Setting The World On Fire
excerpts
Martin Cecil August 13, 1966
We experience something that is virtually unknown in the world. How richly blessed we are. We share a deep sense of being members of one family, and yet there are no words to describe the experience. It is perhaps sufficient that we know it. It is my personal joy to welcome you all to the Chapel tonight.
Human beings are inclined to judge by the appearance; the outer form, the material factors, tend to be most impressive to human beings. A great deal of trust is placed in such things. Because this is so people are constantly finding themselves let down, because the external factors are not the firm foundation; they do not provide the security that is expected. Human beings are constantly hunting for greater security by these external means. In this part of the world there has never been so much apparent external security provided, and yet I doubt if there has ever been a greater sense of insecurity on the part of those who have been so secured, simply because the actuality of security does not come by reason of the external factors. It comes, as we well know, from something invisible or internal, something which cannot be classified or written into legislation. We speak of it as the spirit. All things in the outer form appear on the basis of spirit. If the spirit is wrong, if the spirit is distorted, if the spirit is unstable, then that which appears in the outer form will be likewise. This has been the state in human beings; and that spirit has become more and more distorted, and more and more unstable, because the direction in which human beings sought security was wrong. It was taking them away from the source of security, and no matter how much was done in the outer sense, no matter how much will be done in the future, there will still be no security. Some people get fooled a little for a while, imagining that there is security, but then all sorts of things may happen, quite unexpectedly and quite suddenly, to reveal to the individual that he hadn't really found security.
Part of our service, our ministry, is to reveal in outer form something that would be somewhat impressive, to those who observed it in a responsive attitude, of the evidence of security. Of course, human beings, seeing something in the outer form, very often say, “Ah! Here it is. Now all I have to do is to join up and I will be secure.” But it doesn't work that way, and we have to know that it doesn't work that way—from the standpoint of our own experience we must know this. If we are to be trusted with the evidence in outer form of something which appears more or less stable we must know that that stability is not produced by the evidence in outer form. There is something which causes the security, the stability, and that is not found in the external pattern of things; it centers in what we call the spirit of God. All things center in this; and if we find ourselves adequately at one with this spirit, we know security, regardless of the outer form.
But more than that, the outer form begins to reveal the fact of stability and security as established by spirit. So part of our ministry up to this point has been this business of so finding ourselves attuned with the spirit of God that there might appear the evidence in outer form of something stable and something secure. This has been done to a certain extent. If the individual tended to be a little volatile in the beginning there was the necessity of calming down and becoming more stable. No one has been encouraged to go off into flights of foolish fancy. If there was something more to be seen that hadn't yet been seen, this could only be rightly experienced to the extent that we did prove it out in the practical expression of daily living. And all this would consequently indicate something that was solid and stable and immovable to those whose eyes began to be opened to see.
But let us not imagine that this was, or is, all that is necessary. If we are successful in this “production,” we might be termed “solid citizens” perhaps; but let it be solid citizens of the Kingdom of God. However, there have been solid citizens in the world generation after generation, for ages past, and it didn't achieve very much. Yes there must be stability, balance, something practical and sensible, centered in the spirit of God, because, after all, there is nothing solid, nothing stable, nothing practical, nothing sensible, that isn't centered in the spirit of God. All this has to be experienced and proven out.We have been doing this, to some extent at least.
But there is a danger to it, isn't there? There could be a feeling of being prosperous, and prosperity has always been the downfall of those human beings who have sought spiritual things—to let God's will be done. There is something to be faced; there is something to move through; there is a victory to be experienced with respect to what might be called prosperity. When human beings begin to find themselves pretty solidly set here on earth, the pattern of the status quo begins to appear, because it's comfortable, and the spirit of God is forgotten. Every spiritual undertaking—based in something genuine to start with—that ever appeared on earth up to this point has failed in this respect.
If there is a centering in the spirit of God there will be the evidence of it taking form externally; the Kingdom begins to come. But when the Kingdom begins to come there appears in consequence something of a solid nature in external form, and one can become very self-satisfied and self-righteous because of it: “Oh this is good. Look at what we have achieved. Look at all the things that have been done here; real evidence of progress.” Well maybe. It depends. It depends on us. Can we live without these things, or do we have to have them? There are those who are not too sure on this point, so perhaps they feel the necessity of living without these things in order to prove that they can do without them. Others imagine that they can do without them all right, but why should they? The point is that we need to maintain our centering in the spirit of God so that whether things are satisfactory in the external pattern or unsatisfactory makes not the smallest difference to us. If we do find something of a prosperous pattern appearing as we move along the way, this may provide us with facilities for a larger field of service, and insofar as we accept this opportunity, well and good. But let us never imagine that the external pattern of things is any substitute for the spirit of God.
This proper experience of the external manifestation of something solid and sure relates to what we have spoken of as the Third Creative Day, when the Earth Force is active; the dry land appears—something solid. But we need to remember that there were at least four more creative days to complete the cycle. Nevertheless human beings tend to flourish on this Third Day. Human beings become pleased with themselves. The Fourth Day relates to the Fourth Creative Force, namely Fire. These succeeding days follow in sequence. We can't skip anything. The solid state must be present on earth if the fire is to appear.
It was described in the Bible as “cloven tongues of fire which sat upon each of them.” I think the translation is inadequate, of the original, or whoever wrote the original didn't know too well what was happening. It sounds rather a meek sort of experience—nothing very exciting. It doesn't sound like a blazing fire. And this is the thing, isn't it? Human beings tend to soft-pedal any real feeling experience as it relates to God and the things of God. Why? Partly because they are afraid of it. Of course there are some folk who indulge themselves a little bit in emotional experience. I am not suggesting that this is the way, because necessarily, first, there must be stability and balance, and a proving out of these things, so that we are not going to be pushed around by emotionalism.
But at the same time we need to be careful that we don't get so fixed that nothing will move us except possibly a nuclear explosion, because this is one way that the fire can come, and momentarily we might know that it was coming, but not for long. This is the same fire, basically, but appearing destructively. It is the Fire of God's Love appearing destructively. Why does it appear destructively? Obviously because human beings are not in position, are not willing to accept it on a creative basis. They are not interested particularly in Divine Purpose or the fulfilment of God's Will, but in their own purposes and their own wills; consequently the only experience of the Fire of God's Love will inevitably be a destructive one on that basis. We know this. And there may have been occasions when we ourselves have placed ourselves athwart the Fire of God's Love and gotten burned. It was uncomfortable, unpleasant. If it was sufficiently so, perhaps we woke up and did something about it. If it goes too far, of course it is too late. And it could go too far one day for the whole world of mankind.
So we are certainly concerned to allow the Fire of God's Love to work creatively. And what will it do? Wouldn't it set the world on fire? I think it would do much the same thing as the nuclear explosion insofar as fire was concerned, but there would be a difference in the experience: the Creative Fire of God's Love, which is capable of making all things new. Now how is it going to appear? The nuclear kind appears through man's brilliant intellect. He has so much knowledge that he is able to do this—send the world up in flames. What an achievement—real progress! This can be seen as a symbol of something, a portrayal of something creative. The world needs to go up in flames, everyone in it needs to go up in flames, but not be destroyed in consequence.
We need to rise up in the Fire of God's Love. And if that fire is to appear it must appear through those who are in position to let it appear on a creative basis rather than on a destructive basis. And this leads from the solid state of the Third Day to the Fourth Creative Day, the day of fire. Peter said something about the earth being reserved unto fire. It is—no more flood—fire this time. But what sort of fire? The fire that is going to burn everyone up to a cinder? Maybe. Maybe, if we are so dumb as to let it be that way. It could well be. Or on the other hand it could be the real fire in creative expression, which allows all things to be made new.
Of course the vast majority of people on the earth would be most unwilling to let all things be made new. Isn't that right? Would we—all things? Or would we reserve a little? Would we hold out a little on one side and say, “Well this is all right. We'll take this along with us. This is good”? And people everywhere have their “good” things. There is obviously a tremendous unwillingness to let anything very much be made new—let's not delude ourselves! And it is this very unwillingness that is leading mankind into the experience of the destructive fire, where it will all be wiped out anyway. Why not be willing to let go of it before it is wiped out? because if it is wiped out we will be wiped out with it. Why not begin to reach a point where we really have the willingness to let it all go, all of it? We are not going to strike matches and set fire to things. It's not necessary. There are those who have felt this need—some rather extreme individuals in the Doukhobor persuasion in B.C., who have felt that it was necessary to burn down their houses—they were getting too solid. Well there's something to that, you know! Of course that's not the way to go about it. But there was something felt that was right, there.
Having the solid state, something that is stable and sure, that is not going off into emotional sprees, emotional drunks, as does occur with those who have not found sufficient stability, there is the necessity of letting this fire take hold, because if the Fire of God's Love is to appear it must appear through those who have a solid foundation. If they do not have a solid foundation, when it appears it will destroy them. It may be more or less comfortable to feel one is an acceptable member of society because one has proven out a balanced state—yes it's needed—but if we stop there, that's it. There isn't anything more. Nothing will be achieved, because there must be the Fire of God's Love. And so this evening I point to this necessity. We remember the description of the day of Pentecost long ago. We are only interested in this to the extent that it reveals the principle of the thing. We are not trying to duplicate anything.
Somehow we must come into position to set the world on fire. Well we can't do that unless we ourselves are capable of walking in the fire without getting burned up. Something was said to the effect, with respect to the disciples long ago, that they were accused of setting the world on fire. They did not have the opportunity that we have had, the time that we have had, to establish this solid, balanced foundation upon which to stand, and so they got badly burned. Our concern is to allow something of this Fire of God's Love to so take hold of us, as we abide under control, in the true design, on the firm foundation, as to permit this power to start a blaze—a controlled blaze.
I think, as you gather here on Sunrise Ranch, this may be what we are here for—providing, not exactly kindling, but something that proves to be a little inflammable. So tonight I thought I would talk along this line, that it may be in our collective consciousness as we move forward through these wonderful days which we are privileged to share in this wonderful place. It is so good to have this opportunity to be together, to enjoy each other, but we need to remember also that we are here for a very particular, a very definite purpose—to give Glory to God in the Highest—and I don't know how you would do that without a little fire.
© emissaries of divine light
