The Roman and Orthodox versions of Christianity underpinning the various forms of Christianity we have today all have a mixture of human philosophy with heavenly revelation. This is not to say that what is human and what is heavenly are always mutually exclusive. Since Jesus is both human and heavenly, we know that the humanness we all share can blend perfectly with the heavenly. But we need to be wary when there is a contradiction, and to prioritise the heavenly, in our love for God, and our choice of what to trust. Human philosophy can be very enlightening and life-enhancing, but nowhere near as much as heavenly wisdom. Jesus knows human philosophy very well, and sometimes used it as a starting point in his explanations of what is heavenly, as did his followers. But we need to progress as Jesus taught, from the human thinking, on towards the heavenly, because it is in the heavenly sayings that we find freedom from our worldly moral failings and corrupted ways. There is a saving grace in the form of a spirit coming from the heavenly realm which brings to humans the things of that blend of the humanness of Jesus himself and the wisdom and truth that God gives him. This we call the Holy Spirit. What does that blend look like when it emerges in our world? How is it manifested? What does it reveal to us? Of course we might often see its representation depicted and described religiously in forms such as the dove, and the tongues of fire, which are scripturally documented testimonies of how this spirit was first witnessed by followers of Jesus Christ. Yet there have been centuries of discipleship since then, which have involved all kinds of experiences of this Holy Spirit. However, records are sparse, and experiences quite rare. My own experiences have been various, but one which gave me a great taste of the heavenly was something I witnessed first hand in a worship service. A message in tongues spoken by a preacher became English words in my head, which I can remember very well, and the speaker went on to say the English himself, and it exactly matched what I received. Consider the trees, the Spirit said, They put forth buds and leaves. They do so by the power-authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That message was not a Bible quote. It was fresh. It was actually very close to what is found today in the ancient Book of Enoch, a book known well in the time of Jesus but later excluded by Jews from what went on to become the Bible. It describes what seems to me to be the root of faith I personally have had in Jesus Christ, but I had never heard it stated like this before that interpreted message in tongues. Heaven tells us of the importance the name of Jesus now has in how the very fabric of Nature persistently adheres to God’s will. The authority given to Jesus is such that his very name, his brand, his reputation, as the perfected faithful son, provides the authoritative power Nature needs to continue in its cycles of growth and order, day on day, year on year, aeon on aeon. That is a taste of the heavenly. Philosophy of humans at best has come close to this elevated wisdom, but fallen short. Christianity today must be based firmly on the rock-like heavenly, not the sand-like earthly.
