Here’s a list of definitions for the words, terms, and principles we use on this website, and in the “Saving Christianity” book, podcast, and retreat. In the index, click the FIRST LETTER of the word, term, or principle you’re seeking. That will take you to the correct section in the definitions. Then scroll down that section to the specific word, term, or principle you want.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q
AFTERGLOW. A time following a small group meeting during which the participants relax and discuss (usually over refreshments or a full meal) what happened during the meeting. (See “Small Groups.”)
APOSTLE. An “apostle” is one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The word “apostle” comes from the First Century Greek word apostolos (pronounced “uh-paa’-stuh-lahss”), meaning one who is sent out as a messenger. Assuming that the apostles Jesus sent out during his time on earth are included, over 100 apostles are mentioned or named in the early Christian letters, both males and females. The task of an apostle is to travel to places where there are no Christians, to convert non-Christians to Christianity, and to start new Christian small groups in that location. The call by the Holy Spirit to servanthood as an apostle began in the First Century and is still being issued to Christians today. (See “Calls to Christian Service.”)
AGAPE MEAL. (See “The Lord’s Supper.”)
ARAMAIC LANGUAGE. (“air-uh-may’-ick”) A Semitic language spoken by the Jews in the First Century. Jesus and His disciples were from the province of Galilee and spoke Aramaic with a slurring accent that quickly identified them as natives of the Lake Galilee area.
BAPTISM. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and “Water-Baptism.”)
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. The word “baptism” is from the First Century Greek noun baptisma (pronounced “bop’-teas-mah”). It means to immerse something in a substance (such as water, oil, or vinegar) until it is so saturated that its basic makeup is changed. The noun baptisma comes from the Greek verb baptizo (pronounced “bop-teed’-zo”), meaning to immerse something. The baptism in the Spirit is the supernatural experience that makes a Christian. It can also be called being saved, being redeemed, being converted, and other such terms. The first people in history to experience it were in Jerusalem, Israel. It happened at nine o’clock in the morning on The Lord’s Day (the first day of the week), on May 30th, in 30 AD. That was the morning of the one-day wheat festival in Israel called the Feast of Pentecost (pronounced “pin’-tuh-cost”). At that time, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit from heaven on 120 of His former disciples who had been waiting in a home ten days for the experience. This was the birthday of Christianity. When a non-Christian is baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit indwells his or her body and saturates his or her inner spirit with Spiritual power, awakening it to Spiritual life for the first time. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the key Spiritual and supernatural difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.
BARNABAS. (“barn’-uh-bus.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
BASILICA. The word “basilica” (pronounced “buh-sill’-a-cuh”) is the Latin word for a Roman courthouse. It literally means a royal court. Basilicas were judicial buildings in ancient Rome, used for royal events, military and government conferences, the announcement of new and laws, and for trials, executions, and funerals. Common people tended to avoid them. The Emperor Constantine, a cruel political dictator, built the first Christian “church buildings” in the Fourth Century in Rome. He chose the basilica design for the new buildings to suppress the informal and unstructured Spiritual lifestyle of the early Christians. Most Christian church buildings today still follow Constantine’s basilica design and still suppress an informal and unstructured Christian lifestyle. (See “Constantine.”)
BEHAVIOR. “Behavior” is defined as a response to a situation. The First Century Greek word for “behavior” is peripateo (pronounced “perry-paa-tay’-oh”), literally meaning a “walk” or the process of “walking.” But figuratively, peripateo means to conduct oneself in a certain way or to act in a special way. The early Christians were known for their pure and Spiritual behavior and were called followers of The Way because of it. (See “Follower of The Way.”)
BEHAVING IN DARKNESS. (See “Flesh” and “Motivation of Darkness.”)
BEHAVING IN THE SPIRIT. (See “Motivation of Light,” “Living Water,” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
BIBLE. The “Bible” is an ancient collection of 66 manuscripts written by 40 different authors in three different languages on three different continents over a period of 1,500 years. The word “Bible” comes from the Latin word biblia and the Greek word biblos, simply meaning a “book.” Today’s Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament existed in the First Century as Greek scrolls kept in the Jewish synagogues and was not readily available to the people on the street. These were the “Scriptures” that Jesus and His disciples cited during their teachings. After Christianity was founded in 30 AD, the New Testament letters were written by the early Christians and they were also written in Greek. The Bible is a supernatural book whose meaning becomes clear to readers only to the extent that they are under the influence of the Holy Spirit as they read it. (See “Greek Language.”)
BODY OF CHRIST. The phrase “Body of Christ” is the original term for the worldwide Christian group. All Christians are part of the Body of Christ and Jesus is their Head. As parts of His Body, Christians are mandated to do all the things that Jesus would do if He was still walking the earth. To fulfill that mandate, Christians are meant to act as small units of Jesus’s Body by forming small groups of two or more Spirit-Filled Christians and then by being taught directly by the Holy Spirit. (See “Small Groups.”)
BORN-AGAIN. The phrase “born-again” is one of several synonyms for being baptized in the Holy Spirit and becoming a Christian. The phrase comes from the First Century Greek words, gennao anothen, meaning “born from heaven” or “born from a higher place.” (See “Christian.”)
CALLS TO CHRISTIAN SERVICE. The Holy Spirit issues six different supernatural calls to Christian servanthood to the Christians He selects for His purposes. In alphabetical order, these calls are: apostle; deacon; elder; evangelist; prophet, and teacher. Some Christians are issued multiple calls by the Holy Spirit. As examples, Peter had the double call of an apostle and an elder; and Paul had the triple call of an apostle, prophet, and teacher. Although today’s institutional denominations use some of these same words as job titles today, the denominational jobs that they represent are not the same supernatural tasks that these calls were in the First Century. In the First Century, there was no hierarchical structure to the calls and Christians with the calls worked in co-equal teams among the Christian small groups of the period as the Holy Spirit guided them. (See “Paul,” “Peter” and “Small Groups.”)
CARNAL CHRISTIAN. (See “Immature Christian.”)
CATACOMBS. The word “catacombs” is a name given to the ancient Christian underground burial tunnels under the city of Rome in Italy. The word comes from the Latin word catacumbae, an area outside Rome where about 40 underground burial tunnels have been discovered extending for many miles under the earth. The tunnels were begun in the late First and early Second Centuries when Roman law forbade burials inside the city, and also when Christians did not practice the pagan habit of cremation. The soil in the area is called tufo, a soft volcanic dirt that is easy to dig and that turns to stone when exposed to air. The tunnels were never used for worship or as hiding places, despite the fact that many history books teach this. They were simply underground cemeteries. The catacombs are valuable today for the ancient Christian paintings, sculptures, carvings, and art objects found in them, and for what such items teach us about how the early Christians thought, worked, and lived.
CHRISTIAN. The word “Christian” is from the First Century Greek word Christianos (pronounced “cris-tea-aan-aas'”). The Latin word for “Christian” is Christianus. A “Christian” is a person who has been indwelled by the Holy Spirit and has had his or her inner spirit baptized in the Holy Spirit. Non-Christians have not had this experience. The word “Christian” was not the original name for Spirit-baptized people. Their original name was Followers of The Way. The word “Christian” was coined as an insult to Followers of The Way by the non-Christian citizens of the city of Antioch, Turkey in 61 AD. Today, the word “Christian” is problematic because Followers of The Way should be recognized by their supernatural lifestyles, not by the religious title “Christians.” (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” “Followers of The Way” and “Non-Christians.”)
CHRISTIANITY. (See “Christian.”)
CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS. The earliest known Christian symbols ever found have been found in the catacombs of Rome and date from the late First and early Second Centuries. There are many such early Christian symbols, but a few of them are the: fish; anchor; shepherd; lamb; boat; sparrow, dove, peacock, olive branch, and certain Greek letters used as abbreviations for various Christian ideas. However, today’s Christian cross, which is an image of the world’s most horrible execution device, was not an original Christian symbol and has not been found in the catacombs. Today’s cross as a Christian symbol originated with the Roman emperor Constantine in the late Fourth Century. (See “Catacombs,” “Constantine” and “Cross.”)
CHURCH. The word “church” refers to any public building used for any religious purpose, either Christian or non-Christian. The construction of “church” buildings, and the use of the word “church” itself, originated with the Roman emperor Constantine in the Fourth Century – three centuries after Christianity was founded. Constantine designed the first church buildings in the basilica (royal courthouse) style and named them “churches.” Later, the word “church” eventually migrated to England over the centuries where, in 1611 AD, it was improperly used in the translation of the first English Bibles. This made the word “church” acceptable to Christians worldwide. However, the original Greek word, ekklesia, improperly translated as “church” today, should actually be translated as group. Jesus and His disciples never saw a “church building” and never heard the word “church” spoken. (See “Basilica,” “Constantine” and “King James Version of the Bible.”)
CHURCH PROGRAMS. The phrase “church programs” refers to the structured, formal, traditional, and habitual activities of today’s Christian denominational congregations, including morning worship services, Sunday school, evening services, youth meetings, choir presentations, musical concerts, scouts, sports teams, bus trips, and so on. These programs are presented to large audiences from the stages of large public buildings and are supervised by pastors, priests, and other ministers, together with leadership groups of elders, deacons, and directors. These formal programs were founded in the Fourth Century by Constantine, a non-Christian Roman emperor who wanted to control Christians for political and military purposes. The hallmark of such formal Christian programs is their tight control by humans: a human leader, a preplanned agenda printed in a bulletin or liturgy, preselected songs from an approved song book, and tight supervision by a pastor, or priest, and several layers of higher authority. Such formal programs suppress the Spiritual growth of attendees and should not be confused with the unstructured, informal, small group lifestyle of the original First Century Christians. These two structures (one formal, the other informal) should be analyzed and discussed separately at all times. However, a congregation today can form early Christian style small groups to meet in parallel (side-by-side) with its formal programs, thus allowing its interested members to participate in both lifestyles at the same for maximum Spiritual growth. (See “Constantine” and “Small Groups.”)
CLEMENT. (“clem’-ent.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
CLERGY. The denominational “clergy” as we know it today (pastors, priests, bishops, cardinals, and so on) was founded by the Roman emperor Constantine in the Fourth Century. The word “clergy” comes from the Latin word clerici, the Roman word for clerks. Constantine created the “clergy” when he founded institutional Christianity. He did it to suppress the informal and unstructured Spiritual lifestyle of the early Christians. He divided and conquered early Christians by separating them into a “clergy” and a “laity,” and then further subdivided the “clergy” into deacons, priests, bishops, and many other job titles with a hierarchy of rankings. His scheme was successful, so that Christians today are still divided into a “clergy” and a “laity,” with the “clergy” still subdivided into many layers of hierarchical job titles. (See “Constantine” and “Laity.”)
COMMUNION. (See “The Lord’s Supper.”)
CONGREGATION. The attendees of formal, structured Christian gatherings, usually held in denominational “church” buildings.
CONGREGATIONAL PROGRAMS. (See “Church Programs.”)
CONSTANTINE. “Constantine” is the name of the Fourth Century Roman emperor who founded the organization that over the centuries became today’s institutional denominations. Constantine was an illegitimate child, an orphan, and was raised as a vicious combat soldier in the Roman army. He eventually became a power-mad dictator who murdered his own wife, his son, and many relatives and political opponents who got in his way. He was not a Christian. He was a priest in the sun god religion. After making himself emperor of Rome by killing all his opponents, he built the first “church buildings” in Christian history and named them “churches.” He also renamed the Christian day of worship “Sun Day” (the day to worship the Roman sun god), developed the “clergy” and “church services” we have today, and even designed the “cross” as the main Christian symbol. In fact, his impact on Christianity was so great that he is the most important person in Christian history after Jesus and the original disciples – except that his influence was tragically negative. Sadly, Constantine has been whitewashed in history books for many years and is usually presented as “the first Christian emperor of Rome,” or “the emperor who saved Christianity,” and so on. Due to this effective whitewashing, few Christians today know who Constantine really was or what he really did. (See “Basilica” and “Church.”)
CROSS. (See “Christian Symbols.”)
CRUCIFIX. (See “Christian Symbols.”)
DARKNESS. (See “Motivation of Darkness.”)
DAY OF PENTECOST. “Pentecost” (pronounced “pin’-tuh-cost”) is the name of a yearly one-day wheat harvest festival in Israel. This festival is important to Christians because one of its celebrations in the First Century was the day that Christianity was founded. What Christians now call the “Day of Pentecost” refers to the Feast of Pentecost that is celebrated fifty days after the Feast of the Passover in Israel. The word “Pentecost” comes from the First Century Greek phrase pentekoste hemera, meaning “fiftieth day.” In 30 AD, the feast was celebrated on the first day of the week as usual when, at 9:00 o’clock that morning, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit from heaven on 120 of His former disciples, who had been waiting in a Jerusalem house for it. This event was the birthday of Christianity. It was the first time the Holy Spirit had ever come to earth to permanently indwell people, to baptize their inner spirits with Spiritual power, and to awaken their inner spirits to Spiritual life. Later that day, 3,000 festival pilgrims from all over the world were also baptized in the Spirit, becoming Christians. They then returned to their home countries taking their Christian experience with them – so that worldwide Christianity was founded during a one-day harvest festival in Jerusalem, Israel, in 30 AD. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and “Christian.”)
DEACON. A “deacon” is one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The word “deacon” comes from the First Century Greek word diakonos (pronounced “dee-ah’-cuh-naas”), literally meaning a “servant” in the sense of a table waiter. Figuratively, the word refers to any Christian who serves other Christians. Indirectly, that can refer to any or all of the calls to servantship. But directly, it refers to the work of a deacon, whose job is to care for needy Christians – distributing money, food, and water to them and providing shelter for them. In his letters, the apostle Paul greets the deacons in various cities and writes about their qualifications and tasks. The call to servanthood as a deacon by the Holy Spirit began in the First Century and is still being issued to Christians today. (See “Calls to Christian Service.”)
DEATH. (See “Motivation of Death.”)
DENOMINATION. A “denomination” is a division in the worldwide Body of Christ. The word comes from the Latin word denominare, meaning to name something and set it apart as one-of-a-kind. Thus, the institutional denominations are divisions in the Body of Christ that have been given separate names. The word “denomination” is not an original Christian word and Jesus and His disciples never heard it. It originated in the Middle Ages when the Protestant Movement broke away from the Roman Catholic organization (which the Roman emperor Constantine had founded in the Fourth Century), and then the movement continued to subdivide into smaller pieces due to doctrinal debates. The early Christians condemned such divisiveness as a sign of spiritual immaturity. (See “Body of Christ,” “Constantine,” “Doctrinal Debate,” and “Infant Christian.”)
DENOMINATIONAL PROGRAMS. (See “Church Programs.”)
DICTIONARY FOR CHRISTIAN WORDS. The “dictionary” for Christian words is the collection of ancient Christian letters written by the first Christians in the First and Second Centuries. These letters are the “dictionary” for Christian words today, since the Christians who wrote them understood the original Christian experience better than anyone else. On this blog, the word meanings and the principles taught in its posts came from a collection of 35 ancient Christian letters written between 45 AD and 156 AD. The letters were written in Koine’ Greek, the international language of that day. Twenty-seven of these letters are readily available today in the New Testament portion of the Bible. The other eight letters are available in bookstores, libraries, and online. All Christian words should take their meanings from the meanings given to them in these ancient letters. More, the behavioral principles embedded in these meanings should be used as models for Christian life today. On the other hand, Christian words that are not in these ancient letters should not be used by today’s Christians. For example, the words “church,” “denomination,” and “pastor” are not in these letters and thus should not be used today. Finally, since these letters were written in the Koine’ Greek language, it is important to adhere to the original meanings of their words in the Greek language of the First Century. For example, today’s word “baptism” should be used with the same meaning it had in First Century Greek. (See “Fuzzy Words.”)
DIDACHE. (“did’-uh-key.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. A “different language” is one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The Greek words for a “different language” (heteros glossa) refer to the gift of speaking in a language that is different from what a Christian normally knows or speaks: speaking in a foreign language that the Christian does not know. This gift was expressed for the first time by 120 of Jesus’s disciples on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem in the First Century, the morning of the birthday of Christianity. This gift is the easiest gift to express and often is the first gift that a Christian experiences. It can be expressed by today’s Christians in two ways: First, it can be expressed as a permanent personal gift for Christians to edify themselves privately (they do not do this in public). Or second, it can be expressed as a temporary gift by Christians in a small group to deliver a prophetic message from the Holy Spirit to the group (this can be done in public). When this second expression of the gift happens, either the speaker or another participant in the group interprets the message. In England in 1611 AD, the translators of the King James Version of the Bible translated the Greek words for this gift (heteros glossa) into English by using the Elizabethan words “other tongues.” But that is problematic today, since many Christians hear this odd Medieval phrase and think this gift is something strange that they should avoid. However, by avoiding it, they miss the personal growth that they would otherwise receive from the gift. (See “King James Version of the Bible” and “Spiritual Gifts.”)
DIOGNETUS. (“die-ahg-knee’-tus.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
DISCIPLE. The word “disciple” is from the First Century Greek word mathetes (pronounced “mah-thay-tace'”), meaning a learner, student, or trainee. In the First Century, this word referred to any person who was being trained by a mentor. For example, both Jesus and John the Baptizer called their followers disciples. After Christianity was founded in Jerusalem, the term “disciple” was applied to all Christians, since all Christians are being trained directly by the Holy Spirit. (See “Jesus” and “John the Baptizer.”)
DIVISIVENESS. The word “divisiveness” comes from the First Century Greek word schisma (pronounced “cease’-mah”), meaning a division, faction, clique, or split in a Christian group. The early Christians condemned divisiveness (the splitting of Christians into separate groups by doctrine, race, gender, age, or any other trait). They taught that divisiveness is a sign of Spiritual immaturity. (See “Doctrinal Debate,” “Infant Christian,” and “Spiritual Immaturity.”)
DOCTRINAL DEBATES. “Doctrinal debates” are one of the biggest causes Christian divisiveness. Doctrinal debates can be called do-you-believe-what-I-believe arguments. The early Christians condemned doctrinal debates as a sign of Spiritual immaturity. Small groups must avoid doctrinal debate at all costs. Instead, they must pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the answers to their Christian questions. (See “Divisiveness,” “Infant Christian,” and “Spiritual Immaturity.”)
DREAM. A Spiritual “dream” is one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. God has sent messages to people in dreams for centuries and examples are recorded in both the Old and the New Testaments. Spiritual dreams are different from normal dreams because Spiritual dreams contain warnings, guidance, and other messages from the Holy Spirit. (See “Spiritual Gifts.”)
EAGLE SYMBOL. The American eagle was adopted as the U.S. national symbol by Congress on June 20, 1782. The logo was designed by Charles Thomson, a patriot leader and secretary of the Continental Congress. The eagle was chosen because of its long life, great strength, and majestic looks. It is widely recognized as a symbol of the U.S. and is mentioned on this blog.
EARLY CHRISTIAN LETTERS. (See “Dictionary for Christian Words.” Also see the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
ELDERS. “Elders” are one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The term “elders” (the terms are always masculine and always plural) is confusing in Christian history because the early Christians had three different words in the Greek to describe “elders” – not just one. However, all three of the words referred to the same men and merely described them from different viewpoints. The first word is the adjective presbuteros (pronounced “pres-boo-teh’-raas”), a term of respect for older men, which all elders were. The second word is the verb episkopeo (pronounced “eh-pis-cuh-pay’-uh”), referring to the process of caretaking, the work of elders. The third word is the noun poimen (pronounced “poy-main'”), referring to shepherds, the job title for elders. Paul, Peter, and other early Christian writers mention elders in their letters and write about the qualifications and tasks of elders. But, it is important to remember that all three of the words describing elders refer to one category of men. The best example of that can be seen in First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 1 and 2. There, Peter uses all three of the Greek words describing elders in one passage. (The passage needs to be seen in the original Greek to see all three Greek words clearly.) These three words for “elders” have been confusing to Christians since the Fourth Century, since that is when the Roman emperor Constantine divided the three words into separate job titles in his new institutional Christianity and created a rank-ordered structure out of them. That has frustrated Christians for 1,700 years. For example, today’s English word “pastors” does not appear in the original Greek of the early Christian letters and the job position of “pastors” did not exist in the First Century. The word “pastors” was used by the translators of the King James Version of the Bible in England in 1611 AD to translate the Greek word poimen in Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 11 (where the noun referring to elders as shepherds appears). The translators did that to justify the “pastors” in their English denomination at the time. However, that was a revision of Christian history and a misrepresentation of who early Christian elders were and what they did. Early Christian elders were Spiritually mature older men who lived and worked in co-equal teams of shepherds among the early Christian small groups, caring for them and protecting them against false teachers. (See “Calls to Christian Service” and “Constantine.”)
EMOTIONS. The subject of “emotions” is one of the biggest keys to understanding the Christian lifestyle. Christians are motivated either primarily by the negative emotions of their selfish natures; or by the positive emotions of the indwelling Holy Spirit within them. That means Christians cannot be “too” emotional if their emotions are the positive Spiritual emotions of love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness, etc. However, Christians can be “too” emotional if their emotions are the negative fleshy emotions of vanity, rudeness, vulgarity, anger, and lust, etc. (See “Motivation.”)
ENCOURAGING. “Encouraging” is one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The First Century Greek word for “encouragement” is paraklesis (pronounced “paa-rah’-clay-cease”), meaning the encouragement, consoling, and comforting of other Christians. People with the Spiritual gift of encouragement have a supernatural ability from the Holy Spirit to uplift and inspire other Christians. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
EUCHARIST. (“you’-cuh-wrist.” See “The Lord’s Supper.”)
EVANGELIST. An “evangelist” is one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The word “evangelist” comes from the First Century Greek word euaggelistes (pronounced “you-aan-geh-lee-stace'”), meaning a person who comes to a town or village with good news. The call to servanthood by the Holy Spirit as an evangelist began in the First Century and is still being issued to Christians today. Evangelists travel to areas where Christianity is unknown and tell people the good news of Christianity, converting them to Christians. Evangelists are mobile and never linger in one area long. They rely on Christians with the five other calls to servanthood to come behind them to help the new converts grow Spiritually. (See “Calls to Christian Service.”)
EVIL. The word “evil” comes from the First Century Greek word kakos (“cah-caas'”), meaning everything morally and ethically bad, injurious, and destructive both within people and in the physical world around them, including people’s internal negative emotions and their outer negative behavior, as well as all the rest of world’s external pain and trouble. The First Century Christians taught that evil is produced not only by people’s inner selfish human natures, but it is also produced by Satan and his demons, who energize people’s selfish natures to defeat them in everyday life.
EXPERIENCE. Humans tend to believe what they have personally experienced and to disbelieve what they have not personally experienced. Because of that human trait, one of the biggest keys to Spiritual growth is for a Christian to be open to, and to seek, new Spiritual experiences with the Holy Spirit. The early Christians taught that Spiritual growth comes from seeing, feeling, and experiencing Spiritual behavior – not from just reading about it or hearing about it. (See “Spiritual Growth.”)
FAITH. The word “faith” comes from First Century Greek word pistis (pronounced “pis’-tiss”), meaning to be persuaded and convinced that something is true. Pistis refers to Christians who have confidence, conviction, and trust in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The early Christians taught that Christian faith is built by experiencing supernatural experiences from the Holy Spirit and realizing through having those experiences that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are real. (See “Experience.”)
FEAST OF PENTECOST. (See “Day of Pentecost.”)
FELLOWSHIP. The word “fellowship” comes from the First Century Greek word koinonia (pronounced “coin-oh-knee’-ah.”), meaning to share things with other Christians and to participate in the lives of other Christians. The word refers to the behavior of Christians who share their time, talent, treasure, and Spiritual gifts with one another. True “fellowship” only occurs to the extent that Christians are Spirit-Filled. Thus, the fellowship the early Christians enjoyed was much deeper and much more profound than today’s idea of Christian “fellowship,” which usually means a covered dish meal in the fellowship hall of a denominational church building. (See “Small Group” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
FISH SYMBOL. The “fish” symbol is thought to be the first and oldest Christian symbol. It was used by non-Christians before Christianity was founded, but the early Christians quickly adopted it, so that today it is thought of as strictly a Christian symbol. The first four disciples recruited by Jesus were all professional fishermen. Andrew, Peter, James, and John owned a fleet of fishing boats on Lake Galilee and had undoubtedly seen, and perhaps even used, the fish symbol before they met Jesus. So it was natural for them to begin using the fish symbol after they became Christians. The word “fish” comes from the First Century Greek word ichthus (pronounced “eh-thoos'”), and it was Jesus Himself who gave the symbol its new Christian meanings when He said to the disciples, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Thus, at first the “fish” symbol represented non-Christians who needed to be converted; and the Christians who evangelized them were at first known as the “fishermen.” These original meanings can still be seen on the walls of catacombs in Rome, where Christians are depicted as “fishermen” in fishing boats pulling in loads of “fish” (non-Christians). Jesus is also symbolized on the walls of the catacombs as an “anchor” with sharpened flukes having “fish” (non-Christians) hooked on them. More specifically, the “fish” symbol represented the inner spirits of humans, since that is the part of humans that is baptized in the Holy Spirit and awakened to Spiritual life when humans become Christians. However, as the centuries passed, Christians began calling themselves “fish,” referring to their own baptized inner spirits. Thus, today the “fish” symbols seen on car bumpers and T-shirts refer to Christians, not non-Christians. (See “Christian Symbols.”)
FLESH. The word “flesh” comes from the First Century Greek word sarx (pronounced “sarks”), meaning “flesh” in the sense of the motivation of the selfish nature within humans. Flesh is the human tendency to be proud, angry, selfish, critical, vulgar, slanderous, lustful, hateful, cruel, argumentative, fearful, and stubborn. Flesh is the only motivating force within non-Christians. Christians (who have had their inner spirits baptized in the Holy Spirit) have a second influencing power within them that has the capacity to counteract their flesh if Christians choose to use that capacity. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” “Motivation of Darkness,” and “Motivation of Light.”)
FLESHY CHRISTIAN. (See “Immature Christian.”)
FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY. The phrase “Followers of The Way” comes from the First Century Greek phrase, kata hodos (pronounced “cuh-taah’ haa-dace'”), meaning to live a special kind of behavior or a special type of lifestyle. “Followers of The Way” was the original name for Christians. It indicated that Christians were a special kind of people whose inner spirits had been baptized in the Holy Spirit and who were motivated internally to live a Spiritual lifestyle. The early Christians also called their lifestyle The Way of Life, The Way of Light, The Way of Righteousness, and other such phrases. In the strictest sense, Following The Way meant that a Christian was Spiritually mature – that he or she was habitually Spirit-Filled. However, being a Follower of The Way can also be a generic term for all Christians. About 30 years after the Spiritual movement called “Followers of The Way” was founded by Jesus in Jerusalem, the non-Christian citizens of the city of Antioch in Turkey began to mock followers, jeering at them, “Christiani!” This insult stuck, and Followers of The Way gradually became known worldwide as “Christians.” However, this is problematic because the religious title “Christians” takes the focus off the fact that Christians are supposed to be living a special Spiritual lifestyle. (See “Baptism in the Spirit” and “Christian.”)
FORMAL PROGRAMS. (See “Church Programs.”)
FOUR SPIRITUAL LEVELS. The early Christians taught four levels of Spirituality, although they did not use the word “levels.” Their writings reveal four levels of Spiritual growth: natural people; immature Christians; growing Christians, and mature Christians. (See “Natural People,” “Immature Christian,” “Growing Christian,” and “Mature Christian.”)
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. (See “Result of the Spirit / ‘Fruit’ of the Spirit.”)
FULLNESS OF CHRIST. (See “Goal of All Christians.”)
FUZZY WORDS. A “fuzzy word” is any word that has two or more common meanings or that can indicate two or more different kinds of behavior. Most of today’s Christian words are fuzzy. (The word “Christian” itself is fuzzy.) Thus, all Christian words should be defined using the “dictionary” of the early Christian letters written in the First and Second Centuries. This is necessary because the writers of these letters were the people who understood original Christianity the best. Their letters are the “manufacturer’s handbook” for Christianity and should take precedence over all later Christian writing. (See “Dictionary for Christian Words.”)
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. The phase “gifts of the Spirit” comes from the First Century Greek words, Pneuma (“new’-muh,” for the Spirit) and charisma (har’-is-mah,” for a divine favor). The word Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The word charisma comes from a Greek root that means to be happy – and therefore is a cheerful, positive, uplifting word. A Spiritual gift is a miraculous ability graciously expressed through Christians by the Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to bring happiness and positive results to both the Christian through whom it is expressed, and to the other Christians around him or her. Gifts of the Spirit were expressed for the first time by Christians on Pentecost morning in the First Century on the birthday of Christianity and Christians have been expressing gifts ever since. The source of the gifts is the indwelling Holy Spirit within Christians and, since all Christians are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, all Christians have all the gifts inside them at all times, ready to be expressed as the Holy Spirit chooses. (See “Day of Pentecost” and “Holy Spirit.”)
GOAL OF ALL CHRISTIANS. The early Christians taught that the “goal” of all Christians is to be habitually Spirit-Filled (that is, to be Spiritually mature) and to be so filled with the Spiritual power of the Holy Spirit that they reach the fullness of Christ. All Christians are commanded in the early Christian letters to strive for this goal.
GREEK LANGUAGE. The Greek king, Alexander the Great, conquered the known world between 356 BC and 323 BC. During his military campaigns, he also conquered Israel in 322 BC. Then, since he was a Greek, Alexander made Koine’ Greek the international language of his generation. Koine’ (pronounced “coy-nay'”) Greek is an ancient form of Greek that is extinct today, but Alexander’s actions explain why the early Christian letters were written in Greek. Jesus and His disciples spoke and wrote Greek and quoted the Greek Old Testament when they were teaching. This is the reason the New Testament part of the Bible must be translated from Greek to English for today’s readers. However, that can be problematic, since institutional translators over the years have improperly translated some of the Greek words in the early letters to make those words fit today’s denominational structure and hierarchy – and that has weakened the Spirituality of today’s Christians. For example, institutional translators use words such as “church” and “pastors” in today’s English Bibles, when those words are not in the original Greek manuscripts. (See “King James Version of the Bible.”)
GROWING CHRISTIAN. A “growing Christian” is one who has decided to pursue the Christian goal of being habitually Spirit-Filled and of reaching the fullness of Christ. A growing Christian’s mind is a battleground between the motivation of his or her selfish nature and the motivation of the indwelling Holy Spirit within him or her. The motivation to which he or she pays the most attention becomes his or her dominant motivation. (See “Spirit-Filled” and “Goal of All Christians.”)
GROUPS. (See “Small Groups.”)
HABITS. “Habits” are reoccurring, often unconscious, behaviors formed through repetition. It takes a minimum of 21 days to create a new habit. After 21 days, a new habit becomes stronger with each passing day. Christians are mandated by God to form the new habit of being Spirit-Filled, which makes them Spiritually mature. (See “Spirit-Filled” and “Spiritually Mature.”)
HEALINGS. “Healings” are one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through certain Christians. The phrase “gifts of healings” comes from the First Century Greek words charismata iamaton. Both words are plural. This indicates that people have many different illnesses stemming from many different causes, but that the Holy Spirit is capable of healing them all. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
HEART. The word “heart” is from the First Century Greek word kardia (pronounced “car-dee’-ah”), literally meaning the human heart. But in First Century Christian writing, the word “heart” is also a synonym for the human mind. (See “Mind.”)
HERMAS. (“ehr-maas’.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
HOLOGRAM. A “hologram” (pronounced “holl’-uh-gram,” to rhyme with Hollywood) is a laser image in which the full picture can be seen in its smallest part. On this blog, a “hologram” is an analogy for a small group that is operated like a mini-congregation of an institutional denomination. That is, it has a designated human leader, a preplanned agenda, preselected songs, a preplanned teaching, and often a pastor, elder, or other denominational official present to supervise. In addition, its study materials are often selected, prepared, and shipped from a national headquarters or a Christian publisher. Thus, except for the fact that its participants meet in a small group, such meetings are actually mini-congregations and are not modeled after the small group structure used by the early Christians. (See “Small Group.”)
HOLY. The word “holy” comes from the First Century Greek word hagios (pronounced “hah’-gey-aas”), meaning a Christian who is pure, chaste, modest, clean, and free from guilt. The word can also be translated “saint,” which was one of the names for early Christians. (See “Christian” and “Saint.”)
HOLY SPIRIT. The term “Holy Spirit” comes from the First Century Greek phrase Hagios Pneuma (pronounced “hah’-gey-aas new’-muh”), referring to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. During His last day on earth, Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit (who had only been “with” them at that point in history) would soon come to earth like wind and fire and would be “in” them. After Jesus returned to heaven, 120 of His disciples gathered and waited several days in Jerusalem for this experience to happen. Then, at 9:00 o’clock in the morning on May 30th, 30 AD, the morning of the one-day wheat festival called the Festival of Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit from heaven to indwell humans for the first time, baptizing the inner spirits of the 120 disciples in Spiritual power. This date is the birthday of Christianity, and this experience is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the supernatural event that creates Christians. Today, Christians are created the same way they were in the First Century – by having “a personal Pentecost.” (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” “Christian,” and “Day of Pentecost.”)
HOME GROUPS. (See “Small Groups.”)
HUMAN NATURE. A synonym for human flesh. (See “Flesh.”)
IGNATIUS. (“ig-nay’-shsus.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
IMMATURE CHRISTIAN. An “immature” Christian is one who, although he or she is indwelled by the Holy Spirit and has had his or her inner spirit baptized in the Holy Spirit, is continuing to let his or her selfish nature be the primary motivation of his or her outer behavior. The First Century Christian Greek word for “immature” is sarkikos (pronounced “sar-key-caas'”). It comes from the root word sarx, meaning “flesh,” and refers to the inner selfish nature. Immature Christians can also be called carnal, infants, fleshy, and babes in Christ. Thus, a Christian is immature to the degree to which his or her selfish nature is motivating him or her. An immature Christian has the same morals and ethics as a non-Christian, which explains why Christianity is losing its influence in American society – many American Christians are immature and are having no positive impact on society. The solution for immature Christians is to start growing Spiritually; and the way to do that is for them to join (or form) a small group of like-minded Christians who also want to grow Spiritually. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” “Infant Christian,” and “Small Group.”)
IN PARALLEL SMALL GROUP. (See “Small Group”)
INDWELLING. A synonym for being baptized in the Holy Spirit. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”)
INFANT CHRISTIAN. Paul taught that Christians who have not grow much Spiritually since they became Christians are “infant” Christians. The Greek word he used is nepios (pronounced “nay’-pea-aas”), literally meaning an infant, baby, or small child. Paul said that “infant” Christians are being motivated by their flesh (their selfish human nature), and are therefore filled with envy, strife, and divisiveness, being no more Spiritual than a non-Christian. (See “Divisiveness,” “Flesh,” and “Immature Christian.”)
JESUS. “Jesus” is also known as Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, and Jesus the second Person of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He founded the Spiritual movement that today we call “Christianity.” He founded it in Jerusalem at 9:00 o’clock in the morning on The Lord’s Day, May 30th, 30 AD. This was the morning of the annual one-day wheat harvest festival called the Feast of Pentecost. On this date, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit from heaven and baptized the inner spirits of 120 of his former disciples, awakening their inner spirits to Spiritual life for the first time. The movement that Jesus founded on this date was originally a Spiritual movement whose members were called “followers of The Way,” and the “Body of Christ,” and who were the most Spiritual people who had ever lived up to that time. Today, Jesus is still the Head of all Christians – and Christians are still known as followers the Body of Christ. Christians today should still be the most Spiritual people in society and they are commanded by God to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to do what Jesus would do if He was still walking the earth. The only reason Christians today do not do this is if they allow their selfish natures to be their prime daily motivation. (See “Body of Christ,” “Christian,” “Day of Pentecost,” “Follower of The Way” and “Motivation.”)
JOHN THE BAPTIZER. “John the Baptizer” was an eccentric First Century prophet who lived as a hermit in the Judean desert in Israel, dressed in animal hides and eating insects and other wild life. The word “baptizer” is from the First Century Greek word, baptistes (pronounced “bop-tis-tace'”), meaning a person who leads others into the celebration of water-baptism, which is what John did on the banks of the Jordan River. (Special Note: In the original Greek, John’s name is not John “the Baptist,” as he is improperly called today. His name in Greek is John “the baptizer.” He had no connection with today’s Baptist denomination, which did not exist in his day.) Oddly, John was about the same age as Jesus and was one of Jesus’s cousins. John is remembered primarily for the fact that he prophesied the appearance of Jesus as the Christ and the Messiah. John was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas, the governor of the province of Galilee, shortly after Jesus appeared on the scene. (See “Jesus.”)
KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE. This is a translation of the Bible from the original languages into Elizabethan English that was done in Britain in 1611 AD. It is also known as the KJV, the Authorized Version, and the King James Bible. It was translated from the original Hebrew and Greek languages by a committee of Anglican scholars convened by King James the VI of Scotland (the head of the Anglican denomination at the time, the national denomination of England). The king instructed the committee to make certain that their translation conformed to the beliefs and structure of the Anglican denomination, including conforming to its hierarchy of priests and bishops. Because of this, the King James Version is problematic today, since in many places it revises what the original early Christian letters actually say. For example, the Greek word group is translated “church,” and the Greek word elders is translated “pastors.” These revisions were made to justify the structure and policies of the Anglican denomination but, tragically, millions of Christians since that day have been taught these improper translations and accept them as true “Christian” words today.
KNOWLEDGE (WORD OF). A “word of knowledge” is one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The phrase “word of knowledge” comes from the First Century Greek words logos (“log’-aas,” a spoken word) and gnosis (“gno’-sis,” an understanding of something). With this gift, the Holy Spirit reveals to the mind of a participant in a small group meeting some supernatural knowledge about a person, situation, or issue that otherwise he or she would not know. The participant then verbally explains that understanding to the group, giving positive guidance and comfort to the person or persons involved. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
LAITY. The word “laity” is from the Latin word laici, referring to a class of non-professional, non-consecrated, non-priestly people – that is, referring to a class of Christians who are not members of the “clergy.” The Roman emperor Constantine developed the word “laity” in the Fourth Century to divide, confuse, and suppress the early Christians. First, he divided Christians into a “clergy” (clerici) and a “laity” (laici). Then he further subdivided the “clergy” into deacons, priests, bishops, and so forth. His plan was successful, and Christians today are still divided into a “clergy” and a “laity,” with the “clergy” still subdivided into a layered hierarchy of many different job titles. (See “Clergy,” “Constantine,” and “Laity.”)
LIFE. (See “Motivation of Life.”)
LIFESTYLE. The word “lifestyle” refers to a habitual pattern of behaving or conducting oneself. The lifestyle of the original Christians was called following The Way. It was a Spiritual lifestyle that attracted non-Christians to it because its peace and joy were the opposite of the angry and lustful behavior they were experiencing. The lifestyle of the original Christians in the First Century was known not only for its peace, healings, and miracles, but also for its high morality and ethics. (See “Behavior” and “Followers of The Way.”)
LIKE-MINDEDNESS. When two or more Christians seek Spiritual growth together and encourage one another to experience more of the supernatural and more of the Spiritual gifts. (See “Peer Pressure,” “Spiritual Gifts,” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
LIGHT. (See “Motivation of Light.”)
LIVING WATER. (See “Rivers of Living Water / Rivers of God.”)
LOVE FEAST. (See “The Lord’s Supper.”)
MASS. (See “The Lord’s Supper.”)
MASTER PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. The “Master Principle” on this blog is a principle that says that in order to grow Spiritually a Christian must: “Do and say everything Spiritual that the First Century Christians did and said; and must not do and say anything unspiritual that they didn’t do and say.”
MATURE CHRISTIAN. A “mature” Christian is one who has made a habit of being Spirit-Filled each day and of expressing his or her Spiritual gifts while being Spirit-Filled. When a Christian has the habit of letting the Holy Spirit influence 51 percent (or more) of his or her mind (thus unseating the dominance of his or her selfish nature as the prime motivator), he or she is a “mature” Christian. This condition can also be called behaving in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, and other such terms. (See “Spirit-Filled.”)
MEASUREMENT FOR CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR. (See “Model for Spiritual Christianity.”)
MIND. The word “mind” is from the First Century Greek word nous (pronounced “noose”), meaning the human mind. The early Christians also referred to the mind with the synonym “heart.” They taught that the human mind has three main abilities: It can understand things; make decisions, and exert will power. But they taught that the human mind is morally neutral and has no morals of its own: It simply responds to whatever inner motivator (good or bad) is powering it. Thus, if Christians allow their selfish natures to be their prime motivator, they will be immature Christians and will have the same behavior as non-Christians. But if Christians make it a habit to allow the indwelling Holy Spirit within them to flood up and become the prime motivator of their minds, they will be Christians growing to Spiritual maturity and will have the same healings, peace, and miracles in their lives that the First Century Christians had. (See “Heart,” “Immature Christian” and “Mature Christian.”)
MINI-CONGREGATIONS. “Mini-congregations” are Christian small groups that have the organizational structure of a miniature denominational congregation, usually operating as a program under a parent congregation. As such, they have a human leader, an agenda, a preplanned lesson, preselected songs, and the tight human control that are the hallmarks of formal denominational congregations. (See “Congregation,” “Hologram,” and “Small Groups.”)
MIRACLES. “Miracles” are one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The word “miracle” comes from the First Century Greek phrase, energema dynamis, referring to a supernatural event, situation, or circumstance in a Christian’s life that has been performed by the Holy Spirit. Miracles can be amazing answers to prayer, unusual deliverances from danger, unexpected guidance during a crisis, and so on. The subject of “miracles” is complex, since all the gifts of the Spirit are miraculous (they are all supernatural). In addition, God also performs miracles that are independent of the gifts of the Spirit. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
MODEL FOR SPIRITUAL CHRISTIANITY. The test of the Christian lifestyle today, and of all Christian behavior and activities today, is how closely they match the Spiritual lifestyle of the First Century Christians. The early Christian lifestyle was a Spiritual lifestyle. It was not a social, political, institutional, or military lifestyle. That Spiritual lifestyle is what attracted non-Christians to Christianity in the First Century. The early Christians had love, joy, peace, patience, healings, and miracles – and non-Christians did not have those things. So the non-Christians joined Christianity to get them. Those early Christian principles are still true today. To have the same Spirituality that the early Christians had, today’s Christians must model the early Christian Spiritual lifestyle: They must socialize with other like-minded Christians in informal, unstructured small groups that are being taught directly by the Holy Spirit. (See “Behavior,” “Small Groups” and “Spirit-Filling.”)
MOTIVATION. The word “motivation” comes from the Latin verb, motus, meaning “to move.” Motivation refers to the inner forces that “move” people to respond either positively or negatively to situations. Motivation is what creates human behavior. Non-Christians only have one inner motivation — their selfish natures. Christians, who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, have two inner motivations competing for control of their behavior: their selfish natures and the indwelling Spiritual power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the way Christians live a Spiritual life is by praying to be habitually Spirit-Filled. That allows the Holy Spirit to flow up within them and counteract the negative urges of their flesh. (See “Behavior,” “Flesh” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
MOTIVATION OF DARKNESS. The “motivation of Darkness” refers to the motivation of the flesh (the selfish human nature) within both Christians and non-Christians. The more a person’s mind is motivated by flesh, the more rude, insensitive, vulgar, and selfish he or she will be. Non-Christians have little or no control over this negative motivation. Christians, on the other hand, since they are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, have a second inner motivation capable of counteracting the Dark urges of their flesh. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and “Motivation.”)
MOTIVATION OF DEATH. (See “Motivation of Darkness.”)
MOTIVATION OF LIFE. (See “Motivation of Light.”)
MOTIVATION OF LIGHT. The “motivation of Light” refers to the motivation of the indwelling Holy Spirit within Christians. The more a Christian’s mind is influenced by the Holy Spirit (the motivation of “Light”), the more loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, and gentle he or she will be. Non-Christians do not have the motivation of Light within them and must become Christians to receive it. (See “Christians” and “Natural People.”)
NATURAL PEOPLE / NON-CHRISTIANS. The word “natural” comes from the First Century Greek word psuchikos (pronounced “foo-see-caas'”) and refers to non-Christians – people who are not indwelled by the Holy Spirit and thus cannot be Spiritual or understand Spiritual things. Non-Christians are called “natural” people because their selfish human nature is their only motivating force. They do not have a second inner motivation to counteract the negative drives of their natures. This is the key difference between Christians and non-Christians: Christians are indwelled by the Holy Spirit and non-Christians are not. (See “Christian.”)
NEW TESTAMENT. The term “New Testament” refers to 27 early Christian letters that were inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by early Christians in the Greek language between 45 AD and 90 AD. The purpose of these letters was to record the history of Jesus and the founding of Christianity; as well as to give advice and instructions to the early Christian small groups. Depending on which letters are included, the apostle Paul wrote between 13 and 14 of them, or approximately two-thirds of the New Testament. Scholars disagree over whether Paul wrote the letter called Hebrews, and this explains why the count varies. When the 39 books of the Old Testament are added to these 27 letters, the entire Bible consists of 66 books and letters. (See “Bible” and “Old Testament.”)
NON-CHRISTIAN. (See “Natural People / Non-Christians.”)
OLD TESTAMENT. The term “Old Testament” refers to 39 ancient books that were inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by ancient Israelite authors in the Hebrew language between 1,450 BC and 400 BC. The purpose of the books was to record the history, poems, and prophecies of the Israelite people and their relationship with God. When the 27 letters of the New Testament are added to these 39 books, the entire Bible consists of 66 books and letters. (See “Bible” and “New Testament.”)
PAPIAS. (“pah’-pea-us.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
PARALLEL GROUPS. (See “Church Programs” and “Small Groups.”)
PARTICIPANTS. (See “Small Groups.”)
PAUL. Besides Peter, “Paul” is one of history’s best known and most beloved First Century Christian apostles, prophets, and teachers. He wrote 13 or 14 of the letters of the New Testament (two-thirds of them, depending on whether the letter of Hebrews is counted as one of Paul’s letters). Paul single-handedly introduced Christianity to much of the known world in the First Century. He was Jewish, was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, and was a Roman citizen. His Jewish name was Saul. His Greek and Latin name was Paul. (Paulos in Greek and Paulus in Latin.) Paul was born in the city of Tarsus in Turkey around 1 AD. He moved to Jerusalem, Israel at the age of 13 to complete his education and learn a trade, as required of all Jewish boys (Paul’s trade was tent making). Paul eventually became a highly educated, intelligent, and devout Pharisee – one of the most vocal and influential of Israel’s religious groups. In that role he became a vicious persecutor of Christians, until he himself became a Christian through a Spiritual experience while on the open road between Jerusalem and Damascus. After this experience, Paul devoted his life to serving Christianity with the triple call from the Holy Spirit of a prophet, teacher, and apostle. He was eventually imprisoned in the city of Rome, where he was beheaded on June 29, 67 AD, by the Roman emperor, Nero. Today, Paul’s remains lie under the altar of a basilica on the Ostian Highway outside of Rome called The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls that the Roman emperor Constantine constructed to protect Paul’s burial plot. A heavy marble slab covers his grave today, placed there by Constantine in the Fourth Century. The slab bears the ancient Latin inscription: Paulo, Apostolo, Mart. Translated, this means, “Paul, Apostle, Martyr.” (See “Apostle” and “Peter.”)
PEER PRESSURE. The term peer pressure” refers to the influence that a person’s social group has on him or her. Most humans feel an overwhelming tendency to conform to the lifestyle of the group with whom they socialize, so that peer pressure is one of the most powerful influences on humans – for either good or bad – and since most humans are motivated primarily by their selfish natures, peer pressure is normally negative. However, peer pressure can be positive for Christians, if they socialize in small groups of other like-minded Christians committed to Spiritual growth. (See “Like-Mindedness,” “Small Groups,” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
PENTECOST. (See “Day of Pentecost.”)
PETER. Besides Paul, “Peter” is one of history’s best known and most beloved First Century apostles and elders. Unlike Paul, who became a Christian late in life, Peter was one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus and later became an elder in Jerusalem. Peter was born a Jew in Bethsaida on the eastern shore of Lake Galilee, but later moved several miles west to Capernaum on the north-central shore. Peter’s Jewish name was Simon bar Jona (meaning Simon, son of Jonas). But his name was changed to Peter, a Greek name, when Jesus called Peter as a disciple. Because of this, Peter is known by several different names in the early Christian letters. He is called “Peter” in some letters; Simon-Peter” in some; and “Cephas” (the Aramaic form of Peter) in others. Together with his younger brother Andrew, Peter was raised as professional fishermen and owned a fleet of fishing boats on Lake Galilee. The ruins of Peter’s home still stand in ancient Capernaum today. Little is known of Peter’s life in later years, but it is known that about 60 AD he traveled to Rome where he visited Paul in prison. Then, on October 13, 64 AD, Peter was falsely arrested in Rome during a Christian persecution by the Roman emperor, Nero. Peter was crucified upside down in the circus (racetrack) that stood on the west side of the Tiber River at the foot of Vatican Hill in Rome, where St. Peter’s basilica stands today. Peter’s body was secretly buried by some surviving Christians in an unmarked grave in a small Roman graveyard that stood on the slope of Vatican Hill and, for many years, it was a secret pilgrimage site for Christians. Then in the Fourth Century, the emperor Constantine did the same thing to Peter’s grave that he did to Paul’s grave: He built a large basilica over it. Thus, today Peter’s bones (which have been scientifically identified) lie in a small mausoleum 30 feet beneath the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica on St. Peter’s Square in Rome, where they can still be viewed by researchers by special appointment. Also, the prison in which Peter was held, and the chains that bound him, are still visible in Rome today. (See “Apostle” and “Paul.”)
POLYCARP. (“polly’-carp.” See the List of Early Christian Letters in the Research Bibliography on this site.)
PROPHETS / PROPHECIES. A “prophet” is one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The word “prophet” comes from the First Century Greek word prophetes (pronounced “prah-faye’-tace”), and refers to a Christian who speaks messages directly from the Holy Spirit, usually messages that foretell future events and situations. The word prophetes comes from two Greek roots that mean “to foretell,” or “to predict.” Thus, prophets often reveal things that are going to happen before they actually do. In the First Century, one of Paul’s three calls to service was that of a prophet. Other First Century prophets, such as Agabus, Jude, Silas, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen are named in the early Christian letters. The Holy Spirit can also express the temporary gift of prophecy through any Christian at any time. When He does, the prophecy can be in English or sometimes in a foreign language, which is then translated by the speaker, or another participant, in the group. (See “Calls to Christian Service” and “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
PROTESTANT REFORMATION. (See “Reformers.”)
(There are no entries under the “Q” section of the glossary at this time.)
REDEEMED. A synonym for being baptized in the Holy Spirit and becoming a Christian. (See “Christians.”)
REFORMERS. The “Reformers” were a group of Catholic priests during the Middle Ages who tried to renew Roman Catholicism and bring it back in line with the lifestyle and teachings of the early Christians. They were known as “Protestants” because they were protesting the way Catholicism was run. They were also known as “Reformers,” since they were trying to reform Catholicism. The Protestant Reformation failed because Catholicism did not want to be renewed. Instead, it resisted fiercely. (Many of the protesting priests were tortured and killed.) Eventually, the priests abandoned Catholicism and tried to start a separate group that would live the way the early Christians had lived. But that also failed, and the Protestant Reformation broke into smaller pieces through doctrinal disputes among the reforming priests. This breaking up of Catholicism gave birth to today’s institutional denominations. Today’s “Protestant” denominations are still more like Catholicism than they are like the vibrant lifestyle of the original followers of The Way. Religious institutions, whether Catholic or Protestant, normally cannot be renewed because they usually vigorously fight to protect their traditions, buildings, pastors, priests, and formalized programs. (See “Church Programs” and “Followers of The Way.”)
REGENERATED. A synonym for being baptized in the Holy Spirit and becoming a Christian. (See “Christian.”)
RESULT OF THE SPIRIT / “FRUIT” OF THE SPIRIT. The term “result of the Spirit” (also known as the “fruit of the Spirit,” the “product of the Spirit,” or what the “Spirit produces” in Christians) comes from the First Century Greek phrase, karpos tou Pneuma, referring to the positive emotions that Spirit-Filling produces in Christians. The First Century Greek word karpos (pronounced “car-paace'”) literally refers to the fruits, grains, and vegetables that farmers raise on their farms. But figuratively, the term refers to the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness, etc., that the indwelling Holy Spirit produces in Christians. Christians have these positive Spiritual emotions to the extent they are Spirit-Filled. Non-Christians cannot have these emotions because they are not indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Many Christians refer to these good emotions as the “fruit” of the Spirit because the King James Version of the Bible translated the Greek word karpos that way in 1611 AD. (See “Christian,” “King James Version of the Bible” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
RIVERS OF GOD. (See “Rivers of Living Water / Rivers of God.”)
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER / RIVERS OF GOD. These terms refer to the motivation of the Holy Spirit within Christians. They refer to the influence the Holy Spirit has on Christian behavior – and they give a mental image of how the Holy Spirit can flood up within Christians to influence their minds with positive emotions and to create positive behavior in their lives. The term was used for the first time by Jesus in the courtyards of the Jerusalem temple on the last day of fall harvest festival in Israel in October, 29 AD. (Jesus was executed the following spring.) His words were recorded by the disciple John in the letter of John, Chapter 7, Verses 38 and 39, in the New Testament part of the Bible. Jesus was predicting the Day of Pentecost that would arrive seven months later on May 30th, 30 AD, and that would be the birthday of Christianity. Since water is one of the First Century symbols for the Holy Spirit, Jesus was predicting that, after the Day of Pentecost came, Christians would have “rivers” of Spiritual motivation flooding up within them to Spiritually motivate them and to help them grow Spiritually through the inner influence of the Holy Spirit. In the original Greek, the term “Rivers of Living Water” can be more fully translated as: Rivers of Water that give Christians a true, strong, vigorous, fresh, vital, powerful lifestyle. (See “Christian,” “Day of Pentecost,” “Spiritual Motivation,” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
RULE OF 51 PERCENT: This rule says that 51 percent (or more) of a Christian’s mind must be influenced by the Holy Spirit before he or she can be said to be Spirit-Filled. When this 51 percent condition of Spirit-Filling becomes a habit, a Christian can be said to be Spiritually mature.
SAINT. The term “saint” is a generic synonym for a Christian. More specifically, it is a term for a Spirit-Filled Christian. The word “saint” comes from the First Century Greek word hagios (“haa’-gey-aas “), meaning a holy one. In the early centuries, the word “saint” was a term for all Christians — not a special term limited to dead Christians who have been granted unique religious status by an institutional denomination. (See “Christian” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
SAVED. A synonym for being baptized in the Holy Spirit and becoming a Christian. (See “Christian.”)
SEEKING. “What we think about all day is what we’re really seeking.” Thus, since the Holy Spirit never overrides human will power, the key to Spiritual growth is seeking it: thinking about it, expecting it, and continually praying, “Fill me, Holy Spirit.” (See “Spiritual Growth.”)
SELFISH NATURE. This is a synonym for human “flesh” – the basic selfishness of a human being’s makeup. (See “Flesh.”)
SHUN EVIL. The term “Shun Evil!” was a motto the early Christians used in their letters and conversations. In the original Greek, the phrase can be translated as: “Stay away from evil!” Christians are mandated by God to avoid all forms of profanity, lewdness, vulgarity, pornography, rudeness, crudity, sexual innuendo, and everything risqué or off-color. The best way for Christians to do that is to participate in small groups of like-minded Spirit-Filled Christians and to benefit from the positive peer pressure that such groups generate. (See “Peer Pressure and “Small Groups.”)
SHUNNING. (See “Shun Evil.”)
SIDE-BY-SIDE GROUPS. (See “Church Programs” and “Small Groups.”)
SIN. This word is a synonym for unspiritual behavior in people. The word “sin” refers to any thought, word, or deed that is motivated by a person’s selfish human nature (a person’s flesh). Non-Christians cannot help sinning. Christians can avoid sinning to the degree that they pray to be influenced by the Holy Spirit and to the degree that they allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to suppress the urges of their selfish human natures. (See “Flesh” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
SMALL GROUPS. In the First Century, the original Christians met in unstructured, relaxed, informal small groups in homes and other quiet areas. These small groups were formed around one or two families, with perhaps a few friends and neighbors joining in. Group sizes varied from two Christians (the minimum size for a small group) to about a dozen participants. Prayer and worship in these meetings was guided directly by the Holy Spirit. As a result, these small groups were a key to the amazing Spirituality of the early Christians. They socialized and worshiped in small groups for the first three centuries of Christian history. Then, tragically, the Roman emperor Constantine put an end to small groups in the Fourth Century and forced Christians to start meeting in large groups in large public buildings, using formal, human-controlled programs. This effectively made the power of early Christian Spirituality extinct. However, the Spiritual potential of early Christian style small groups has never changed. Thus, if today’s Christians meet in small groups modeled on the First Century pattern, the result is the same today as it was then. Pollsters estimate that over 20,000,000 American Christians now meet in small groups, either independently or in parallel with formal congregational programs. The technical description of a Christian small group is: two (or more) Christians who meet face to face frequently, with two-way conversations, over a long span of time, for the purpose of growing Spiritually together. The biggest problem in Christian small groups today is when they are often structured like “holograms” of formal congregational programs – that is, they are structured as mini-denominational congregations, instead of informal early Christian style groups. (See “Church Programs,” “Constantine,” “Hologram,” and “Mini-Congregations”)
SOCIALIZATION. The word “socialization” comes from a Latin root that means a companion. More fully, it refers to the people with whom a person lives, eats, and spends time. Thus, one side effect of socialization is the peer pressure that a social group applies to its members to make them conform to the group’s lifestyle. Socialization is the process by which a group’s habits (its culture) are formed, maintained, and transmitted to new members. However, since most people’s primary motivation is their selfish nature, that causes much of human socialization to be negative. In the First Century, Christians used socialization to their advantage by limiting their socialization to the positive peer pressure of a group of like-minded Christians who were seeking Spiritual growth with them. (See “Peer Pressure,” “Small Groups,” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
SOUL. The word “soul” comes from the First Century Greek word psuche’ (pronounced “sue-hay'”), and refers to the invisible, immortal part of humans that gives them life on earth and that survives death. The early Christians used the word “soul” as a synonym for the inner spirit in humans. (See “Spirit, in Humans.”)
SPIRIT, IN HUMANS. The word “spirit” (with a lower case “s”) comes from the First Century Greek word pneuma (pronounced “new’-muh”). It refers to the immortal spirit within humans. This is the invisible part of humans also known as the “soul.” This inner spirit in humans came from God, is created in His image, gives life to a person, and returns to God for judgment or rewards when a person dies. In its original condition at human birth, this inner spirit is Spiritually dead and has no ability to motivate a person for good behavior. However, when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit and becomes a Christian, his or her inner spirit is awakened to Spiritual life and is potentially a motivator for good behavior (if the Christan seeks Spiritual growth). (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit,” “Christian,” “Soul” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
SPIRIT-BAPTISM. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”)
SPIRIT-FILLED. The phrase “Spirit-Filled” comes from the First Century Greek words Pneuma (“new’-muh,” meaning “Spirit”) and Pimplemi (“pim’-play-me,” meaning “temporarily filled”). A Christian is Spirit-Filled when the Holy Spirit has been allowed to influence 51 percent or more of his or her mind. Non-Christians cannot be Spirit-Filled, and Spirit-Filling is rare among immature Christians. But as Christians seek Spiritual growth, the average level of the Holy Spirit’s influence in their minds increases in both amount and length of time. When the amount of influence reaches the 51 percent mark, a Christian is Spirit-Filled. When the span of time becomes a new habit, a Christian is Spiritually mature. Since all Christians are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, all Christians have some percentage of Spiritual influence in their minds. This means that the issue is not “whether” a Christian is influenced by the Spirit, since he or she is to some extent. Instead, the two real issues are: how much a Christian is being influenced; and for what length of time. All Christians are commanded by God to make Spirit-Filling a habit because Spirit-Filling is the key to everything else a Christian is meant to have, do, and be. (See “Mind” and “Spirit-Influenced.”)
SPIRIT-INFLUENCED. The term “Spirit-Influenced” refers to a Christian’s mind being motivated to some greater or lesser degree by the Holy Spirit for some longer or shorter span of time. Not all Christians are Spirit-Filled. However, all Christians have the capacity to be influenced by the Spirit. It is this inner influence (or the lack of it) that shapes a Christian’s outer behavior. Thus, Christians are “Spiritual” based on the percentage of their mind being influenced by the Spirit at a given time. This percentage can range from very little in immature Christians – to moderate in growing Christians – to very much in Spirit-Filled Christians. However, since the Holy Spirit never overrides human will power, it is up to the individual Christian to decide how much he or she is going to seek the Spirit’s influence, and how much he or she is going to allow that influence to guide his or her life. (See “Holy Spirit,” “Spirit-Filled,” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
SPIRITUAL. The word “Spiritual” is from the First Century Greek word Pneumatikos (pronounced “new-mah-tea-kaas’,” written with a capital “S”). It refers to the level of Spiritual motivation that a Christian is allowing the Holy Spirit to produce in him or her. The word comes from the Greek root Pneuma (“new’-muh”), referring to the Holy Spirit. Thus, the word is always capitalized because it refers to part of the Trinity of God. The word “Spiritual” did not appear in early Christian writing until after the Day of Pentecost on May 30th, 30 AD, which is the birthday of Christianity. The Holy Spirit came to earth on that day to indwell humans for the first time and to baptize their inner spirits with Spiritual power. This means that people could not be Spiritual before the Day of Pentecost, but that all people have the opportunity to be Spiritual after that date. (See “Christian” and “Day of Pentecost.”)
SPIRITUAL GROWTH. The term “Spiritual growth” refers to a process of positive behavioral change in Christians, during which they are more and more influenced by the Holy Spirit for longer and longer lengths of time, until they make a habit of being Spirit-Filled. The goal of all Christians is to be habitually Spirit-Filled because the early Christian letters command Christians to: “Be Filled With the Spirit!” All Christians are Spiritually immature when first indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and they stay that way until they consciously begin to seek Spiritual growth. (See “Habits,” “Spirit-Filled,” and “Spiritual Hunger.”)
SPIRITUAL HUNGER. One of the most important principles in Christianity is that the Holy Spirit never overrides human will power. That means the motivation of a Christian’s selfish nature (his or her flesh) will continue to be his or her primary motivation until he or she becomes Spiritually hungry enough to seek Spiritual growth. The easiest way for a Christian to create Spiritual hunger in himself or herself is to participate in a small group of like-minded Christians who are all seeking Spiritual growth together. (See “Like-Mindedness,” “Small Groups,” and “Spiritual Growth.”)
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY. (See “Immature Christian.”)
SPIRITUAL MATURITY. (See “Mature Christian.”)
SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION. (See “Motivation,” “Spirit-Influenced,” “Spirit-Filled,” and “Living Water / Rivers of God.”)
SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING. Spiritual matters can only be Spiritually understood. Because of that, Spiritual matters can only be understood by growing or mature Christians. Growing or mature Christians are the only ones whose minds are influenced enough by the Holy Spirit to create true Spiritual understanding. Non-Christians (who are not indwelled by the Holy Spirit), and immature Christians (who are not being influenced enough by the Holy Spirit), are not Spiritual and cannot understand Spiritual experiences. Thus, the key to Spiritual understanding is to be more influenced by the Holy Spirit for longer spans of time. To do that, Christians must pray, “Fill me, Holy Spirit,” and must also participate in a Spirit-Filled Christian small group. (See “Christian,” “Small Groups,” “Spirit-Filled,” and “Spirit-Influenced.”)
SPIRITUAL UNITY. (See “Fellowship.”)
SPIRITUAL WARFARE. The early Christians taught that the motivation of the inner selfish nature (the flesh) within Christians is at “war” with the motivation of the Holy Spirit within them. These two inner motivators are in a constant struggle to be the primary motivation of a Christian’s outer behavior. This means that every Christian’s outer behavior is either primarily selfish, or primarily Spiritual, depending on which of the two motivation is winning the war. Since the Holy Spirit never overrides human will power, the way for Christians to win this war is to pray constantly, “Fill me, Holy Spirit,” and to also participate in a small group of like-minded Christians who are all seeking Spiritual growth together. (See “Flesh,” “Holy Spirit,” “Motivation,” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
STANDARD FOR CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR. (See “Model for Spiritual Christianity.”)
STRUCTURED PROGRAMS. (See “Church Programs.”)
SUNDAY. (See “The Lord’s Day.”)
TEACHER. “Teachers” are one of the six calls to full-time Christian service issued to certain Christians by the Holy Spirit. The word “teacher” comes from the First Century Greek word didaskalos (pronounced “di-das’-cuh-laas”). Didaskalos itself comes from the Greek verb, didasko, meaning to hold round table debates with people to instruct them. Early Christian style teaching is a dialog – not a monolog – and the teachings are guided by the Holy Spirit. As is the case with all the calls to servanthood, the permanent call of a teacher is different from the temporary gift of teaching. The Holy Spirit can express the temporary gift of teaching through any Christian at any time: For example, during a small group meeting. But a Christian with the permanent call of a teacher expresses the gift by moving among Christians and Christian groups full-time to teach them. (See “Calls to Christian Service.”)
TEST FOR CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR. (See “Model for Spiritual Christianity.”)
THE LORD’S DAY. The early Christians called the first day of the week “The Lord’s Day” because that is the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead and also the day of the week that the Holy Spirit came down from heaven on the birthday of Christianity. In the First Century, The Lord’s Day was a normal workday and Christians celebrated it with special singing and prayers before work, or after work, or both. Then in the Fourth Century, 300 years after Christianity was founded, the Roman emperor Constantine, in an effort to suppress Christian Spirituality, passed a law making the first day of the week a legal holiday and renaming it “The Venerable Day of the Sun” (i.e., the day to worship the sun). This was a reference to the Roman religion of the sun god, of which Constantine was high priest. Constantine’s phrase was eventually shorted in daily conversation to the “Day of the Sun,” then “Sun Day,” then “Sun-Day,” and finally to “Sunday,” as we say it today. Thus, the non-Christian word “Sunday” is part of Constantine’s legacy to today’s Christianity. More, the first day of the week is still a holiday for many Christians today, a time to do yard work, the week’s grocery shopping, and household chores. (See “Constantine.”)
THE LORD’S SUPPER. “The Lord’s Supper” is a symbolic celebration in which Christians eat a piece of bread and drink a sip of wine to show their friends and family that they are members of the Body of Christ, that they are thankful for all that Jesus has done for them, and that they are anxious for Jesus’s return and the great banquet in heaven with Him. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper often includes singing and prayers, and it can be celebrated anywhere, at any time, by any group of Christians. In Christian small groups, it is often celebrated before, after, or during a major weekly group meal. Today, the celebration is also called “communion,” “the eucharist,” “mass,” “a love feast,” or “an agape meal” by various denominations. Jesus founded the celebration during His last meal with His disciples before He was arrested, and that time and place gave the celebration its name. The celebration of The Lord’s Supper is not required for Christians, since bread and wine have no Spiritual properties. Some Christians have never celebrated it, others celebrate it often. As in all things Christian, the celebration is a matter of personal choice and guidance by the Holy Spirit. (See “Body of Christ,” “Denominations,” and “Small Groups.”)
THE WAY. Before Christians were called “Christians,” they were known as followers of The Way. That term comes from the First Century Greek words kata hodos (pronounced “cuh-taah’ haa-dace'”), meaning to live a special or unique lifestyle. Thus, “The Way” refers to the pure and supernatural lifestyle that the early Christians lived – and that Christians are supposed to live today. The early Christians also referred to their special lifestyle as: The Way of Life, The Way of Light, and The Way of Righteousness. Their unique behavior was motivated by the indwelling Holy Spirit within them – so they had healings, peace, and miracles that non-Christians did not have. This supernatural lifestyle is what attracted non-Christians to Christianity in the early Centuries. Years later, the citizens of Antioch, Turkey re-named the followers of The Way “Christians.” (See “Christian,” “Followers of The Way,” and “Motivation.”)
TWO WAYS. The First Century Christians taught that all Christians live with one of two basic motivations dominating their behavior. They taught, “Two Ways there are, one of Life and one of Death, and there’s a great difference between the Two Ways.” This refers to the fact that all Christians have two motivators within them. The first and most important motivator is the motivation of Life – the positive urgings of the Holy Spirit. The second and most problematic motivator is the motivation of Death – the negative urgings of the selfish human nature. These two opposing motivators are at “war” within all Christians, each trying to dominate in producing the Christian’s outer behavior. The degree to which a Christian allows the Holy Spirit to win this inner war is what determines a Christian’s Spirituality. (See “Christian,” “Holy Spirit,” and “Motivation.”)
UNKNOWN CHRISTIAN LETTERS. A collection of First and Second Century Christian letters that were not included in the New Testament part of today’s Bible. Thus, these letters are “unknown” to many Christians. However, they were considered inspired letters by the early Christians, who used them for teaching purposes. These unknown letters include: Barnabas, Clement, Didache, Diognetus, Hermas, Ignatius, Papias, and Polycarp. All were written between 90 AD and 156 AD. (See “Bible” and “New Testament.” Also see the “List of Early Christian Letters” on this website.)
UNSPIRITUAL MOTIVATION. (See “Flesh” and “Immature Christian.”)
VISIONS. “Visions” are one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The word “vision” comes from the First Century Greek word horama (pronounced “har’-um-ah”), meaning a supernatural image given to a Christian by God. A vision is a Spiritual scene that a Christian sees in his or her mind, or with his or her eyes, or in a dream. When the Holy Spirit gives a Christian Spiritual vision, it always contains a positive message of teaching, comfort, and guidance for the Christian. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT. (See “Behaving in the Spirit” and “Followers of The Way.”)
WAR. (See “Spiritual Warfare” and “Two Ways.”)
WATER-BAPTISM. “Water-baptism” is a symbolic celebration in which Christians immerse themselves in water as a sign to their friends and family that they have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit and have had their inner spirits baptized in the Holy Spirit, thus becoming a Christian. Since water is one of the symbols for the Holy Spirit, this is touching and realistic symbolism. The celebration of water-baptism is often accompanied by singing, prayers, meals, and other activities – and it can be performed in a river, lake, pool, bathtub, or in the ocean. In the First Century, only adults and older children were water-baptized because only adults and older children can make the conscious decision to become a Christian. The early Christians immersed themselves, as their family and friends watched, and no religious official (priest, etc.) needed to be present. The celebration of water-baptism is always done by full immersion, since the First Century Greek word for “baptism” is baptisma (“bop’-teas-mah”) means to fully immerse and saturate something in a liquid. Water-baptism is not required for Christians because water has no Spiritual effect. Some Christians have never done it, while others have done it several times. As with all things Christian, the celebration of water-baptism is a matter of personal choice by individual Christians. (See “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.”)
WILL POWER. The early Christians taught that will power is one of the three abilities of the human mind and that the indwelling Holy Spirit never overrides a person’s will power. That explains why so many Christians are spiritually immature. They are not exerting their will power to seek and yield to the inner motivating influence of the Holy Spirit. (See “Mind” and “Spiritual Hunger.”)
WISDOM (A WORD OF). A “word of wisdom” is one of the Spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit expresses through Christians. The phrase “word of wisdom” comes from the First Century Greek words logos (“log’-aas,” a spoken word) and sophia (“sah-fee’-ah,” wisdom from God). In this gift, the Holy Spirit reveals supernatural wisdom to the mind of a Christian about a Bible verse, a Spiritual question, or some other issue that he or she would normally know nothing about. Christians expressing the gift of a word of wisdom usually share the divine wisdom with other Christians, since the purpose of the gifts is to encourage and enlighten others. (See “Gifts of the Spirit.”)
WORKS OF THE FLESH. (See “Behaving in Darkness” and “Flesh.”)
WORSHIP. The word “worship” comes from the First Century Greek word proskuneo (“praas-coo-nay’-oh”). Proskuneo comes from the root word for a “dog,” in the sense of a dog kissing its master’s face and lying at its master’s feet like a devoted pet. Thus, the First Century Christians tended to worship on their knees and often prone on their faces. Early Christian worship was quite different from what people call “worship” today. Today, “worship” usually consists of watching a congregational “stage show” and applauding the skills of the musicians, singers, pastors, and other performers on the stage. However, worship in Spirit and in truth, as the early Christians practiced it in small groups, was guided directly by the Holy Spirit and was an attitude of complete submission and reverence to God. It included the active participation of every Christian there, and the worship flowed through the gifts of the Spirit, causing the result (“fruit”) of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) in every Christian present. (See “Result of the Spirit,” “Small Groups,” and “Spirit-Filled.”)
WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. (See “Worship.”)
(There are no entries under the “X” section of the glossary at this time.)
(There are no entries under the “Y” section of the glossary at this time.)
(There are no entries under the “Z” section of the glossary at this time.)