Triumph And Reign of the Christ of Faith

Reference Scripture:
2 Peter 1:19, 'The Mission and Prophesy of True Witnesses'

The Paschal Mystery is the truth which is emerging and unfolding, about the resurrected Christ of Faith and the Holy Spirit, forming Christ-centered, spiritually awake witnessing faith communities, in all religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. This is one of the most exciting, profound and positive changes now taking place, throughout our planet. This spiritual awakening is occurring because of sincere and steadfast Christ-centered prayer, faith, fasting from error thinking and the practice of agape love.  Sincere spiritually awake believers in every religions are now embracing God's universal and changeless grace, agape love and truth, as revealed in the sacred texts, writing and oral traditions of all religions.    

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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Unity And Universality Of The Christ Of Faith

Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 1:10-16, 'Christ, the universal Lamb of God' 

Living the Paschal Mystery is often strongly rejected as foolishness by many exoteric religious and secular minded people. It is however more warmly embraced and applied, as the universal power of God unto salvation, by most esoteric, spiritually awake, religious people, in all the world religions. Like the historical Jesus, the apostle Paul also taught that only the cross does save humankind from vain and erroneous human philosophies, and brings all mankind to the true, exoteric and esoteric knowledge of God’s grace, truth, wisdom and love, through the universal, indwelling Christ of Faith, the image of God, in the spiritual body of all persons [Genesis 1:26-31, Matthew 16:24-28, Colossians 1:26-27].

Mortal minded people believe that human beings are now experiencing separation from God and one another. The carnal minded are intellectually motivated to deny that all human beings have eternal spiritual bodies. They are thus preoccupied with the things of men, rather than the things of God. Mortal, carnal and worldly mindedness are among the diverse manifestations of the mind of the flesh. Spiritually minded people realize, that all humans, like the historical Jesus, are eternal spiritual beings, going through temporary, incarnate, human experiences [John 1:1-5, Romans 8:1-11].

In Romans 8:5-8, the apostle Paul declares that the mind of the flesh, always burdens people with the sins of erroneous thinking, spiritual blindness and spiritual death. Paul makes it clear that the mind of the flesh creates divisions, schisms, conflict and separation. Paul realized that the historical Jesus' exoteric and esoteric message of the cross, is foolishness to those who are perishing in the erroneous thinking, spiritual blindness and spiritual death of the mind of the flesh [1 Corinthians 1:17-18]. 

The Bible declares that the Book of Revelations completes the unveiling of the limited exoteric and the universal esoteric messages of the historical Jesus. It describes the second coming of the universal Christ of Faith on earth, as it is in heaven [Matthew 6:10]. It outlines many aspects of the coming triumph and reign of the universal Christ of Faith, in human hearts, minds, emotions, lives and affairs, here on earth. These apocalyptic writing describes many of the literal, metaphorical, metaphysical and mystical end time experiences, of people following and those choosing not to follow the historical Jesus, in living the Paschal Mystery. 

Are you numbered among those Christ-centered, spiritually awake believers, in your unique religion, who with God's help, have chosen to steadfastly follow the historical Jesus, in living the Paschal Mystery? Are you daily, in the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit, crossing out the inappropriate dominion of the mind of the flesh? Have you chosen, with God's help, to put on the unity and universality of the mind of the indwelling and incarnate Christ of Faitht? 

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Called To Live The Paschal Mystery

Scripture text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, 'Salvation through faith and faithfulness to God's plan'

The gospel is the good news of mankind's liberation from slavery to sin and reconciliation with God and each other in and through the Christ of Faith [Son of God]. God sent the historical Jesus [Son of Man] into the world, to proclaim repentance, show all people how to follow God ways, and model righteousness and kingdom living here on earth [John 3:14-17]. The central focus of Jesus’ work is called the Paschal Mystery.  Embracing and steadfastly imitating Jesus' mission, vision and actions facilitate repentance, brings salvation and re-establish kingdom living here on earth, as it is in heaven [Matthew 6:10, Mark 1:14-15, John 14:6].

The bible assures us that God’s universal plan of redemption has been fully revealed in the life and ministry of the historical Jesus. Both the historical Jesus and the apostle Paul in today's epistle affirm that salvation came through faith and faithfulness to God's universal plan of redemption [John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9]. They both declared that kingdom living is re-established and maintained here on earth, by following the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery [Mark 8:31-34, Colossians 1:26-29].

The Bible also declares that the Christ of Faith, the Word as Logos, is the universal presence and the image and likeness of God, in all mankind [Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:1-5]. Holy Scripture reveals that the Christ of Faith [Son of God] forever exists as Spirit, long before the Christ of Faith, through proper alignment and incarnation, in the power of the Holy Spirit, came down from heaven and became fully incarnate and fully manifested in the historical Jesus [Son of Man]  [John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 17:20-21].

Are you committed to correctly responding to God's universal call to follow the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery? Have you chosen to embrace and follow the Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based faith and faithfulness of the historical Jesus and the apostle Paul? Is your faith and faithfulness centered in the second coming and reign of the universal Christ of Faith, in your life and in the lives of all persons?

God's ultimate and changeless plan of repentance, salvation and reconciliation must be universal. It must be applicable to all people, in and through all the worlds diverse religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. God's universal liberation, salvation and reconciliation with God as Trinity, and with one another as sons of men, must come to all through faith in and faithfulness to the incarnation of the universal Christ of Faith, through the spiritual body of all person [Genesis 1:26-31].

Aren’t members of the emerging, universal body of Christ literal, metaphorical, metaphysical and mystical believers in the incarnation of the indwelling Christ of Faith, certainly found in all the world religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups? Don’t these inclusive witnessing communities base their vitality in Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based relationships, transformation, righteousness and spirituality? Shouldn’t all members of the universal body of Christ seek the practical manifestation of the kingdom of God here on earth as social justice, feeding the poor, visiting the sick and prisoners, stopping contemporary slavery, respect for all persons, and working for environmental causes? 

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Substitute or Wayshower?

Image via Wikipedia

Scripture Text:
John 10:22-30, ‘Jesus declares he is the Messiah and True Shepherd’.

In John 10:22-26, Jesus explained that as Messiah, he has totally trusted and obeyed God’s will and plan for his life. The Paschal Mystery declares that Jesus passed over from ordinary human life on earth through his passion, death, resurrection and ascension into a new and glorified life with the Father. In the power of the Holy Spirit, the living Christ became fully incarnate and manifested in Jesus, so that all people could experience deliverance from slavery to sin and share the same new and glorified life, by listening, hearing and following Jesus.

In John 17:20-26, Jesus prayed that all believers would share his relationship of union with God. This mysterious union establishes the living Christ as the Only Begotten Son, the image of God, in the spiritual body of all people [Genesis 1:26-27, Colossians 1:26-27]. Jesus Christ declared himself the true Messiah and Way-shower.

In today's Gospel John 10:22-30, Jesus again confessed his total dependence on God and the Holy Spirit, for removing all blocks to this mysterious union in every aspect of his life and ministry. Rather than being a penalty, substitute and atonement for mankind’s sin, Jesus’ blood symbolizes the life giving Spirit, forgiving and removing all gaps and blocks created by sin. By repentance and faith the living Christ is now re-establishing humankind's divine heritage.

For many Christians the central focus of faith, hope and the born again experiences are alignment, incarnation and kingdom living. These sheep follow Jesus in total dependence on the same Holy Spirit and the living Christ, in sharing God’s new covenant of reconciliation. By listening, hearing and following Jesus as Way-shower and Good Shepherd, the kingdom of heaven is now being more fully established in our midst and within us.

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