Corporately Praying the Word (continued)
Too many times we only read or listen to what others have to say and to teach of "The Christ," but when writing the Letter of Ephesians, Paul says in chapter 3 verse 4, "Whereby, when ye read (the Word of God), ye may [can] understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ"; and, in this case, the word "knowledge" is the Greek word "sunesis," and it means a "flowing together in understanding and comprehension." This, Paul is saying, "When we read the Word of God, we are flowing together in the understanding and comprehension of the Mystery of Christ." And Paul's insight and perception into "The Mystery of God, which is Christ" is actually the Holy Spirit's insight, for it was the Holy Spirit Who inspired Paul as he wrote the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is saying: "When ye read (or be read unto or read together) ... ye can understand," in other words, by reading we can know accurately, we can distinguish, we can know Paul's perception and insight into the Unsearchable Riches of Christ. This is true because we are corporately "one Body" in Christ, and there is "one Spirit" Who reveals The Christ. The Holy Spirit is the only One Who can reveal unto us what is hidden in God.
With this in mind, let us corporately and prayerfully read together the following Holy Scriptures, which we have accumulated from many different inspired translations of God's Word, in order that we may receive together - as we read together - a fuller comprehension of what we have been called into and unto when we come to our Christ. And as we prayerfully read together, we are sure that the Psalmist of old is still uttering his "Selah": pause, and weigh the value, and calmly think of this.
The Mystery of God Which Is Christ
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and The Word was God. Through Him all things came to be ... Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn (the Absolute Heir of the Father) and Lord of all creation. For In Him was created the universe of things in Heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, thrones, dominions, princedoms, powers - all were created, and exist, through and for Him (their whole being, willingly or unwillingly, moves that way - to Him; whether, as His blissful servants, they shall be as His Throne; or, as His stricken enemies, "His footstool"). Through Him as the Mediatorial Word, the universe has been created; and unto Him, as the final goal, it is tending. And He is before all things (in Him is no before or after. He is Pre-existent and Self-existent before all things) and in and through Him all things consist - cohere, are held together, (He is not their Cause only, in an initial sense; He is forever their Bond, their Order, their Law, the Ultimate Secret which makes the Whole Universe, seen and unseen, a Cosmos, not a Chaos).
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 28)
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