Spirit Survivors

From a theological perspective, the garden of Eden in holy sacred writ (the Bible) presents to us the fall of mankind from the ontological (what it means to have being) state of innocence. This “Fall of Mankind” is a symbol (a messenger that points and participates) of the deathly amalgamation of humanism and satanism entering not only the ontological awareness of mankind’s (species) spirit, but also, it compromises the realm of creation leading to a deathly existential state in which mankind must now live. Subsequently, every human being now would be born into this deathly amalgamation of humanism and satanism in the essential (what the term fallen human nature suggests) and also the existential (what the term fallen creation suggests) states virtually ensuring that at some junction in their journey they would be immersed in the crucible of pain and suffering. This is what in theological disciplines is referred to as “The Adamic Nature”; the state of being and the state of creation that virtually ensures intersecting with deathly matters. This is what the Apostle Paul expounded when he writes: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” and also, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.”. This revelation unequivocally answers the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?”. Bad things happen to good people because those people (satirically speaking) were born into a world where the deathly amalgamation of humanism and satanism have fostered a spirit of rebellion against the Lord’s commandments both in human nature and the nature of creation leading to the cauldron of immense pain, suffering, and yes, sometimes even death itself. Astounding to note, is the fact that, there are no measures that can be taken internally within the human spirit or externally within the human condition that can immunize mankind from this deathly cocktail of pain, suffering, and termination. Mankind has no hope of delivering himself, creation cannot reverse the pronounced judgment upon itself, and satanic forces will not deliver mankind due to the impotency experienced in their own eternal judgment. In other words, mankind is doomed if the source of deliverance derives from one of these three sources which are hopelessly judged and condemned through sinful propensities. This profound revelation leads us to seek a source of deliverance that can answer the myriad of dilemmas both in time and eternity simultaneously. The greatest dilemma to be solved by this source of deliverance is; that it must cause mankind both to survive in time and in eternity simultaneously while satisfying the word of judgment pronounced in the garden that created present circumstances. The spirit of death (essentially) and the reality of death (existentially) set in on mankind and satanic forces as they transgressed the word of the Lord bringing the power of death to bear upon both eternity and time. Death then, becomes the absolute survivor’s dilemma for both mankind and creation. Placing the weight of culpability anywhere else than upon the shoulders of an unbridled humanism and an unfettered satanism is a futile and untenable endeavor. In order to conquer this absolute survivor’s dilemma of reigning death, the source of deliverance must have absolute power over time and eternity as well as the spirit of death. Simultaneously, the source of deliverance must possess absolute power as it concerns both mankind and deity. Furthermore, the source of deliverance must possess the absolute power of life (what the term aseity means) in both time and eternity. Finally, the source of deliverance must possess an incomprehensible love that cannot be appealed to by the deathly amalgamation of humanism and satanism thus requiring complete sacrificial outpouring of that incomprehensible love in order to conquer and terminate the absolute survivor’s dilemma of reigning death. The only source of deliverance that can qualify every measure required to conquer and terminate reigning death is the “Eternal Godhead” of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit. The “Eternal Godhead” in scripture is the symbol that is used to denote the economic build up of deliverance accomplished throughout the history of mankind; from its nascent inception to its culminating consummation of the ages. It is this Divine Source of Deliverance that becomes the catalyst (for all who will accept them) to mankind becoming “Spirit Survivors”. Survivors born not of the will of mankind (humanism), but born again of the will of God the Father through His Holy Spirit (fire baptism). “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” and again, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.-For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (Another Oil Point from Theology Nation)

Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox

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A Powerful Witness

In our generation, there are many variables and agents that attest to the peculiarity of our time. The radix (Latin word meaning root) of this peculiarity is not rooted in political demagoguery of the highest order, it is not rooted in hyperbolic media sensationalism, it is not rooted in economic global downturn, it is not rooted in deathly manifestations of pestilences, it is not rooted in major and minor religions of spiritual concern, it is not rooted in the pragmatic ordering of daily life, it is not rooted in human ingenuity or intellectual prowess, it is not rooted in technical capability and formulation, it is not rooted in the vast oceans of public opinion nor in the rivers of impotent conspiracy theories, it is not rooted in the halls of criminal injustice nor in the public square of racial hatred and intolerance, it is not rooted in the satanic forces of darkness nor in the blinded human agents they seek to manipulatively prostitute, it is not rooted in the Eternal Godhead nor in the divine truth promulgated through the gospel of Jesus Christ; no, these elements cannot be the radix of the peculiarity of our time because mankind has transitioned through all of these experiences in times past, bringing to fruition the word of the Lord when it presents: “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past” and also, “I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts”. Critically, the radix of the peculiarity of our time can only be procured in the singular revelation of how we will speak of our time to future generations. What will be the nature and condition of the testimonies that we bequeath to the succeeding generations? Will they be testimonies of moxy and spiritual fortitude or will they be testimonies of trepidation and spiritual apathy? Will we share testimonies laced with unquenchable spiritual fervor born out of the cauldron of life’s afflictions and the lessons they’ve communicated to us or will we render testimonies spun from the venomous mandibles of vain imaginations and the hypodermic asps of erroneous deceptions? Will we leave future generations rich legacies of lives lived as “Powerful Witnesses” to what can be attained when there is a collision between time and eternity, the finite and the infinite, the Eternal Godhead and the human existential condition; that results in a summorphon (Greek word meaning a metamorphosis) of removing us from the larvae state of essential estrangement to the beautiful crystallization of relational harmony? From this metamorphosis of relational harmony we must make the conscientious decision to be “Light Bearers” and “Powerful Witnesses” to the restorative power of the Lord Jesus Christ bringing to pass the word of the Lord when it admonishes: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you”. Our failure to leave such rich legacies will be tantamount to an amalgamation of gross negligence and high treason. As our progeny continue to be born into this world, they must be met with a “Powerful Witness” that speaks of love, joy, hope, restoration, spiritual power, racial harmony, divine justice, faith as absolute concern, and peace that stabilizes in the midst of tumultuous times. We must administer to their burgeoning spirits a “Powerful Witness” that issues forth a testimony of unquenchable light in the midst of the vicissitudes of chaotic confusion and demoniacal darkness. This formulative process begins in the nascent moment when we receive the revelation that the value of our progeny’s hearts is priceless, soliciting a response from us of unwavering commitment to their wholeness and prosperity. This is what the Apostle John meant when he stated: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”. In the final analysis concerning this work of divine love, we must not be careless or frugal in our preparation of these legacies of redemption, for many of us are also recipients of these “Powerful Witnesses” handed forth to us by those who preceded us in this divine work. (Another Oil Point from Theology Nation)

Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox

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Where Is Your Fire?

One of the most profound symbols (messengers that point and participate) for the Holy Spirit is the symbol of fire. This symbol of fire is not a messenger of mechanized humanism where human merit and ingenuity are required; rather it is a holy messenger of divine power that enters the human spirit and ignites a spiritual fervor (what it means to have a burning passion> fiery drive/libido) which expresses itself as a fervent heat in the context to which the Holy Spirit is leading the believer to live and to minister from. One of the qualifying examples of this principle in holy sacred writ (the Bible) is when the Apostle James postulates: “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. Applying this principle of spiritual fervor to prayer, the righteous man is communicating with the Lord from the context of burning passion and fiery heat within his spirit concerning the matters of his heart. Thus, this passage of scripture could read, “the effectual fiery hot communication of a righteous man’s spirit produces Holy Spirit intended results”. Essentially, the Holy Spirit encapsulates the believer’s spirit in an intensified spiritual fervor (what John the Baptist’s “baptize you with fire” suggests) as the Lord creatively directs (what the term divine providence means) the believer into the divine calling and destiny prepared specifically for them beforehand. An initial question asked of most new believers in Christ is, “How do I know what I’m called to do for the Lord?” and the answer must be revealed to the inquirers in two expressions in order for them to have the whole counsel of the Lord.The first expression is of a general nature in that all believers are called to fulfill the great commission of Matthew 28 in spreading the gospel throughout the nations. The second expression is of a specific nature in which the Lord directs the new believer into the specific area of calling and then signifies the specificity of His authorization to that area of ministry by intensifying the spiritual fervor in the heart of the new believer so that they are able to make clear identification. In other words, the new believer is able to clearly identify their specific area of calling in the ministry by the intensified spiritual fervor/burning passion/fiery heat they experience in their spirit when they engage the authorized area of ministry prepared for them beforehand. Another critically profound insight that must be entertained is that because the Holy Spirit is the eternal source of this messenger of fire within the heart of all born again believers, it cannot be thwarted or extinguished by any other power of human or satanic origin (all other species outside of these two are not endowed with cognitive ability to the degree of even posing a threat) bringing to pass the word of the Lord when it purports: “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”. Interesting to note is the realization that even though this messenger of fire cannot be thwarted or extinguished by humanistic or satanic power, it can, through the neglect of the believer, be dampened down to the point of not fully assisting the neglectful believer in their life and ministry. At this point of neglect, the believer can become vulnerable to humanistic and satanic measures that normally wouldn’t pose a threat to life and ministry. In a way, one could say that the believer has lost their fire; not in the sense that it has been extinguished permanently, but in the sense that the effectual fiery hot nature that produces Holy Spirit intended results is diminished. One of the greatest ways that humanistic and satanic powers try to induce this diminished capacity within the believer is through what we could term as “Traumatic Disruptions”. They appear to us in a myriad of forms and yet their disruptive nature can be denigrating to the fiery essence within the believer causing us to respond well below the concomitant power that rests within us. The key to managing these traumatic disruptions in the life of the believer is to turn within our hearts (psychological state>will/desire.>decision making processes) to the eternal source of the fiery essence in us and ask the Holy Spirit to increase the intensity of the conflagration in our spirits (what it means to be Spirit filled) until no existential force has power over us to cause us to fear. This is what the scripture concludes when it states, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him”. So, where is your fire believer? Right where it’s been all along; in the presence of the Holy Spirit! (Another Oil Point from Theology Nation)

Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox

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Remembering The Old Paths

The Prophet Jeremiah would counsel us to “ask for the old paths” in modern times. This is a symbolic way of expressing the need to remember what systemic orderings must be in place that a nation might rise to greatness; which certainly begins with the need to order the personal welfare of the individual life of every citizen of that great nation.Critical to understand is that in order for a nation to be great, it must be indivisible. For that to occur, its people must first be indivisible (what the term individual implies). Digressing for a moment, it must be understood that a nation can be successful and not necessarily be great. The determining principle of greatness is that a nation order its national spiritual tapestry to comply with the Divine Laws established by the word of God. Failure to do so may allow a nation to be successful in many of its systemic orderings (for a time) and yet fail to be truly great. In time, violation of these Divine Laws will eventually lead to a catastrophic breakdown of even the nation’s most successful systems bringing to pass the word of the Lord when it states, “when sin is finished it brings forth death”. Profoundly, a nation doesn’t determine its own greatness, the Lord does, through principles He established before the first nation was formed. Nationalism outside of this paradigm of thinking is bound for destruction. Continuing with the main line of thought, indivisibility is established in an individual manner when a person decides to order the systems of their lives (eg. decision making, finances, spirituality, parenting, etc.) based upon the principles found in the word of God. When every individual person makes a decision to order their lives in a communal manner, community is birthed; and continuity in this path brings forth the greatness of the community. When communities have continuity in the path of indivisibility a nation is born. The greatness of a nation is born (what the term nationalism implies) when its leaders have the spiritual fortitude and moxy to order the systems of government to first of all, comply with Divine Laws based upon the word of God (eg. taking care of orphans, widows, and the poor) and second of all, issue forth from this divine substratum for the beneficial personal welfare of every individual subject to its ambit of influence without discrimination or prejudice (what the phrase “a preempting guiltiness” implies). As a caveat, a great nation must not destroy the power of its greatness by convicting, sentencing, and executing the divine principles upon which its indivisibility stands. Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany were foolish to think that they could terminate the principles of indivisibility, terminate (literally) an entire caste of their own people, and then expect that their nation would not only live but stand in greatness. The seed of national destruction is in the first step its leaders take toward terminating the principles of indivisibility. If America is to return to greatness, every individual American must begin remembering the old paths and for the younger generation, even learning them. This process begins with asking, receiving, and understanding the divine principles found in the word of God. From this spiritual power of understanding, every American must essentially and then existentially order the systems of their lives based upon the two “Absolute” principles of loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and then loving our neighbor as ourselves. This will rebuild the spiritual as well as the communal tapestry upon which this great nation was founded. We must not complain about the younger generation disrespecting the older, not complain about gun violence, not complain about ghettos and trailer parks, not complain about school shootings, not complain about racism, discrimination, and prejudice, not complain about abortion, not complain about the criminal justice system, about teen pregnancy, about the homicide rate, about the suicide rate, about sexually perversive lifestyles, about financial inequality, about domestic abuse, about abuse of power or leadership, etc. We must not complain and then do absolutely nothing to order our lives in a manner consistent with ridding our nation of these evils bringing to pass the word of the Lord when it unequivocally pronounces: “Their lips are with me, but their hearts are far from me”. We must ask the Lord to renew within us the old paths that created the indivisibility upon which this great nation once stood. This is how America becomes great again and remains that way. (Another Oil Point from Theology Nation)

– Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox

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Sabotaging Our Own Deliverance

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore the eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.> But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23

These parabolic words of the Lord Jesus Christ stand as a caveat (teaching/warning) to us, against sabotaging our own deliverance.The symbol of the “eye” here represents the spiritual power of understanding within the psychological parameters of the human mind. The symbol of the “whole body” here represents the spiritual essential state (what the term ontological/spirit being implies) in which the human mind lives. Our understanding,( which is a spiritual power of our minds) can be essentially affected by two external spiritual powers which are completely antithetical of each other. One of these spiritual powers is the spirit of Christ (light) and the other, is the spirit of antichrist (darkness) (cf. 1 John 4:1-6). Both of these spiritual powers have the ability to influence (suggestion unto holiness/ temptation unto unholiness) and also to possess (to be “Spirit filled” over and against to be “demonically possessed”) and are always in dialectical tension to one another. When the human mind (through human freedom and choice) wavers between these two dialectical powers for a short period of time, a partial break (what the term neurosis suggests) occurs in the spiritual essential state in which the human mind lives. When the mind wavers for a long period of time a full break (what the term psychosis suggests) occurs (cf. James 1: 5-8). It is this wavering (or what could be termed as a “self eclipsing of the light”) that becomes the centric topic of Jesus’ words in this text. Mankind, globally as a whole, must receive in the spiritual power of our understanding that the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ (Divine Light) has set out to deliver us from the spirit of antichrist (spiritual forces of darkness). We must freely receive this “Divine Deliverance of Light” (what the term salvation implies) into the spiritual power of our minds (what the term believing implies) or risk self eclipsing this Divine Deliverance into the “Light of Christ” and plunging our souls (spiritual essential state) into the depths of eternal darkness. We must stop self eclipsing the Light of Christ in our lives and sabotaging our own deliverance. Jesus stated in the final analysis of this text, “how great is that darkness!” because He wanted us to understand that self eclipsing of His “Light” will plunge our souls into a darkness so great, that it will be eternal; and there will be no exiting from it. The choice is clearly ours. We must repent of our sins (what it means to turn to a new way of living) and receive the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ in the spirit of our minds/hearts (salvation) and be baptized (immersed) in the Holy Spirit in order to obtain “True Deliverance”! (Another Oil Point from Theology Nation)

-Bishop Dr. Guy A. Cox

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