Brother Verdugo --
Peace and grace unto you. I send blessings to all the family, the brethren in christ.
Saint Paul tends to offer his credentials in the start of his epistles, a sort of a ritual handshake protocol, affirming in so many words that he but does the will of the One who sends him. I can and will claim for myself some measure of these same credentials. Insofar as I claim to be among the brethren, I am of the body of those who practice faith this way. I am among those who think with the thoughts of this tradition. This thinking-with illuminates my life spiritually such that I am given power for transformation –
GAL 3:2— This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
I reckon that’s a rhetorical question. Paul’s scolding the brethren among the Galatians, angry and incredulous that they’re succumbing to a perversion of the gospel: a false euvangelion that puts quantitative over qualitative, works over faith, doing versus being, and cut over uncut.
I see Paul saying, “I came straight here, from Christ Jesus; no man or angel gave me this good news.” This whole letter to the Galatians, seems to come down to “Per my last email, you do not need to cut the tip off your dicks to be part of God’s family. If someone tells you different, even if an ANGEL tells it to you, they are doubly accursed.”
Paul says all this to do with works/the law/circumcision pertains to “elemental powers”, these beings who were our nannies here on earth -- up until we became of age. Now we are adults, or starting to be, and the elementals ought to have a different relationship to us. That’s right in here, pretty spooky and just sitting there in the open.
That’s why I said this seems like a propaganda witch war. I greet you in the name of some who came back from the dead! Which gospel are you tuned into? Who bewitched you? You know you can’t even trust the angels, right?? OK, Paulie --! I don’t have this all put together but I don’t want to drag this exchange out with you waiting for my letter.
Thank you for sharing your dream, and for your prayers,
J. Lawrence E.