Victor Porton's Christian Weblog

(1Cor. 4) 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

The word puffed up means that some people were raising to the clouds by breathing out their spirit, so that their life passed into the nature as their bodies were open to the nature and united with the nature. So their life was existing not only in the body but at the same time outside of their bodies like deads. They were calling themselves spiritual people.

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But what St. Paul did in response? He threatened to get a rod and to make a battle against hundreds or thousands of such supermans at once! (1Cor. 4:21) What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? And what Paul was going to do with them, to overcome them and to kill them? No, he was not going nor to kill nor to damage them; all what Paul was going to do was to check their force; we can just check the force of our adversary instead of actual fighting with him only if we are much stronger. So Paul was much stronger than they all together.

Even the word (here ability to bring spiritual prophetic words from the heaven is meant) of the puffed up was not valued much by Paul.

Paul considered them too proud (the word puffed up which Paul has used figuratively means too proud.) To the coming of Paul they were should to stop breathing but they have not.

Oh, is author of this message a man? No, I'm an anarchist. A man is a system, but I'm against the system, I am a colony of free infusoria. (Rom. 10:4) For Christ is the end of law... to everyone that believes. After all, (2Cor. 3:17) where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and the Spirit of God dwells in us. This is what means to be puffed up.

At first the decision of Paul looks like anti-spiritual, following flesh. Paul speaks against spiritual puffing up! After all, he was going to fight in flesh!

(2Cor. 10)
2 Yes, I beg you that I may not, when present, show courage with the confidence with which I intend to be bold against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we don't wage war according to the flesh; 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, 5 throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

What then is Kingdom of God (perfect anarchy)? It is how spirit makes body strong (healing and super-healing). The result is in flesh (we walk in the flesh) but the essence of Kingdom of God is not in flesh (we don't wage war according to the flesh). Having prophetic words is not enough, it is not yet Kingdom of God, it is only entrance to there, (1Cor. 4:20) For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.of God is not in something special (prophecies, spiritual puffing up, etc.), it is just in strength, a rather common thing.

Note however that this strength includes not only force of muscles but also more supernatural abilities.

We shall conclude that these people were able to puff up and operate outside of their bodies, but they missed the main thing that they are to make strong their own bodies. It is similar to USA which is able to operate far away in Iraq but is often unable to operate inside itself.

What I have said certainly does not mean that a man who is physically stronger is above in the Kingdom of God. Everybody of us has different start conditions and different genetics, etc., so we cannot be compared by strength. Moreover some people train their bodies without training spirit, their strength is not counted for the Kingdom of God. (Even it is written that power of God is made perfect in weakness.) But strength can be compared with the ability to puff up. Strength is greater. Strange conclusion, just a strong man is spiritually greater than a super-extrasense which can operate far away off his body. However, we cannot compare.

(2Cor. 12:9) He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.