“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Phil 3:15-16 NIV)
As far as I am concerned, this is one of the most powerful passages of scripture in the New Testament! Yet, I have never heard so much as one teaching on it. For the past several years I have meditated and pondered on this passage of scripture and its meaning! I believe the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to the meaning and would like to share the tremendous impact it has had on me, and what I believe God is saying.
First of all, God is speaking through Paul to people who have reached a level of awareness that goes far beyond the status quo of what we consider maturity in modern Christendom. All of us who are MATURE or some versions even use the word PERFECT! Well, we need to be real here and not religious, and recognize that NOT all of us ARE MATURE! In fact, there are many who, though desiring the “meat”, are not able to digest what God is saying. (I Cor 3:2) This is also one of the reasons why I believe there has been so little said about this particular passage in the third chapter of Philippians!
Maturity is defined by God as seeing past division and separation, including the elementary teachings of the church that Paul talks about in Hebrews, and SEEING ONLY GOD in ALL THINGS!
Seeing Only God in ALL things………… is the mature VIEW Paul is talking about! After all, what is there but God? What “some point” in our lives is not God? So in this place of seeing God in ALL as the ALL, who also fills everything in every way, we also see why this teaching is not for everyone! Let me correct myself, it IS for everyone, just not everyone AT THE SAME TIME (point). The Spirit is the ONE who will WORK to illuminate it in us, through the MIND of CHRIST!
For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the MIND OF CHRIST! (I Cor 2:16 New Living Translation)
“And if on some point you THINK differently.” If we are Seeing Only God, and we recognize He is All there is in every form and expression, than why would we be believe we are doing the THINKING? If you and I have The Mind of Christ, it’s only ONE MIND, HIS! And the only thought He is thinking is the ETERNAL THOUGHT of His Father!
Jesus let’s us know what that ETERNAL THOUGHT is in John 17. “That they may be ONE, even as you and I are ONE!” The ONLY thought the Father has ever had is in reconciling ALL things, including every thought, word, moment person, place, and thing, every past, present, and future to HIMSELF! We have NOW moved into maturity and beyond thinking about what we “need”, to THE ONLY UNIVERSAL NEED THERE IS……..The RECONCILIATION OF ALL THINGS IN HIM!
When Jesus was being baptized, John protested, Jesus said to him this MUST be this way in order to fulfill ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS! He than demonstrated the ministry of reconciliation by having John baptize HIM! When He came up out of the water, the Spirit landed on Him in the form of a dove, symbolizing the SPIRIT (The Worker), who would from that point work in HIM ALL things after the counsel of HIS OWN WILL! (Eph 1:11 NAS)
The first time Jesus spoke publicly:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.”
And the SAME Spirit of The Lord is upon US to agree with him that ALL things have been reconciled to God through CHRIST! The ONLY GOOD NEWS is found in SEEING ONLY GOD! The only way the blind can be healed is by SEEING ONLY GOD! The Only way the captive can be set free is by SEEING ONLY GOD! The only way oppression can be gone forever is by SEEING ONLY GOD! SEEING GOD IN EVERY MANIFEST FORM OR EXPRESSION KNOWN TO MAN!
And God is living through US, His BODY, reconciling ALL things to HIMSELF by first allowing us to see “by appearances” all division and separation in every form and expression. In HIS REST, the Spirit is sent out by our Spoken Word to will and to work according to HIS GOOD PLEASURE! We Rest, He Works……….all things after the counsel of His Eternal Will, and ONLY in the Eternal Now! And He does it through those of us who are mature and SEE ONLY HIM in ALL THINGS!
The ONLY MINISTRY, CALLING, MOVEMENT, or LIFE is the ministry of reconciling all things, no matter what or who they are to HIM! Where I used to see fear as something separate from Him, I NOW see fear as HIM......... coming to me for the expressed purpose of my calling it God! Fear, which was seen as separate is now reconciled to God by the Spirit who works in me to will and to DO according to His good pleasure! I used to worry, but NOW worry is the invitation to see it as just another expression of HIM! And instead of seeing fear and worry as separate from Him, I agree with HIM that ALL things, including fear, worry, etc., are reconciled to God, and in doing so remove the dividing wall of hostility! I also "disarm" the power I have given fear, worry, or anything else that has caused me to see these things as separate from Him! I NOW, in HIS REST, SEE everything that crosses my path and beyond, as ONLY God! And the things that I don’t see, He promises to reveal to me as I “ONLY live (in the Eternal Day) up to what I have already attained!” I NOW walk this daily walk in FREEDOM in the ETERNAL TODAY, allowing HIM to reconcile ALL of my life, and what I previously saw as separation and division in myself and others, to HIMSELF! I NOW SEE ONLY HIM IN ALL THINGS!
“And if on some point you think differently” Look at the above passage, notice the two words, VIEW and CLEAR? We see ALL THINGS AS HE DOES and SEE them in PERFECTION…………..but, if at some point we don’t see as He sees, it simply means we are seeing more than HIM! And in seeing more than Him we become “the house divided”, by falsely believing my trial, tribulation, relationship, financial concerns, etc., are somehow SEPARATE from Him! It’s also at that exact “POINT” HE PROMISES TO REMOVE THE “DIM GLASS”, which is a perfect symbolism of our seeing more than Him, so we can SEE ONLY The Perfection in the mirror that He SEES IN US and AS US! And Now we walk in the same POWER because AS HE IS, so ARE WE IN THIS WORLD! (I John 4:17) Sinless, perfect, and the exact representation of HIM in OUR FORM!
“And ALL of this is a gift from God, who brought us (and everything that could ever concern us, past, present, and future……every “point”) back TO HIMSELF through Christ. And God has given us this task: OF RECONCILING (not only people but everything we see as separate) ALL PEOPLE TO HIM.” (II Cor 5:18 New Living Translation)
All of US who are MATURE should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently (seeing separation) that too He will make CLEAR, ONLY let us (who are mature, SEEING ONLY HIM IN ALL THINGS) live up to what we have already attained (by Entering into His REST in the ETERNAL TODAY of WHO WE ARE IN HIM!)
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