Eye of the Needle (Spiritual)

"Separate yourself to the world: be filled with Holy Spirit"

"Separate yourself to the world: be filled with Holy Spirit"

Genesis 1:6-8 And God said, "Let there be an expanse (the air) between the waters to separate water from water."
So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

At God's original creation, He separated the heaven and the earth by His word.
In our text, Expanse means "The atmosphere, or the air surrounding the earth." also in Recovery Version Bible, the sky is pertaining to "heaven".
Genesis 1:8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

By God's word, there came the separation of the water to itself, and the other one became the sky or the heaven.
Psalms 104:6-7 ...the waters stood above the mountains.
But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

The separating of the waters by producing an expanse between them, signifying, spiritually, the dividing of the heavenly things from the earthly things through the work of Jesus being died on the cross for us.
Separate means to set or keep apart, or being disconnected. An intransitive verb means to become divided or detached. This message is about separating our own selves to this world by being filled with Holy Spirit.

We are called as Christians because we raised our new life with Christ Jesus.
This is the raising aspect of baptism, we were raised together with Christ. We are now where Christ is, sitting in the heavens. That is why we should seek the things that are in the heavens, such as knowing Christ as everything to us, so that we take Him as life and thereby walk in Him.

Colossians 3:1-3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Why setting our heart and mind on things above?

Because our mind is not in the heavens at the first place; in contrast to on the earth, for we are focus on the earthly things, in worldly activities, in what this world offers. We are so stress and confuse on how to achieve those things that the world are telling, that we need to buy this to feel comfortable, you need to become this to be acceptable, we try so hard to get the standard of this world. But we are Christians now, and this message reminds us, "Do not set your mind on the worldly things, " but set your mind in heavenly things while we're still here in this world.

Why on things above? Because the heavens are linked to Christ and joined to the church. The things above include the ascended Christ and all things pertaining to Him. Therefore, to seek the things above is to seek to live Christ in and with the church. So, set our mind to Jesus and be involved to the church activities.

Romans 8:5-16 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.