Class Notes: 1/6/2021

Smyrna, the pivot for SPQR, and The Doctrine of Historical Trends part 8

https://youtu.be/33CfcsEjpeI

James 1:19-20; You know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

John 3:19-20; "This is the condemnation, that the truth has come into the world, and people loved the lie rather than the truth, because their deeds were evil.
20 "because everyone who does evil hates the truth, and does not come to the truth for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed.

Jer 17:9 (NET) The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it?

Eccles 8:8; No man has authority to control the wind, the weather or the climate, or authority over the day of death; there is no discharge in the midst of a battle, and evil people will not be rescued by their evil deeds.,, they sow the wind And they will reap the whirlwind. Hosea 8:7a;

Eccles 8:11; Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

Isa 59:14-16; Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.

v15 Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.

v16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.

John Adams said that our Constitution was made only for a moral religious people it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. This means that if voters become democrat socialist tyranny will be necessary because the Constitution is totally inadequate to restrain lawless socialists.

Every nation is only one generation away from tyranny. Deception is not an excuse because people who are deceived choose to be deceived. This means that for good or for bad, for freedom or for tyranny, in the USA, the voters are responsible.

We are in a study on Smyrna, the base of the pivot power for the first gentile client nation SPQR. This took us to a study of the doctrine of the edification complex of the soul.

When we left off we had noted that the concept of edification is based on the categorization of the Greek noun "oikodome" that is found in Rom 14:19; 2Cor 10:8; 2Cor 13:10; Eph 4:12,16, 29; 1Cor 14:5,12,26;

In all of these passages, "oikodome" has a dual connotation: Collectively it refers to the formation of the royal family of God during the entire Church Age; aka the building up of the body of Christ. When the royal family is completed, Church will be snatched from the planet.

Individually it refers to the spiritual growth of the positive believer, and/or the spiritual momentum that is developed from living in God's spiritual power system. The individual connotation refers to the execution of the protocol plan and the manufacture of the invisible hero, resulting in the glorification of God.

When the collective connotation is used, "oikodome" should be translated "construction, building up," or" building process." When the individual connotation is used it should be translated "edification."

The collective connotation of "oikodome" is based upon our Lord's third royal patent or title, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star that was given to Him as a result of His strategic victory in the angelic conflict.

The phrase "edification complex of the soul" is technical nomenclature found in the epistles of the New Testament that describes the attainment of spiritual maturity.

The consistent function of the "Grace Apparatus for Spiritual Perception" (GASP) under one's right pastor-teacher is the only way to construct an edification complex of the soul.

Mature believers possess a completed edification complex in their soul.

Doctrine perceived must feed both the human spirit and the human soul to develop capacity for both human and eternal life. The completed construction of the edification complex of the soul and spiritual maturity is the result.

Virtue-love is the means of reaching maturity and receiving an edification complex of the soul, 1Cor 8:1b;"Gnosis (knowledge) produces arrogance, but virtue-love edifies. Virtue-love is the indication that you have metabolized doctrine in your stream of consciousness.

You cannot have an edification complex of the soul unless you are using the virtue-love of spiritual maturity that is developed from the application of doctrine under the pressures of momentum testing from the adversities faced from living in the devil's world.

Some synonyms for the edification complex of the soul include: Light, 1John 1:7; that is used to describe God's spiritual power system and sometimes for the edification complex of the soul.

"Christ formed in you" in Gal 4:19, connotes both the edification complex of the soul and spiritual self-esteem.

"The new self," of Eph 4:24; and Col 3:10; refers to both the edification complex of the soul and God's spiritual power system

"That you may be perfect", referenced in" James 1:4.

"Imitators of God," Eph 5:1. There is a direct relation between the edification complex of the soul and the function of God's spiritual power system in spiritual maturity.

The pastor's authority for the communication of doctrine that is the basis of edification is found in a number of passages.

2Cor 10:8, "For even if I should boast about our authority, which God gave for your edification and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed."

The Corinthians wavered so much that Paul had to get tough with them and pull rank on them. The Corinthians were reacting to Paul's authority and as a result they were doing many things that were hindering their spiritual life.

In the context, "Our authority" refers to those with the communication gifts of apostle (Paul) and pastor-teacher (Titus, Apollos and Timothy). The authority of the communicator is established exclusively through the communication of doctrine.

Paul makes it very clear that the construction of the edification complex depends upon accepting the authority of a single pastor- teacher who communicates doctrinal information in a way that you can accept it.

People never grow up without recognizing and responding positively to legitimate authority.

2Cor 13:10; "For this reason, I am writing these things while absent, in order that when I am present, I may not use severity in compatibility with the authority which God has given to me for the purpose of your edification, and not for the purpose of destroying you."

No one can learn any subject without accepting the authority of the one who teaches it.

Therefore, the importance of understanding that edification and invisible heroship comes in one way, and one way only, that is through the teaching of the pastor in communicating the mystery doctrine of the Church Age.

It is impossible for anyone with the gift of pastor- teacher to communicate Bible doctrine unless his authority is recognized. Therefore, the enforcement of good manners and thoughtfulness of others in the local assembly is a part of the exercise of his authority.

Notice that Paul thought it better to talk about authority in a non-face-to-face situation so that he would not have to chew them out face-to-face when he arrived.

1Thes 5:12; "But we request of you, brethren, that you respect those pastor-teachers who work hard among you (studying and teaching), who have command over you in the Lord and give you instruction."

The road to the edification complex is paved with hundreds and thousands of messages regarding the protocol plan of God. The benefit of the pastor's messages is dependant upon the believer accepting the authority of his teaching.

Believers who do not accept it are not edified and they should find a pastor who communicates in a way that they can accept what is being taught so they can be edified God assigns pastors to a flock so any given pastor is not everyone's pastor.

Heb 13:17; "Keep obeying (the teachings) of those pastors who themselves are ruling over you, and submit to their authority (by learning Bible doctrine), for these same pastors keep watching for the benefit of your souls as those who have to render an account. Keep obeying them, in order that they may do this accounting with joy, and not with groaning, for this is unprofitable for you."

God's objectives for the pastor are found in Eph 4:12; "for the purpose of equipping the saints, for the production of Christian service, for the edification of the body of Christ."

The "saints" refers to the royal family of God with emphasis on the baptism of the Spirit. Equipping the saints" refers to God's grace policy and provision for the execution of the protocol plan.

"Equipping" is the function of the pastor who, through teaching the mystery doctrine of the great power experiment of the Church Age, is able to see people grow and become invisible heroes.

All believers are in full-time Christian service from the moment of their salvation. Christian service is the normal result of spiritual growth but never the means.

Edification is the execution of the protocol plan for the Church Age and subsequent manufacture of invisible heroes, resulting in the glorification of God.

The believer's spiritual momentum comes from receiving the communication of God's Word of truth under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:16; "Because of whom (Lord Jesus Christ) the entire body, being joined together (baptism of the Spirit) and being inculcated by every joint of supply (pastor-teacher) on the basis of the operational power (God the Holy Spirit), by the standard of reference of each individual part (pastor-teacher) the increase of the body (the royal family of God); resulting in its being constructed in virtue-love."

Body function depends upon the proper use of joints. Athletic coordination depends upon the proper use of the joints. So in this analogy of the pastor to the joints, it is the pastor-teacher who gives the body of Christ its function on earth.

The result of the communication of doctrine is the construction of an edification complex in your soul. Virtue-love includes three problem-solving devices.

Personal love for God the Father is motivational virtue and motivation for perception of doctrine. Impersonal integrity love for all mankind is functional virtue. It gives one the ability to listen objectively to a pastor-teacher regardless of his personality and occupation with the person of Christ.

The two categories of motivation for the edification of the believer are positive volition and humility.

Positive volition is expressed in Rom 14:19; "Consequently, we run after (pursue) those things related to prosperity and edification."

Running expresses positive volition toward the mystery doctrine of the Church Age, that gives us all the details regarding God's plan, purpose, and will for our lives after salvation.

This includes the perception, metabolization, and application of the mystery doctrine of the Church Age as the means of executing the protocol plan of God.

The execution of the protocol plan of God results in the manufacture of invisible heroes. Invisible God plus invisible assets plus invisible power equals invisible heroes who glorify God. Prosperity and edification go together; both are the result of continual positive volition.

A mental attitude of humility is required for post-salvation renovation of the thinking and consistent perception of doctrine to occur.

Rom 12:2-5, "Stop being conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your thinking (divine viewpoint of life) that you may prove what the will of God is; namely, the good of intrinsic value achievement (advance to spiritual maturity), the well-pleasing to God (fulfillment of the protocol plan), the mature status quo (manufacture of invisible heroes).

v3 For I say through the grace which has been given to me to everyone who is among you: stop thinking of self in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think, but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational without illusion as God has assigned to each one of us a standard of thinking from doctrine.

v4-5 For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another."

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