Will of God

<p>Will of God: The Formation of the Faithful </p><p></p><p>This is the first of a two-volume series that in part chronicles my pursuit of the <strong>Will of God</strong> over the past 23 years which began with a profound experience of <strong>regeneration</strong> on the evening of August 3<sup></sup> 2002. However its primary focus is on refining our walk as believers anchored in the apostolic tradition by growing and abiding in the Word of God with a deep awareness of the necessary indwelling and leading of the Holy Spirit.</p><p>This is only possible through the revelation of the God of the entire Bible in His full glory: Father Son and Holy Spirit.</p><p>We explored the <strong>nature of the Church</strong> as a universal and transcendent Body namely the Body of Christ. Its structure its function and our place and function in it.  As we search out the Will of God for our lives we discover that just as a man can only have one valid will on earth the Church is God's will on earth and consequently we find the will of God for our lives in the Church. </p><p><em>And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.</em> Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJV)</p><p>However we also discover that from an individual perspective this must all start with a <strong>revelatory knowledge (epignosis)</strong> of God which begins with our <strong>regeneration</strong> the gift of faith and His precious promises. This proceeds to our <strong>internal transformation</strong> and eventually an external character of goodness or virtue adding knowledge (gnosis) unto love as described in 2 Peter 1:1-10 to <em>make every effort to confirm (y)our calling and election.</em> </p><p>Starting with Romans 12:1 we examined these scriptures and others in the how of our salvation focusing on the will of God and the importance of a <strong>renewed mind</strong>. This is Section 1.</p><p>In Section 2 we examine <strong>Church history</strong> and orthodoxy by tracing our roots from the Apostles through the <strong>Apostolic Fathers</strong> and <strong>Apologists</strong> to the <strong>Ecumenical Councils</strong> up to the Sixth Council (Third Council of Constantinople). From there we see that due to the entanglement of political power and the foothold of <strong>iconography</strong> the institution lost its orthodoxy and split into <strong>Roman Catholicism</strong> and <strong>Eastern Orthodoxy</strong>.</p><p>Before that we settled on the nature and definition of the <strong>Canon</strong> by pointing to what I am convinced is the most accurate teaching on Canon to date by Michael Kruger The New Testament Canon.</p><p>We continue to chronicle the rise of the <strong>Papacy</strong> culminating in the <strong>Crusades</strong> and <strong>Inquisitions</strong> which ultimately led to the <strong>Protestant Reformation</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Excerpt:</p><ul><li><em>... this is the problem. When I look inward and realize I am not reflecting Christ I find that the account of faith is present but the supply of moral excellence or virtue is lacking. Therefore the issue is not necessarily in doctrine or unity among the brethren (though these may be absent); it is not an inherently corporate problem and all the religious piety and doctrine cannot provide an essential fix but must come from our internal reform.</em></li></ul><p></p><p>Anxiety is the Enemy of Wisdom</p><p></p>