New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ

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As Living Epistles (As a LETTER)

2Co 3:2 You are our letter written in our hearts, known and read by all people,

3:3 revealing yourselves, that you are a letter (Epistle G1992) of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

The Sacred, Holy Kiss

1 Cor 16:19 - The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

1 Cor 16:20 - All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

The Greek word used for kiss in this passage is philēma. Philēma speaks of the kiss with which, as a sign of fraternal affection, Christians were accustomed to welcome or dismiss their companions in the faith.

The holy kiss that distinguishes the sign of the fraternal affection as a brotherhood in these passages is represented more fully in what we understand to be of the attributes of the city of Jerusalem. The collection of cities that are mentioned by Paul in this chapter appears to have been formed from what is being addressed through his third mission trip. This collection of Gentile Churches most likely created a synergistic body that does not distinguish between Jew or Gentile.

The other cities that Paul mentions along with Jerusalem in this chapter represent Gentile churches across Asia Minor and Greece. Jerusalem upholds a standard that can be revealed from Living Epistles. As Letters of Christ written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone, but on tables of human hearts.

JERUSALEM:

Jerusalem = "set ye double peace". Jerusalem speaks of both the city, as well as the inhabitants of the city. Today, we could relate these inhabitants largely through a Melchizedek Priesthood Order.

Jerusalem is further defined as "Jerusalem that is above", that is existing in heaven, according to the pattern of which the earthly Jerusalem was supposed to be built.

Metaphorically, Jerusalem is "the City of God founded by Christ", now wearing the form of the church. After Christ's return, it is to put on the form of the perfected Messianic kingdom”.

Paul’s collection of Gentile churches could be likened to the early stages of seeing a perfected Messianic Kingdom being formed. Even though this may have been too vast for most to capture through vision, most could read the Letters that were written from the author Himself. Letters of Living Epistles read from the hearts through those who inhabited the City.

I often consider the process of making what is called “Amish Friendship Bread Starter” with how I see God moving to permeate culture from where people live. While the growth rings within a tree can only be seen by first cutting it down, the Friendship Bread is seen more intimately from how families and communities rise together in a growth process. Once you know the process of growth, you more easily and readily yield to the process that is being developed in others. The spirit life that rises from Living Epistles no longer divides male from female, Jew from Gentile. The dividing walls are continually removed in the outbuilding of what grows from right foundations.