Christian Dominion Centre UK

In Part one of this topic, we looked at what the mind of Christ is and how we receive it. Now let's look closer at what the mind of Christ does and how best we can use it. God doesn't give us anything for the sake of us having it. Everything he does has a purpose and it's important for us to know what that purpose is so that we can put it to use. So what is the purpose of the mind of Christ? 1 Corinthians 2:12  gives one answer to this, it is so that  we might know the things that God has freely given to us. There are things that God wants we, his children, to know. The natural man can not understand these things. They are beyond what we with our human wisdom could understand ( 1 Corinthians 2:14 ). Knowing things beyond a worldly understanding gives us a discerning spirit. We are able to make better judgments and decisions. When you have the mind of Christ you don't jump into something because everyone else is doing it or because it feels good. Y...

In  1 Corinthians 2:16 , Paul quotes  Isaiah 40:13  and then makes the statement saying, “We have the mind of Christ.”   From the earlier verses of 1 Corinthians 2, we get an idea of what the mind of Christ is, what it is for, and who it is for. The mind of Christ is not in line with the wisdom of man. It is wisdom that comes from God, this wisdom was once hidden but is now revealed.  ( verse 6-7 ). We are now "partakers of the divine nature" ( 2 Peter 1:4 ). We no longer have the sinful nature within us, so we no longer think the way that the natural man does. We can access all things because of the knowledge that God gives to us. We receive the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit  ( verses 10-12 ).  It is only through God's Spirit that we are able to know things about Him. Even when reading His word, it is the Holy Spirit that gives us understanding. This is why so ma ny people misinterpret the bible. They try to use hum...

We as believers know of God's love and compassion towards the world, so it can be difficult to read certain parts of the Bible and understand why and how a God, who is so loving, could allow and call for men, women and even children to be destroyed. There are examples of this in Joshua 6:17, and 11:10-11, 14, 20. It is important to remember, however, that God is Holy and everything and everyone in his kingdom must also be holy. The people of the lands that Israel were called to destroy practised such wickedness and rejected God. They couldn't remain in those lands where God was sending his people. We see throughout scripture how Israel was easily influenced by the nations around them. They continuously strayed from God and worshipped idols. Achan's sin of taking the items that were meant for destruction gives us another example of how necessary it was that God's people remained holy. Israel suffered at the hands of the people of Ai because of what Achan...

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ( Exodus 20:8 ) God instituted a day of rest for his people so that they/we would have an opportunity to focus on Him through worship. It's not just about resting our bodies but also resting our minds. We need that time to build upon our relationship with God, without the distraction that comes from other activities. The land itself needs to rest otherwise the resources we have will be used up. Rest shouldn't be seen as something that takes us away from what we are doing, but as something that gives us an opportunity to be better at what we do. In many jobs, employees are required to take time off, this is necessary in order for them to be able to function properly in their role. Mark 2:27, states "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath." So let's make use of this gift of rest, because it is a gift, and take time off from being busy. Take a break with God.

Matthew 18:12-14 It doesn't seem logical that when a shepherd has 100 sheep and one gets lost, he will leave 99 to look for the missing one. Many will ask why he is wasting his time, that he should be thankful for the 99 that he still has. However, through out scripture we see over and over again that worldly logic cannot comprehend what God's love does. Did you ever wonder why the only place you find verses describing John as the disciple that Jesus loved is in the book of John (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7 & 20). John's experience of Christ's love was so immense that it caused him to want to write about it often. God loves each of us the same but we all experience it in different ways based on our understanding of Him. God is willing to leave the 99, the majority, in order to go after that one who is lost. His love for us as individuals far surpasses what we can understand. He will do everything in His power to reach each one of us. That is how val...

   3.  You shall not misuse the name of the  Lord  your God, for the  Lord  will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. ( Exodus 20:7 ) It's not unusual to hear people shout 'Oh my God' or 'Jesus Christ', when something goes wrong. For many of these people these words are meaningless it's just something to say in place of swearing. However, there is power in the name of the Lord.  Philippians 2:9-10  tells us that Jesus' name is above every other name and that every knee will bow at his name. It is not just a name, it's what we as believers cry out in times of need or joy. We call his name when we want to speak to him or praise him. When we reduce his name to an alternative for a curse word we turn it into something negative. How would you feel if everyone around you yelled out your name every time they were annoyed. Would you be glad to hear your name being spoken or would you become irritated at that fact that they were ...

2. Do not make an image of anything in heaven or earth or bow down to it. ( Exodus 20:4-6 ) Some people liken this to the first commandment, but this commandment goes further. Anything can be an idol in our lives, it's not just about bowing down to another god, but making something that we then worship. There are many people in the world who bow down to the image/statues of Jesus and Mary and sometimes even saints, doing this turns them into idols. In  Matthew 4:9-10 , we see the devil trying to convince Jesus to worship Him. Jesus' response tells us that neither Mary nor any of the saints should be in receipt of our praise or prayers, so there shouldn't be images of them in the first place. On the issue of images/statues of Jesus,  Exodus 20:4  makes it clear that nothing in heaven, nothing on earth and nothing in the waters below should be formed into an image that is worshipped. This includes Jesus, angels, the sun, the moon, stars, birds, cows, fish, plant...