I was asked my thoughts on this passage, and I thought I would post my response for all to read and comment; if you are inclined to.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

"Now I, Paul, on my own beg you with the humility and gentleness of Christ - yes, I who am humble with you in person yet bold when away! I ask that when I am with you that I will not need to be bold with the confidence which I believe is necessary to take courage against some that act as though we're still living as part of this carnal world. For even though we live in this carnal and material world, we don't wage wars and conflicts according to material conditions. The 'weapons' of our campaigns are not material, but are still divinely powerful for the destruction of these fortified ideologies [ochuroma]. We are pulling apart baseless speculations and every thought-process that demands to be in front of the knowledge of God, and we are trying to take captive any kind of thought and making it obedient to Christ. We are also willing to punish any disobedience to this - just as soon as your obedience to Christ has become complete."

My response:

My thoughts on this..... I am not the thinker I should be, but I will give you my opinion. Paul was running into quite a bit of resistance when he was bringing this message of the kingdom of God to the Jewish and Pagan world. These ideas ran contrary to the current assumptions and deeply entrenched traditions and ideologies, which got him into a lot of trouble; but on to the meat of it. The ideas and direction of the kingdom of God are in absolute opposition to the system of the world that the "prince of the power of the air" has established. I think what is very interesting is that Jesus told the Pharisees "you search the scriptures and in them you think you have life, but you will not come to Me that you might have life." For me, I see that the Pharisees searched the scriptures and from them drew inferences and traditions that suited their agenda's and established a power base; hence the reason that Jesus said they rule from the seat of Moses and tie heavy binds to the shoulders of men. Jesus then tells the disciples that it is not that way among us, that we are to be known we are to be those who "power under" and do not "lord over" those around us. To live that way to is to live as "carnal" and to live as the "power under" is to live in but not of this carnal world.

As for the "pulling apart" that is what the teaching and seed planting of the kingdom of God is doing, it is pulling apart those baseless speculations (ideologies), and transporting our minds to a different plane of reality, true reality where Jesus is the Lord of all. Now if Jesus is Lord of all, and His kingdom is not of this world (as stated to Pilate) then our weapons are not made of steel and iron, but our weapons are our fruits. Now as to the punishing of disobedience. I see the punishment not as a negative thing, but as grace. What a great shame it would be for us if we were surrounded by fellow lovers of Jesus who never held us accountable for our actions. "Those whom he loves he scourges," as recovering sinners we are prone to wander, and we need a shepherd with a staff who will bring us back into the fold. Paul said of the brother in Corinth who was committing sexual sin "turn him over to Satan that his flesh might be destroyed, so that his soul maybe saved in the last days." May we never get that far, but if we do, may we be bold enough to take a stand against disobedience so that we may as Jude says "snatch each other out of the fire."

Hello Friends and neighbors, I hope all is well. I have started a new adventure in my life and I am going to keep an online journal about it, so here it goes.


Sometimes I wonder what is the best thing to have faith, hope or love? Now I know that all three are very important and without love all other things are worth nothing, but in my life I often find myself holding onto nothing but hope to get me through. Hope that God will strengthen my faith, and hope that God will pour His love into my heart through the Holy Spirit. So today I started my quest in loving on some precious elderly people. I volunteered at Life Care Center of Plano with a heart to just be with those that are most forgotten in our society. Those that are literally in this place just waiting to die. I just want to do what Jesus says to do, and to be salt and light. So I went, moved by the Spirit to go, and it was amazing. They are so sweet and loving, and genuinely touched that someone would care. I found myself feeling flooded with grace and love that I know God was the author of.

I walked around when I first got there, and went from room to room just introducing myself and asking if anyone needed prayer. I was especially touched by 2 of the women, one was Helen and the other Gladys. I walked in quietly to introduce myself to Helen, and there she was laying helpless in her bed with oxygen tubes in her nose. Her prayer requests were that she would have a better attitude while there, and that even though she didn't like the food to much, little children were starving and would love to eat what she had. It was an honor to hold her little feeble hand, and pray for her. I felt so unworthy to hold the hand of this woman, and to speak a blessing over her. When I opened my eyes she was crying, and I saw grace. "While I was yet helpless, Christ died for me."

Then I met Gladys, and again introduced myself and asked if she needed prayer. She said yes please, so I got down and held her hand and spoke a prayer of blessing over her. When we were done she said, it gives me comfort to know where I am going when this is done. I saw hope. Hope on the face of a woman that you could tell wasn't long from the grave. Hope that God was with her, and that God was holding her as His beloved.

I could tell many more stories of just my first day, but I just wanted to share some. I have so many ideas of what I would like to do in this little community of love, but please pray for me that I will listen to God, and that I will do what He bids me to do.

I will update often.