‘Letting Christ Make Home in Our Hearts’ vs. ‘Letting the Peace of Christ Arbitrate in Our Hearts’

 

‘Letting Christ Make Home in Our Hearts’ vs. ‘Letting the Peace of Christ Arbitrate in Our Hearts’

Ephesians 3:17 "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith"

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts" 

Aspect	Letting Christ Make Home in Our Hearts	Letting the Peace of Christ Arbitrate in Our Hearts
Meaning	Christ expands from our spirit to all parts of our heart (mind, emotion, will, etc.), possessing and filling our inner being	Christ Himself as peace becomes the chairman, ruler, and decision-maker in our hearts, resolving arguments, fights, or estrangements
Related Scriptures	Ephesians 3:17 "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith"  2 Timothy 4:22 "The Lord be with your spirit"	Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts"  Ephesians 2:14-18 "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition"
Process of Practice	1. Christ first enters our spirit (regeneration) 2. We need to be strengthened into our inner man 3. Christ expands from spirit to mind, emotion, and will 4. Christ fills and saturates all our inner parts	1. Christ accomplishes peace through the cross 2. We experience the divine transmission 3. We set our mind on things above 4. The peace of Christ resolves arguments or estrangements
Distinctions	Emphasizes Christ's expansion and possession within us, filling us with Himself	Emphasizes Christ's governing function as peace within us, resolving interpersonal relationship issues
Examples	When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, with renewed mind, purified emotions, and will submitted to the Lord, they can speak for Christ and become apostles	After a couple argues, through the peace of Christ arbitrating in their hearts, they are willing to confess sins and apologize, restoring harmonious relationships
Applications	1. Let Christ govern our entire inner being in daily life 2. Pray to be strengthened into the inner man 3. Let Christ possess our mind, emotion, and will 4. Become a person who speaks for Christ	1. Resolve frictions and estrangements among saints 2. Remove "wrinkles" in church life 3. Maintain vertical peace with God 4. Keep horizontal peace with others
Interrelationship	Christ making home is the foundation; when Christ governs our entire being, His peace can arbitrate in our hearts	The arbitration of Christ's peace is an important manifestation and result of Christ making home in us

 

Conclusion:

l   "Letting Christ make home in our hearts" describes the process of Christ expanding from our spirit gradually to all parts of our inner being. This requires us to be strengthened into our inner man, allowing Christ to enter and possess our mind, emotion, and will, so that we are filled and saturated with Him.

l   "Letting the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts" emphasizes Christ Himself as peace, functioning as the ruler and decision-maker in our hearts, especially when dealing with conflicts and estrangements in interpersonal relationships. This includes vertical peace (relationship with God) and horizontal peace (relationship with others).

l   These two experiences have a close interrelationship: Christ needs to first make home in our hearts before His peace can effectively arbitrate in our hearts. Meanwhile, when the peace of Christ arbitrates in our hearts, it is also a concrete manifestation of Christ making home in our hearts.

 

*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 22 A New Man—the Creator of God’s Masterpiece