Face to Face, Pt. 5: Abiding in Christ

Humans as God’s Image: Representation and Rule in partnership (with God and each other)

“Our brains draw life from our strongest relational attachments to grow our character and develop our identity. Who we love shapes who we are.” ~ Michel Hendricks

Ephesians 3:14–19 (ESV) 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in  heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that  surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

John 15:4-5 (ESV) “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart  from me you can do nothing.”

“Mutual Mind” — two minds tuning their thoughts together, synchronicity

1 Corinthians 2:11–16 (ESV) 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

“When two brains establish a mutual mind state we sense the other person ‘gets it’,’ ‘understands,’ ‘is genuine,’ and even ‘knows me.’ Mutual mind states work by using mirror neurons. These neurons are activated when they ‘see’ something that resembles their activity in another mind…Mutual mind states are generally developed face-to-face from gestures, facial expressions, voice tones, synchronized energy levels, and mirrored feelings…mutual mind states run faster than conscious thought. Without mutual mind states people do not share the same reactions, motivation, and direction.” ~ Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder

John 15:5 (ESV) “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

“Developments in modern brain science have made it clear that any model of transformation and character change must be anchored in the development of a love bond with God and His people.” Jim Wilder and Marcus Warner