Episode:Last Ministry of the Master—Jesus' Final Tour (Part 7)
The Master fully realized that certain social results would appear in the world as a consequence of the spread of his gospel of the kingdom of heaven; but he intended that all such desirable social manifestations should appear as unconscious and inevitable outgrowths, or natural fruits, of the inner personal experience of the individual believers of the spiritual brotherhood of man.
Keywords: Urantia, Jesus, Spiritual Individuals, Social Organization, Christian Church
Summary by Kermit
Commentary after Review
SoS briefly commented on the synthetic thought which led to the conceptual integration of the five phases of the kingdom of heaven referred to by Jesus in his sermon with the latter four epochs of progressive civilization found in [50:5], plus their consonance with the levels of meaning so often cited here. Those interested in approaching this synthetic method of engagement with the revelation are advised to go beyond noticing mere numerical parallel mapping for alignment of various sequences or series, but seek qualitative accord in synthetic thinking.
Questions arose about integrating kingdom of heaven principles into daily life. A key point was made that inasmuch as we are still in the very early days of our universe adventure, our initial efforts in being righteous (in conformity with the cosmos) will consist of corrective measures to eliminate maladaptive behaviors and plain old bad habits. We must seek liberation from the inevitable falsehoods of “old wineskins” which have been passively absorbed from our mental, social, and cultural environment. This negative “thou shalt not” phase of development has its place early in our work. Note in the development of the faculties of Holy Spirit encircuitment the degree to which these intuitions of the scientific discrimination, moral sensitivity, and spiritual insight have been influenced or even displaced by the scientific dictation, social usage, and religious dogma of this secular age.
Personal choice, even consecration to step away from these immature paths will result in decisions to which our mind and spirit conform. With the kingdom of heaven being a function of the inner life, we are reminded from [34:5.5] “…the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes increasingly effective in the sanctification and spiritualization of the inner life of those mortals who the more fully obey the divine leadings.”
170:5 (cont.) Later Ideas of the Kingdom
Instead of grasping the idea of the kingdom as the inner life domain of the individual, both Jews and gentiles regarded the kingdom as outer life collective groupings; for the Jews it was the Israelite community; for the gentiles it was the church. For Jesus the aggregate kingdom was the sum of individuals dedicated to doing God’s will—a brotherhood of man.
The inevitable social repercussions of the gospel’s reception were certainly foreseen by Jesus. Spirit fruits springing from such reception are automatic. But the focus on outer life “fruit” production bypasses the inner life directing source and leads to works righteousness. The Master’s command was to seek first the kingdom of heaven. Begin with the inner realization of divine fellowship. The outworking of which is the inevitable and unconscious appearance of fruits of the spirit. Any attempt to establish a brotherhood of man without the inner precursor of God knowingness or God consciousness is a fool’s errand and doomed to spawn error and evil. The Father’s love in the inner life, within the sphere of truth will reciprocate naturally into God the Mother’s love (cosmic totality attitude), thence down and out into fruits of the spirit.
Jesus knew a church would emerge as the true spiritual kingdom progressed. He, therefore, did not oppose the apostles baptizing believers. But Jesus knew believers entered the kingdom by faith. The apostles saw baptism as entrance to the church. Confusion over the difference continues to plague Christendom.
Jesus’ immediate followers deliberately chose to substitute in place of the Master’s kingdom ideal, the Christian church when it became increasingly apparent that the inner life establishment of the kingdom ideal was failing. Lacking trust in the power of this ideal and the Master’s method, the church leaders attempted to retain the Master’s ideal by setting the establishment of the kingdom off into the future. In so doing Christians gradually lost sight of the inner aspect of the kingdom. Thus the social brotherhood essentially displaced the spiritual brotherhood. Even so Paul’s Christianity served to establish the most progressive human society to appear on Urantia. Now we are faced with the consequences of missing the mark and have been given the 5th ER. Today, believers in large part derive their certitude of God and salvation from the evolutionary religious elements of intellectual assent, credulity, and established authority.
The midwayers are most optimistic about our planetary future. They forecast a revival of Jesus’ kingdom ideal. However, they do pointedly make clear that this revival must consist of his actual teachings, but without reference to the visible church or Jesus’ second coming. They speak harshly on the state of the church today, but note that the church is actually the larval stage of the thwarted spiritual kingdom which is definitively destined to come manifest. Listen to our discussion concerning the role of Part IV of the revelation in such a revival.
The promised prophetic pronouncements of our authors are worthy of careful scrutiny. They refer to the church as carrying the kingdom ideal through this material age (material comfort era?) and into a more spiritual dispensation (Magisterial Son?).
Paper 171 On the Way to Jerusalem
The day following the kingdom sermon Jesus announced their departure for Jerusalem and the Master’s final act. The sermon ultimately confused the majority of his followers. The departure for the Passover at Jerusalem immediately following the sermon was immediately interpreted as the Master’s intention to proclaim an outward kingdom in power and glory. His rejection and even the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem did not extinguish the hope for his imminent return.
Notes by Brad
- Choose this day to step away: "I shall not do that anymore."
- If it's a true spirit led choice, your adjutant mind MUST obey those choices.
- Concerning religion, what if we started with the preeminence of the individual?
- Instead of some external collectivist scheme, as almost all have done.
- Being a serious student
- It's natural to match this list-of-7 with that-list-of-7.
- But that's a material mind numerical fixation.
- Can you instead focus on qualitative approaches to synthesis?
- It's natural to match this list-of-7 with that-list-of-7.
- Even if I try to focus on the inner life and kingdom of heaven, the outer life is so magnetic!
- How does this work? How do you balance the two?
- So much of what we do in this life is duty to the Supreme--individual meaning? Don't always count on it.
- We are awash in mystery and confusion on sorting all this out.
- Do your best, each day, to get out of the old wineskins.
- It takes courage.
- And most of us have no understanding of "courageous an independent cosmic thinking" until middle age.
- By then it's a lot of water under the bridge. Lots of material inertia.
- A six year old might have clear access to the three cosmic intuitions, you're no longer six.
- And don't take the journey in utter solitude--others can help you, depending on whom you select as your friends.
- Including associating with those whom you might ideologically disagree with.
- How does this work? How do you balance the two?
- We naturally are intrigued by collective movements--social urges fueled by the energy of the 5th adjutant mind spirit.
- Compare community and church (collective concepts) with individuals--the words italicized in [170:5.11]
- Genuine fruits of the spirit are "unconscious." Right here. Put it in the bank.
- If you're consciously trying to build fruits, you're on a false track. Works righteousness at first, it doesn't stay so mild.
- Eventually you get turned inside out.
- Like Mother Teresa did, even if completely innocently at first.
- "But she was in a monastery at first!" you say. Oh, so they are magical?
- She admitted material gravity and associated feeling drug her down.
- Every moment you must seek first the kingdom of heaven.
- Before you engage anything, you start inside. Never rest on laurels.
- It's not a one time that. That would be one of those false illusions of success.
- Can you do better than just rearranging molecules
- Better than swallowing ocean water and spitting it out again (which does nothing to raise the level of the ocean)?
- Only the inner life is genuinely creative.
- Feelings on the level of flesh and feelings... they draw you away from the inner life.
- "I must respond to my sentimental feelings... these people are hungry!"
- Focus on the inner life, not the fruits they say ought to be done.
- The fruits will come of an inner life well-founded.
- Jesus was not a do-gooder. Those are fakes
- Jesus was not "about the people's business." No, he was "about the Father's business" purely in the inner life.
- Despite "the kingdom of heaven is within", the church deliberately placed the "kingdom" out into the future, and on the outside.
- They did not trust. They felt they had to do something in the outer life so his teachings were not "lost."
- Such a plan was not disingenuous. Yet it was self-righteous: "we have to have the world" "we have to save Jesus word."
- You are not here to save.
- Even Jesus knew it was time to leave, that he didn't need to save the planet, as such.
- He trusted.
- The cult of eternal life is summed up in the creed of John 3:16.
- Instead of "seek first the kingdom of heaven within" it became "seek first the church to acquire eternal life."
- Oneness versus unity. They are not synonyms.
- Oneness is indivisibility.
- Unity is continuum-ness.
