Last week’s message treated on the Second Advent, or the Second Coming, and it is important for us to understand that we are a continuation of the True Ministry of Jesus, as well as being representative of the Second Advent of God itself. The portion of the Thirteenth Saying quoted below is concerned with divine enlightenment and the extraordinary Man, as opposed to the ordinary person, as well as charisma in its truest sense.
The Thirteenth Saying (Part 11)
“‘When Jesus came there were many religions in practice, as well as the old Hebrew form of religion under the Jerusalem priesthood, to meet the needs of natural men. Jesus came to make ordinary men and women extraordinary – to make natural men and women supernatural. This transformation of being can come about only by initiation into a divine Order and through the spiritual power of God.
“‘The Community is like a good ship in the rough seas; without it we would be lost, for the fury of the tempests of life would surely destroy us. Like a new ship of unique design requiring a specialized crew, our New Church requires newly-authorized leadership under God inspired by His Word. This Community will be guided not by Man’s free will and reason, but by divine enlightenment which is not the property of natural Man, but only of supernatural Man. Thus only supernatural Man can guide our Church forward and make of it a great world religion; not by numbers perhaps, but by spiritual standards. Its doors will be open to people of all faiths, be they Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, or of any religious belief. They need not give up anything; neither their beliefs nor their prophets and holy ones. This religion gives; it does not take. True spiritual unfoldment is the benefit of this religion. To reject it is to deny oneself this benefit.
“’This New Church, with its one founder and apostles, is independent of all other priesthoods. Thus, as first members of this Church, we must be spiritual, wise and dedicated enough to be able to take this teaching to all people, regardless of their philosophical or religious beliefs. However, though we must make our belief available to all, Man must use his own free will and intelligence, and decide for himself whether he desires to follow the Way of Light or remain in Darkness.
“’In order to teach, each of us must possess a charisma, each must be filled with the Holy Spirit — The Word. The Hand of God must rest on our shoulders. Each must wear the Robe of Christ. Each must exemplify the life that Jamil led – he taught us The Way – and by so doing we become members of the Order of the Child. As Jamil is Christ’s Christ, the Son of Christ, we, as members of this Order, become members of the Family of God. The nucleus of The Community will be those dedicated few who have elected to become the Guardians and Teachers.
“’Those who do not wish to serve The Community as Ministers may assist The Community in many other ways. However, they must never be allowed to dictate to The Community. It must always be under the command of the totally dedicated, those under the necessary oaths in order to serve as instruments of the living Christ. If we allow natural men and women of the material world to rule the Church, the Spirit would be removed. Undoubtedly, this is what happened to the Christian Church. It became so materialistic; that, to keep its material wealth, it had to make compromises and the Great Teaching became lost to it. This explains the need for the coming forth of a new Christ Teacher to rebuild, restore, and regenerate a New Church united with heavenly powers. Thus, when we go forth to instruct people of other religions, men and women of philosophy or science or politics, or from any level of human society, it must be as spiritual Teachers. We must be universalists of the first magnitude. We must be tolerant of the ideas and understanding of the beliefs of others. We must labor not as natural men and women with intolerance and selfish motivations, but as supernatural men and women under the inspiration of Christ.’”
This theme continues next week.
Again, if I may be of any personal service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
