Spiritual Practice And Formation

Reference Text: Hebrews 13:13-15, 'Living an obedient Life'

The historic Jesus and the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews both stress that Christ-centered, witnessing, faith communities seek and serve the Christ of faith in all persons. In the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus as Messiah initially revealed and modeled the full incarnation of the Trinity, through his spiritual body and that same potential through the spiritual body of every person. The universal body of Christ is the Christ-centered, spiritually awake remnant within the faith communities of all religions, who actually obey the call of the historic Jesus to self denial, taking up their own cross daily and following Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery [Luke 9:22-24].

To the historic Jesus, feasting at Christ's table and sharing the free gifts of God's love, grace and truth with others is the essence of spiritual practice and formation in the universal body of Christ. The believer's sacrifice of praise which is always pleasing to God is the conscious decision, under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to cast out, crucify and put to death, the inappropriate dominion of the mind of the flesh, within one's own self and life. These conscious act of true repentance and obedience are the sure foundation and fertile soil for bearing the spiritual fruit of the believer passing over from the slavery of sin into the freedom of God's love through the Christ of faith [Galatians 5:22-26].

Let us choose to follow the historic Jesus in seeking and serving the Christ of faith in all persons. The bible clearly states that in order to bear the spiritual fruit of those who profess and confess the name of Jesus, one must deny self, take up one's own cross daily and follow the historic Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery. Let us then choose to imitate the historic Jesus in humility, hospitality, compassion, trust and obedience, so that we may also feast at Christ's banquet table, in the hidden spiritual kingdom of heaven in our midst and within each person [Luke 17:20-21, Colossians 1:24-29, Revelations 3:20].

    

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Different Opinions Concerning The Historic Jesus

Reference Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20, 'Peter's Confession of Jesus' Deity'.

Today's Gospel reading reveals that Jesus' 12 disciples, who knew him intimately, as well as the crowds who followed him, expressed different opinions about who the historic Jesus of Nazareth was. Matthew 16:13-14 declares, 'When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

In Matthew 16:15-17 we read this additional account. "Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being".  Some bible translations state that Peter declared Jesus was the Christ. Matthew 16:20 states that the historic Jesus called himself the Son of Man as he cautioned his disciples to tell no man that he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God and the Christ.

The bible declares in John 1:1-5 and Hebrews 13:20, that God's eternal covenant relationship with all humankind is established in the eternal Christ of faith [Logos, the Word], who became fully incarnate and fully manifested in the historic Jesus of Nazareth. Here and in John 10:1-18, the historic Jesus described himself as the great shepherd of the sheep. In John 14:1-14, the historic Jesus described himself as the way, the truth and the life and assures us that no man can come to the Father except through him.

Is it possible that the blood [life] of God's eternal covenant with the Son actually refers to the eternal presence of the Christ of Faith, God's image and likeness, as the individualized Logos, in the spiritual body of the historic Jesus and every person [Genesis 1:26-27, Hebrews 13:20]?
Like most Christians, I believe that the historic Jesus, the Son of Mary, was uniquely aware of the character of God and his own personal dependence on and eternal intimate relationship with God as Abba Father [John 5:19, 30; 10:30]. I believe the historic Jesus of Nazareth was fully dependent on and uniquely empowered by the Holy Spirit to teach and fully model God's eternal plan for kingdom living, by incarnate human beings, while here on earth [Genesis 1:28-31]. Like the apostle Paul, I also call Jesus the Christ, because of his person, character and work as the Son of Man. To me the historic Jesus is the incarnate, visible head of the body of Christ.

The historic Jesus is the first born of spiritually awake human beings, who were previously spiritually unaware of the indwelling Christ of faith, before Jesus' incarnation. I do believe that the fullness of the Godhead as the Trinity became fully incarnate in the historic Jesus of Nazareth. I believe that God is pleased to reconcile to himself all things whether in earth or heaven, by making peace through the blood of the cross, the Christ of faith, within all persons [Colossians 1:15-20].
I now recognize that the historic Jesus and all persons are divine, eternal spiritual beings, the image and likeness of God, and sons and daughters of the living God, going through temporary incarnate human experiences. I believe that Jesus and Paul were called by God to make the Word of God [Logos] more fully know the mystery, which has been hidden down through the ages and generations, but now has been revealed to the saints.

I believe the historic Jesus actually lived and revealed the Paschal Mystery. He revealed the eternal liberated, transformed, spiritually awake human being, living under the reign of the Christ of faith [Logos]. The Christ of faith as the image of God dwells in the spiritual body of all people. The bible states that the Christ of faith in you, in me and in all people, is mankind's universal and eternal hope of glory [Colossians 1:23-27].

Do you sincerely desire to be delivered from slavery to sin, pass over into the freedom of God love in and through the Christ of faith [Logos]? Do you desire to be empowered by the Holy Spirit as the historic Jesus was? Do you believe all people are called by God to be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit to lift up their own indwelling Christ of faith and follow the historic Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery [Matthew 16:24-26]? Do you believe through repentance, humility, faith and obedience, all people can more fully establish the invisible and visible kingdom of heaven here on earth, within us and in our midst [Matthew 6:9-10]? Who do you believe the historic Jesus is?    
   

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The Second Coming OF Christ

Reference Scripture: Hebrews 11:39 - 12:2, 'The New Dispensation  Inaugurated'

Christians believe the first revelation and full incarnation of the Christ of Faith [Logos], as the Image of God, occurred 2000 years ago in the Historic Jesus of Nazareth, as Messiah [John 1:1-5]. As Son of Man, Jesus first recognized, taught and fully manifested the Christ of Faith, the incarnate Word, as the eternal Spiritual Man, the real Son of God, within his spiritual body and the spiritual body of all persons. During this first coming of Christ, in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus completed the liberation, salvific and redemptive work the Father sent him to do, by living the Paschal Mystery [Luke 4:18-21, John 10:9-11].

Through humility, obedience and faith in Christ as universal Logos, Jesus taught and lived the New Covenant relationship between God and men [Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:7-13].  Jesus fully modeled the normal, potential, human experience of kingdom living, which God intended for all human beings on earth [Genesis 1:26-31]. Jesus desired and prayed to Our Father, God, that all believers would know and experience the same relationship with God, through the same Christ of Faith Who he knew, and thus become the universal body of Christ, throughout our planet  [John 17:21-26].

Now 'parousia' is the Greek term which many literal and metaphorically minded Christians use to describe the second coming or arrival of the historic Jesus of Nazareth, in the same physical body from heaven, here on earth. In Luke 9:23-27 however, Jesus declared these words to his disciples, the crowds and all who would choose to follow him in living the New Covenant, living the Paschal Mystery and Kingdom living while here on earth. '...If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me...". To Christ-centered spiritually awake believers in all religions these words of  Jesus describe not only the conditions of discipleship but more importantly they declare and affirm the universal second coming of the same Christ of Faith, Who he experienced, but now in the feelings, experiences, actions and thoughts of Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers, here on earth, in all the world religions and those involved in no religion.

Metaphysical and mystical Christ-centered, spiritually minded Christians choose by faith, humility and obedience to steadfastly following the historic Jesus. They believe and realize that the second coming of the Christ of Faith is now taking place as spiritual awakening, alignment, incarnation and supernatural regeneration, in the souls, hearts, minds, bodies and lives of all people who choose to follow Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, under the guidance, power and anointing of the Holy Spirit [Luke 4:16-21; The Gospel of Thomas, Saying 17]. They know they are consciously, an active part of establishing the kingdom of heaven here on earth as it always is in heaven [Matthew 6:8-10, Luke 17:20-21].

The first coming of Christ was individually revealed, established and modeled in the historic Jesus of Nazareth. The second coming of Christ is now being fully revealed, maintained and further established in and through the universal body of Christ-centered believers throughout our planet. The Christ of Faith [Logos] is now discerned, worshiped and glorified as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in all the earth.

                   

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Live The Paschal Mystery

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Luke 9:23-27, 'Conditions of Discipleship'.

In today's scripture text all people are challenged to follow Jesus of Nazareth in returning to a life of Christ-centered and Holy Spirit-based faith, trust in God's sure promises, and obedience to God's call and will for our lives. In Genesis 1:27 we read this inclusive truth, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female, he created them".  In John 4:32 we read this truth about God and how all person should worship God. "God is Spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.

Unlike many of us, Jesus always proclaimed and maintained that he was one with God, mankind's universal Abba Father [John 10:30, 14:9]. As eternal spirit, now temporarily incarnate in human flesh, Jesus knew his oneness with God, through the incarnate Christ of faith, the image and likeness of God, as his spiritual body.  Jesus' steadfast faith in God, through empowerment of the Holy Spirit, gave him the vision, endurance, will and authority to shape spiritual substance, fulfill his mission, do the seeming impossible and live the Paschal Mystery [Luke 4:16-20].

To Jesus absolute faith in God as Abba Father, was the essence and sure foundation of his existence [John 5:19, 30]. Jesus our elder brother admonishes and encourages all people to follow him with God's help in living the Paschal Mystery [Luke 6:23].  To Jesus, having faith in God is having faith which is aligned with God's will and unique plan for every human life. In light of the Christ of faith's indwelling Presence and God will for your life, what do you think God is calling you to do and be in discipleship as you live the Paschal Mystery?     

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