Greg had a Question and Answer this week. As always, there was a lot of good stuff shared. Here are my notes:

Question – How is it that our minds our renewed?

It something that happens to us, not something we do. There is the mind of Adam and there is the mind of Christ. Adam had a certain way of thinking, referred to as the carnal mind. Christ had a certain thinking as well. The way Jesus thought always led to peace, rest, trust, fruit of the sprit, etc. no matter what he encountered. Adam’s thinking resulted in fear.

The only role we play is sitting at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. Faith comes by hearing.

Question – Is an unrenewed mind the reason we miss the mark?

The reason Christians can’t rest is they are still thinking with the mind of Adam. We talk about it, but don’t really know what rest is. The mind of Adam can’t produce rest, it only producing laboring and toiling (evil – poneros).

John said you can’t sin if you believed in Jesus. You have hit the mark then. Sin is missing the mark – not believing in Jesus.

Part of the problem is we define sin as actions as opposed to unbelief.

Sin in the Bible is a noun. It’s defined as a wisdom, not an action. Unbelief is not an absence of belief but belief in the wrong thing…ourselves.

Walking in the spirit is that Jesus is the only report of your life. As you walk in that you are walking in the spirit and the fruit of the spirit will manifest effortlessly.

The devil wants to do everything he can to get you define yourself by your flesh bc if you know yourself according to the flesh, you will try to be justified by the works of the flesh and you will not experience peace, love, joy, etc. This is not the life God has for you.

Question – 1 John 1:9 – Is it written to Christians?

John is combating that Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead in a physical body. They thought He was only raised as a spirit.

It’s not teaching you have to confess your sin every day so that you are forgiven. It’s saying confess your sin is already forgiven.

Say the same thing God has said about sin….that you can’t have life that way.

Gnostics weren’t saying the same thing God said. Sin is a wisdom, not a behavior.

God desires that we feel equality with Him. Not that we are the creator, but you don’t want to have union with something you don’t think is the same.

If Jesus isn’t lacking, we are lacking. God sees us the same way. If you think you lack you are believing a lie.

2 Cor. 3 – behold yourself in God as like a mirror. We have the same characteristics.

You are cut from the same cloth as Jesus. Upon the revelation that we find the report about ourselves in Jesus is the report the church was meant to be built on. This offends the religious though, they have a problem with us being sons and implying equality. Calling God Father is claiming equality and oneness.

Question – Why does Paul call himself a bondservant of God?

He’s not talking about slaves or sons. He is not speaking to identity. He is speaking to his credentials as an apostle. This is so the person could get the letter and understand his authority. If they didn’t know he was an apostle they may be tempted to write him off. Paul’s apostleship was attacked over and over. The Judaizers were all the time trying to categorize him as a rouge preacher, not one sent by God. They were trying to say He didn’t get his teaching from Jesus.

Question – What does Hebrews 9:24-26 talk about when it says it cleanses the Heavenly things? Why would something in heaven need to be cleansed?

There is a different tabernacle the Jesus’ blood came to cleanse. It’s not the Jesus’ blood was shed in heaven but that He appeared there with His blood. It’s not in a sense of being dirty and now needing to be cleansed. Those things in heaven weren’t corrupted but the word purified there means to consecrate it. It speaks to a way to enter into the holy place where the presence of God was and stand face to face with Him and not feel fear. This made a way for all humans to come into the Godhead. This human being is my High Priest, He represents me. I see He is clothed with immortality.  What kept man out was their sin stained conscious.

Lev. 17 – the life of the flesh is found in the blood.

Atonement is restoration not punishment

Bertie’s Message

My Notes

Hebrews 6 – let us go on to perfection, not again laying the foundation of repentenance…

A son of God is someone who is equal with God, the only one who has eternal life. I will show forth your sonship by raising you from the dead.

Bertie wishes he could move on but many don’t even understand what Christ has brought forth for us, so we have to teach the basic principles over and over again.

Don’t think the resurrection is elementary and we should go on to other more mature things like works…that can’t bring you life.

Skilled means you know how to put it to use in your life.

#PutThisIsYourPipe

Some grace quotes from the week:

“The root of evil (a bad belief system) is the love of money.

The root of the love of money stems from a perceived lack.

This perceived lack is the same thing that caused Adam & Eve to fall in the garden.