[OBW]

Tough topic.

And given our (broad collective, not any of us in particular) propensity to talk about everything in terms of our quiet time, or being "in spirit" (or in the spirit), or our "enjoyment of Christ," or me and my Bible, or even focusing on activities aimed at "preaching the gospel," I am not sure that our first thought is to move in that direction.

I will say that I have been talking about some of this for a while. But I must admit that at some level it is still theory. I may speak that way, but if someone looks at me like "yeah, poor ignorant plebe, its really about the right doctrines and practices" I still duck my head and think that maybe I am just full of it.

Especially when I am not the poster child for DOING what I am suggesting we should be doing. Just talking about it.

I would never say that trying to be doctrinally right is simply irrelevant. But I am becoming convinced that it is second place, not first. When people defend all the doctrinal teachings by saying you have to know what you believe, I cower because they are right.

At least sort of.

But are they right that we have to understand that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are three separate but distinct "persons" who are joined as one through something called essence? (And am I relegated to the land of heretics for probably not saying it completely correctly?)

Or is what we need to know that Jesus is God and is the Lord of the Kingdom that we are more connected to than the physical Kingdom of the U.S. (or U.K., R.S.A., France, Germany, etc.) And not only know it, but believe it and prove our belief by obeying the one (Jesus) who came and showed the way. That was what he sent everyone except for the ones he trained for leading to do. The big sermons to the large crowds (on the mount, where he fed 5,000, etc.) were not about preaching the gospel, but about the life of the follower.