Your Mind - explanations and examples In Colossians 3:1 we read the following. Since you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Our rendition of the Greek has it as follows (please note that the Greek exegesis is done by hand as this is just a trial. The notes and Greek text would have to be much neater than shown here. We are examining several methods of presenting this kind of information besides a hand written presentation. One method uses MS Word which allows for the different fonts and table layouts, but there is a tremendous amount of formatting required in order to show a mix of Greek and English. The inclusion of lexical information also raises a copyright issue as well as the inclusion of extensive amounts of various bible texts from different versions of the bible. An example of exegesis using MS Word and converted in pictures will be the parser tool. In all cases we need to provide the exegesis frame in the form of a picture(s) which requires a high degree of resolution as is evident by the below example. Our problem therefore is several fold, exegesis and parser content that is not already under copyright, a suitable presentation style that sets this work out as unique, fonts not already under copyright or that will show all the accent marks, neatness or readability, and finally a text imbedded means of activating streaming sound for the Greek pronunciation).:	The mind is one of several aspects of the soul. The mind contains the faculty of thought, memory and the various reasoning exercises of thought which together are called the intellect. However the mind is more than just intellect and this is dealt with further on. The Thought and memory in combination constitute knowledge as derived from our experiences. Reasoning is the connection or logic employed to join thoughts together into concepts or models of life and define cause, effect, relationships, and generally establish a complex framework of knowledge in which reality is understood and dealt with. Reality is our comprehension of life including the limits associated with what is possible and impossible. The intellect therefore uses a base of knowledge to fashion through the processs of reason this framework. Comprehension in general is demonstrated by the extending of thought patterns into behaviour based on this framework. Therefore, what the mind uses (as a derivative of experience) as a foundation of thought is critical to what one perceives as reality and how they deal with life in general.
We learn to reason. How we reason is influenced at a very early age by our so called "first steps" of learning. It may very well be here during our "first steps" that our framework in which we perceive reality is most profoundly developed. There is a lot of evidence to the conclusion that this framework establishes our limitations as reflected in what others see as abilities and skills. A lot of capabilities that make some people stand out above others may not be so much genetic as it is how we learn to think and what kind of a framework we establish in our "first steps". But in addition, this framework also establishes our potential and our limits in regard to how we handle new situations, challenges, problem solving, communications, human relationships, exploring and accepting that which is new and different, and a sense of common sense (the possible and the impossible, the probable and the improbable, the desireable and the undesireable, and so on). Our so called common sense underlies all our efforts and behavior and dictates what we can easily believe or disbelieve and characterizes how we deploy ourselves in faithful living;. To digress a bit. Theme #1 of the Study Bible mentions faithful living as a common human behavior characterized by risk where we act in trust that something will or will not happen or occur as we are accustomed and expect based on our experiences. The examples of such behaviour can be simple like sitting in a chair, reaching out to grasp an object, running away or towards something, and that sort of thing. Also the behaviour can be complex such as telling an entertaining story fully expecting the audience to respond favourably, going to work and executing various responsibilities while expecting and seeing certain results, or simply playing a sport like hockey where you depend upon your skating skills, stick handling, and so on.. Both the simple and complex behaviours are learned. Most everyone agrees on that. Not everyone would call these actions "faithful". The question then is, do learned activities that occur frequently, which we pursue in confidence, and assume or expect certain results, contitute acts of "faith". The answer is yes. One New Testament definition of "faith" indicates that faith is the expectation and confidence that something not yet attained will be attained. One could say learned activities are attained activities but everytime we attempt again to do something (even if we have done this many times) the situation is slightly different and we have learned there is always a challenge - be it ever so small - that we will not succeed. And life bears this out. The skater falls to the ice, the work task is seriously misunderstood by a recepient of the action, and no one liked the story you told. So in the very strict sense every behaviour has this risk whether learned or not. And by virtue of that aspect of pending success we engage an action of "faith". This is not by any measure great faith like being miraculously healed of a disease, but we have demonstrated here that the element of "faith" is contained in all human behaviour. And this is a very important fact. It appears that issues of faith are a matter of degree. Therefore, we have established that all behaviour is "faithful" in character even the basic behaviours listed above. They are actions of faith because we have a high degree of confidence and expectation regarding such every day behaviour. This confidence and expectation is based on common sense - that which is common or frequently occuring and does so in ways that meet our expectations and often the expectations of others. Common sense is exactly that, the commonality we perceive and often share with others. We act according to our common sense of things - what we sense or determine, that which has become evident to us. Faithful living is faith in our common sense, every day type actions which have occurred with so much frequency that the mind no longer questions the outcomes. The mind believes in these outcomes. Our common sense is part of how we perceive reality. Therefore, imbedded in all of this are the limits of what we believe is possible and impossible and these limits find expression in our faithful living. The faith or belief mentioned in the bible has faithful living as it's basis. This in turn means that if we encounter "problems" in every day faithful living then these "problems" will exist also in the faith and belief required to be a Christian and will limit our potential to realize the authority and power of God. Therefore, we start off as Christians with a lot of "old baggage" that virtually limits what is acceptable to our minds and how we percieve reality. Overcoming these perceived limits built into our mind is the challenge of becoming transformed into the Likeness of Christ, his mind and character. We cannot do this on our own. Christ has provided a way of enabling our minds so that we can become overcomers. He does this by sending the Spirit of God into our lives. We will touch on this later and it is dealt with in other articles included under the mind theme Let us take a very simple example where there is a problem in faithful living. You carry out some action in a rather automatic fashion not paying too much attention to it. Then you are questioned by someone wondering if you completed that action or deed. If your response was uncertain and you could not be sure you completed the action or deed then there is a problem. There is a breakdown in the minds capacity to remember or more likely a block to remembering. If this is not caused by a physical sickness or physcial health problem then it is most likely psychological in character. Any number of things including stress could contribute to this uncertainty. But if it has been a problem persistent over a long time it is probably rooted in the "first steps" of learning. We learn many things during and after our "first steps" but we also learn to doubt our own basic capabilities. Doubt is uncertainty and involves questioning and/or blocking that which is already known to be true. Developing behaviour and thinking patterns which get in our own way are the result of negative situations active in our life at the time of development. There are literally hundreds of simple examples such as this one. The more of these seemingly small problems that we have the less likely we are to successfully demonstrate victorious Christian living. The way to deal with these imbedded problems is first to discover and acknowledge they exist and then take actions (which we will cover later) to manage the mind out of these blocks. In addition, one has to learn how to measure their progress in this regard. So, setting our mind on things above also involves remedial learning as it applies to faithful living. It is very important to clear the mind of these symptoms of doubt otherwise they will plague us in our transformation into the mind and character of Jesus Christ. Let us look ahead with this example of just how dangerous it is to leave this issue of faithful living with problems: God speaks to true believers. His communication manifests within our thoughts and desires. This of course assumes that one has become disiplined in obedience to the move of the Spirit in their soul so that their thoughts and desires reflect His Will for their life. This is a chicken and egg situation. One cannot correctly "hear" God through their thoughts and desires if they are not obedient. One cannot be obedient if they cannot properly "hear" God in the first place. When the desire develops in the human soul to hear and obey but one doubts what they hear or hears multiple and contradictory things then they are the victim of problems in the faithful living we have been talking about. This is a common problem in Western society and for many Christians because of the character of our culture and it's strong technological basis built up on certain methods of thinking that feed the mental process of "doubt". This doubting problem is much less evident among the poorly educated and those in less technologically oriented societies. Many in Western society have blocks to a sense of certainty about what they know is true. But since they question what they already know is true then they are paralized mentally in making clear distinctions. This in turn affects what is possible or acceptable in their lives. What makes this condition even more difficult is when the Christian is very occuppied with the values of this world system, that is, these values have way too much significance and meaning in their lives and consume the major amount of their time and attention. What we are establishing here is that the component of "faith" which underlies our very understanding of life, reality if you will, is limited by our underlying sense of what is possible and what is impossible. That which we consitute as our reality, common sense, and faithful living become aspects of our mind and limits the framework of mind in terms of the possible and the impossible. The seeds of our destruction or our triumph are here in our very mind.We have to learn how to get into our mind and manage this situation. It is our responsibility before God to do this. We (not God or others) are to set our mind. We often call thoughts and actions that we take for granted and perform easily as established behaviors or habits. But what are the true dynamics of habitual behaviour? We assume, with a degree of confidence, that the chair will support us, when we reach and grasp we will hold some thing or some one, when we run we will be able to stop and won't fall. Given this defininition, then we all engage in faithful living. We engage in numerious forms of behaviour as well as thought without applying analysis, study, or question. We act out of habit which is a form of faith. We think out of habit which is a form of faith. Thought directs our behaviour. So it is thought that has formed fixed patterns. Thought itself is an act of faith according to our definition of faith. It is important to understand then that faith is a component of mind and basically characterizes any new or learned activity. Faith is also limited by our common sense. So much rests in terms of our mental capabilities on the action of faith and the action of faith is limited by how our common sense has developed. Based on just what we have covered so far it should be evident that we have a responsibility to the state of our mind. In Col 3:1 quoted at the beginning of this web page we are told to set our mind on things that are above. This could be rendered, establish our mind on things that are above. It could also be rendered, establish our intellect, interests, and desires on the things that are above. In other words we are encouraged by scripture to get into our own head so to speak and ensure that all the issues of mind are being managed in accord with that which is "above". We have a responsibility before God to manage our mind as well as our behaviour. Our behaviour should not be robotical according to scripture but the expression of our mind fashioned to be Christ Like. We cannot manage that which we do not understand. Therefore it is essential that we have at least some kind of basic appreciation as to how our minds work and apply methods and techniques to create the kind of mind we desire. If we belong to God through Christ then the kind of mind we should desire is a Christ Like mind. So this implies that we should understand how Jesus thought based on his teachings and behaviour. If we manage to do these things we will acquire the authority and power of God in our lives. So let us now continue to explore the business of managing our minds to the glory of God. It is evident that much of our thought and consequent behaviour is fixed or entrenched and does not dynamically alter with circumstances. Many people become excessive in this regard or mentally rigid with behviour that is most predictable and often impress others around them as thoughtless or not very intelligent. There is a big difference in being fixed in ones ways and being mentally rigid. Jesus was fixed in his ways which were always the ways of righteousness. But he was not mentally rigid. For many, this phenomena of being mentally rigid is highly advanced and they are incapable of seeing other view points, dealing with a debate or discussion, or analyzing a situation, or even working out a detailed plan. They are literally trapped in their own fixated thought patterns. This fixation is a characteristic of human behavior but not identified as such by behavioral psychology. "Fixation" as defined here therefore should not be confused with obsessive and complusive behaviour but in it's extremes can manifest in such behaviour. So it should be apparent that there are advantages and disadvantages to "fixation" as well as opportunities and dangers. The trick is to manage fixation not let fixation manage us. Regardless, all our actions occur within the limiting scope of the mental framework which consitutes our sense of reality. And based on how a person thinks and their power of introspection and objectivity they may form a sense of reality which is established or fixated beyond their ability to revamp. In many ways we have all sealed our selves into a reality based on the culture in which we are born and educated. We have become literally programmed like a software program in a computer. Our language and other communications skills are defined and thus limited by this cultural influence. These are the very tools we use to extend our thinking process outside of ourselves to others. These are also the tools that many use as a basis to think. Therefore, the so called dictionary of thinking, our vocabulary and the meanings of words will limit and help define our sense of reality. Remember, words are just sounds or symbols of meaning which is in our mind. This is why people often misunderstand each other because the meaning is not exactly the same in each of their minds. Also, our sense of reality is a bi product of this culture and even the larger world order culture. It is here, amid this very powerful influence over our very thinking that our sense of reality, the possible and the impossible, is cast - and for some, cast rigidly and made inflexible to anything different. Also, it is this cultural affect that can convince us that our mind is nothing more than what we have covered so far. And if we fixate into believing this then we will not be able to extend our comprehension of life beyond these limits and our limited concept of mind will prevent us from realizing and manifesting the authority and power of God. Many people pride themselves in their ability to think, adapt, change, solve problems, and generally dynamically deal with life in a flexible non rigid fashion. Some of them take such pride in this life skill that they feel superior to others not so gifted. But there is irony here, for under careful examination many of these who so pride themselves are the most fixated. Their so called flexible behaviour is simply a mask they project outwards to society which incorporates a sense of reasonableness and socially correct behaviour. It is a game they play to sooth their festering conceit. But behind that mask is an adamant sense of the possible and impossible about which they persistently cling and will not yield in the slightest amount. Beyond their image of flexibility is a fixated sense of reality. When these type of people take on leadership positions in school systems, development institutes, religion, government, and other areas of social leadership, they cast society in their own image. They are compelled by their fixation to do this. They make others like themselves. They are the blind leading the blind. They are those that Jesus spoke of that cannot enter the kingdom of heaven and prevent others from entering. But you should also be aware that many philosophers and psychologists today tend to explain humans in terms of their behavior and how that behavior may tie into DNA, as well as the human anatomy with focus on the brain and brain areas and nervous system. The human mind, to them, is nothing more than biological functions. There are of course obvious relationships between mind and the brain. But these people equate the mind strickly to biological functionality of the physical matter of which the brain consists. This materialistic view therefore limits human progress, satisfaction, objectives, desires, attitudes and plans to a strickly materialistic hypothesis of living. Thus is derived their socially correct behaviour. For many so inclined is also derived their sexual preoccupation and perversion. And again, for many so inclined is explained their derision and hatred of Christian values as taught in the New Testament. And finally, for many so inclined is explained their behaviour in politics, religion, schooling, etc., where they promote this mentality as their own special form of materialistic religion. These materialists (dialectic materialism) are those humanists in past times that worshiped gods made of their own hands but now worship a mind (their own) made so to speak of their own hand and not the hand of God. Their use of the word "instinct" for example, has a biological basis pinned in the human and animal psyche by the very DNA and anatonomical body parts, the product they claim of a random evolution. This approach assumes that mind is simply physical (chemical and neurological processes) within the brain and nervous system. This is more a religion of materialism than what it pretends to be - true objective scientific discovery. The hypothesis of materialism as the sole explanation of reality is set and then all so called scientific efforts and observations are forced to resolve in that definitional framework. Many in the physical sciences work out their experiments and theories on a similar basis, that matter is indivisible at some point of analysis and testing and constitutes the fundamental basis for all existence. Therefore, there is a tendency to resolve all life observations with some kind of exotic particle based model. Now, such views are materialistic in character and do not recognize the concept clearly set out in the New Testament that God is spirit and within Him all that is coheres and has its very being. But as an interesting side note. Most materialists appear interested in understanding how the human mind works. For they have learned one thing that Christians would do well to learn, and that is to manage their own mind. However, the materialist would deride the Apostle Paul as living in a fantasy and pompously flaunt the "truth" that all is matter and there is no God. Some models developed by man over the centuries have focused on the social aspects of man. But the materialistic model has a focus not only on the technological aspect but also on the social aspect as so called social scientists use the same basic materialistic concepts to explain and control human nature. Over the last few decades the humanitarian materialists have made great strides in altering society in their image and where ever they are able to get rid of Christian practices and symbols they manage to replace them with the religion of materialism. A materialistic society gives rise to a similar culture and that in turn controls our sense of reality defining what is possible and probable, what is impossible and improbable. By reducing life and man to an inadequate model having a materialistic basis these people become fixated and unable to appreciate that there may be other models more comprehensive and useable. The New Testament life model does have technological aspects that few have explored. In addition, the NT life model has promise of enriching man's mind with the capacity of great power and can be the basis for a mind technology. The miraculous power Christ controlled is available to all that engage God in the same way. However, the materialists model creation from the persepective of the physical dimension. So if there is a dimension enclosing the physical their model will not entertain and deal with those influences. Even some Christians do not believe the scriptural view as put fourth by Paul on Mars hill when debating with the Greek philosophers or as set out in other parts of the new testament, that all life coheres and has it's being in God who is Spirit.. And then there are some so called church organizations who twist this doctrine and equate God with His creation. They do the very opposite that the materialist does. And from this false premise which usually does not recognize Christ as an active agency between man and God, they formulate doctrines regarding the power of thought and tie this to a definition of God as a force manipulated by man to man's own ends. There is immense power in thought - they are correct in that - but they do not own the concept. The concept of mind and thought and managing mind is taught in the New Testament. The New Testament also teaches that although the creation coheres and has it's being in God it is not God any more than when you have a dream - that dream is not you even though it coheres and has it's being in you. The dream may be made of your substance but the dream is not you. The dream may carry in some form your attributes but there is clearly no justification in equating your dream with you as a human person. The Christian life model associated with the term spirit is much different than the model associated with physical measurements, that the materialist uses. The Christian life model has as one of it's key focus areas the human mind, character, and behaviour. These are given significance relative to the nature of life as formed in the Spirit of God. So let's take a first look at this model. Firstly, we cannot talk about "spirit" using normal terms that we use to explain the physical dimension. This is because anything we see, hear, or can touch that is matter and occupies space (or we perceive it that way) and has a symbol in the form of a name or word and/or picture representing it, is a term rooted in the physical dimension. By definition spiritual is not physical. The physical is formed within the spiritual. Using an analogy we can say that the physical is the dream and the spiritual is the dreamer. Therefore, the spiritual gives rise to the material. This means the use of physical terms used to define the physical is improper when talking about the spiritiual directly. This is a very important point. The exception is if one is talking about another similar physical dimension within the spiritual. For example, Christ prepared (created) a place that where he is we may be there also. I believe this place was created when he was crucified and during the 3 days between death and resurrection. After his resurrection he met over a period of 40 days with his disciples and then ascended into heaven in his glorified body which he could materialize or dematerialize at will and in a form he saw fit. Whether you believe this or not is up to you. However, it does serve to show how there could be another dimension within the spiritual that approximates in many ways the physical dimension we are born into but governed more by mind than by physical laws of the universe as is the case with the so called physical dimension into which we are born. I believe this is some kind of in between dimension and we are positioned there with Christ when we receive the Holy Spirit sent by Christ into our soul to merge with our spirit. But I provide this as an example of another dimension not as an important doctrine. These physically rooted language terms (Eg, [verbs: look, find, get, give], [nouns: tree, rock]) have a common socially or culturally agreed upon and popular notion and useage and are well defined in that respect in any dictionary. To use such terms to apply directly to the spiritual is a contradiction in useage. Using physical terms in an analogous fashion is a different matter. Jesus said that he founded his church on ths "rock", referring to an "understanding" reached by the disciples regarding his divinity. The problem with analogies is they can be misunderstood as this one often has been. We could paraphrase those words with these, "my church has this understanding as it's basis and this understanding is your key to understanding how you can become like me". But Jesus is referring to himself as an example and his teachings in this context. This is a very real physical scenario. Jesus was standing there. His teaching were about our mind and our behavior. However, it is allowed that we borrow a term from the physcial vocabulary as long as the definition between the physical and spiritual aspects are not confused together. When we talk about God as the source of all life we cannot talk about this source in material terms or the terms of the creation about which we are just a small part. We need additional words or symbols that "stand for" that which is not physical. These words would describe the impact of or effect of God on His creation. We cannot describe God with human physically rooted words. When we say God is Holy we are saying how incomprehensible God is to man that thinks in terms of the creation. As a side note, we can experience God but only through Christ by means of the Spirit of God sent into our lives. We are talking here not of the state of our minds or behavior but of the unreasonableness of trying to describe God with human words. Words like God, heaven, and so on, are examples provided in the New Testament that reference the non physical. For the model (the language we employ to describe the relationship of man to God) to have any credibility and integrity in the so called modern world in which we live we have to ensure consistency in word useage. If I say God is my "rock" then I am talking about how my experience of God translates into a transformation in my mind that causes attitudes, motivations and behavior that make me confident and powerful in many ways. You see the difference? For some examples; God is my "rock" I will not get sick. Again, God is my "rock" I will not fear. Again, God is my "rock", In Jesus name get up and walk. I talk about the affect of God in my life, I do not attempt to describe God as if I observe Him at his level of being for that is impossible. God is the beginning and the end (which describes the creation under control of the creator) where I am part of that creation. I recognize that I am nothing without God. The difference between this attitude and the "carnal" everyday attitude of non Christian man is they do not recognize that they are "nothing" without God. They cannot see (pysical term representing perception and understanding) straight. We have to be very careful with words. The NT writers were not as concerned about this aspect as I am. Certain words usages were understood because of the culture of that time. Today we live in a technologically oriented society and use technology to address nearly every human condition and sickness including the ones the NT writers relied upon God to deal with. We in the Western culture have a great dependency upon technology. The distinguishing mark of such a society is an almost mathematical precision in communications. Appealing to an intuitive understanding is a rare communicative tactic in this Western society. This is because our society is saturated by technology which is really applied physics and it's mathematical basis. That does not invalidate how the NT writers expressed the Christian life model as they relied upon less rigid communication forms as they dealt with consequences of living outside of this model. Symbolism in language was a practiced communications art in New Testament times. We should note how NT writers address issues involving mind, thought, intention, desire, feelings, intellect, and other words that relate to the human mind. For what they say and imply in this regard helps us to understand the NT life model. Similarly, we should note how NT writers address issues like heaven, God, angels, the soul, the spirit, the devil, and so on. For what they say and imply is this regard helps us to understand the NT life model. We of course can use physical terms in the NT life model as did the writers, specially those that relate to behaviour or purpose relative to human relationships and we can define using very physical terms the influence on the physical dimension from the spiritual dimension. For example, the expression stated by Jesus, "seated at the right hand of the Father with Him in His throne". From a physical standpoint many people cannot sit in the same place at the same time. We have here a mixed metaphor and the idiom "right hand". So obviously, the expression was intended to convey power,purpose and relationship in the form of "oneness" at and from the spiritual advantage. In other words, the expression speaks about the influence on the physcial dimension from the spiritual and even alludes to another dimension that has some physical attributes to the extent that entities exist while being one and exercise a control over other dimensions - specifically the physical dimension we are acquainted with. The New Testament life model scriptural statements define the physical dimension within the spiritual and this is a Top Down approach and does not involve a contradition when thought of in the sense of the analogy of dream and dreamer. The materialist is a bottom up thinker and has not got past sub atomic particles. To be sarcastic, small things occupy great minds. Regarding such science, the NT life model can also be used from a scientific perspective. But the NT sets it out more from a social standpoint. This is because man's social relationships will make or break him. Many words in the Greek and Hebrew bible texts are borrowed from physical terminology and have an intent based on their useage to establish relationship and purpose and not the customary physical connotation. A good example is the expression "hand of God" which is used to introduce this website to those visiting it. The word "hand" is a word rooted in the physical. God is not man with hands and legs. But he can appear to man in a vision (individual or collective state of mind) in a form of man. But hand used in this sense most often refers to the human hand. But the word can be used otherwise, as in "he had a hand in the crime", or "will you give me a hand". For another entirely different example we have Paul speaking of God using the expression "IN Him we have our very being", which Paul said to the Greek philosophers. This is meant to define (using a term rooted in the physical, that is "IN") source, purpose and relationship and not to be confused with "he entered IN to the room from the street". The word "IN" is much like a primitive and can be used to refer to any number of things, conditions, and so on. The word is contextually significant. They entered IN to an agreement. Of course the word "IN" is simply the translators judgement regarding a suitable English word that would convey the intent of the Greek word. That is assuming there is a suitable English expression for that which is the intended meaning of the passage. If the scholar making the translation adheres too closely to the historic meaning of Greek or Hebrew words and does not give due consideration to the underlying theology and models which affect the thinking process of the author then the true intent of the passage and discourse containing the passage may be totally missed. To accomplish such a comprehensive interpretive style means a highly developed understanding of the NT life model as presented by the NT writers. Many scholars shy away from doing this and prefer to stick close to language (etymological, grammatical and syntactical) issues. Again, little things occupy great minds. But there is no escaping the necessity of coming to an understanding of the NT life model either by reflecting it adequately in the interpretation or leaving it out and sticking to the language issues for the translation and forcing the reader of the translation to correlate and mentally compile the scattered references into a comprehensive whole. The problem with the latter is that the process of understanding the New Testament life model having the focus of mind that it does, requires and interative and correlative process combining both approaches. However, there are many professing Christians who commit a logical contradition by defining the spiritual in terms of the physical. As previously stated, physical terms can be used in an analogous fashion where they define the impact and significance of God on our lives but should not carry the normal physical connotations. For example, just to be sure we are clear on this. I can say, "I met with God and he told me so". This can mean many things but it cannot mean that I physically saw and spoke to God and He shook my hand and we sat down around a table and he told me such and such a thing. It could among many things mean that from within my thoughts and feeling came an understanding that I am now exercising in my behavior. Specifically it could mean, I am building this web site to help other Christians in their transformation into a Christ like mind and character. Alternatively it might mean I had a vision or dream of God in the form of a man (maybe a talking rock) - perhaps an angel - and in this vision or dream it was explained to me to build this web site. There are also Christians who define the physical dimension as absolute in itself, a mysterious creation of God outside of His being, but who by some mysterious way pokes around and sees all things in that creation. This is an absurdity brought on by language misuse. The bible clearly teaches God as creator by means of His Spirit and that this physical dimension and all dimensions in which intelligence inhabits cohere or exist in and by His Spirit. So there is no separation in the sense that the material dimension is absolute in itself - it is dependent upon the Spirit of God not only as the agency of creation but the source and force of creation. We use the dream analogy to help others relate to this dependency. It further emphasizes how we are "nothing" without God. We talk about the influence on the physical dimension from the spiritual dimension, not the other way around. We talk about the brain as being an interface between the physical and the spiritual - it being the physical interace of human experience to the mind. The New Testament model indicates that the soul consisting of mind and character is more than physical. Yes, the soul (as clearly taught in the bible) incorporates the physical. But it also incorporates the spiritual. There is more on this in other articles in this section of the OOLSB. The soul is the total man as well as that which remains after physical death. The spiritual is that which encloses the physical dimension and gives it being and both the physical and spiritual are perceivable by the human soul but with the limitations already stated. As somewhat of a digression there is the issue of the glorified body. The so called glorified body is the ability to take on form within the physical dimension and such appearing is dependent upon the state of the minds of the beholders. This is indicated many times in the Old Testament and also by the several examples logged in the New Testament of Jesus appearances to his disciples. In one example, Jesus indicated he should not be touched as he had not yet ascended. In other examples Jesus allowed his disciples to touch him - assumedly he had ascended. These are not contradictions but explain how his resurrected physical body was transformed (over some short period of time) to a glorified body. So it would appear that Jesus materialized from Heaven over a period of 40 days after which he was perceived physically ascending and thereafter he no longer interacted with mankind in this fashion but did so by means of the Spirit of God . The point to be made about this is that Jesus did die physically in a tomb in which he was enclosed for 3 days. He was raised from the dead and the tomb was opened. He ascended into Heaven but yet appeared to his disciples over a 40 day period. Angels in the form of men were "perceived" near the opening of the tomb. Shortly after that Jesus had a glorified body. There is much more on this issue but we only note the part that has to do with the role of the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) as a replacement for the physical presence of Jesus Christ. Having gone (physically absent from mankind) to be with the "Father" (God as source and force of all life) Jesus takes on all authority and power over the creation and is in a position to send the Spirit of God into the life of a believer to facilitate transformation into a unique likeness of his mind and character. But there is a communications challenge in conveying information about the spiritual to those whose thinking is rooted strickly in the material dimension. This is why the NT teaches that those who do not believe are convinced to believe by experiencing God (most noticeably His Love, the way caring is exercised) in the believers they come in contact with, just as people experienced God in Jesus Christ. This experience is the "rock" we spoke of earlier. As previously stated, knowledge comes through experience. Convincing knowledge comes from convincing experience. That is the only way a non believer can come into convincing knowledge. Words that mean nothing to the hearer will not convince. This is why quoting an interpretation of scripture to someone does not necessarily convey intent of those scriptures. Words have to be backed up with experience. Meaning associated with words or models is derived through experience. Not everyone experienced God in Jesus Christ, that is recognized God manifest in the mind, character and behaviour of Jesus Christ. This is because they could not experience such a thing because their underlying belief system had frozen their minds in a fashion that such an experience was inconceivable to them. Their sense of reality had fashioned into place the limits of the possible and seeing God in another person was not in their realm of the possible. Their materialistic focus barred the miraculous from happenning. Today, Jesus is our example and the corporate collection of true believers should be demonstrating the presence and caring of God in their lives individually and collectively. Energy and intelligence can move between the two dimensions. We speak of heaven in terms of enclosing dimensions and containing other dimensions just as the physical dimension is contained or enclosed. But words like contained and enclosed are more spacial and should not be viewed like a jar containing something within its reservoir of space. Mathematics is a language and may be capable of represending a multi dimensional universe. Unless other dimension are similar to our own we would be unable to describe them in the terms of our physical dimension. So what we have on our hands with mankind is a culturally derived language based on the physical terms describing our place in a physical creation and that limits what we can perceive and possibly even think about. The mind and character of Jesus Christ show us a way of transcending these limitations. Many Christians have not studied or developed or even understand that the bible provides a model and terms used to define that model. A life model implies mind that can use that model. A model has no meaning apart from the mind that uses it. But they are too busy quoting scripture to understand it! That model is based on a theology of the Godhead which gives rise to the spiritual which encloses all other dimensions.From the perspective of man the terms used regarding the model are top down not bottom up. The materialistic models are bottom up whereas the New Testament scriptural model inspired by Jesus Christ is top down. Therefore, we must be able to designate the sources of the influences and the interfaces as we move in our thinking from the Godhead to the physical dimension. Once convinced that modelling is a fundamental aspect of thinking and that a life model is provided in the NT we should get very serious regarding understanding that model and employing it in all our thinking processes. We should learn how to arrive at a consistent mental framework which has this model as it's focal point. We should learn how to reinforce thought processes in conformity to this model. We must learn to think Top Down, God to man, spiritual to physical. By this means the physical dimension is defined in terms of the spiritual and that in terms of the Godhead. Many Christians are uncomfortable in dealing with the issue of mind, thought, and how we think, the terms we think in (our dictionary of meanings) and how these fit or mesh with the theology taught in the bible. They have never really discovered how they think they just know they think and that is the end of the matter. It is offensive to them when we use terms like model in place of concept because they do not understand that the human mind engages in the use of models, concepts sometimes general and sometimes specific to a situation. If the concept is well defined it is more than just a thought it is a "description" that can guide our thoughts and problem solving. Such descricptions are models. They are thought complexes, an expression of intelligence, and we give these models names. The word "car" is the name of a mental model or concept if you will, that represents all cars. To use modern computer based parlance. The "car" is the "object" and an instance of that object is "Ford 1985 Fleetwood 4 door 8 cylinder blue". The word "horse" is a mental model representing all instances. One instance is the "Russian Arabian white....". And so on. The idea of models is very basic and lost to many people. It became popular as a word in engineering circles when in order to predict the behaviour of some device (electronic circuit, bridge, skyscraper, airplane, etc.) they needed to build a model to test the key attributes. This could be done on paper or in a computer or by fabricating the main features and testing the fabrication. The model could be a mathematical formula. They could even construct what was called a prototype - a reduced version of the real thing in order to carry out experiments and tests. Mathematical equations are used to model the flight path of a rocket, the mean time to failure of a bearing, and so on. But modelling in this sense is simply a take off of how the human mind works. We cannot function as intelligent entities without modelling. Modelling is a big part of what the human mind is all about. All intellectual issues resolve around one or more models. Therefore, we should understand that process in the human mind and actively engage it by conscious participation in the way our mind works. There is nothing wrong and everything good about a better understanding of how we think and why we think the way we do. To understand the New Testament model of life we must be capable of paraphrasing what the translators have given us. Their choice of English words represent both their understanding of the passage intent as well as their lack of understanding. Most of them admit this. It is not good enough to expound scriptural revelation by simply quoting some ones translation. First one must understand the translation and second one must understand the original intent. If we don't understand this necessity then quoting scripture is a cop out. Anyone can memorize a verse and quote it. But are they living it? Quoting scripture and not living it is the highest demonstration of hypocracy. One must understand the intent to live the intent. And one must understand the life model in order to properly appreciate the intent that is based on that model. The New Testament life model stresses this point. We are to be doers of the word not just hearers. In the top down model provided in scripture we begin with the term God representing the singular source of all life. One can then speak about the influences or force of life coming from God. We can describe the effect of this force in the formation of a physical dimension, and so on. We can speak about how this force affects human behavior. Different religions use different names when referring to the same "source" of all being. Revelation regarding God is found in the scriptures. This is also true of many religions not just the Christian religion. These other religions also have their life models. Without getting into detail at this point, the big difference between Chrisianity (the Christian model) as taught in the New Testament and other religions is that the Christian model recognizes the agency of Jesus Christ (God Incarnate) as an interface (NT translators use the word mediator). This interface is necessary if man is going to become a co worker with God and exercise the authority and power of God. Therefore, the Christian model of life provides an agency as well as an example in human form (Jesus Christ) of the mind, character, and behaviour expected of man if he is to be found worthy of such partnership with God. Of course there is a lot more to it than Christ the example. There is Christ the Lord who has received all authority and power from the Father. Christ who sends the Holy Spirit from the Father into the life of a believer. There is the imputed righteousness of Christ as a template of perfection to which we must attain. These are just a few issues associated with Jesus Christ that make the Christian life model very unique and differen't from other religions.Refer to the agency of Christ in God's plan and purpose for mankind. The New Testament life model teaches that mind is an expression of life. It teaches that mind deals with thought. Without the ability to think life would be meaningless. With the ability to think comes the ability of choice. The human mind is one of the key focus issues dealt with in the New Testament. Therefore, we should take very seriously all issues related to the human mind and become masters of our mind and not victims of a mind configured by the world culture in which we live. The issue of life formed within spirit is therefore at odds with what many intellectuals and scientists in our society and the world order at large believe to be reality. It is important to understand that these intellectuals and scientists who think this way have over many decades dramatically influenced how the average person thinks. So pronounced is this mentality in our technological world order that theoretical physists force model solutions describing the basic nature of life consistent with a materialistic viewpoint and disregard model solutions describing a non materialistic (spiritual) basis that manifests as what man perceives through his sense of reality as a material dimension. This closed method of thinking is proof of the control over mind and thought that a materialistic intrinsic belief system can produce.When one is raised in a culture that has been remade to assume a value system and belief system that is materialistic in character then those raised in that culture will usually develop a belief system having those attributes and defining their perception in terms of limits of the possible, what is reasonable, and so on. One could say it is the "mark" of the beast planted in the forehead (mind with will and perception) and controls how man thinks and thus behaves. Therefore, these people out of their common sense, their inherent perception of reality, will find it difficult to believe to any great degree concepts that are not materialistic in nature, that is any concept derived on terms outside the scope of their materialistic dictionary. Therefore, to introduce to their minds notions and doctrines based on God, spirit, soul, heaven, mind that goes beyond the anatomy, and such other ideas will be met with great resistance and often the defense mechanism of ridicule. The resistance is to change. The change is to a different sense of reality and involves an extended dictionary of words and therefore ideas that go well beyond their sense of reality contained by their materialism and language. Their preoccupation will be with the things of this world. So it should be expected, that people having an inherent materialistic belief system and sense of reality will encounter difficulty in thinking outside of that framework. This is the dilemna of many Christians today. They are not able to realize (manifest) in their lives the belief system that Jesus Christ possessed. It goes against the grain of their character developed in and influenced by a materialistic culture. Their intrinsic belief system is at odds with what they are being asked to believe as Christians. As a result they can only progress a limited degree in their transformation into the likeness of His mind and character. When that transformation wants to proceed into an understanding that they cannot honestly believe then the transformation is blocked and they stagnate at that point. Their inherent sense of reality that defines the possible and the impossible is their enemy and becomes their God. The only way this problem can be bridged is through a form of fellowship also taught in the New Testament. This fellowship is very special in that it's intent is to form an environment or culture under control of the Holy Spirit. It is also referred to as the Body of Christ. Within this environment believers are to experience God in each other. When an unbeliever comes into such an environment they are to experience Jesus Christ in the fellowship and in the individuals, especially his love. This experience is to be the same as if they were experiencing Jesus Christ standing there in front of them. Individuals in the fellowship are to have his mind and character and to manifest behaviour similar to his. This fellowship should be the physical expression of the person of Jesus Christ. The fellowship is to cohere as one in the Holy Spirit as managed by Jesus Christ who is now with our Father who is in heaven. To be effective as such an environment the individuals that participate must be prepared and equipped to minister to one another. The so called gifts, abilities, and talents of the participants are developed and applied from the standpoint of building up each others intrinsic spirit led belief system and irradicating the old materialistic instrinsic belief system. The mind set and character of each individual and of the collection as a whole must be Christ Like. For this to happen the assembling together into such fellowship sessions has to be under the agency and governance of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This concept of behavioral governance in these fellowship sessions by spiritual influence outside the manipulative and orchestrated social control structures of man is often too radical and confusing for many Christians. Passed down to organized denominationally based Christianity from the Roman Papacy has been the template of "controlled church" where a central leadership figure(s) administers so called spiritual nourishment to their flock. This central pivotal point of leadership was issued from a pulpit where there was often a bible nailed to the pulpit written in a language no one understood and therefore all knowledge and edification had to come from the primary pivotal leadership point(s) . "Controlled church" is when one or more so called church leaders control the events and timing of a church service under the delusion or pretense that such an orchestrated and ordered set of events is itself divine in character and ordained by God. But the opposite is the truth. The "controlled church" - as controlled or manipulated by pivotal human leadership points is an attempt by materialistic man who distrusts the concept of a spirit led intimate and collaborative social intimacy. Those that practice the "controlled church" are victims of their own intrinsic belief system which has set limits on what they deem as possible in this regard. They suffer from the strong reluctance to believe in spirit control because the intrinsic belief system is materialistic and controls how they think and perceive reality from the materialistic standpoint. But many such leaders do not objectively see themselves as the image they promote is contrary to their materialistically based intrinsic belief system. So they delude themselves and everyone else around them claiming a spirituality they do not have. The are caught between what they profess or want to believe and what they actually do believe. They become the blind leading the blind. But the true fellowship works as follows. As the spiritual control is manifested to each individual and the collection of all individuals the special character of their intimate social intimacy contributes to a regeneration from the materialistic intrinsic belief system to a spirit led belief system. There are 2 mentalities at work. The mentality of the individual and that of the collection of individuals and they should align and be of one accord. Christians are to consider themselves members of the Body of Christ. Corporately they form a body which is to be His physical presence on this earth until He returns. This means several things one of which is that they are to have a dependency upon one another. Also, each member of the Body is to display the mind and character of Christ. When several of these members assemble together it is called "church". The fellowship during "church" is of a very specific character that builds upon the contributions each member makes to others. The "church" is an environment that fosters growth of the transformation that occurs in each Christian life where the worldly reality is replaced with a New Reality that is based on a spiritual perspective of God for each individual in the fellowship. The Holy Spirit sent from God by Jesus Christ into the life of each believer is supposed to manifest during "church" and in such a way that members of the Body minister to each others needs. Here is a major difference between "controlled church" and the fellowship. In the fellowship, individuals minister to one another and to the body as a whole. In "controlled church" the so called church leadership or pivotal human point(s) mister to the whole as a group and to individuals as time and opportunity allow often designating so called qualified and approved "others" to take on this social burden. Because the fellowship arrangement is designed so there are dependencies, each member needs the other. In addition, gifts of the Spirit are given to some along with abilities and talents that they may have, all of which are applied in support of one anothers transformation into the mind and character of Jesus Christ. Love is to dominate and characterize the supportive ministries. And there is to be an accord between minds of such unison and love that a common mind should exist.You will find this coverered under the topic Theology. In short what needs to happen is that such Christians need to spend great amounts of time in a sharing collaborative and intimate form of social intercourse with other Christians. Through this intercourse and the sharing dialog and behavior they build each other up in the faith. This gives then the opportunity to see and experience first hand realities or better said, aspects of the New Reality in others not yet manifest in their own life. But this assumes a mature fellowship, not a fellowship where every one is crippled by the materialistic values and belief system. The effectiveness of this fellowship can be seen by looking back in history at Jesus Christ and his disciples. The deciples had first hand knowledge and experience of His miraculous (when compared to the materialistic framework of mind) behavior and the expression of love from His mind and character. This is how the human mind learns. It learns both by seeing and by doing. The mind learns by experience. And it was not long before the deciples were raising the dead, healing the sick, casting out demons, and much more. After all they were in the company of the Master. Jesus was there as an example and teacher. In addition, they were not infected with a culture that was materialistic. Just the opposite, their culture was filled with people that could see and feel and believe that the hand of God was at work in most of their experiences. Remember this, learning is part of the thinking process where information is collected, models added or enhanced, and behavior changed in agreement with those models.

• Mature faith (belief and expectation) based on knowledge, confidence and trust in God and tested over time and verified by others
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• a humble, forgiving, and obedient disposition where the Will and purpose of God is a constant concern,
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• self control in the interests of peace and harmony,
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• disciplined thinking and behavior,
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• intense love in the form of caring for others and specifically their transformation in Christ,
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• growth in the New Reality of oneness with God and the saints within the intense, intimate, trusting, collaborative fellowship and associated synergy between members mentioned above,
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• exercise of gifts of the Spirit, abilities and talents in the form of ministering to one another,
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• and righteous living,
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• practicing Christ - exercising the will and emotions in Christ Like ways (modelled by Christ) as one grows in the Likeness of His mind and character.
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• And finally prayer, meditation, bible study, involving an intimate and honest communing with God through the Holy Spirit.
• A dominating sense of the New Reality of life aligned to the Will of God where the perspective and ego of the person have become an expression of God's will for that individuals life and projected into that individuals desires.
  

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