Let NO MAN beguile you

Col 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.

So many people are incredibly puffed up by their fleshly minds. They expound on things they have no business expounding on and they  do so in order to lead people FROM the true worship of our SAVIOR the one and only Head of the body that is HIS, His people.  This is where a lot of our ordinances, a lot of our rituals of worship come into play. We make it so difficult by clouding the truth with men's ideas. To be Christ's was never to be caught up in the truth of MEN. Men who claim we are to worship things other than God when no where are we told to worship those things, NO WHERE.  We are to worship God and God alone.  Why is it dangerous to worship anything other than God? Because Satan has his hand in so many other things. We cannot worship another human being no matter how wonderful they've seemed to live their lives. We aren't to worship any of the Apostles, there isn't a scripture in the Bible telling us to worship them, in fact they'd have been the first to tell others NOT to worship them, not living and certainly not dead.

Act 14:11  And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
Act 14:12  And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
Act 14:13  Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
Act 14:14  Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
Act 14:15  And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? WE ALSO ARE MEN OF LIKE PASSIONS WITH YOU, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein

They were just men. God's chosen apostles, yes, but still just men and NOT worthy of worship. They were men who pointed to the RISEN CHRIST, they were men who pointed to the LIVING GOD- the maker of heaven, earth, sea, and all in them.  We are not to worship any others and yet we have many, many religions whose teachings not only advocate the worshipping of those men, but demand such worship.

There is no wondering why we are told NOT to let men beguile us.   We are told this because they WILL BEGUILE US if we let them, if we aren't strong in the truth of God.

We are ONLY nourished in Christ and if we are finding our spiritual sustenance in any other we are deceived, we are beguiled.


Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21  (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22  Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23  Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

The commandments and doctrines of men are such that will lead us FROM God not closer to HIM, all the while we will be deceived into believing we are truly getting closer to God. Such deception, such powerful deception and all who do not truly desire the truth in Christ WILL be allowed the deception. We decide, and when we decide we have NO one to blame for our decision. If we choose men and their teachings over God and His teachings then we will have to answer for that. We can blame another all we want and yes, the deceivers will get their deserved punishment, but that will NOT make you any less guilty of choosing to believe their deceitful ways rather than the truth of God.

The commandments and doctrines of men- do you know whether or not the doctrines and commandments you are following are of God or of men? Can you truly say you are following Christ when you are following a lot of church doctrines that are not given by Christ at all?

All too often when people are told they are following the commandments of men and not the commandments of God they shake their heads and think the person telling them are crazy. They don't want to study to show themselves approved unto God, a workmen rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2Ti 2:15) They would rather study man's reasoning not God's. They would rather holdfast to traditions handed down from generation to generation than holdfast to God's traditions handed down from the creation of the world. They would rather do this because to do otherwise would upset their whole belief system, it would require a sacrifice of beliefs that were once held very dear and thought to be true. 

God or man? We will be asked to choose between the two and the man will be cleverly disguised as God, but those who sincerely desire truth will be able to tell the difference between the false and the true.

May God help us to be among those desiring ONLY the TRUTH, not among those who would rather be deceived. Please LORD, help us to be truly YOURS and only YOURS.

All through Christ and HIS righteousness, HIS love.

The body is of Christ

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

The handwriting of ordinances- nailed to the cross of our Savior.
Principalities and powers- spoiled, triumphed over.
We CANNOT JUDGE- in ANYTHING- especially in anything related to the ordinances.

The ORDINANCES pointed to our SAVIOR.

To hold fast to that which points towards something, once that something has arrived is contrary to it all, isn't it? A woman still acting pregnant after the babe  has arrived would be considered looney, wouldn't she? Waiting for a package that has already arrived in the mail would be ludicrous.  When something you wait for arrives and passes, you do NOT continue to behave as if it hasn't arrived, it's that simple.

The Messiah came as predicted and ALL that pointed to Him within the SANCTUARY service was no longer valid because the entire sanctuary service pointed towards the coming of our Messiah. The ORDINANCES were NAILED to the cross- NOT THE TEN MORAL COMMANDMENTS! This is a huge mistake  many people make. The CEREMONIAL LAW was fulfilled and NAILED to the cross because the ceremonial law pointed to the ultimate SACRIFICE our SAVIOR.

A shadow of the coming SAVIOR.

The moral law was NEVER a shadow, not ever.

Our Savior embodied and embodies the ten MORAL laws.

NEVER will there exist a time when any of the ten moral laws will be okay to break, never. The LOVE they were created out of will exist for all time.  Even in the NEW heavens and earth they will be lived because we will ALL keep them automatically in the pure love of CHRIST JESUS OUR SAVIOR.

Our Savior is our EVERYTHING, not our something, not our part- but our ALL.

The body is of CHRIST.

We find our life in CHRIST.

We LIVE in CHRIST.

We can't live as if He didn't come, as if He didn't live, as if He wasn't our Savior, as if He wasn't the Son of God. They have movies and books all about the good man Jesus was, the prophet He was, but then they deny His Godhood. Then you have those who try to make Jesus into one who could NEVER have ever sinned, ruining the sacrifice He made in taking on our flesh to prove that keeping God's laws, keeping his moral ten commandments in full, was possible.

The truth is in God's Word, the truth is in the Son of God. The body truly is of CHRIST and no other.

In HIS LOVE.

Risen with him through the faith

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses

We are truly buried WITH Christ in baptism.

Baptism signifies the death of our UNCONVERTED life.  Beneath the water that symbolic death, that drowning takes place. The true believer in Christ understands this. The dip in the water isn't for fun, it isn't for anyone's amusement, it isn't done on a whim.  It isn't done lightly without fore thought. We are to acknowledge WHY we are choosing to be baptized, because it is that, a choice. If you get baptized because someone tells you that you should but you don't have the real conviction of it yourself then it means nothing. If you do it lightly without forethought, if you do it to follow the crowd then it is done for no reason at all, it's completely ineffective.

Our lives before we accept our Savior are lost in sin. Once we accept our Savior we bury that old life, the life that did not choose to be saved. We put off the old man. We ask for forgiveness for ALL our past sins, and trust in God to forgive us as we truly repent, truly hate that we sinned and in that sin warranted a death sentence. We hate that our sins caused the torture and death of God's Son. We desire to walk in the new life with CHRIST JESUS as our SAVIOR.

Read the following...

Eph 4:21  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22  That ye PUT OFF concerning the former conversation the OLD MAN, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the NEW MAN, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have PUT OFF the OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS;
Col 3:10  And have PUT ON THE NEW MAN, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 22:16  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses

We are truly burying our old life in the depths of the water we sink under. And just as we are burying that old life we are given a NEW life, we rise in CHRIST through the faith of God the Father who raised His son from the dead.

We who were dead in our sins without any hope. We who were uncircumcised in the flesh are brought to LIFE with CHRIST because HE FORGIVES us ALL our SINS!

We must believe this, we MUST have hope in CHRIST.

We have to believe the REALITY of our old life dying.
We have to believe the REALITY of our new life in Christ.

These are truths we cannot ignore, truths we cannot afford to ever forget. We must live in the new life with Christ as our HOPE, with the HOLY SPIRIT as our promised comforter.

Please LORD help us to comprehend Your WILL for us.

All through YOUR LOVE!
Your MERCY!

And please, comfort my relatives up north who are mourning the loss of a beloved, young man--  son, grandson, nephew, brother-- 25 year old Michael Paul, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident this morning. Please let them take comfort in YOU as Michael sleeps now, and by YOUR grace awakens when YOU return for YOUR people very soon.

Thank you LORD, for your merciful love and for giving us the hope of a new, better life found only IN YOU.

Amen.

Circumcision made without hands

Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ

Circumcision that rite given to Abraham by God to seal the covenant He was making with the Israelites. A rite that would stand for God's chosen people. If a man were circumcised this proved he belonged to those who belonged to God. A babe, a male child circumcised eight days after the child's birth- this rite was a dedication of that child to God's chosen family, by those who were already established to be God's.  Now when Abraham was first given this sign of the covenant it was really rather gruesome for adult males to suffer though but they did it to prove they were God's chosen. Such a sign was NOT readily visible to others, it was a private sign between God and His. It wasn't meant to be shown off, it wasn't meant to be put on display.  This covenant sign was truly an amazing sign, not barbaric, not unnecessary, not the sign of a blood thirsty God. 

Man continued to disobey God even after their near total annihilation in the flood.  Yet God found one man worthy to carry on the human race and he did so. The blood line of those who truly dedicate themselves to God was continued and ultimately as time went on and the human race multiplied, it was time for God to separate His people from those who did not want to be His people. Abraham was found worthy just as Noah had been. Abraham declared His allegiance to God, and while the sacrifice of animals was indicative of the ultimate sacrifice of the innocent Lamb of God, the sacrifice of his own was necessary, a personal sacrifice.  This sacrifice was made in circumcision.

Why was a sacrifice necessary? Because sin separate man from God and all the signs and covenants made from that moment on were those looking towards the ULTIMATE sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's  Only Begotten son.  The covenant were put in place to reveal God to man through those covenants and what those faulty covenants couldn't do fully, Christ did in His life, His death, and His life again.

We are called to live for Christ, for the ultimate Sacrifice that was made, past tense. We are not looking to the future for a sacrifice to be made, but we are looking for the results of that Sacrifice to come to pass.

The new covenant in our SAVIOR did away with the old ceremonial covenant that pointed to our SAVIOR'S life, death, and life once more.

The Apostles had a big to do over whether or not the covenant sign of circumcision should be continued, ultimately it was decided that the hidden covenant symbol was no longer necessary because a man's LIFE would symbolize the Savior's and the new covenant in HIM.

Man's life! No tiny symbolic gesture was needed because that symbolic circumcision did NOT guarantee a man was keeping the covenant he was called to keep. His flesh may have been cut as a child, but the choices he would make in his life would determine his faith in God.

Read this--

Rom 2:25  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26  Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

A circumcised man is made UNCIRCUMSIZED if he breaks the law. Does that grow back the cut flesh? No. But the heart flesh that was to go hand in hand with the symbolic gesture was absent. A life dedicated to God- flesh cut or not- if a life was dedicated to God and then that person betrays all the truths of God's moral law, then that person is NOT God's.

If a man who is uncircumcised kept the righteousness of God's moral law then He in his heart was circumcised,  dedicated to God.

The law of God, the covenant of God the two were to go hand in hand- the covenant of circumcision did NOT automatically guarantee a man righteousness towards God. It was however - a symbolic gesture that would forever be a reminder of His covenant to God made by His ancestors back to Abraham.  Even if he decided to disobey God, to transgress God's law, that circumcised flesh would forever remind Him of where he was supposed to be in relationship to God.

Col 2:11  In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ

A circumcision made without hands- NO human cutting the flesh of another.
The circumcision made without hands- cutting off the sins in our lives- the body of sins of the flesh- by the circumcision of Christ.

Through Christ we are all circumcised from the sin in our lives. We must put off the sins in our lives through CHRIST. We must allow HIM to work in us to rid us of the sins in our lives.

Please Lord may we all receive the circumcision made without hands.

All through YOU! All in YOUR LOVE!

Complete ONLY in HIM

Col 2:8  ... Christ.
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

The fullness of the Godhead bodily.

God in the flesh.

Our Savior was born into the flesh of humanity, divesting Himself of His divinity to take on our flesh inclined towards sin. He lived a perfect, sinless life devoted to the Father in heaven, relying on the Father for ALL things, doing NOTHING without Him.

Luk 10:22  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 12:50  And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

In our SAVIOR the FULNESS of the GODHEAD was born into flesh. Our Savior showed us the FATHER through HIS own life. You could NOT see our Savior and NOT see God the Father in all that He was doing. It was all by the will of GOD. 

If our Savior had taken on the flesh as God with all God's power to overcome sin, using special ways to defeat Satan then He would NOT have proven that we can overcome sin through HIM. He took on our flesh to PROVE that sin could be overcome by complete and total reliance upon God the Father and He succeeded.  Once He succeeded He was RAISED from the dead uncorrupted brought back to life given back the breath - given back the spirit breath that left Him when He died upon the cross. He did DIE. He wasn't in a coma, He wasn't in some special sort of sleep death reserved only for God. He died JUST LIKE YOU AND I DIE. He tasted death for US. Real death as a human being, a PERFECT, SINLESS human being, the Son of GOD who came to redeem us to HIM by living such a life and suffering so much.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

He was raised up and set at the right hand of His Father. He was raised up and forever able to live as God with God, only He retains His flesh- the incorruptible flesh that we too will receive one day if we have faith in Him and His love, His righteousness, His forgiveness. 

Our Savior in a body of flesh lived in PERFECT harmony with the FATHER, with that FULNESS that was God and is God and has always been God. 

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power

We are COMPLETE only in HIM and NO OTHER!

Our Savior the head of all principality and power. In Him is LIFE now and LIFE everlasting.

We might suffer now, and we are told we will suffer and we do suffer just by being human beings born into sinful flesh- that alone causes us to suffer. We will suffer now and yet we live with the full assurance of salvation found in our SAVIOR.  We suffer and as we suffer we KNOW that we have HOPE in GOD, a very real HOPE. We have FAITH, a very real FAITH that will be realized one day and all this suffering from the worst possible suffering there is to the least possible suffering will be gone forever!

We can be complete in CHRIST and only in CHRIST. We are NEVER complete in just ourselves, never. And most people on some level know this. They realize that there is an emptiness, a longing, a need to hope that this is NOT all there is to life. When that hope is allowed to flourish and Christ is allowed to come into our lives through the Holy Spirit, we begin to live, really live knowing one day everything will change. When we don't let that hope live, when we crush that hope and kill it, we deprive ourselves of life everlasting.

Living with HOPE is life. That is, living with the HOPE of JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD and SAVIOR, is LIFE now and LIFE EVERLASTING.

We are complete in CHRIST.

Please Lord, live in US, the Hope of glory, the Hope of salvation, the Hope, the only real Hope we have.

PRAISE GOD!

All glory to God!

Beware

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Spoiled-  to LEAD away from the TRUTH.

People will try their best to lead you away from the TRUTH.

People will lead you away through-

PHILOSOPHY
VAIN DECEIT
TRADITIONS of MEN
RUDIMENTS of the WORLD

NOT AFTER CHRIST!

Do any of those things sound familiar to you? We all grow up learning about philosophy- right? We learn that various people have various philosophies they follow. One person's philosophies might be different than another's. Some study the various philosophies and then become followers of the ones or one they like the most. 

'Philosophy is the study of existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.' (wiki)

Some philosophers-

    Thomas Aquinas
    Aristotle
    Augustine
    Francis Bacon
    Rene Descartes
    Lao Tzu
    Friedrich Nietzsche
    Plato
    Ayn Rand
    Jean Jacques Rousseau
    Benedict de Spinoza
   
Some of these names are familiar to you, others not so much. Each one of these people had their OWN ideas about life and often times led OTHERS to take up their ideas and believe them, follow them. People following the ideas of MEN, rather than GOD. This is something we CANNOT do, follow MEN and their ideas no matter how wonderful they can make things seem. They come up with their ideas and entice others to them and led them NOT in the way everlasting. 

Vain deceit.

Vain- devoid of truth, empty.
Deceit- leading one to falsehood, away from the truth.

Spoiled- led away from the truth by things that have NO truth in them, in beliefs that are empty, by falsehoods, by lies.  People love to believe lies because they soothe their conscience. Lies tell us that it's fine to sin, lies tell us that we don't have to resist sin, lies tell us that we are only human and therefore that gives us the excuse to sin, lies tell us that we are NOT obligated to keep the commandments of God, lies fill us with so much that we grow to love them rather than truth because they comfort us in our sins. Truth makes us face the reality of our sinfulness and tells us that we need to REPENT and ask forgiveness, not make excuses.

Traditions of men.

There are many, many traditions that MAN has made up and covered them over in a lacquer coating of godliness so they can pull them off as God's traditions but they are nothing more than LIES. Traditions of men. Not ordained by God. Traditions that fill the lives of people who think they are doing what God would have them do, but it's not what God wants at all. It's what men want. These traditions of men are DEADLY to the truth. We are to BEWARE of these traditions. We can get caught up in them thinking God is in them but He's no where near them at all. When you try to explain some of the traditions people get very offended and take up the defensive. They hold fast to their traditions because to believe that people - that they - could be so duped and for so long, just goes against everything they want to comprehend. Is it any wonder we are told to beware of traditions men create? Those traditions have the power to deceive and that deception has the power to lead people astray, to lead them to destruction, not life.

 Rudiments of the world.

People get stuck in the basics and never advance and being caught up in the rudiments of the world is to be caught up in the groundwork- the beginning of things- never advancing further into the truth. How many people holdfast to their beliefs because they have been passed down from generation to generation and NOT a single generation has care to grow in truth, but rather stick with the same old thing.  Holding fast to the truth is a good thing, as long as it's a truth that is guiding you, not stunting you. The world is ruled by Satan and he has filled it with many, many lies to placate people into his beliefs. People don't want to think about that because it unsettles them. They don't want to believe that the things they've held onto forever might need something more. The Jewish people did NOT believe in Jesus as God's Son, they held fast to their old truths not wanting to grow in grace and knowledge of the LORD.  Today many people hold fast to the beginning of their conversion and never grow, never get past  drinking the milk of babes to the meat that our Savior would have us take in.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

People will lead you astray, the only way to truth is in CHRIST through HIS word to us. If you do NOT study the word of God for yourself but rely on others to do it for you, then you will be opening yourself up to believing LIES. You have to study God's word for yourself! Pray and study, pray and study!  We cannot stand before God and say, it's their fault they told me it was the truth.  God requires us to study for ourselves, not follow other men and their beliefs no matter how wonderful they sound, no matter how Godly they sound.  We have to take every belief to the Bible, to the true word of God and study to know whether it truly is all truth.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We have to do this, we are accountable to God, to do this.

And…

We have to BEWARE of those who would lead us astray.  They won't come bearing signs or shouting, telling us that they are leading us astray. They will deceive us, lie to us, fool us, trick us, all the while making us believe they are right with God and following His truth. It's up to us to BEWARE.

All by the grace of GOD.
All through HIS love may we NOT be led astray!
Help us to beware!
Guide us to ALL TRUTH!

Established in Christ

Col 2:5  For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

Absent in the flesh - with you in the spirit.

Paul DID NOT separate himself into two beings- a flesh being and a spirit being- and let His spirit being fly over to those he was writing to and walk among them in a spirit body. Paul was with them in THE SPIRIT.  We know what this means, all of us know because we've all had functions we've wished we could attend but for one reason or another we were unable to do so. However we've still celebrated in our hearts, in our spirit with those celebrating far away, and we've still mourned with those mourning. We've been able to SHARE in the situation because we a part of that situation even if we are NOT actually there in the flesh. Our heart, our being is a part of it all connecting with others in the spirit.

Have you ever heard the words- 'In the spirit of things'? Or 'get into the spirit of it'? You know what's implied by those words and it most assuredly isn't someone telling you to separate your flesh being from your spirit being and animate that spirit being in some way that will make you actually be present. The truth of the matter is… without the spirit in our flesh being we don't continue to live. God breathed into man the breath of life-the spirit, and man BECAME a living soul. Until that spirit - that breath was given to man the body was lifeless.  The spiritual part of us that makes us able to be God's is God given. When we die we are told- the breath (the spirit) goes back to God who gave it.

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

That animating breath of life returns to God, the person doesn't fly off in a spirit body and return to God.

That's why this can be said--

Ecc 9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

The dead know not any thing.

The dead do not separate into a spirit being- as Angels are spirit beings- as evil angels are spirit beings- as God is a spirit being. 

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We were created as human beings- flesh and spirit combined- not separate. That's why this too can be said…

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

The dead (people) will be raised INCORRUPTIBLE, and we shall be CHANGED.

Our flesh will no longer be of the sort that will decay. We will be changed- then- not now, not upon our deaths but only when we are RAISED from the graves at the LAST TRUMP-that is when we are CHANGED. We do not split into two beings- flesh and spirit upon death as so many want to believe. We go to our graves knowing nothing until our SAVIOR sounds that LAST TRUMP, then we are RAISED from our graves.

So when we speak of being with someone in the spirit- we are in agreement with them in their situation, our hearts are with them, our thoughts are with them, our beliefs are with them.

Col 2:5  For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
Col 2:6  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Joying.
Beholding your order.
Beholding your stedfastness of faith in CHRIST.

Steadfast -

Stedfast (Webster Dictionary)
STEADFAST, STEDFAST, a. [stead and fast.]

1. Fast fixed; firm; firmly fixed or established; as the stedfast globe of earth.

2. Constant; firm; resolute; not fickle or wavering.


Faith without wavering is a stedfast faith.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him-

How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord?

That first moment of belief, where your heart swelled with understanding, with love, pure love, knowing you have an advocate, you have ONE pleading on your behalf, ONE who forgives you of all your evil, all your sins, all your faults. Do you remember when that comprehension came to you?  We are to NEVER lose our first love of JESUS, never!

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

We cannot leave our first love, not ever! He must be REAL to us always! His love must be real to us!

Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Rooted.
Built up.
Established.
Thankful.

Our love of our Savior isn't to be superficial. Our love for our Savior isn't to be something we pull out of the closet for holidays, funerals, weddings, baptisms. Our love for our Savior isn't to be something we use only when convenient, when the skies are blue, or the darkest gray. We have to be rooted in our SAVIOR. He has to be an INTEGRAL part of our every day life, the source from whom we choose to live. Seriously! He must be the reason we live. He gave us life and we must live for Him, because He is the TRUE WAY, the TRUE LIFE. Our lives here are so overwhelmed with problems big and small. We cannot believe that this world truly is the home we were intended for, it's not.

We have to be rooted, finding all our spiritual living nutrients in the life of our Savior. We have to be built up. Our lives need to be one of constant growth, ever growing closer to our God. We have to be built up in Christ, never thinking we've achieved the spiritual heights necessary but always knowing we can and must be forever built up in Christ. Established, set firmly in our LORD. We cannot set our lives firmly any where else. When we choose to allow our lives to be established on anything other than Christ we can't be surprised with our lives fall apart around up and we're left with nothing of substance. Thankful, forever THANKFUL for the LOVE of God towards US as undeserving as we are. We cannot ever grow arrogant, we cannot ever believe that we do not have to be thankful towards our God. Even if our lives are falling apart- we need to be thankful for the mere fact we are alive and able to LOVE God, able to LOVE our SAVIOR and in that LOVE find life eternal, a life beyond what we can ever imagine.  We aren't promised goodness here, we are not promised a pain free existence, we are not promised the love of others- we are only PROMISED salvation in our SAVIOR and for that wonderful promise we must be thankful, ever thankful!

Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

All through HIM, all by HIM, all in HIS LOVE!

By HIS GRACE, MERCY, RIGHTEOUSNESS!