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Author Topic: Maturing in Christ  (Read 4088 times)

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gallenwalsh

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Maturing in Christ
« on: August 02, 2010, 11:10:46 PM »

I have been following the life of Paul as of late and would like to know if anyone else is seeing what I am seeing? To my knowledge the bible is not written in chronological order, whether or not this would effect my findings I am not sure. But here goes: Paul started out, after his initial conversion as a babe in Christ in his understanding, some of his admonitions to the congregation reflect some of that, such as: starting out baptizing in water, and some of his encouragements to the brethren seemed a bit naive to me such as: if you see your brother standing in sinners way you should go to him in all gentleness and admonish him being careful as to not be overtaken in the same such sin. Further on you hear a bit different advice, such as: you need to be baptized in the HOLY SPIRIT,if you do not have the holy spirit you do not belong to Christ, work out your own salvation, carry your own cross,Christ is the head of each man, Christ is able to make him stand, Christ is lord of both the living and the dead, let he who is doing good keep on doing good, let he who is evil go on doing evil.Salvation is the work of the lord, on the inner man.The power of god unto salvation. Certainly no effort to personally convert any one as he matured. It seemed to me that he realized as time went on how insignificant he personally was ( as we all are).
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Deborah-Leigh

  • Guest
Re: Maturing in Christ
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2010, 02:54:02 PM »

I recall Ray stating that Paul did advance in his stature and maturity in Christ, albeit, not in those words yet that is what I understood.
 
Through the Scripture it also shows how Paul had his trials and challenges that grew him into the Image of Christ.  In his final letter to Timothy as he suffered incarceration in Rome before he was most likely beheaded, Paul wrote that he had run his race and had the confidence of knowing that

 2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.


As we realize our own personal insignificance we see the worth that it is not we who live, but Christ in us who lives as we reackon ourselves dead.

Arc
« Last Edit: August 03, 2010, 03:03:46 PM by Arcturus »
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gallenwalsh

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Re: Maturing in Christ
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2010, 09:38:33 PM »

Very true,.....like Ray has said we have to die,....and that's not easy.You can only do it in increments and degrees.Personally, GOD has been showing me that the battle is his, not mine. I need to just be still, trust the living armor ( Christ). I think I can identify with Paul when he said I must decrease and he must increase. The tendency to will or do my own familiar thinking and acting closes the door and grieves the spirit. This I think is the spiritual exercise that Paul was referring to, just to be still and trust.self willed carnal nature is just plain against that kind of thinking, but the more I do it the more I grow and God shows me more things about his power. Just be still and SEE the salvation of the Lord.Mind blowing stuff! Literally.It's quite beautiful though is it not, the spirit of our lord ?
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Deborah-Leigh

  • Guest
Re: Maturing in Christ
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2010, 09:25:15 AM »

Quote
It's quite beautiful though is it not, the spirit of our lord ?

Without question, the Spirit of our Lord is beautiful, as, the Spirit of the Lord is a consuming fire. Fire is beautiful when it is not burning you up! :D There is nothing painless about the stringently purifying Spirit of God that through the evil we are given to experience, makes us into the image of God.

The end result will be magnificent. Getting there is the drama, pain and hideously ugly experience of evil we are yet to overcome through the Grace and Endurance of the Spirit of God making us and causing us to pass through and experience evil, which we all have to come through as God makes us emerge out of carnal natural existence into the Spirit of His Glory.As beautiful as the Spirit of God is, getting there is not pretty or simple.


Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.


God knows when and how and in what order, He will cause us to bear the 'yet many things'..... :)

God is the cause and giver of endurance required for us all to endure and bear and come to know, love, appreciate and acknowledge Him with our highest praise.

I believe Hope is a golden attribute of the Spirit of God's Glory that is as much a gift to us as Faith. The many and the few shall be, one day, those in whom God is in the all in all. 8)

Arc





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