Ministering the Mind Pastor Marco Vinicio Castillo Guatemala, June 17th of the Year of Abundance
In past themes, we have studied the process which God has been forming the humanity, and in those themes it is explained how he create, do and form. Also, it is necessary that we be formed by him in the secret, so we cannot be deformed by the enemy. Rom 12:1-2 (Voice) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is necessary that we consider the petitions of the apostle Paul. In some moment he talks to Philemon, and says that like apostles they have the authority to ask some things to the people of God, but they do in a soft way, they do like a petition, so the people can take it in a voluntary way, and not by imposition. As well, we want to make an emphasis in the word transform. These verses present us two situations, the act of adapt to the world and the opposite, which would be transformed to reach what God wants for each one of us. The word transformation is a compound word; one of these words that form this word is the word form (Hebrew Yathzar, which be found in Gen. 2:7). To be transformed, this verse presents us an strategy: the renewing of our mind. The mind has a fundamental work in the transformation. God has made everything necessary for our salvation, which is the sacrifice of His Son and the gifts of the Holy Spirit; every resource, that is necessary so we can reach all that He want for us. We need to renew our thoughts, to reach this blessings that God wants for us. The word Mind comes from G3563 nous, it refers to the intellect, including thoughts, feelings and will. This meaning leads us to think that we´ll be transformed by the renewing of our thoughts, feelings and will. In addition, it teaches us that God is a gentleman, and he´ll no force our will; he´ll let us choose to follow his will by the exposition of his word, which invites us to follow him. Another meaning: Generally, it denotes, the place where we can find the reflexive conscience, which comprehend the faculties of perception and compression: also the feelings, judge, and determination. When we talk about the reflexive conscience, it refers to the one that is before the actions. In the most of the cases, we have a moment of conscience to take a decision; then, we take a decision. For example, a little children cannot measure the risks when is crossing the street, because she or he doesn’t has the reflexive conscience. This is the intangible part, which allows us to analyze the things before we do them. This is the part of our mind that we need to renew. This word means: make something to be like new, make it back to its original condition. So, we can understand that the Apostle Paul says, we need to be transformed and say no to the influence of this world. This is the case of a lot of people, they are protesting for a massacre in a gay´s bar. We are not saying that they deserve the death, because nobody has the right of kill someone else. We refer to the silence about the persecution that a thousand of Christian in the Mussulmen countries are suffering, which need our pray, so the Lord can help them and they can be safe. These situations shows us that the world is coming crazy, because they called evil to the good, and good to the evil.
This study is allowed to be copied and printed by any mean, only if the source of the information is quoted.
www.ebenezer.org.gt
1
Ministering the Mind Pastor Marco Vinicio Castillo Guatemala, June 17th of the Year of Abundance
We cannot adapt us to the influences of this world, we need to transform our mind. Now, in the following line we´ll read how to minister our mind, so can be transformed. Luk 24:45-46 (Voice) And He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures. (46) And He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. The context of this passage, talks about when some disciples were on the way to Emmaus, depressed because they didn’t believe in the resurrection and they thought that everything was over three days after, when Jesus died on the cross. In the first ministration that the Lord has made with this disciples, was open their minds. We need to have the conviction that there is no man that can do this, just by the unction of the Holy Spirit that comes from God. It doesn’t matter how much time we have of being Christians, how much we served in the church. Constantly, we need that the Lord open up our minds, so we can understand the scriptures, also can get the revelation and the life in them. The case is that there is a lot of people that have received other doctrines, and they’ve accepted them, because their minds is not open yet. We have to give thanks, because the Lord has been merciful with us and he opened up our minds. Also we received the word and the revelation to believe in the things that have been shown to us, little by little in the scriptures. We need the renovation of our mind, so we can understand the written word and let it transform in life in our hearts. Another important point that we need to know is the difference between comprehend and understand. To comprehend is to keep the knowledge that was receive or understood. The things that we not practice, we do not use them or those that we don’t need, we spurn them. Those things that we understood, but not comprehend. To keep the scriptures in our inside, is to comprehend them. Not only in our memory, it is not bad, but this words need to be life in us, so when enemy comes against us, we can be prepared and speak: Written is, so he can flee of us. 1Co 14:15-16 (Voice) What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the mind. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the mind. (16) Otherwise, if you praise in the spirit, how will he who occupies the place set apart for the unlearned say Amen at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? The theme of praying is very important, but in this moment the emphasis is the past in which refers to sing, because we know that there are things that are learned and assimilated in a better way with music. Sing with our mind is part of the process of renovating our mind. Therefore it is important that we constantly sing songs of worship and praise to the Lord, because the time we spend outside of the church is major, than the one we spend inside of it. We need to consider what we are singing, and the songs that we sang in the past, so we can spurn those that is trash. In this way, we´re renovating our mind in this area, because maybe the music that we heard and sang contained bitterness and sins, and they can contaminate our soul. For this reason, it is very important know the lyrics of the songs, so we can understand them, also including our mind in this process, so we can sing in a plenty way.
This study is allowed to be copied and printed by any mean, only if the source of the information is quoted.
www.ebenezer.org.gt
2
Ministering the Mind Pastor Marco Vinicio Castillo Guatemala, June 17th of the Year of Abundance
2Th 2:1-2 (Voice) Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of our gathering together to Him, we ask you (2) not to be quickly disturbed in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the Day of Christ has come. In a building, the balance is very important. For us, to have a balance it is necessary, so we cannot be shaken in our mind, in our way of thinking. Also, we cannot dude or be moved in what we believe, mostly, in our hope about the Lord´s coming, because he is coming very soon. 1Co 2:16 (Voice) For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. Nobody has never knew the mind of God, but there is a gift for us: to access to the mid of the Son, so when our mind be in the same line of him, we could understand the mind of the Father. If we cannot understand the God´s purposes, those who are experimenting problems or damage, their hearts could fulfil of bitterness, and then, leave the goodly way. But, if we can understand the God´s purposes, we´re not be disheartened when we see someone doing things that are not according to the Bible. We´re going to be firm in our faith.
This study is allowed to be copied and printed by any mean, only if the source of the information is quoted.
www.ebenezer.org.gt
3