4. Human ‘Guardian Powers’ and the Father

Chapter 4

Human "Guardian Powers" and the Father

From the teachings and the lives of Jesus and Paul we learn more about what is involved in the transition: from knowing the Father as under-age children, to walking with him as adult sons and daughters.

These 8 meditations cover 13 new references to the Father (of the 276 in the New Testament)

(25) Learning to Know the Father as Children and Teenagers

Jesus models a relationship with the Father as a twelve-year-old boy, before a coming of age event when he was about thirty-years-old.

(26) Beginning to Exercise Authority as an Adult Son or Daughter

The Holy Spirit, after coming on Jesus, leads him into several confrontations: with Satan, with his family and with ethnic group leaders.

(27) Exercising Authority over Nations Begins with your Own Nation

The Father gives us authority over nations 'just as' he gave it to Jesus, but expects us to meet the same conditions that Jesus did.

(28) How Paul Came of Age in Christ, by the Spirit

Called by the Father to disciple nations, Paul needed the Spirit’s help to get free first from the power of his former ethnic guardians.

(29) Dealing with Family Pressure as part of the Father’s Family

The social power of parents and family is not something that the Father’s adult sons and daughters only have to deal with once.

(30) The Father's Grace and the Guardian Powers

When guardian powers of one culture or another try to take over again, line up under the Spirit instead; and focus on the Father’s grace.

(31) Why Many Christians Retreat from Adult Freedom in the Spirit

Paul's letter to the Colossians shows some more ways that the guardian powers try to reassert themselves in the lives of Christians.

(32) A Mature Approach to Holiness

As adult daughters and sons of the Father, we walk by faith in the transforming power of the Spirit, in the new order established by Jesus.

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Bible translation reminders

The word 'YOU' in capitals in the Scripture passage indicates that the second person in the Greek text is plural. A group of people is being addressed. When you see a 'you' in lower case, you know that the Greek is singular, and a single individual is being addressed.

The translation being used is indicated with an abbreviation. PH and GH refer to my own translation for the Gospel 'harmony' and the 'harmony' of Paul's life and letters that I have produced. Whenever a scripture passage is taken from the already published Gospel harmony (GH)—The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses—the page number(s) will be listed in a footnote at the bottom of that meditation.

See Bible Translations Used if you want to know more about these publications, or if you don't recognize one of the other abbreviations used after the text reference .

Bible References in Italics

When chapter and verse numbers appear in italics in the Meditation portion of the lesson (in parentheses), it means that the text being identified can be found above, in the Scripture passage for that same Meditation.

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Chapter 4 Human "Guardian Powers" and the Father

From the teachings and the lives of Jesus and Paul we learn more about what is involved in the transition: from knowing the Father as under-age children, to walking with him as adult sons and daughters. These 8 meditations cover 13 new references to the Father (of the 276 in the New Testament)