Servants of Christ and Stewards of the Paschal Mystery

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, 'Servants of Christ and Stewards of the Paschal Mystery'

The central work the Father sent the historical Jesus to do on earth was to reveal, teach, live and fulfill the Paschal Mystery. The bible declares that through faith, humility and obedience, the historical Jesus increased in wisdom, and in years, and in divine and human favor (Luke 2:52).  In the power of the Holy Spirit, the historical Jesus passed over from ordinary human life on earth, through his passion, death and resurrection, and ascension, into a new and glorified life with the Father, through the indwelling and fully incarnate incarnate of Faith (John 1:1-5) . 

Like the historical Jesus, Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers progressively grow, and evolve, as faithful servants of the universal, indwelling and incarnate Christ of Faith and stewards of God's mysteries.  These spiritually awake, Christ-centered believers gradually mature into trustworthy stewards of God's mysteries, within their unique religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. Through faith, humility, obedience and following the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, these spiritually resurrected believers pass over from slavery to sin, into the freedom of God's love, through the universal indwelling Christ of Faith (Genesis 1:26-27, Colossians 1:26-27).  

In the context of the Gospel of Christ, as revealed in the life, teachings and ministry of the historical Jesus, these Christ-centered believers are now found in all the world religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups (John 3:16-21). Because they believe in and steadfastly follow the historical Jesus, they are now born from above.  With God's help, they now faithfully follow the historical Jesus, as God's appointed and anointed stewards, in living the metaphysical and mystical (inner spiritual meaning) of the Paschal Mystery (Matthew 16:21-28).
 

Through steadfast, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based prayer, listening, learning, studying, worship, service and fellowship, these spiritually awake believers are now the trustworthy and mature servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries, here on earth. In all religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, they do seek and serve the Christ of Faith in all persons. With God's help they now love their neighbor as they love themselves.

Have you chosen to be a trustworthy, Christ-centered, spiritually awake servant of Christ and faithful steward of God's mysteries, within your unique, religion, culture, ethnic and secular group? Have you chosen to follow the historical Jesus as a spiritually awake, trustworthy servant of Christ and a faithful steward of God's mysteries, in living the Paschal Mystery, within your witnessing community? Are you willing to give up erroneous, worldly, carnal and mortal minded judgments, which down through the ages and generations, have created the unnecessary divisions, strife and conflicts, which have existed within your religion, culture, ethnic and secular group?

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Living the Paschal Mystery

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 3:16, 'Temples of the Living God'

The historical Jesus lived a God-centered life. 

The Christ-centered spirituality which Jesus initially revealed, taught and modeled, provides the universal foundation and divine order needed, for believers in all religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups to live God-centered lives. 

The universal foundation of the God-centered human life is the Holy Trinity.    

The historical Jesus revealed God's divine order of grace and truth, needed to live a God-centered life. 

With God's help, the historical Jesus proclaimed, taught and modeled the human initiatives of agape love and freedom from slavery to sin, needed to live the God centered life. 

The historical Jesus described the God-centered life as being born again, being born of water and the Spirit, being born from above and kingdom living here on earth (John 3:1-21). 

Are you willing to live a God-centered life by re-orienting your ideas, attitudes, values and actions God ward?

Are you willing to follow the historical Jesus in the daily practical application of the metaphysical and mystical meanings of living the Paschal Mystery, within your own unique witnessing faith community?

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Religion vs Spirituality

Reference Scripture text: 2 Corinthians 3:4-6,  'The Spirit Not The Letter'

As a general rule, every religion is centered on its uniqueness and its adherents being of the mind of the flesh. Religions stress differences and thus center their attention on the outer man: our morality, appearances, and actions. Religions compare themselves with, and contrast themselves against one another. Christian religions focuses on the historical Jesus and often reject the eternal, spiritual reality, and universal presence of the indwelling Christ of Faith in all persons. Many religions are preoccupied with physical resurrection after physical death.

Spirituality on the other hand is centered in universality, and its adherents stress being of the mind of the spirit. It stresses mankind's unity and connectedness with God and one another, through the indwelling Christ of Faith, the image and likeness of God, in the spiritual body of every person. Spirituality focuses primarily on the human spirit, mind and emotion, the inner man, as the source of mankind's behavior, words and actions.


Christian Spirituality focuses equally on the historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith. It includes and embraces not just the literal and metaphorical interpretation of the Holy Bible. It seek to more fully understand and embrace, the universal metaphysical and mystical understanding, teaching and daily practical application of the Holy Bible, and the Sacred texts and Oral traditions of all religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. Christian Spirituality focuses primarily on healing spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness, awakening from spiritual sleep, and resurrection from spiritual death, while in our present physical bodies.

     

In today's text, the early, Corinthian, witnessing community rejected the historical Jesus' and the apostle Paul's original Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based teachings. Instead they welcomed and embraced carnal minded religious teachings, principles and practices. They limited their teaching to literal interpretations of the law of Moses, the Gospel of Christ and the Paschal Mystery. They focused on the letter and not the spirit of the Gospel of Christ.

Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 3:6b, "For the letter kills but the spirit gives life.  The Gospel and the Paschal Mystery, as revealed in the historical Jesus, are Christ-centered and Holy Spirit based.  The historical Jesus declared in John 6:63, "It is the Spirit Who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are Spirit, and they are Life". Within his own Jewish religion, the historical Jesus declared that he came to not to destroy the letter, but to fulfill the spirit of God's law (Matthew 5:17-20).

The spirit of God's law affirms that all mankind are eternal spiritual beings, the image and likeness of God, now going through temporary, incarnate, human experiences. Mind of the spirit's  interpretations of God's Law, the Gospel and the Paschal Mystery focus on repentance, faith, humility and obedience. They are seen as universal ways for all people, in all religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, to realize deliverance from slavery to sin, and experience spiritual awakening, salvation, reconciliation and abundant life, here on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13, John 3:16-17). Christ-centered Spirituality declares that potentially, with God's help, all mankind can pass over from slavery to sin, into the freedom of God love, through repentance, proper mental alignment and the incarnation of the universal Christ of Faith, while in our present physical bodies.

  

Of which mind have you chosen to be? Of the mind of the spirit, or of the mind of the flesh? Who within your witnessing faith community, steadfastly encourages and guides you, into being of the mind of the spirit? Who in your faith community seems to apparently facilitate your natural tendency and preference to be of the mind of the flesh?

Let's remember, the apostle Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life".

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Paschal Mystery And Christ Crucified

Reference Scriptures:
Matthew 5:17-21, ‘The historical Jesus fulfilled God’s law
Matthew 16:21-28, 'The unique, personal and universal Second Coming of Christ'
Acts 17:22-34, ‘The Unknown God’
1 Corinthians 2:1-12, ‘Christ Crucified’

Both the historical Jesus and the apostle Paul recognized that within the sacred texts of all religions, every word and sentence veils universal, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based truth  [Matthew 5:17, Acts 17:30].

Throughout his life and ministry, the historical Jesus taught, revealed and modeled the full incarnation and manifestation of the Christ of Faith, the Image and likeness of God, in his spiritual body and thus potentially, in the spiritual body of all persons.

The apostle Paul fully embraced the historical Jesus’ teaching, that in God's universal plan of Salvation, the Christ of Faith is the reigning divine Presence, Wisdom and Power of God, within every fully functioning human life, here on earth.

Whoever follows the Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based inner spiritual, mental, emotional, relationship and physical steps outlined in the Gospel of Christ Crucified, will finally reach the conscious relationship with God, other human beings and all creation, which the historical Jesus knew, here on earth.  

Based on your personal experiences of awakening and resurrection from spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness, spiritual sleep and spiritual death, you will begin to discern how you have crucified afresh, the Christ of Faith, within your own spiritual body.   

By follow the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery; Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers in all religions, secular and ethnic groups are now able to proclaim the resurrection, incarnation, second coming, manifestation and reign of the indwelling and incarnate Christ Faith, through their spiritual bodies.

These believers, who are now realizing what it means to be born from above, are declaring like the apostle Paul; "I previously rejected, crucified and buried the universal indwelling Christ of Faith by my own spiritual blindness, spiritual deafness, spiritual sleep and spiritual death".

"The previously Crucified Christ of Faith is now Resurrected and Reigning as indwelling and incarnate Savior, Master and Lord, through my spiritual body".

By following the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, these Christ-centered Spiritually awake believers are now realizing, proclaiming and further establishing kingdom living here on earth, as it is in heaven.