Grace and Truth
Bible Ministries

Col 1:10 Rom 12:1-2 G.A.S.P Stage Four, The believer's transformation

We are currently studying prayer 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 for the purpose that they 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.

GASP Stage 1: the pastor studies the Word under the ministry of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of arriving a clear understanding of a passage by utilizing hermeneutical procedures including " ICE ".

GASP Stage 2: The Holy Spirit teaches the believer’s human spirit the content of what is communicated by the pastor. He is referred to by our Lord in John 14:26 as the “Helper” (NASB), “Comforter” (KJV), or “Counselor” (NIV).

GASP Stage 3: When “spiritual phenomena” arrives from the human spirit, the Holy Spirit directs it to the left lobe of the soul which is called "nous" in the Greek and is often translated as "mind" where it becomes intellectual knowledge which challenges the believer's volition.

GASP Stage 4: God the Holy Spirit transfers the gnosis 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

The mandate for the believer's mental transformation is found in Rom 12:1-2;

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)
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).
The offering of the Body of TLJC on the cross is the basis for the acceptable or well pleasing offering of the believers' bodies to God 1Cor 11:24; Heb 10:10; 1Pet 2:5;
The presentation or offering of the believers' bodies to God is for the purpose of transformation through the renovation of their thinking from GASP. Romans 12:1-2).
The purpose of transformation is for the believer to come into conformity to the image of the Son of God Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:18;
Conformity to the image of the Son of God enables the re-presentation of TLJC through the believer. Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:1-2; 1John 3:16; 1John 4:17;
Re-presentation manifests the life of TLJC. 2Cor 4:10; and magnifies the Lord Psa 34:3; through the believer's body. Phil 1:20;
Believers offering of their bodies to God is of the greatest importance because the believers' bodies are to be the means of the manifestation of Christ in this Age where it is God's will for His Son be re-presented via His Corporate Body, the Church, and by individual members of his body individually. Gal 1:15; 16; Eph 1:22-23; Col 2:18-19;
Just as TLJC was presented in His Human Body John 1:14; Heb 10:5; he is to be re-presented in the Assembly of believers, the set apart ones who comprise the church, his Corporate Body. 1Cor 12:12-13; 1Cor 12:25-27;
This re-presentation of TLJC through the church and individual members of the church is the mystery or the revealed surprise of God, which was hidden from all the generations of mankind in all the ages up until now, which is now unveiled in the epistles of the New Testament, especially the epistles of Paul Eph 3:1-6,9; Col 1:26-27; Col 2:2-3; Col 4:3,16; 2 Pet 3:15-16;
Transformation is the means whereby the new identity or self 2Cor 5:17; is consistently expressed by the believer; and it is the means whereby the new identity or self grows more and more to resemble and re-present the image of His Creator, TLJC. Eph 2:10; Eph 4:23-24; Col 3:10;
Transformation occurs as the believer's mind or thinking is continually renovated to the full consciousness of Jesus. Rom 12:2; Eph 4:23 cp. Eph 4:13; Phil 3:10; God's Anointed, our Lord, Savior and Preserver Jesus Christ. 2Pet 3:18; 1Pet 1:5;
Believers are transformed as their mind's eye or the "eyes of their heart" are fixed on Him. Isa 26:3; 2Cor 3:18; Heb 12:2-3; as He is manifested to them through the Word of God by the Spirit of truth his Divine agent and the believer's mentor teacher. John 16:13-14; 2Cor 3:17;
The believer's transformation is not an end in itself. It's a process which results in the believer becoming conformed to Christ's image which is the objective. Rom 8:29; Col 3:10;
As one degree of grace is continually replaced by a greater degree of grace, John 1:16; 1 Cor 4:7; James 4:6; so one degree of glory is continually replaced by
another degree of glory as the Shekinah glory of TLJC is re-presented in believers. 2Cor 3:18;
It all begins when believers present their bodies to God which is the first sacrifice they perform as members of the Royal Priesthood Rom 12:1; Heb 10:21; 1Pet 2:5; Rev 1:5-6; in the first rational spiritual service that believers perform in their service of
the living God Heb 9:14;
The offering of the believer's body is consecrated and acceptable to God because of Christ Jesus, Whom God has made to be holiness or sanctification for us 1Cor 1:30;
The offering of His body on the cross on our behalf was acceptable to God. Heb 10:10;
The offering of our bodies is imperative because our bodies are to be the means
of the manifestation, the vehicle for the re-presentation of God's Son in this age. Rom 12:1; 2Cor 4:10; Phil 1:20;
It is in their mortal body that believers are to go on and glorify God. 1Cor 6:19-20;
The body was not made for the OSN in general, or for immorality in particular 1Cor 6:13; Col 3:5). It was made to glorify the Lord. 1 Cor 6:20;
The believer's body a vessel of clay that contains and carries around an invaluable
treasure. 2Cor4: 7;

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 1/16/2008