-unity. Such social bonding ties a group of people together as they set their sights on a “higher”common goal. Religion thus gives a group of people a collective sense of identity, purpose and meaning, and provides for social continuity.
By spirit-union with Christ, everything has become new spiritually in the Christian. We are a "new creation" (Gal. 6:15). We are a "new man" (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). The "old man" that we were in our unregenerate state has been crucified (Rom. 6:6) and put off (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9), and we are a "new man" in Christ. We are not a schizophrenic "old man" and "new man" at the same time, as popular evangelical humanism has often suggested, but the "old man" has been exchanged for the "new man," the completely new identity we have "in Christ."
When engaged in such a collective mutual pursuit of religious striving, their religion provides a legitimacy and validity to the rules and regulations that are imposed upon them, and when religion
wanes the weight and authority of social and moral law diminishes.It is indeed possible to analyze religion sociologically or psychologically33,
but these are just observations of the phenomena of religion. It cannot be concluded from these observations that religion constitutes a social or moral “good,” or that religion is the “better” or “highest” feature of the natural world system of man, especially when it is abusing people as previously noted. Religion is, on the contrary, the most subtle and insidious feature of the diabolically inspired world of natural men, and as such it is the most abominable and damnable.
There is nothing “good” about religion. Religion
relativizes the goodness that is derived from God alone. Religion engages in the relativistic goodness of the “good and evil” game that has been played by natural man ever since man fell by partaking of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 3).The world’s view of “religion”
Many of those who call themselves “Christians” have been unable to differentiate between Christianity and religion.
As they participate in the counterfeit of “Christian religion,” they mistakenly think it is Christianity, and are blinded in the belief that religion is an admirable pursuit.On the other hand, there are many who are not Christians who view the activities of the “Christian religion,” and who likewise fail to differentiate between religion and Christianity. They in turn reject Christianity, believing it to be equivalent to the “Christian religion” they have observed. 31 Many abominable activities have taken place under the guise of “Christian religion.”
Man-made religion always seeks power and will revert to militaristic warfare to achieve that power. The history of religion, including “Christian religion,” is but a succession of religious wars wherein religion is to slaughter one another under the flag of “religion,” usually with political overtones.
The Crusades of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries are but one historical example among many.Religious bigotry has been evident in every century as religious leaders engage in racial, national, sexual, ideological and denominational exclusion, ostracism and persecution. There are always the religious attempts to purge those who disagree, and to punish those who do not
conform to legislated morality. The period of the Inquisition is a sad example in the history of “Christian religion.”
People of the world observe the big religious organizations with their huge ecclesiastic superstructures. They are often rich, powerful, tax-evading, and political in nature. They observe the religious fanatics who try to justify any activity from bombing an abortion clinic to murdering a doctor who works therein. Any means seems 32
to be justifiable if it achieves their religiously deified end cause. They observe the seemingly endless and meaningless religious activities of church services,ceremonies and programs that seem to be just “pomp and circumstance.” the exchaneg Paul states, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20), Paul tells the Galatians. Paul asked the Corinthians, incredulously, "Do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" (II Cor. 13:5). Likewise the Holy Spirit dwells in us (II Tim. 1:14). "God gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge" (II Cor. 1:22), and has "sent the Spirit into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Spirit-union is established by the presence of the entire Trinity.
them missing mind set and awareness of the inward blessings !! when do you ever hear that other than the how to books are the product human phsycology nothing to do withe spirit led>>>
Inner Senses
In like manner, every Christian has an inner vision, whereby with "the eyes of their heart" (Eph. 1:18) they can "look at the things which are not seen, which are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18), and "behold the glory of God" (II Cor. 3:18). In spirit-union, Christians have an inner, spiritual hearing to "hear what the Spirit is saying" (Rev. 2:7,11). Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:3,4,16,27). "If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (Rev. 13:9) and listen to what God is saying. It might even be noted that we have an inner taste whereby we can "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8).
Inner Knowing
Those who participate in spirit-union with God often fail to appreciate and tune-in to the intuitive spiritual knowledge that the presence of God provides. Paul explained that "the natural man does not understand spiritual things, but he that is spiritual (i.e., has spirit-union) appraises all things" (I Cor. 2:14,15). This inner knowing is both an intuitive knowledge and an intimate relational knowledge. "We know (spiritual intuition) that we have come to know (spiritual intimacy of relationship) Him" (I John 2:3). To the Corinthians, Paul wrote,
"We have received the Spirit of God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God" (I Cor. 2:12). We are "able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of God's ways), and to know the love of Christ which surpasses (natural) knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19). Beyond natural logic and reasoning, there is the Theo-logic whereby we can apprehend the supernatural and unseen intents of God. By natural reasoning, God and His ways are "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33), but the Christian in spirit-union with God can "know God's ways" (Heb. 3:10), "know the grace of God" (II Cor. 8:9), "know that he has the anointing of the Spirit" (I John 2:20), "know that he has passed out of death into life" (I John 3:14), "
know that he has eternal life" (I John 5:13), and, in fact, "know all things" (Jude 1:5) that God wants him/her to know. Paul exhorted the Philippians to let their "love (God's love) abound in real knowledge and spiritual discernment" (Phil. 1:9), able to "discern good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). "The Son of God has come and given us understanding" (I John 5:20), John wrote. And Paul prayed that the Colossians might "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9).
To Timothy, he explained, "the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (II Tim. 2:7). God reveals things to the Christian with whom He has spirit-union. Paul told the Philippians, "Have this attitude, and if you have a different attitude, God will reveal it to you" (Phil. 3:15). "May God grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17),
Spiritual Character
When Christ comes to dwell in a Christian, He comes complete with the divine character of God, for His character cannot be detached from His Being. Paul describes the divine character as the "fruit of the Spirit" which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and godly control of the self" (Gal. 5:22,23). These are not merely external behavioral traits or psychological attitudes, but they are the divine character that we receive when the triune God indwells us in spirit-union. For a Christian to complain that he/she lacks "patience" or "gentleness" or any other feature of divine character, and then to seek to develop such through educational instruction or psychological procedures, is to deny all that we have received in spirit-union. The inner spiritual character that is ours by the presence of God in spirit-union is intended to be transformed into attitudes in the soul and behavioral expression in the body.
Spiritual Gifts
Even the charismata, the so-called "spiritual gifts," are all ours in spirit-union. These are but the grace-expressions or the Spirit-actions of the ministry of Christ. Christ enters into us in spirit-union with all the potentiality of His ministry within His Body, the Church. The spiritual gifts are not trophies of spirituality, nor are they power-toys with which Christians perform their "ministries." When the living Christ comes into each Christian, He comes complete with all of His abilities to minister and serve. "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us" (Rom. 12:8), and "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (I Cor. 12:7). In spirit-union Christ within us possesses and conveys all of His intended action and ministry through us.
Complete in Christ
In spirit-union we are "complete in Christ" (Col. 2:10), lacking nothing spiritually. "All has become new" (II Cor. 5:17), and we have received everything God has to give. As one rather uneducated rural preacher expressed it, "You got all there is to get when you got Jesus. You ain't gonna get no more, 'cause there ain't no more to get." Paul advised the Corinthian Christians, "all things belong to you; whether things present or things to come, all things belong to you" (I Cor. 2:20,21). To the Ephesians, Paul exclaimed, "God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:3). Peter concurred, "God has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (II Peter 1:3). that is all of the faith or that which has faith .... faith is not an external how to esoteric philosophy that got mixed in long ago by clement others merging pagan Greek thinking into the spirit led ways......
do you know the differences between the spirit led over the external power stuff , it holds true in political as well.. danger of other thinking and doing for you !! God did it for us those in grace know the difference and will assist the war that rages all around comes after us ..!!!! it will sure does ,,,
A survey of the Scriptures reveals that there is one category that God hates above all others. God hates religion! Many will be confused, if not offended by such a statement, for they have identified God with religion. Religion, therefore, needs to be defined and differentiated from the Christian gospel.
The English word "religion" is etymologically derived from the Latin word religo, meaning to "bind up." Religion binds people up in rules and regulations or in ritualistic patterns of devotion.
Christianity, on the other hand, was never meant to be a religion. Christianity is the dynamic spiritual life of the risen Lord Jesus indwelling the spirit of man so as to create functional behavior to the glory of God. Granted, men have attempted to force Christianity into the molds and forms of religion. That is evident by all the steeples and sanctuaries and ecclesiastical programs that dot the landscape of our society.
It is the propensity of man to formulate religion to take that which is of the invisible God and attempt to make it visible, tangible and controllable. Man-made religion! The apostle Paul refers to it as "self-made religion" (Colossians 2:23), and goes on to indicate that it is of no value against fleshly indulgence. In essence, Paul is saying that "religion is of no value against man's sinfulness." In fact, religion is a co-dependent enabler of the sins of mankind. It is itself an addiction.
Religion is essentially idolatry. Men worship their man-made formations and structures their ideological idols formed in the concrete of inflexible minds. When the apostle Paul came to Athens (Acts 17:22), he observed their idols and exclaimed, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects." The Greek word that Paul used for "religious" literally means "to have great respect for demons."
To document that God hates religion, note the following passages of Scripture:
"...every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods." (Deuteronomy 12:31)These passages bear out the fact that God hates religion, and all of its procedures and programs; rituals and regulations.
"I have had enough of burnt offerings...Bring your worthless offerings no longer...I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts; they have become a burden to Me... So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you... I will not listen..." (Isaiah 1:10-15)
"I hate, I reject your festivals; nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies...take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps." (Amos 5:21-24)
Religion is inevitably the result of man taking that which is of God and forming it, formulating it, in such a way that men end up "playing God." Men can form idols out of wood or stone in an attempt to represent God, or they can formulate ideological idols (belief-systems, doctrinal definitions, theological theses). The men who thus form and formulate become the "chief priests" of the new religion because they are regarded as knowing the most about what God is like, and well they should for they formed "it."
There are three features which seem to be basic to all forms of man-made religion. Religion involves absolutism, authoritarianism and activism. Now there is nothing wrong with absolutes, authority or activity. God is absolute, authoritative and active. But when any man or group of men attempts to establish themselves as the arbiters or regulators of God's absoluteness, authority or activity, they then begin to "play god," and religion is the result as they impose their perspective of absolute, authority and activity on others.
God is absolute. All other absolutes are derived from His absolute character. But when any man, or grouping of men, think that they have determined the absolutes of God absolutely and set about to impose them absolutely on others, then you have the absolutism of religion.
It is the natural propensity of man to want to get everything figured out. We have a "lust for certainty." We want everything to be "cut and dried," black and white, right and wrong, with no loose ends. We do not like paradox, antinomy or dialectic.
Most men cannot accept that the Infinite God is bigger than their finite ability to understand. So we set about to reduce God to fit within our rationalistic and intellectual reasonings. We reduce God to fit within our mental "box," then we nail it shut, construct our creed, and absolutely affirm that we have God figured out. We have reduced God to no bigger than our cranial cavity.
Religion advocates the absolutism of a particular belief-system. We formulate our doctrine, our theology, and demand that others affirm it absolutely as we do no variation; no freedom of thought or opinion; no doubt (for doubt would indicate that one does not believe it absolutely.)
Such absolutism is the basis of "fundamentalism." Fundamentalism is a religious idolatry that tends to worship a particular formulation of fixed fundamentals of faith. These fundamentals usually include both the detailed doctrines of a belief-system, as well as the meticulously prescribed behavior patterns of an ethical-system.
Religion employs the absolutism of a particular and prescribed moral law, a closed-system of ethics. These behavioral laws (judicial, theological or sociological) are comprised of dos and don'ts, "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots," rules and regulations, and codes of conduct. They are legalistically applied with rigid inflexibility and with perfectionistic expectations of absolute obedience.
Such absolutism in belief and behavior leads to the absolutism of exclusivism: "We are absolutely the only ones who have found truth; Ours is absolutely the only way." Thus religion begins to employ the rejective "tests of fellowship" which demand acceptance of their belief-system and conformity to their behavior patterns or else they will disallow you to be a part of their socialistic group identity. They disallow individualism and freedom of thought. Identity is found in the whole. Any deviations are met with condemnatory judgmentalism and guilt manipulation unto conformity. Severe forms of corrective social "discipline" are employed to keep people "in line," subscribing to the absolutism. Threats of excommunication from the authorities in charge are used to create absolute conformity and absolute obedience.
God, because He is absolute, is authoritative. But when any man, or group of men, claim to be the designated instruments of God's authority and attempt to express such authoritatively, especially in an autocratic or totalitarian way, you then have the authoritarianism of religion.
The bulk of mankind are followers, who will follow a leader like sheep. There always have been and always will be some men, therefore, who set themselves up as leaders and authorities claiming to represent God and to speak authoritatively for God. They often claim to have a special "in" with God, a "hot-line" with God, or they claim to have a special vision, a special "calling," a special understanding, or a superior spirituality. Some people inevitably follow such people and regard them as religious authorities – gurus.
The well-known proverb states, "Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The selfish propensities within men cause them to abuse power and use people to their own ends as they lead. Such results in authoritarianism. It may be but a subtle emphasis on "pastoral authority" or the spiritual authority of an elder or a "shepherd," or it may be a special esteem granted for those in exalted positions of so-called "clergy" or priests, ministers, preachers, presbyters, etc. These are then developed into an hierarchical order of ecclesiastical positioning and politicizing.
These self-designated religious authorities often foster a dependency attitude of the people upon themselves. Directly or indirectly they encourage loyalty and commitment to the organization they lead, or to themselves. As incentive for such they often convey the idea that they hold the eternal fate or spiritual destiny of others in their hands, in their power.
The sense of personal equality before God is lost. People are expected to learn their "place" and told not to "get out of order." "Do not ask questions; do as you are told." "We will do the thinking and the feeling for you." "We will do the Bible study and the praying – the relating to God." "We speak for God, and we will tell you what is true." What is this but mind-control propaganda, advocating blind, unquestioning submission and obedience. It is an undemocratic system of non-equality wherein the religious authorities have no accountability to the people they serve.
Such religious authoritarianism creates a "fantasy-bond" of the people toward their so-called "priests." There is a projected idealization of the authorities as being especially close to God -- almost "gods" themselves. The religious authorities then exploit the people, utilizing superstition and fear to control people's thinking and behavior by shame, guilt and threatened loss of identity or eternal destiny.
Religious authorities must create a sense of direction and momentum for the people; a sense of doing something and going somewhere. There must be a program of activity that will keep people "involved," feeling that they are meaningfully expending their lives and energy for God's "cause." This is also fueled by the self-serving purpose of financing and perpetuating the religious system.
Religion is perpetuated by the activism of the people. People want a sense of meaning, a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging, a sense of identity, a reason to be. These are God-given desires. Religion offers a false-fulfillment of these desires. Religion repeatedly encourages people to become more involved, more active. Involvement, commitment, dedication, consecration -- these are the hallmarks and the "passwords" of religion. Religion fosters a fixation, a compulsion, an obsession, an addiction to religious activities, explaining the absolute necessity to be thus engaged in the activities in order to please God, and for the good of the whole -- never admitting that it is primarily for the good of the religious authorities!
Activism seems to become an end in itself within religion: the activism of financial giving, the activism of keeping all the rules, the activism of church attendance, the activism of participating in all the ordinances and rituals, the activism of recruiting others to the "cause." Such activism is a not-so-subtle form of "works" salvation, which leads to physical fatigue and exhaustion and other forms of addiction.
Religious activism sometimes takes the form of social protest. People are enjoined to stand up for God's absolutes in political activism. Sometimes they go so far as to engage in criminal and terrorist activity even wars. In the midst of such they usually develop a persecution-complex: "It is 'us', the good guys of God's army, against 'them', the army of humanism or satan; and only by our ardent activism will God win!"
So often religion defines spirituality by the amount and intensity of one's activism. "If you are really going to be 'spiritual' and close to God, you must be doing what God wants you to do," i.e. our proscribed form of activism.
Is it any wonder that many of the people of the world speak derisively of religion? They have read their history books and have heard of the atrocities perpetrated in the name of “religion.” They hear of the vast gold reserves and corporate holdings of religious conglomerates gained through tax-exemptions and unfair advantage.
They can see the exploitation of the populace through superstition and fear. They see through the ecclesiastic politicizing and cultural manipulation. They see the people going through their meaningless motions of religious ritual to try to appease God.
Often they have come to the conclusion that they do not want anything to do with “religion,” and I, for one, do not blame them! The world has a right, even an intellectual obligation, to reject the religious folder that is so prevalent, and to demand reality. Was Marx correct in his conclusion that “religion is the opiate of the people”?
Religion has to do with form, formalism and formulas;
ritual, rules, regulations and rites; legalism, laws and
laboring. The “good news” of Christianity is that it is not
what we do or perform, but what Jesus has done and is
doing in us. Jesus exclaimed from the cross, “It is
finished!” (John 19:30).
The performance is hereby accomplished! Jesus has done all the doing that needs
doing for our regeneration, and continues to do all the doing that God wants to do in us. “God is at work in youboth to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil.2:13).
Some have tried to explain that “Christianity is not
religion; it is a relationship.” Such a statement is too
ambiguous, for it is possible to have a “relationship” with
religious peoples and practices. Although Christianity does
involve a personal relationship between an individual and
the living Lord Jesus, it must be pointed out that this is
34
effected by the ontological presence of the Spirit of Christ
dwelling within the spirit of a Christian who has received
Him by faith, and the Spirit of Christ functioning through
that Christian’s behavior. It is not just a casual relationship
of acquaintance with the historical Jesus or with the
theological formulations of Jesus’ work. Perhaps it would
be better to indicate that “Christianity is not religion; it is
the reality of Jesus Christ as God coming in the form of His
Spirit to indwell man in order to restore him to the
functional intent of God whereby the character of God is
allowed to be manifested in man’s behavior to the glory of
God.
Christianity is not religion! Christianity is Christ!
Christianity is “Christ-in-you-ity.” Jesus Christ did not
found a religion to remember and reiterate His teaching.
Christianity is the personal, spiritual presence of the risen
and living Lord Jesus Christ, manifesting His life and
character in Christians, i.e. “Christ-ones.” Paul explained,
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the
life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
Faith does not operate in the realm of what is humanely possible , there is no glory for God in what is humanly possible . Faith begins where man's power ends you have to go and put your self in situations where no human escape may exists life is such even innanay stae wheer life infancy is awarded as goal to be had... !! other wise we will be playing into color book like realities, where next , if it exists at all, wondering guessing !!!!
your question??? a little in depth real history
The sacerdotal polity ever more completely
changed and depraved the the social ideal of Christ and his apostles , ((Dr.
Fairbairn 1910))
That ideal was free spiritual brother hood, where
men lived in the spirit and walked by it. Clergy and laity did not stand
apart , opposed and divided by officialism, which are ever factious sanities:
nay clergy and laity did not even exist than.
The most
eminent distinctions were moral, the best gifts spiritual, and possible to all.
THE MAN LIVED NEAREST TO God STOOD HIGHEST Among men .... he who loved the
most lived the best. quote
the best does not mean greed ,,,or vast welaht but rich in Christ inward presence , it was spirit led life even if you sin 7X70 jesus he or she is for given not burned at the stake or hung character lynch mobs who have nuder much inthe past, even it own , big big difference sis one is life less authoritarianism the other life giving leading they are the not the same dear one..
sad part is you will never see the above just spoken to !! not often or ever ,,,,,Religion is inevitably the result of man taking that which is of God
and forming it, formulating it, in such a way that men end up "playing God." Men
can form idols out of wood or stone in an attempt to represent God, or they can
formulate ideological idols (belief-systems, doctrinal definitions, theological
theses). The men who thus form and formulate become the "chief priests" of the
new religion because they are regarded as knowing the most about what God is
like, and well they
should for they formed "it." once we are saved all the past is behide habits come, and temp push back get back up grab on the blessing , the attacks come hard fast anything at any time can come hit hard but go by faith resist , if you fail to you do not have magical physco babelized lecture,,, repent and go !! he has not left nor will he leave you!!
refernce trends of compromise !!https://www.garynorth.com/unholyspirits.pdf
Revival of Ancient Paganism
C. S. Lewis makes the observation in The Abolition ofMan (1947)
that occultism and humanism appeared in Western history at about
the same time, during the Renaissance. Humanist philosophy and
occultism were two sides of the same revival of paganism.
Thus, he
argued, occultism and humanistic rationalism are not enemies in
principle but rather cooperating philosophies that are united against
Christianity and Christian civilization. This is the theme of his great
masterpiece, the novel That Hideous Strength. I read this book in the
spring of 1964 as a class assignment at seminary, and it was by far
the most important book anyone ever assigned me in any class I ever
took. I also met David Ketchen at seminary, who had himself been
involved in table-raising as a youth, and he introduced me to the
writings of Kurt Koch, a European exorcist.
This two-fold background, both philosophical and practical,
alerted me to the significance of occultism and its links with revolutionism,
mysticism, and the quest for power. This understanding
made it far easier for me to interpret the years of the counter-culture
(1964-70), which began the following semester, when the student
revolution broke out in the United States at the University of California
at Berkeley. (I was enrolled at UCLA that semester, and
transferred to UC Riverside in the spring of 1965.) That revolution
shook the foundations of the older liberalism.
the failed systems of man Friends believe that prayer and the love of God are of primary importance. This erases an artificial division between the secular and the religious, and makes all of life, when lived in the Spirit, sacramental. Friends reject traditional, outward ceremonies and sacraments, sometimes characterised as 'empty forms', but without rejecting the spiritual reality they symbolise. Baptism, for example, means an inward or spiritual experience, not a ritual act.
Communion is also of the Spirit, a conscious openness to, a communication with the Divine. Although Friends may differ in their ways of observing the Sabbath and Christian festivals, these days are not regarded more holy than weekdays.
INTELLECTUAL SCHIZOPHRENIA 5
The poor and the oppressed, and (2) reliance on private charity to meet such needs. Although before the Civil War many evangelicals displayed neither type of social concern, many others emphasized both: The ensuing transition came in two stages.
From 1865 to about 1900 interest in political action diminished, though it did not disappear, among revivalist evangelicals. As we have just seen however, the revivalist evangelicalism of this era still included vigorous champions of social concern, especially in the form of private charity.
The lessening of political concern, then,did not in itself signify a "Great Reversal" in social concern, even though it shifted the focus and prepared the way for what followed.
The "Great Reversal" took place from about 1900 to about
1930, when all progressive social concern, whether political or
private, became suspect among revivalist evangelicals and was
relegated to a very minor role.
The preparatory stage, from 1860 to 1900, can be described in
a number of ways. Using the terms broadly we may call it a transition from a basically "Calvinistic" tradition, which saw politics as a significant means to advance the kingdom, to a "pietistic" view of political action as no more than a means to restrain evil.
This change can be seen as a move from Old Testament to New
Testament models for understanding politics. It corresponds also,as is often noted, to the change from postmillennial to premillennial views of the relation of the kingdom to the present social and political order. In America it was also related to the rise of the holiness movement.
From the time of the Puritans until about the middle of the
nineteenth century, American evangelicalism was dominated by a Calvinistic vision of a Christian culture.
Old Testament Israel, a nation committed to God's law, was the model for political institutions. Hence the Christian ideal was to introduce God's kingdom - a New Israel- not only in the lives of the regenerate elect, but also by means of civil laws that would both restrain evil and comprehensively transform culture according to God's will. sadly we are saved by grace not law no one can keep the law not even them, the flesh is unable to ascend to God init;s own steam power of being good enough .
This shift in religious perspective was complete by 1930.
Pessimism concerning this world's future (premil1ennial dispensationalism) had replaced optimism about the future, in time and on earth (postmillennialism).
Reliance on Old Testament law also diminished still further, a decline which had begun as early as 1660 in Puritan New England, accelerated after 1676,6 was institutionalized
politically by the Great Awakening of the 1740s,7 and died in the twentieth century. Only with the postmillennial and
theonomic movement of the 1965-75 period did a revival of interest. most reformers are or were birthed out of Rosicrucian philosophies , he gnosis based systems were the creation of man's head knowledge in a revamped "puritanism" re-establish the outlook of the first generation of colonial American Puritans. legalism followed them..
But this revival was confined almost entirely to the Reformed tradition, and only a small minority of this tradition: a few Reformed Baptists and a handful of representatives within tiny Presbyterian splinter groups. American fundamentalism, not to mention neo-evangelicalism, was unaware of this theological revival in 1975.8
