Church WithOut Walls International-Europe
  • Home
    • Privacy Verklaring
  • DE
    • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken >
      • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken - PDF
  • EN
    • Weekly Thoughts >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS >
        • John's Monthly Newsletter
      • Weekly Thoughts serie in PDF format
    • About John Fenn
    • About Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Books written by Ank Kleinmeulman >
      • About Ank - author
    • Online Bibleschool
  • F
    • Pensées Hebdomadaires
    • PDF à lire et/ou imprimer
    • A propos de John Fenn
    • A propos de Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Vidéo en anglais
    • Nous contacter
  • FI
    • Viikottaisia ajatuksia >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS / Viikottaisia ajatuksia
      • Weekly Thoughts / Viikottaisia ajatuksia - PDF
    • John Fennistä
    • TV7
    • Kontaktihenkilö Suomessa
  • LT
    • Weekly Thoughts (LT) Savaitės Mintys >
      • E-Book
    • Straipsniai >
      • Kaip mes suprantame, koks turi būti surinkimas
      • Krikštai
      • Kaip veikia 5 tarnavimo dovanos namų surinkimuose?
      • Grįžimas prie paprasto tikėjimo
      • Garbinimas
      • Namų surinkimai Naujajame Testamente
      • Išgelbėjimas
      • Tikėjimo išpažinimas
      • Kaip prasidėjo CWOWI?
      • Dažnai pasitaikantys klausimai
    • Video LT
  • LV
  • NL
    • Weekly Thoughts - nederlands >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS (NL) Wekelijkse Gedachten >
        • Weekly Thoughts NL pdf
    • Over / bio van John Fenn
    • Over / bio Wil & Ank
    • Wat wij geloven
    • Onderwijs - Online Bijbelschool
    • Onderwijs - MP3
    • Boeken van Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Doneren / gift overmaken?
    • Conferentie
    • Artikelen >
      • Hoe “Church Without Walls International” is ontstaan
      • Hoe een samenkomst van een CWOW huisgemeente eruit ziet
      • Waarom samenkomen in een huis?
      • Wat is een huiskerk en een huiskerk netwerk?
      • HuisKerken: Waarom – Wat – en Hoe?
      • Ank deelt over Wat & Hoe van Huiskerken (VIDEO'S)
    • Lokaties van Huiskerken (in NL)
  • PL
  • RO
    • Gânduri săptămânale >
      • Gânduri săptămânale - PDF
  • RU
    • Джон Фенн
    • Сид Рот «Это сверхъестественно»
  • Locations
  • Donate
  • Events
  • TV
  • Contact

The Magi #2

1/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Hi all,
When I entered Indiana University (IU) in the summer of 1976, I was invited to join the fraternity my dad had been a member of, Phi Kappa Psi, or Phi Psi for short.

I started the first semester of my freshman year as a 'Pledge', meaning I had pledged to become a Phi Psi and they had pledged to receive me - if I fulfilled the requirements. There were about 15 in my (freshman) Pledge class and a total of 95 men living under the same roof, with an older couple who served as 'house parents' and cooked for us, but we were pretty much self-governing, with upperclassmen being President, Vice President, etc.

That first semester included a lot of 'hazing', the ritualistic harassment of the incoming class culminating in 'hell week', which I might add, was appropriately named. The upper classmen treated us like new Marine recruits, complete with hundreds of push ups at a time, yelling at us nose to nose, telling us we were lower than a snake's belly and unworthy of being called a Phi Psi, and more.

After all, 7 time Olympic gold medalist, Mark Spitz, was a Phi Psi from that very house a mere 4 years earlier. Many 'Captains of Industry', doctors, lawyers, Olympians of various sports, CEO's and such were Phi Psi's. My roommate for a semester who was a junior at the time, later became Governor and then US Senator from Indiana - But we freshmen were mere Pledges, wannabe's, and were treated as such.

After that final week of hazing, those that saw it through until the end, were accepted and deemed worthy to have the mysteries of the fraternity revealed to them. We spent a week being taught by upper classmen and alumni how the fraternity was founded by 2 Christian men who wanted to spread the gospel and instill in young men the knowledge of God and His ways (How far their fraternity had fallen by 1976).

We were told of the founding, the secret meanings of the fraternity shield and what the Phi, Kappa, and Psi stood for in our fraternity, and swore an oath to uphold the ideals of the Founders (Which consisted of Christian and Biblical ideals so I had no problem swearing to uphold them).

I was elected Chaplain by the whole house, and with great formality and solemnity, our class was initiated into the mysteries of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Yes there is a secret handshake, but I'd have to kill you if I told you, lol.

But what makes me a Phi Psi is that I've been initiated into the mysteries of the fraternity. Only Phi Psi's know those mysteries, the rest of the world does not. And each fraternity and sorority has similar mysteries to which only members have knowledge.

The Bible speaks of initiation into different mysteries, which I ended with last week. But first...

The Magi
In ancient Mesopotamia there existed a society of what we commonly call 'wise men'. In English they are known as the Magi. The word 'magi' is from the Greek word 'magos', and more directly the Latin 'magus' - the plural is 'magi'. It is where we get the word 'magic', and refers to a secret fraternity of knowledge to which others are not aware. They are 'outside' the fraternity, ignorant of the mysteries only members know.

I don't want to do a whole history lesson on the Magi or 'Wise men' as many English Bibles translate it, but will say they were a class of priests who we see as Daniel's peers (and enemies) serving the various kings of Babylon, Persia, and Media.

They were the ones who could not interpret the different king's dreams and visions, while God gave Daniel the meanings. They looked to the stars, acknowledging the Creator had put them in the sky as He said in Genesis 1:14: "Let them be for signs, seasons, days, and years." They specialized in the 'signs' part through astronomical observations. (Daniel 2:48)

Because of their secret knowledge, they had seen a star move into the constellation regarding Israel, and determined a new King had been born in Israel. No one in Israel knew the sign of the Star of Bethlehem, and even the wise men came to Herod asking where the new King was - but everyone except the Magi were clueless. All Israel and Herod saw the same stars and constellations as the Magi, but were outside the fraternity of knowledge to understand what they were seeing.

Scripture revealed the King would be born in Bethlehem, so the Magi headed there, and upon finding the family in a house gave baby Jesus gifts typical of the day for a King; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Mt 2:11)

My point is that the Magi were part of a fraternity, marked by secret knowledge known only to those in the fraternity. It seems to be human nature to make these secret clubs, from boys climbing tree houses and refusing to let girls enter, to pricking each other's fingers and rubbing the drops of blood together to become 'blood brothers', to little girls not inviting another girl to their imaginary tea party while they told secrets of which boy likes which girl - secrets only they knew and refused to share with the other girl.

Back to Paul
But Paul spoke of a loftier set of mysteries he had been initiated into. His letter to the Philippians, most likely going to Lydia and the church in her house, was the warmest letter Paul wrote to anyone in the New Testament. Many believe Paul's good friend and author of Luke and Acts, Luke, married Lydia and stayed behind in Philippi with her. In Philippians we discover more about Paul's desires and struggles than we do anywhere else in the New Testament.

He continues letting us peer into his soul when he thanks for them for their financial support with this statement in 4:11-13 which we will examine in detail:

"Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased and how to abound; every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"I have learned" might be better expressed as 'I have entered a new dimension'. The Greek word 'learned' is 'manthano' which is similar to 'mathetes' which means disciple. It refers to someone who has become a learner from (Someone) else, starting a new chapter in life we might say. It is used to express the thought they have come into a new season of life, but more than that, they have grown in knowledge in an area they previously lacked.

And what is that new dimension? He continues: I have learned in whatsoever state I am, to be content. This doesn't mean Paul could be happy in Rome or Ephesus, it means circumstance or situation he faced.

Paul had entered a new dimension - no matter what circumstance he was in, he could be 'content'. But don't think of this English word as content like we would use it today. This is not 'I'll go with the flow', or 'I guess I'll be happy' or 'It isn't they way I planned my life, but I'll be okay Lord'. NO!

It is the Greek word 'autarkes', which means "sufficient in oneself". It is made up of 2 words, 'auto', which means 'self', and  'arkeo' which means "to be sufficiently strong, to be enough for a thing" (Vine's). Putting the whole passage together Paul was saying this:

"Not that I am speaking out of need. For I have entered a new dimension in my life, whatever my circumstance are, to be self-sufficient, having enough for whatever I face. I know how to abound and how to suffer lack. I know how to be full and how to be hungry. For I have been initiated into a fraternity of mysteries which is; I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me."

And that's where I'll pick it up next week....blessings!

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

      John Fenn

      If you want to subscribe

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

Church WithOut Walls International.eu (C) 2023
to donate
Photo used under Creative Commons from widakso