Monday, April 12, 2010

Colossians 3:11

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
(Colossians 3:11 - New Living Translation)

[In this new creation all distinctions vanish.] There is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all [everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person].
(Colossians 3:11 - Amplified Bible)



















All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
(Colossians 3:11 - The Message)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joel Nunn said...

Yes. Now we must truly live by this and see eveything as One...The One. This changes everything...would You say that to that person if You thought of them as being God?...this is the depth that All exist on as One.

Anonymous said...

Nonnie Lemmon said...

I appreciate the renderings here. The logos and the rhema. Seems like I heard the logos from my earliest church days. But, yesterday, I understood the rhema. Particularly, about the covenant of circumcision being for males only - then.

Also appreciate the illustrations. Each has a mini vignette, doesn't it? The first kinda made me laugh. (the illustration, while reading, the "barbaric", "uncivilized" text, I mean) In my cartoon balloon: "God, You're so unfair! You gave him a feather, and me a dot!" "I love my hat!" "Me, too. But, why's mine plain, and you get little pompoms?" "How come he gets a cool forehead tattoo, and all I get are chopsticks?"

But, in the new covenant... pic # 3... out of the uncircumcised heart of the earth... humanity all around the world embraces Spirit. (ahhh... gotta love that!)...

Anonymous said...

Linda M Curtis said...

HE lives in You, He lives in Me, and in your reflection , HE lives in YOU ! Chanra sang it.......I loved it !

Anonymous said...

Nonnie Lemmon said...

Me, too!

Anonymous said...

John W. Brumlow said...

Chanra is awesome in delivering that message. Her spirit makes the whole song relate to the gospel for me. It is easy to see why Bish loves it. It is the congregation's blessing that gift for his birthday was shared.

I really like the way this version of Colossians 3:11 leads off with the phrase, "In this new life". There is agreement here with Galatians 3:26 - 29 also. The writer goes on to explain the purpose of the law to the Galatians in chapter four as it it done in other letters and the analogy here is related to underaged children. But the most important statement is, as Linda has identified, " Christ is all that matters, and he lives in us all..."

Your teaching yesterday morning was again excellent and right in tune with where Holy Spirit is leading the Church. Don Pollard mentioned that he and I had been discussing the scripture you referenced from II Cor. 12 this past week. He notices, like I have many times, how the Spirit speaks to the body in a particular manner during their times of meditation or study and then you teach on the subject matter the following Sunday in one or more of your teaching points. It seems, to me, to be an excellent confirmation of unity in the Body of Christ. You have assisted many children to greater maturity and no doubt will continue that measure of success to greater degrees for your whole earth life. Your life exemplifies what any teacher of the good news can best hope to accomplish....

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Bishop, for the comments and the scriptures embedded. We are one regardless.

I have been sharing on positive mindedness. Reading this one has added something new to my knowledge. Many people have failed to break through by harbouring negative sentiments, they fail to realise that we have almost the same potentials if we can only change our attitudes. This statement further pins the essence of religion as the ANTI-CHRIST.

My love to CITN family.

Pr. Ben Nadiope.

Anonymous said...

It's Chandra with a "d".

Unknown said...

Man...the good that I would do--composing away from this box, so that I do not lose it--I do not do...

back later...

Anonymous said...

Keith Mitchell said...

I have been through some struggles these last few days . a major lose and a near lose . But in that weakness I was made strong . It's funny I knew the word Sunday morning was good even great . But it took walking into the funeral home and seeing her laying there as my knees buckled . I got it , IN MY WEAKNESS WITH HIM I AM STRONG . SWEET!!! Thanks , ( and thank Him for me as well ) For knowing just when and what I needed . It's so cool when you know someone always has your back ...AMEN !!!!

Anonymous said...

Keith Mitchell said...

Oh I am Thanking God continually myself . But just in case you have a hot line I'm not aware of just thought I would cover all bases ...

Anonymous said...

Keith Mitchell said...

Should be loss

Anonymous said...

Oliver Bob Lagumen said...

The book of Revelation outlines the progressive unveiling (Greek: APOKALUPSIS) of Jesus Christ who is already come in the flesh. By confession (in spirit) if I deny this, then I am an antichrist (See 1 John 4. John is the same author of the Revelation).

As Jesus Christ is unveiled in us we are also unveiled with him for he is our life and our life is hid with him in God due to the state of our natural condition (See Colossians 3). So that when he appears (Greek: Phanero [becomes apparent], we shall also appear with him in glory (See also 1 Jn 3:2). This is so because we are now in union with Christ from the very moment we acknowledged the Lordship of Christ in our lives so that we are joined to him becoming a ONE SPIRIT (1 Cor. 6:17).

And each revelation of Christ brings a revelation of our life. For in as much as life is in the blood in the natural, life is in the spirit in the spiritual. So that the whole creation is waiting for the manifestation [Romans 8:19] (Greek: APOKALUPSIS, Unveling) of the Sons of God

We are not yet a full manifest sons, but are manifested in a measure until the fullness of Christ shall be revealed in us revealing our true state of spirit being in Christ.

We are all perfect in our spirit for Christ has seated our spirits together with him in the Epi-Oranous (Higher than hevens). One of the names of God in the O.T. is Jehovah-Elyon (The coming one, most most hight). It is in that place in the SPIRIT where we are seated with him to fulfill the words of Jesus in John 14 saying, Where I am (state of being) you shall be here also. His state of being is the Jehovah-Elyon and we are the many dwellings of the Father in Spirit.

Paul confessed, it is not I that live but Christ in me. Its true to every elect many-membered company of sons in this hour. For to him, to live is Christ.

Anonymous said...

Oliver Bob Lagumen said...

We have no other option but this... HENCEFORTH (from now on) See we no man after the flesh.

So even if in ourselves see we not our old man, then we see that the book of Revelation is the unveiling of our life. Everything in it, verse by verse from chapters 1-22 in symbolic language is an outline of God's progressive dealings in our lives. God unfolding Jesus to us and God revealing us to us. Because Christ and us have become absolutely one. But it is here in the soul realm only that we dont comprehend this reality, and so the process of removal of that which hides takes place so that there will be a complete unveiling of the Christ of God in us head and body.

The book of Revelation is a book of symbols. Every vision requires an interpretation. Joseph said, does not interpretations come from God? Interpreting it as God sees the whole matter is not adding or subtracting from the book but fulfilling what the book is being intended to be.

The symbols point to the reality, the unveiling of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Let us therefore look unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith so that we will become the full manifest sons of God. For he is the beginning and the end of our faith.

Henceforth, let us see no man, not even one after the flesh.

Oliver Bob Lagumen

Unknown said...

"No room for..." separations in Christ...ditto, Joel Nunn...it changes everything to think this way...and its cool.

Right there with ya, Oliver Bob Leguman...and yet, as you indicated Sunday, Bishop, it is very challenging to have one foot in the dream and one foot in "reality"...but it appears that its the place where all the action is...all the opportunity for Alive-Life...all the opportunity for desiring to manifest the Kingdom...to be revealed as a Son of God...to walk in the power...and be loved vertically and horizontally when we don't.

I happen to like the Galatian extended version of Paul's revelation and have wondered frequently why he sent a different edition of it to the Colossians. Your hilarious rendering, Bishop, of how hard it might have been for Paul to finally write "neither male nor f--" made me wonder: did the Holy Spirit tap on his mind saying "ahem...Paul...Paul...you didn't include ALL, Paul!" Or was it that he had processed it and had come to know man's heart...that they couldn't chew on that revelation, so he only gave them what they could bear...and buried it in a letter [sometimes called the "ALL Letter"] that used the word ALL so much that someone in Colossae who had ears to hear might find it...fishing for men?

Which brings me back to walking with one foot in the dream and one in the "reality"...and the drops of blood shed in the Garden of Gethsemane... and the prior prayer that one day, Father, they will be one as we are one.

I've said this before, but for this puzzle-lover and clue-seeker, the Holy Spirit and his clues for His Kings are soooo cool...and He hides so many in your teachings I'm sometimes overwhelmed...which makes me think of the Easter Bunny...but I probably should stop there...
[it's not my fault, it's the Nonnie Lemmon that you gave us, Lord!]

Brenda said...

Bishop I can now fully say that I am on board with your post. It took me a little while to get there but God brought me there in stages. My first two years of high school was with everyone looking just like me and I was comfortable with that. My last two years my Mom changed my school and I had a culture shock that was hard for me to adjust to but God had a plan and I really enjoyed learning about other people. Then God moved me to the corporate world and I worked in an office where I was the only Black person, God was really doing something. Then I met a friend and started dating him and found out that its not about color but about the heart. All of these events has led me to CITN and I can see that God is the best teacher and he will equip you for your destiny. I can truly say that there is neither Jew nor Gentile but we are all one in Christ.

Izumi/JOY said...

God morning beloved Universe!

I enjoyed reading all the posts, and am (temporarily) speechless!