11 May 2025

Having Christ's Consciousness, Part 2 (TMF:2615)

Friday, May 16, 2025

Peace to Live By: Having Christ's Consciousness, Part 2 (TMF:2615) - Daniel Litton
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Now, in this verse, Paul is pinpointing or specifying where actual true or real knowledge lies, and that is in Christ. Christ’s consciousness we might say, his way of being. Indeed, when he was here on the earth, having took on an earthly, human body (which he keeps for all eternity), he demonstrated for us the ultimate attitude we are to have. That’s an attitude of love. That’s the overarching attitude. He healed the sick, cast out demons, even raised the dead, and all of this was on the physical level. The material level, or worldly level. Things which pertained to this life. On the spiritual level, he proclaimed the Gospel—the fact that all can be saved from their sins and brought into right relationship with God. A real relationship with the God of Universe which he himself demonstrated in his own life through his constant praying.

Having Christ's Consciousness, Part 1 (TMF:2614)

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Peace to Live By: Having Christ's Consciousness, Part 1 (TMF:2614) - Daniel Litton
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Paul goes ahead and elaborates on the mystery of Christ in the statement: ‘in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, ESV). Remember, back toward the beginning of Colossians 1, Paul talked about the knowledge. And we said that knowledge lays the bedrock, the foundation of our understanding of life as a Christian. This then includes God’s will for us, as Christians. And over time, we increase in this knowledge, as we learn more, as we grow more, as we experience more. Now, in this verse, Paul is pinpointing or specifying where actual true or real knowledge lies, and that is in Christ. Christ’s consciousness we might say, his way of being. Indeed, when he was here on the earth, having took on an earthly, human body (which he keeps for all eternity), he demonstrated for us the ultimate attitude we are to have. That’s an attitude of love. That’s the overarching attitude.

How Can the Church Be Knit Together? (TMF:2613)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Peace to Live By: How Can the Church Be Knit Together? (TMF:2613) - Daniel Litton
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What are some ways that modern evangelical churches can work toward “being knit together in love”? And going back to the text, we can derive from it that of the use of knowledge. That’s what Paul is talking about here. He’s talking about understanding and having knowledge of Christ. And for us, as twenty-first century Christians, obviously that comes from our use of the Scriptures. That’s how we try to understand Christ more and more, through study and application of the Scriptures. So, any way a church promotes the studying of the Scriptures together would be a good way to fulfill what Paul is emphasizing here, in “being knit together in love.” Probably most commonly used are small groups—often outside Sunday morning services. That’s good. That’s the point. But it’s also important on Sunday mornings aside from conducting services, to perhaps even have small groups, Bible studies, classes, whatever, that work to achieve this goal. This could be what is needed to get someone new seriously interested in the Bible for the first time.

Interwoveness vs. Independence, Part 2 (TMF:2612)

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Peace to Live By: Interwoveness vs. Independence, Part 2 (TMF:2612) - Daniel Litton
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It appears this is, to a greater extent, the experience, the picture Paul is referring to here, of more collective societies within Christianity. This is something that most Americans, then, would be unfamiliar with. Indeed, it seems to be more prevalent in a the more communal types of churches, ones of which a more communal focus is in play. To provide a specific example, this was the experience spent during the course of a year with an anabaptist church in northeastern Ohio. It was an Amish-Mennonite church to be specific. One of the practices of the church was, during Sunday morning service, at one point the men would break up into a couple groups, and the women also into a couple groups, to study the Bible. So, Bible study would actually occur within the church service, right there, on Sunday morning. And individuals would share their thoughts on a certain passage, while at the same time discussing how it ties into experiences they perhaps faced during the week or whenever with whatever it was. It was a cool practice that lended to a deeper fellowship.

Interwoveness vs. Independence, Part 1 (TMF:2611)

Monday, May 12, 2025

Peace to Live By: Interwoveness vs. Independence, Part 1 (TMF:2611) - Daniel Litton
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Each thread interwoven into another. And all the threads, each crossing the other, form the whole. It really is the perfect picture of the church. It is how it’s supposed to be. And interestingly, and on more of a sadder note, while the concept makes good sense to us, experientially, it may be more foreign to us in American church life than we realize. That’s because, as Americans, we value independence, and this valuing of independence from one another, to each his own kind of mentality, seeks to promote separation from one another. We would likely look at ourselves more like a chess board with the variety of pieces on it. We are the variety of pieces, which are different, and have the commonness that we all stand on the board. That’s our foundation. But we are all separate, independent pieces. That’s more likely how we experience church in twenty-first century America. A commonness but also a separation. But this isn’t the picture Paul has in mind.