We enjoyed the cruise and did not even get off at the three different ports we visited. A well needed change of pace. Tho I did not need the extra pounds that I wound up with.
To continue:
1st of all to (Probably) blow you away, I know by The Scripture Itself that the "Traditional Church" that the masses of Christians go to today, does not even remotely look like the 1st century Church, that is described in the New Testament. Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, C of C, Anglican. Nazarene, Episcopal, Sectarian, & even the cults that say they are the real Christian Church, et al. The 1st church did not sit in rows and look at the back of heads, while one up in front (elevated or not) told the rest, ... what GOD was saying. ANOTHER Chapter later on.
I find the early Church Sitting or standing or doing both in a circle, facing each other, if not on their face, and GOD Speaking thru them & to them. 1Cor. 14 pretty well covers this, at least as I read it. Here we see only one leader and HE being The Head of the Body, as The Holy Spirit is manifested in the different believers. See 1Cor. 12:7&11 … well shucks! Read the whole chapter!
I know that out of the gate I became Exclusive even Sectarian and putting our LORD in the box of how I met & I came to really know HIM, for the 1st time. HE Stayed in that box for many a moon, until mentors & of Course The Holy Spirit led me into more Truth.
I see & walk in The Truth that I have at the time and it takes a jolt to be able not only see someone else’s perspective and to be able to appreciate that they too, have an unique encounter that becomes a filter (like I have, yet really different.) that they see HIM Thru. And of course, also what The Holy Spirit is saying thru The Word and The Body when assembled.
Almost 30 years ago I was having a conversation with my pastor (At the Time) and I said to him that I believed that The Word Of GOD was a many faceted Jewel and that two people looking at it from their position saw something different as to their own unique relationship with The Living GOD. (As The Holy Spirit Revealed it to each one.) It was the very same Truth, yet to & for the individual. He said that that was not so and I was able to see that was what had been revealed to him at that time. Not to elevate my self, as the man taught me many things about The Word and our LORD, that was also part of the process. He also was a Giant when it came to grace and he walked in it and disbursed it to all he met!
That step of Faith, i.e. saying that to him allowed The Holy Spirit to reveal even more. What I had already been taught did not change, yet each time I allowed HIM to reveal more light it all started to make … really make more sense. All I know is that the more I learn, only reveals how much more there is that I do not know!
Need to put this to the presses and to hit the sack! More next week GOD willing!
GOD Bless
