We are continuing in our study of prayer as part of the PPOG for the purpose of determining just how and what we should pray for. At the moment we are examining Paul's prayers and we have seen in that the major focus in his prayers has been for the believer's advance in God's plan for their lives.
In our present study we are examining Paul and Timothy's prayer in Col 1:9-12; where Paul is praying for the believer's spiritual growth.
9- Because of this, since the day we heard Epaphras' report we have not stopped praying for you asking specifically that you would be completely filled up with the knowledge of God the Father's intent in the sphere of wisdom and spiritual understanding.
10- to the end that you would conduct yourselves with conduct becoming the Lord to please Him completely (Conduct that imitates the pattern established by the Lord in his presentation and conduct that is empowered by the Lord in the age of his re-presentation) while being prolific by divinely good activities and growing in
the knowledge of God,
Paul's prayer is for them to be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding was so that they would be able to walk and persevere in the Christian way of life in their regenerate identity (the "new" man) as a members of the new spiritual species who are the Royal Family of God members of the church and the body of TLJC.
This knowledge of God's will and spiritual wisdom and understanding was to enable them to persevere or "keep on plugging” in their spiritual advance by means of Bible Doctrine and the power of God the Holy Spirit for the purpose of pleasing him in all respects, to bear fruit in every good work and increasing in the Spirit taught knowledge of God.
At the moment we are examining the process whereby the believer grows or increases to the maximum possible in the Spirit taught knowledge of God via the process called Operation Z or "G.A.S.P." an acronym for Grace Apparatus for Spiritual Perception which occurs in (4) stages which we have discussed in the past several classes.
We are presently considering GASP stage 4 found in Rom 12:1-2; where God the Holy Spirit transfers the gnosis they have received into epignosis when the believer has positive volition to the intellectual knowledge he has presented to the believer's nous. This results in the renovation or transformation of the believer's thinking. Divinely taught knowledge (Epignosis) then becomes available to be applied to the believer's experience as "Sophia" wisdom and ""Sunesis" understanding
Rom 12:1 -
I urge you therefore fellow believers by the grace blessings from the justice of God that you place your bodies (the CPU for the body is the brain)
under orders as a living, holy sacrifice the believer in (status quo spirituality).
This is well-pleasing to our Lord your rational or reasonable spiritual service or worship of God.
Rom 12:2;
Stop being molded to this age (the teaching of satan’s cosmos)
but "alla" (conjunction of contrast)
be transformed (present passive imperative of metamorphoô) mandate to undergo spiritual transformation that results in internal and external accord with the plan of God,
by the renovation "anakainôsis" (to take out the old and replace it with the new by inculcation of the doctrinal curriculum taught by God the Holy Spirit)
of your thinking or worldview " nous” Renovation begins when the believer makes different volitional choices at the point of academic understanding
in order that you may prove what the will of God is,
the good "agathos" or divine good (The believer in spiritual maturity),
the acceptable or well-pleasing "eurestos" (the believer's rewards in time),
and the complete or perfect " teleios" (the believer's rewards in eternity).
It is God Who makes us, not we, ourselves. Psalm 100:3; 2Cor 3:5; 2Cor 4:7; Phil 2:13; "... it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure"
Transformation results in conduct that becoming or " appropriate to" those chosen of God Col 3:12) and conduct that is pleasing to God Col 1:10;
Transformation results in right conduct; right conduct does not result in transformation (Romans 12:1-2; --->Rom 12:9-21;
In other words, Right behavior from God's point of view, results from the believer's persistent and consistent holding and adhering to right doctrine.
A right thing must be done in the right way for the right reason at the right time.
As the believer is transformed, God the Holy Spirit stores information in the brain which serves as the hard disk for the soul.
Commands to reject old behavior patterns, character traits, and lifestyles and to replace them with new ones are found throughout Scripture.
Heb12: 13 - Be making straight paths or wheel tracks the Greek word"trochia" behavior patterns, character traits which result in a lifestyle based on biblical principles acquired through G.A.S.P and the application of the three spiritual skills....
.... by means of your feet (positive volition to consistent a daily regimen of Bible Doctrine in the school of Christ)
.... in order that the crippled one (the believer in recovery from control of the soul by the OSN and the arrogance skills who is susceptible to distractions)
.... might not again be dislocated (from submission to distractions from the OSN)
.... but rather let it (the listless and disabled soul) be healed and restored.
In the transformation and renovation process the believer's volition begins to reject old behavior patterns, character traits, and lifestyle choices and begins to respond to the divine set of standards which are revealed through consistent Bible study.
The believer’s previous character, lifestyle, and behavior was linked to decision making that had gone on for so long that it had become habitual which resulted in Paths or wheel tracks of wickedness.
The human brain of itself has no any moral compass. It simply responds without question to the dictates of the soul. Prov 14:11; Rom 6:19-21;
Any thought the believer’s conscience justifies and thinks is right, which is based on the believer’s existing frame of reference, the believer’s volition will permit.
What volition demands of the soul, the brain will carry out. Over time these character traits develop into behavior patterns which ultimately define a person’s lifestyle and personality.
People often become predictable because their lifestyle is simply the result of their habitual thoughts, decisions, and actions. Once behavior patterns are repeated often enough then the lifestyle becomes entrenched and is easily discerned, predicted and manipulated by others.
The Word of God changes this but it takes time because the believer's thinking has to be changed or renovated.