Episode:Jesus Culminates His Ministry—Last Free Day on Earth (Part 2)
Throughout the vicissitudes of life, as followers of Jesus’ gospel, remember always to love one another. Do not strive with men, even with unbelievers. Show mercy even to those who despitefully abuse you. Show yourselves to be loyal citizens, upright artisans, praiseworthy neighbors, devoted kinsmen, understanding parents, and sincere believers in the brotherhood of the Father’s kingdom.
Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Heavenly Sonship, Earthly Citizenship, Gospel of Love and Truth
Opening thought: Says the Lord: “I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee and help thee; I will uphold thee with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:9-10 (from The Second Isaiah, per [97:7.4])
Note: David Tucker filled in for Ruthie.
Summary by Brad
On true relationship
Have you ever had a true relationship with another human? Two people who have the potential to commune with one another in a transcendent way? They'd have a superadditive consequence because what they'd share is common is the cosmos. Fancy animals, home sapiens, can interact and it's quite a complex interaction. But it's not transcendent and it's not truly human unless both have been born of the spirit. If only one of the pair has been born again, they must condescend to the other.
If we know almost nothing of happiness, [100:4.3] how much moreso must we know little concerning true relationship? Can you assume you've never yet experienced a true relationship? Can you stay hungry and thirsty? That's the humility and hunger of the ascension career, someone with potential who is going somewhere. For the record, a normal post-bestowal-son world (not us) would be filled with true relationships; if they saw us they'd see our interactions as very primitive.
On loving service versus service of self
So a lot of us say to ourselves, "I want to be of service in the world today." Well, have you first chosen this day whom you're going to serve first? Is your mind consecrated to God and to God's reality―the cosmos? Or are you a humanist? A humanist inspects the external world, takes it as it is, sums up what they find, and devises a scheme of their own making for some kind of "greater good," usually defining good as efficiency or comfort. But a humanistic effort like this is only at eye level; it lack the perspective of the cosmos because it didn't start with God.
We considered an example: a Christian ministry addressing child trafficking in the world. Are they starting with the emotion of it all? Or are their starting with "these are the Father's children?" In otherwords, when you inspect this you ask, "What's the motive?" God judges the motive. The motive does not have to be some grand, high philosophic framing of the issue. But it does come down to this:
- Are they a Godly person? Was this done for God? If so, then inescapably their ministry, regardless of how limited, will be righteous.
- Or are they a humanist? Serving man first? Doing this, first, for "mankind and a better human condition" or such?
If you are assessing something like this, you must look past all these surface appearances, because the outer-life end-result actions may appear to be the same (a child reunited with parents and a captor thrown in jail). But God judges the motive. Righteousness implies actions that are related to social justice, but social justice actions do not necessarily imply righteousness. Slow down and think about it.
Do you want to be an individual ascender someday standing on the Isle of Paradise? You must tend to your motives. And now that you know this, here and now, you're accountable for starting now.
On religion and civil service
A righteous inner life give you a leg up in the cosmos. You've been born again. You have a righteous inner life. Your whole mode of living is religious. You can know the truth. If your social service starts from this basis, perforce it will be effective and righteous. You then should know what righteous civil service would look like.
And so, something as practical as your voting should reflect this knowledge. If you claim to know all of this, yet vote for someone who is openly ungodly or even wicked (someone who could not possibly be an effective civil servant), Jesus challenges you to look in the mirror and convict yourself: Have you taken the gospel of salvation to heart? Or have the roots of truth died within you? "Is it I, Lord?"
178:1. (cont'd at paragraph 14)
We began reading at minute 57, at paragraph 14 where Jesus calls for balance, proportion―dare we say, symmetry? Depending on your temperamental bias, you naturally incline to a unity viewpoint or an individuality viewpoint. We talk about it often here. You naturally incline toward either idle mysticism, or toward colorless asceticism. Neither extreme is called for.
And so, balance: This gospel is not only a gospel of love, but also a gospel of truth. Yes! you should in love be "patient," "gentle," and "forebearing." You should desire to do good to men, not to strive with them. However! regarding truth in the service of God, do not shirk away from being "valiant," "mighty," and "aggressive." We noted the word aggressive literally means "step toward." It's not a connotation of violence, only a step-to-it-ness. "Go and make disciples of all nations" is aggressive. Even "the desire to do good to others" [56:10.21] is aggressive. And God is aggressive (consider how the Thought Adjuster's bestowal is this very step-to-it phenomenon).
Of course, God can be both infinitely aggressive and infinitely patient. You can aspire to this balance of patience and aggression as well. Spiritual strength and maturity are required to balance, because the aggression of the inner life will always be there and in the outer it will always be the glacial pace of the Supreme in the external world. To the extent you lack wisdom to achieve this balance, you're probably part of the emergency on this world today.
Another matter of balance: on the one hand there is a static Jesusism, something that never adapts to the times it's in and is spiritually dead. On the other hand there are those who, in the misguided attempt to be fashionable, dilute the gospel to the point of it becoming a compromise with evil. These people have not just buried their talent in the ground. It's more like they've traded in the precious silver for lead in some attempt to "keep up with the times." Don't do that.
And another matter of balance: be gentle and wise, yes, but also stand in vigorous defense of that gospel of salvation which has saved and sanctified you. Don't seek out controversy by "striving with men," but stand in defense of the gospel if controversy comes to your door. One of us recalled hassling proselytizers who were "standing in vigorous defense" of their faith on a University campus. Don't assume those people are making these proclamations out of some unbridled zeal. No! Remember that in [178:1.16] it is clear that Jesus has commanded us, all religionists, to stand in vigorous defense of this gospel. You must not hide the light that has been given you, for now that you know that "the light which would save you if accepted can only condemn you if it is knowingly rejected." [180:3.2]
We noted the word "skillfully" is used to describe how we ought to act as religionists. Any skill takes practice and cultivation. There are skills we can work on in the lower domain of the hourglass analogy of mind, skills in the upper domain, and skills related to expressing the inner life (upper domain) into the outer life (lower domain).
Looking back across this entire discourse on sonship and citizenship, we noted that it contains that same essential Great Commission message over and over, in varied language: "go and make disciples of all nations."
178:2. After the Noontime Meal
At the start of section 2, our authors tell us very few of Jesus' listeners understood him. The implication is they're writing all of this in the hopes we can understand him. And so as always, we hope you join us in taking up our authors' challenge to bring forward these words of 2,000 years ago into the present time. Make them come alive, not be some "sacred memory" or historical recitation. This book is for us. It's for you. Now. Figure out how these words relate to your own religious life.
We reflected on the "grim determination" of those who would battle against the truth and enlightenment. They were grimly determined 2,000 years ago, and they are still grimly determined today. Take off your rose-colored glasses and see today for what it is. Secular totalitarianists have their own doctrine of salvation based on man, not God. And they're aggressive. One of us relayed the leaders of a mosque telling him, "we all who believe in the one God have to stick together; there's a war on faith." By the way, moments of spiritual unity like this with our brethren might hint at the power of true relationship.
Section 2 presents a clarified narrative putting all the chess pieces in the correct pieces for the Last Supper to take place. Notice how the apostles had cognitive dissonance: they had an inkling something terrible was about to happen, but they couldn't bring themselves to face facts.
The will of God will prevail in the end. Doubt not, lest you enter an evil path. Stand firm with God. Put away your egotistic notions of saving the world; you've been called to be a religionist today, standing firm with God in this world.
Brad's Notes
- A civilization of born-again religionists, in true relationship with one another, is beyond our imagination.
- Can you obey the truth, not just feel the truth? Can you "cease your useless yearning and go forth bravely doing that which concerns the establishment of the kingdom"? [155:1.3]
- In [178:1.17] we see a list that looks curiously reminiscent of the levels of meaning.
- The serious student should compare this list with the levels of meaning and reflect.
- See God-conscious citizens in the [[Perfecting Horions Institute library.
- The Last Supper is not a Passover supper; it is a day too early for that. Which was baffling to the apostles.
- Notice Judas in this: again, he's not an iniquitous, sociopathic thief.
- The apostolic funds weren't just cash under the mattress. They had investments; very materially pragmatic.
