THE KING—His Household and His Ministers

THE  KING

His Household  and  His Ministers

Martin Cecil   April 24, 1983

The quality and character of the Kingdom is the quality and character of the KING. This is also the quality and character of His people. Grace and dignity are two words used to convey something of the nature and atmosphere of the KING and His Kingdom. It might be well this morning to consider this matter of the Kingdom, which is one way of describing the true state on earth. There would be no Kingdom, of course, if there was not a KING. As I have indicated, the character of the Kingdom is the character of the KING and of His people.

The KING governs in His Kingdom. It may be said that the government is one of love and truth and life. It isn't an arbitrary imposition; it is readily and delightedly received by those who are present in the Kingdom and by all creatures great and small. Human minds and hearts can take a look at these things and perhaps be inclined to acknowledge that such a state would be beautiful and fulfilling, but for the most part it has never seemed to be all that real in human consciousness. It only had some flavor of reality if it was put off to a later date or related to somewhere else other than on earth. So much of what was occurring in the world has seemed to contradict any possibility or expectation of such a Kingdom state. There could be no Kingdom but for the KING. The KING carries responsibility for the Kingdom; He carries it on behalf of a greater KING. But insofar as we are concerned this One, whoever He is, is the KING. We can trust Him to be the KING and to govern in the quality and character of His Kingly nature.

There are many Christians who think of the KING as Jesus. This, however, was the name of a man on earth. Perhaps His true nature as a KING is sufficient to identify Him in our consciousness. Those who are His people love Him and desire nothing more than to serve Him; that is fulfilment enough. If it doesn't seem to be so to anyone it is simply because that person does not know the KING. There has been very little knowing of the KING. He has been rather a fantastic figure, if He appeared in human consciousness at all. This of course is because human consciousness exists in a fantastic state, filled with fantasies of all kinds, most of which are deemed to be real and are worshipped accordingly. So, except from the standpoint of claims of the lips on the part of some, the KING has remained obscure, without any particular authority in the lives and the experience of human beings.

In the religious world the one who provides the focus of worship, by whatever name called, has tended to be a very restricted governing figure. He might govern in the church or in the mosque, according to the views of those who are present, or in whatever the situation might be when particular thought was being given to this one. There might have been a certain government from the standpoint of society, whatever the nature of that society might be, according to the concepts, ideas and beliefs that have been established; but factual government has been conspicuous by its absence. The evidence of this is on every hand: chaos, confusion, conflict—conflict within people, between people, within nations, between nations. All this can be easily observed, and it might be possible for anyone who thought about it to draw some pertinent conclusions.

The KING, by whatever name called, has been ignored, factually ignored, and His government, whatever that might be, rejected in favor of the ideas and doctrines of men. The results we have just noted. But there is a KING, and while He has been largely excluded from the earth, in human experience at least, there is a level of being at which He governs; that could be called the heavenly level. The KING is in His heaven, a heaven of which human beings know virtually nothing. But the KING governs there; He is loved there. He chooses His household there; He chooses His ministers, and there is government then from that standpoint, from that level.

Because there is such government human beings have thus far continued to exist on earth in their rebellious and disobedient state. Human arrogance has attempted to take the world, as though it belonged to human egos, to human minds and hearts. But the KING still rules in heaven—fortunately for the continued existence of human beings on earth. It seems to have been imagined, without any intelligent thought being given to the matter, that it would be possible to ignore the KING and steal the earth. Certainly the world is a den of thieves. We all have been counted among the number of the thieves—four or five billion now, I believe—those who seek to take the world for themselves. There are those politicians who talk romantically about the little people. But, little or big, whatever standard one might use to discern between them, they all undertake the same thievery. Some have lower expectations than others, that's all; they don't steal quite so much—perhaps they haven't the ability or the chance, as it might be put. If they had the chance they would steal more! So it's a universal condition.

There was a commandment given a long time ago: "Thou shalt not steal." Most have translated that to mean, "Thou shalt not put one's hand in the till," but they haven't seen it as relating to the whole experience of existence in the human state, where human beings claim everything for themselves, including their so‑called rights. They have no rights, in fact; all they have is wrongs, and plenty of that! Oh I suppose in a broad way it's easy to see that the human state is impossible of balancing or bringing into order as long as the KING is denied. I'm sure that all of you have reached the point where you can see that most clearly. However just because one can see it clearly doesn't mean that one necessarily has assumed the responsibility consequent upon that seeing. There is no hope for human beings anywhere—and this has tended to prove itself out generation after generation—until or unless the KING is acknowledged.

If we are aware, or have some awareness at least, of the reality of this Supreme Point of Government related to this world, heaven and earth, then we also have begun to experience the fact that He chooses His household and He chooses His ministers. They are chosen in heaven. I'm not, I trust, using the word "heaven" in the sense that would be fantastic in your consciousness. There is a heaven, and you have had some experience of the fact of it. There is a realm out of which one may live on earth, ungoverned by any expectation anymore of being able to steal the world. It doesn't belong to human beings. "The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." That's a statement that was made long ago. And it's very true, but it hasn't penetrated the—what is it?—eighth or quarter of an inch of the human skull yet, apparently, except for a few who are awakening realistically to the truth.

There have been a lot of people who have fiddled around with the truth and tried to believe something, set up their doctrines and religions and so on. Perhaps this has had a purpose in that it has maintained within the consciousness of mankind the fact that there is a Supreme Being, but the Supreme Being has been rather a vague character in the consciousness of most. He isn't a vague character at all, very specific. Our acquaintance with that Supreme Being is by reason of the KING, the KING of the Kingdom. However, one would have to assume the nature of the Kingdom to participate in it; and that is the nature of the KING. Any other nature won't do—human, for instance.

As there begins to be a recognition of these things, the fact of responsibility comes into the picture. The KING appoints His ministers, He chooses His household; and this fact in heaven begins to become known on earth as there are human minds and hearts who exhibit a willingness to let the fact be made known. If human minds and hearts are so busy about their thefts, then they have no space to allow the heavenly truth to be experienced on earth. You have some awareness of the factual nature of this heavenly truth simply because it takes form on earth. You may let it take form in your own experience and you may observe it taking form in the experience of others. Of course human minds and hearts and egos don't care for that idea very much, because they imagine they are going to lose all that they have stolen thus far—which is the fact of the matter. They are going to lose it sooner or later, anyway.

But here we have the truth, which is absolute; the choice of the KING is absolute. It may be said His Word is Law. That's the fact of the matter. That looks bad to human minds and hearts; "Dictatorship," they say. That's because they have no experience of it, and it provides them with an excuse for continuing with their thefts. The KING appoints His ministers. These primary ministers are taking form in the flesh. There are minds and hearts who are letting it be so, who are willing to allow it to happen, who are no longer concerned with trying to steal from the KING; in fact such a thought would horrify them. Certainly it would horrify them if they loved the KING and if they have a consciousness of being His ministers.

To be His ministers they must minister to Him. Usually ministers are thought of as ministering to their flocks; but the first concern is to minister to Him, because this is necessary if He is to assume His authority in the human consciousness. If a person has an imagination in this regard and then says, "Well I know that the KING would require me to minister to His people on earth," then he has turned his back on the KING and is trying to do something according to his own views of what should be done or somebody else's views of what should be done—it has been stereotyped over the years in the various religions. And so people in each generation tend to follow out the same lines, the party line, so to speak. But that isn't ministering; that's theft. It's trying to steal something from the KING and saying, "Well now I have stolen it; I know better than you how to apply it to my flock." That's a lie!

It is necessary to love the KING first, above all else, because until that is the experience one's consciousness cannot be filled with an awareness of what it would mean to love His people. If you don't know the KING you don't know His people either. We have a lot of earnest and sincere human beings fumbling around in the world, turning up stones trying to find the people of the KING. But they wouldn't know them if they were there; they wouldn't recognize them. No need to do that. We ourselves presumably love the KING. To the extent that we do so we will discover what He has chosen. Human beings have had ideas about the chosen people. There was a chance back along the way, but that's long gone. Who are His chosen people? The ones whose minds and hearts are sufficiently willing to allow the truth to become known, the truth that He chooses His household and His ministers. And one must discover the truth for oneself.

Gradually over the years, as minds and hearts have become sufficiently willing, there is some evidence of the fact that the chosen ministers in heaven are putting in an appearance on earth. There is nothing arrogant about this, just simply the natural course of events to the extent that there are willing minds and hearts. The character of the Kingdom was described in terms of grace and dignity. I think we could add humility also, for the KING Himself is humble; He is humble before His KING. Human beings are arrogant. They think they know; they think they are capable of judging; they think by the exercise of their brilliant intellects that they can discern all things. If one can swallow that stuff one deserves to die, I think. The human mind is stupid. That has often been said, and good emissaries nod their heads, but they don't believe it, as evidenced by the efforts that are made by the human minds of those concerned.

  

No, there is a KING and there are His ministers, and His ministers rightly take form in the flesh. From the KING's standpoint this would be the first order of business. What else can be done until His ministers put in an appearance? Nothing, nothing at all. So, in whatever measure, this has been occurring. In order for this to be effective, as it naturally will be if it emerges as it should out of heaven, there will always be the necessity of a First Minister. Even human beings recognize this principle in their attempts to govern themselves and control their stolen property. So, there rightly is a First Minister who, in revealing the character of the KING, evokes love. The love is for the character of the KING. One can hardly separate the one who reveals the character of the KING from the character of the KING. If it is a true revelation they are one anyway. So love would include the First Minister, but only because the First Minister reveals the character of the KING. And so those who begin to become aware of the fact of being chosen as ministers naturally love the KING and His First Minister. There begins to be something taking form here which, when fusion occurs, provides the KING with the means of His creative action. But there must be fusion. We can have, as is the case in worldly governments, first ministers with their cabinets all at odds with each other, each going his own separate way, saying, "This is my department. Don't you interfere with my department. Stay out!" And so we have the state of separation at the apex of human government, which is then reflected in those who are thereby governed. Conflict and confusion result, and very inefficient government. But there is a very efficient government; t has been waiting in the wings for a long time for those with willing minds and hearts to let it be made flesh.

The essential ingredients for fusion in what might be called the Ministerial Body are love for the KING and love for His First Minister. This engenders easy communion between ministers and an open communion between all with the First Minister. While elements of communication may be, and rightly are, involved in this, communion is something deeper, because it is based in love. If there is no love, communion is impossible; and because communion is impossible, communication is impossible. Human beings talk a lot about communication, they have inventions set up all over the place to facilitate communication, but there isn't any communication. There is nothing to communicate, or what is communicated relates to what has been stolen. And all this is a realm of nonsense and rubbish. The means of communication are fine, but there must be those on hand who have something to communicate. In order to have something to communicate, the experience of communion must have been established. Communion is impossible without love, and all this centers in the KING who carries the Supreme Authority.

This brings obedience into the picture. We have heard tell that man rebelled against God; in other words he became disobedient. The disobedience led to the theft. Human minds and hearts are inclined to say, "Well God has everything; He won't miss this little piece that I get." Well I suppose that's true. He won't miss it, but you will miss the abundance that is available, and finally end up with nothing. This indicates the absolute stupidity of human minds and hearts. Of course they are so accustomed to their stupidity now that they look upon it as wisdom, and there tends to be some reactive emotion if the suggestion is made that human minds are stupid. I think you have reached a point where you can take it. I hope you can take it because you know it's true and not because you have built up a wall of defense around yourself so that it doesn't penetrate, so that you can still say, "Well that may be true of everybody else but it isn't true of me."

So, love for the KING brings love for the First Minister, as he begins to be recognized by those who also are ministers. It has been said that angels know each other. The ministers of the KING know each other, and they cannot deny their love for the KING, their love for the First Minister, and their love for each other. All this follows naturally. Now there are those who are inclined, on the basis of the stupid human mind, to think in terms of some sort of a hierarchy being set up. That's a ridiculous human concept based in the state of separation. "There's some sort of a pecking order," they say. Well there is a design of course; nothing works without a design. Did anyone ever try to build an automobile without a design? Yet human beings try to build the world without a design—simply because they don't know what the design is, for one thing—and so they invent various courses of action.

But there is one course of action, one design, one way it works; that's all. It is futile to pay any attention to anything else; nothing else works. All else is subject to fission, disintegration; but there is the opportunity for fusion. But fusion only comes because there is a KING. There have been many people, as I say, who acknowledge there must be a KING, and they have their ideas about it, and their doctrines, and so on, but the KING has remained unknown. He wasn't known when He took form in the flesh on earth. He was denied, betrayed and, apparently, crucified. That's water under the bridge now, but it certainly did not get rid of the KING. He is still there. His ministers emerge. Sometimes they interfere with the government of the KING by an unwillingness to experience the reality of communion, which in turn would require a modicum of communication.

Many of you have awakened to the opportunity which is provided in order that you might share in the unified radiation that emerges from this place through communication. And I have noted an increase of the awareness of love, so that there is increased communion and the increased experience then possible of fusion, so that there is just one unified point of radiation. All concerned who play their part in this are One. They love each other because they love His ministers, because His ministers love His First Minister, and His First Minister loves the KING. Then all share that fire of love, which is the fire of fusion. Without it there is no fusion, just fission: each individual tends to go his separate way, doing his separate thing, imagining that that is what should be done, that others should agree to it. And if they don't, well you can condemn them then. What foolishness! There is a design. That is an aspect of the truth, isn't it? There is government. That is another aspect of the truth, and there is a sensible way by which government occurs. It has been occurring right along insofar as the universe is concerned—we don't have to fuss about that—but it certainly hasn't been occurring in the affairs of men. But now it may, and it is emerging into the flesh because of obedience to the truth.

When there is obedience to the truth, so that the truth characterizes the individual nature, love becomes known, not before. There are all sorts of emotional experiences in which human beings wallow, but none of it is love until the truth is known. Love is well protected, one might say, from human experience by the truth. When the truth is known there is love. And love makes possible communion; and communion, right, fitting communication. And all that is included in what I have called fusion, because it is happening in all concerned; no one is trying to live his little separate life, trying to boost his own ego. Anyone who is subject to emotional reaction of any kind, so that he is pushed around by it—his expression comes out foul on that basis—is certainly not part of the authority of the KING. Such a person has little or nothing to offer; he is trying to steal something from the KING. But, together, because we love the KING in truth—that is, in the design and the government of the KING, acknowledging the design with delight—obedience in this sense is a delight. It's not a chore; it's a delight; and acknowledging that, the design and the government are the experience, the dominion is set in one's own living. If it's set in your own living it's set in the earth. If it isn't set in your own living, well you would be no party to setting anything in the earth. So we share this opportunity this morning, having allowed minds and hearts, to whatever extent, to be open, to acknowledge, to experience, the truth, so that we may continue in that way, individually and as one, in each succeeding moment of eternity.

© emissaries of divine light