I Corinthians 2 The apostle Paul said:
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and HIM crucified.
(It is religious foolishness to make trip to Israel, to visit tomb of Jesus, to walk on streets of Jerusalem where Jesus walked. This is fleshly. It brings no power of God to you. Paul saw the crucified Jesus, meaning the resurrected Jesus, the Jesus who is The Word. That is power.)
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord (The Word). To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus (lover of God), of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which HE was taken up, after that HE through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom HE had chosen:
3 To whom also HE shewed HIMSELF alive after HIS passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith HE, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when HE had spoken these things, while they beheld, HE was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel (angels of God);
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen HIM go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
***
(Comments by Joan Boney)
A Baptist woman invited me to come to her house to see the memorial she had set up to Jesus on one of the bookshelves in her late husband's home office. I did not go see this, knowing it was fleshly and not spiritual.
We are a memorial to Jesus each time we have a scripture brought to us by God and we live in that scripture, doing the scripture, following the instructions.
The apostle Paul says:
I Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and HIM crucified.
Paul did not choose to know Jesus Christ in the flesh of man. Paul wanted to know that spiritual being of Jesus Christ, "The Word."
To know Jesus Christ as a spirit.
Therefore Paul did not write to us about the town where Jesus lived as a child. Or the place of the tomb of Jesus. Or the streets where Jesus walked as a human.
These do no spiritual good to the church. These are flesh and not spirit.
Here is what Paul set out to know in knowing Jesus:
Philippians 3
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
(Beware of the church goers who worship Jesus in fleshly ways and not in the Spirit.)
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in HIM, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know HIM, and the power of HIS resurrection, and the fellowship of HIS sufferings, being made conformable unto HIS death;
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in HIM, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know HIM, and the power of HIS resurrection, and the fellowship of HIS sufferings, being made conformable unto HIS death;
***
The power is in being connected to Jesus by The Holy Spirit of God who guides us into all truth, teaches us all things, reminds us of all Jesus has said, and shows us things to come. (Jn. 14:26 & Jn. 16:13)
John 1
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
The Word came to this earth for a brief period in the form of a man named Jesus to suffer and die for the people of God.
After the crucifixion, God raised Jesus from the dead.
For 40 days, Jesus continued in the form of a man on this earth appearing to more than 500 men and women after HIS resurrection.
Then Jesus was taken back into heaven where HE is seated again at the right hand of God.
HE no longer appears to us in the form of a man but in the form of a spirit, The Holy Spirit.
Acts 1
2 Until the day in which HE was taken up, after that HE through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom HE had chosen:
3 To whom also HE shewed HIMSELF alive after HIS passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith HE, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
9 And when HE had spoken these things, while they beheld, HE was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel (angels of God);
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen HIM go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
So for a brief time, Jesus walked on this earth as a man in human form and he suffered and died and was briefly on this earth again in human form as a man after he was raised from the dead.
Then Jesus was raised from this earth and again returned to heaven where HE sits on the right hand of God today and intercedes for us. (Romans 8)
At the end of this world, Jesus returns through the air and with a shout (voice), Jesus raises the dead in Christ. (I Thess. 4:13-16) Then Jesus removes, from this earth, those in Christ who are still living. They are changed from their human body into a spiritual body and meet Jesus and the others in the air.
(I Cor. 15:48-53)
(Notice that we are not told Jesus comes back to this present earth. Everyone who is of God is raised from off this present earth and they meet Jesus "in the air". This present earth will be destroyed by God by fire. II Peter 3:10-14)
The new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation 21
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will dwell with them, and they shall be HIS people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(It is our physical body that is subject to death, sorrow, pain. But we will not have these physical bodies in heaven. We will have new spiritual bodies in heaven where we will be created in the image of God who is spirit and Christ, "The Word". I Cor. 15)
5 And HE that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
***
To look for Jesus in a physical body in the form of a man will avail you nothing, no benefit at all to you.
We live in the Spirit of Jesus who is now in each believer. We follow the Spirit who teaches us and guides us and shows us what to do.
We do not put man- made crosses on the wall. (no power) We do not bow down to images made of stone. (no power) We do not light candles with prayers. (no power) We do not solemnly eat crackers and grape juice at churches of men. (no power) The Lord's supper is the eating of The Word Of God. (Great power!)
The Spirit of Jesus lives in us and this is the power for HE reveals things of God to us by HIS Spirit and we follow HIM, doing that which HE shows us to do.
Therefore we worship God in spirit and in truth. We do not worship those things we can see with our natural eyes for they have no power. We do the Word of God, worshiping God by that Word by doing what HE shows us to do.
We know the crucified Christ as did the apostle Paul.
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