Spiritual Maturity: Beyond the sincere milk of The Word.
The scripture teacher Mr. Otis Q. Sellers, fell asleep some years ago in February 1992. His Scripture studies are displayed and available on these websites:
These studies were always progressive, beyond the limited belief structure of Evangelical Christians. He was not restrained by adhering to any previous position that he might have held, if his developing understanding of the Scriptures led him to deny that which he previously taught.
This attitude of mind revealed him to be a true progressive student of The Christian Scriptures. Unfortunately it cannot be said of many such teachers because f their misplace desire to give higher priority to supporting those that 'follow' them, rather that acknowledging previous errors in understanding. Such 'followers' are quite willing to accept what a Scripture teacher tells them without providing the statements foe themselves, and without developing a personal understanding of their Godly privilege of accepting the teaching of The Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself.
A Christian knows that his relationship with God is personal. He is answerable to God for what he believes and therefore what he is. The character of a Christian is an expression of what he has accepted from what God has said, that is, what he has come to believe. If he has only accepted the thoughts and studies of another Christian without proving them from The Word of God for himself, he is open to the criticism that he believes and trusts an authority other than God. This is the basis of Sin.
Many Christians and teachers of The Word of God have come to understand that the activities of the God given Teachers who were active during the record of the Acts of the Apostles, cannot in these days be accepted, because of the change of God's Administration at the end of this period. Contrary to the record of that previous Administration, Christian Teachers today have no God given authority. If they had, they would teach and interpret The Word of God without fault. As any discerning Christian will have realised, this is not a characteristic of this present Administration.
The increasing maturity of a Christian moves towards a full appreciation of God's knowledge within the bounds of that which He has chosen to reveal through His Word. That Word tells us that there is a Spiritual battlefield, the effects of which are recorded from beginning to end. For the Christian today, that battlefield is won. Christ, and those in Him, are seated on God's Right Hand.
A Christian desires the character of Christ, against which The Evil One continually probes. This personal and intimate conflict is our continuing experience and bears upon our increasing maturity, by illustrating the devices of The Evil One. Peter writes to the new Christians in the land that we now call Turkey, explaining to them the means by which they can begin to grow and mature:
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:[1 Peter 2: 1-2]
The Apostle Paul also tells the Cornithian Christians, even admonishing them, concerning their need to mature in order that he can feed them with meat, weaning them from 'the sincere milk':
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.[1 Cor 3: 1-2]
Finally, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us what our maturity depends upon:
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness:for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their sense exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto maturity not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. [Heb 5:12 to 6:1]
At this time, knowing the plan and purpose of The Evil One is as important as studying the plan and purpose of God. After all God had had to deal with the Deceiver over many millennia, even from before the time of the temptation of put parents Eve and Adam.
Over many decades, it has been the persistent purpose of a small group of Christians in the UK to follow this principle whilst studying The Word of God. They are grateful and pleased to have the studies of Mr. Sellers as a qualified guide to the increase of their Spiritual knowledge. During this period, much has been realised, discussed and developed beyond the published understanding of Mr. Sellers.
Some puzzling developments in Astronomy, Space Travel and the hierarchy of evil are now beginning to be better understood in the light of The Word of God. This has lead to a deeper understanding of the Mystery of Iniquity. There is an improved understanding of the purposes of this present Administration of God's Grace because of the discovery of the correct sequence of the section of the Apostle Paul's letters which govern it. The Scripture Truth regarding the power underlying the so called 'earthly things' (Greek: ta epigeia) is now understood. Up till the present time, these discoveries have received limited publication, but are now becoming available in leaflet form on this and the following website:
christianindividual.me.uk
This website will be under constant development even as is the understanding of the Christian Scriptures by the small group referred to above. We would wish to make clear how the results of this research differ from that of the details contained in the archive of Mr. Sellers. The following differences are explained and exemplified on this website.
1. the apostle Paul's Second Letter to Timothy is now recognised as the last letter of his first commission. Following this, and his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote three letters under his second commission during the present Administration of God's Grace.
2. Following the Spiritual blinding of all the Judahites at Acts 28:27, Paul wrote his seven letters in the following order: 1 Timothy/Titus, 2 Timothy, Philippians, Philemon, Colossians/'Ephesians'. This order emphasises the importance of the transitional letter to the Philippian ekklEsia when Paul, without a commission, was seeking to have the same mind as the Lord, Jesus Christ.
3. An analysis of the Scriptural use of the three Greek words: parousia, epiphania and phanerOsis shows that the epiphania is directly associated with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the parousia. The phanerOsis referred to in Colossians 3:4, is the true hope of all Christians who are and have been living under this present Administration of God's Grace.
4. The apprearing, or phanerOsis, of the Lord Jesus Christ occurs at the same time as the Jewish hope described by Paul as 'Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light', quoting Isaiah 60:1.
5. All references to The Last Days, including that in the third chapter of Paul's second letter to Timothy, are know to refer to one period of time which is divided by the present Administration. The Last Days began at the first Advent of The Christ and will recommence seven years before this present Administration ends, giving rise to Paul's statement '...take unto you the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the Evil Day, and having done all to stand'. [Ephesians 6:13]
6. The realisation that the year 27ad, in which The Christ's commission began was a Jubilee. It was also the beginning of the period of: '70 weeks upon your people and upon your Holy City' recorded by the prophet Daniel.
1. 70 weeks upon your people, postponed at Acts 28:27, and
2. 70 weeks upon your Holy City, postponed at the destruction of Jerusalem and The Temple.
7. The period of Daniel's prophecy of 70 weeks, or 490 years covers The Kingdom of the Heavens which is re-established at the end of this present Administration of God's Grace. The Prince, King David is resurrected to rule over the resurrected tribes of Israel whilst a resurrected King Nebuchadnezzar will rule over all mankind...' wheresoever the children of men dwell' [Daniel 2:38]
8. Various other minor adjustments to Biblical doctrine resulting from the major changes listed above.