Part 4 – The Spiritual Believer

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#1 – The Fleshly Believer

 1 Corinthians 3:1-3      But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Messiah. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Hebrews 5:13-14   For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

#2 – The Soulish Believer

1 Corinthians 2:14-16  The soulish person does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are stupid to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually examined. The spiritual person discerns all things but is himself discerned by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?” [Isaiah 40:13] But we have the mind of Messiah.

 James 3:13-18   Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, soulish, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 Jude 1:19    It is these who cause divisions: soulish people devoid of the spirit.

#3 – The Spiritual Believer

1 Corinthians 2:10-13   These things God has revealed to us through the spirit. For the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the spirit, matching spiritual [truths] with spiritual [words].

Hebrews 10:19-22    Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Yeshua, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true/genuine heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Table of Showbread

Grain   —–      Bread

Menorah

Olives   —–     Light

Altar of Incense

Spices   —–  Aroma

A person who rejects his suffering is in effect telling God, “Get away from me!”  —  R’ Nachman

צרה “misfortune”  —–      צהר  “window”

נגע “affliction” —–    ענג “pleasure”

מר “bitterness” —–  רם “uplifted”

ריב “battle” —–  רב “teacher”

חרב “sword”  —–  חבר “friend”

Luke 9:24  “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

Candles are not eternal, but light is.

אשה (ishah) = “woman, wife” or “fire offering”

כלה (calah) = “perish, destroy”  or “bride”

For the rest of my life, I’ll be trying to understand the meaning of light. — Albert Einstein

RESOURCES:

We have to change our way of thinking. Why does HaShem bring problems? It’s His way of saying to us, “I miss you. I’d like you to talk to Me a little bit. Open your heart to Me. Say something. Pray to me! I am the One who is giving you this problem.”  (R’ Yaakov Hillel)