Radiant Spirituality
Radiant People COllection // episode 07 // May 28, 2023
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Ephesians 6:10-13
(Fresh Start Bible, Page 1046)
(1) We live in a supernatural world.
“Three main options: Epicureanism, Deism, and Judeo Christian. Option Three is what we find within classic Judaism and Christianity. Heaven and earth are not coterminous, in this option. Nor are they separated by a great gulf. Instead, they overlap and interlock in a number of different ways. This can seem initially confusing, after the clean either/or of pantheism and Deism; but it is the kind of confusion we should welcome. It embraces the complexity which we ought to expect if human life is in fact as intricate and many-sided. It is easy to think you have mastered Shakespeare’s plays if all you have on the shelf is the comedies. When someone brings you all the other plays as well—the tragedies and the history plays, plus a volume or two of the great man’s poetry for good measure—you will complain that things are now getting confused and highly complex. But you are actually closer to understanding Shakespeare, not further away. Something like that happens when we turn from the ancient and modern philosophies of the non-Jewish world to the world of the Old Testament, the world of the ancient Israelites, the world that still forms the foundation for those two estranged sisters, Judaism and Christianity, and to a lesser extent Islam. The Old Testament insists that God belongs in heaven and we on earth. Yet it shows over and over again that the two spheres do indeed overlap, so that God makes his presence known, seen, and heard within the sphere of earth.”
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian
(2) We can interact or catch a glimpse of the unseen too.
Deuteronomy 5:7-9
7 “You must not have any other god but me. 8 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods..."
Deuteronomy 18:9–14
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. 10 For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, 11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. 13 But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
(3) There are more spirit beings (elohim) than just YHWY.
Psalm 8:3-6
(Fresh Start Bible, Page 453)
Psalm 82
(Fresh Start Bible, Page 489)
Deuteronomy 32: 1-10
(Fresh Start Bible, Pg 181)
(4) There is NO OTHER like YHWY.
(5) The evil times are now, but we can stand and resist.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."
We cannot live a radiant spirituality through our own opinions and rationale. We need God’s Truth.
PRACTICING THE WAY
As disciples of Jesus, we know our allegiance to Him as King is expressed in our daily practice. We are not pursuing perfection, but want to practice our faith each day. These practices will point you toward spiritual formation as an apprentice (disciple) to Jesus.
Start the Fresh Start Pathway with a friend.
Recite the Radiant Liturgy each morning:
We are the radiant people of God. We are consumed with the preeminence, purity, and beauty of the holy God who was before the beginning. He provided Redemption for us, making a way into a relationship that produces unimaginable renewal in our lives, and eventually, the world itself. So we gather to encounter His presence and be transformed into the radiant people of God. We are His apprentices and ambassadors. We are full of joy and peace and love. We are the people of God in full pursuit of the person of Jesus, the power of His presence, and actively walking in the pathway of His teachings. We long to see Him create renewal in the place we live. We are passionate about Jesus. We are radiant.
Talk it Over (with friends, a spouse, or connect group)
- Read Ephesians 6:10-13 . What do you notice within this passage?
- Sunday’s message was about cultivating a radiant spirituality. Did anything in the message stand out to you or stir a question within you?
- We live in a supernatural world. Have you experienced anything that seems supernatural to you?
- Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14. What are these verse telling us about God?
- Read Psalm 82. What do you notice within this passage?
- Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. What does this tell us about spiritual battle we are living in?
Ask a QUESTION!
Today's Worship Set:
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