This morning, July 7th, our 9:30 class,GPC Server’s Training School, getting started a little late; with the wonderful music of our sprinkling system motor in the background—and I trust that you'll all be able to hear me. Are you having any trouble hearing my voice? Good. I think it will record; at least get a record of what I have to say. And it is particularly in conjunction with attunement technique. I do not know whether you have reached a point in the consideration of the material was that was presented to the former class or not, where I dealt with the basic formula; the basic formula for living; the basic formula for doing all things whatsoever, including the basic formula for attunements, the process of giving an attunement. Therefore it is likewise the basic formula for finding attunement with God in the reality of the Divine Pattern. You know the words of this formula and we have considered them together many many times, but I would like to take a few moments in this hour to consider them specifically with you, in relationship to our purpose here, the purpose of ministry, the ministry through attunement, which must include the patterns of ministry necessary to, not only the body, but the mind the heart and the spirit.
While people are going through the process of becoming attuned there are various points that develop wherein there are pressure factors. These pressure factors do not need to be severe, but many times people let them be severe, or cause them to be. In the Divine Pattern as we have been working it out here, and as you are supposed to extend it to others, there is always the provision whereby the severe aspects of the pressure patterns may be avoided, so that the way may be easy all the way. The Lord's way is always easy, and it becomes difficult only to the degree that we mix in something that is not of the Lord—some idea, some concept, some feeling reaction, some attitude, some deep-seated conviction, perhaps from out of the past, but there are those things which human beings tend to mix in, causing a pattern of adulteration. This adulterating or mixing of the things of this world, in the vibratory sense, with the things of God, is something that we must learn not to do.
Because there is such a widespread pattern of confusion in relationship to what we mean when we say “the things of this world”, I think we should take a moment to consider that specific point. Human beings, limited in consciousness, having backgrounds influenced by many of the concepts and beliefs in the world, are inclined to think of the whole pattern of human activity as being “of this world”. When I say mixing the things of this world with the things of God they imagine it means the pattern of daily activity, the necessities of daily life in various ways, etc. But if you stop to think about it, to meditate upon it a little bit, you find that that is not the case, it cannot be the case; that again there is a pattern of mere assumption.
First let us question for a moment, “What are the things of God?” Who made your body and all of its parts? Who made your body with all of its capacities? Who made the opportunities? Who made the earth? Who made the things of the earth? God did. So when I speak of the things of this world, I am not talking about anything that God made, I am not talking about anything that God created. I am not talking about the right use of any of the capacities which God gave you physically, mentally, emotionally. Those things that are of God must not be confused with the things that are of this world, and yet human beings are constantly confusing, in their own minds and hearts, these things that are of God, and attempting to classify them as if they were of this world. And when they try to treat them as if they were of this world they are, in effect, when they try to live a so-called spiritual life, they are in effect trying to make God fight against God—and it doesn’t work.
We must recognize that all the things that God made are not of this world. They may be of this earth, they may be made of the substance of this earth, they may be in patterns specific in relationship to our present function in life. For instance, would you classify an automobile as something purely of this world? I would not. An airplane? A radio? The pattern of use determines the meaning of the thing; so the thing, as long as it has a potentially constructive use, is not of this world. Who provided the means by which it could be designed in relationship to man's uses? Who provided the intelligence for the inventor? Who provided the inspiration that the need might be filled? Are these things “of this world”? They come into the classification of being of this world only when they have no constructive use or when they are used destructively. Only that which is subjected to, or patterned by, the self-centered, self-active pattern of life expression is “of this world”.
We must learn not to confuse the things of God with the things of this world; and God has plenty of things on earth. God made plenty of things on earth. He provided the metals, and all the other things that we may properly use in constructive activity. And I have had people, when I have said something about not being subject to the things of this world, or functioning in relationship to them, I have had people because of background patterns of training in false doctrines and ideas, jump to the conclusion, “Well that means then, there shouldn’t be any sex, there shouldn’t be any this, there shouldn’t be any that; there shouldn’t be anything.” I wonder what we should be!
We were placed on earth as human beings. God made us, and he made all parts of our bodies for use in the Divine Design. He made all parts of our minds and hearts, our capacities. He made the things round about us. Some of them man has designed and built on the basis of potential use for the blessing of man, for the uses of man to the glory of God. How could we hope to achieve our goal without radio? How could we hope to achieve our goal without automobiles and airplanes? How could we hope to do anything without highways and byways, and all kinds of things?
Blessed Ones, who are they who serve the Lord? Just those who have a consciousness of what we are doing here in this hour? Those who are making the things and providing the opportunities whereby the Word of God, the works of God, may be extended into the earth. We have Dick and Billie with us this morning, back from Newfoundland, and we are happy to have them back home. How did they go? By plane, by train, etc. How did they return? By boats and trains, and planes, automobiles. How did they carry on their ministry up there? Because there was a little automobile provided for them to get around. How did they manage to accomplish their work to the degree that they did? Because there were thousands and tens of thousands, yea millions of people working to produce the things that would make our lives effective. And all of those things which can be used to the glory of God, for the service of God, are the things of God on earth.
The things, unless they are wholly destructive—for instance, about the only thing I can think of that comes in that classification is the liquor industry—practically everything that man makes has a potential in the right pattern of being. And these things when they are used in the Divine Pattern are not the things “of this world”. So when I say let us not mix the things of this world with the things of God, I am not asking you to separate the things that God has made from the things that God has made. They all belong to God, and why should we try to draw a line and say, “this belongs and that does not.” If we can use it to the glory of God it is one of God’s things, and it has a relationship to heaven. Suppose it is somewhat limited for the time being; if it’s the best that’s available it is still one of God’s things. And there is opportunity for improvement. We begin to recognize then that if we are going to let the things of God have meaning on earth we must not be constantly attempting to classify the things of God as being the things of the devil, or the things of this world. Let us never be confused on this point: What are the things of this world?
Suppose there was no one making shoes. It’s good, as we considered yesterday, to go barefooted under certain conditions, but I wouldn’t want to have to go barefooted in the conditions as they are in the world all the time. Someone has to make the shoes, someone has too… well, I may not be too elegantly dressed, but at least I have a pair of trousers and a shirt on, and I have a belt and a pair of socks, and so on; some of the unmentionables, etc. So those who made the things that make it possible for me to appear before you were serving me, they were serving God. Who built the highways? You say, “Those who were serving the devil.” Well maybe, some of them did, part of the time; they may have been serving the devil in their off hours, spending their money “for that which is not drink, etc.” But they who built the highways, those who manufactured the automobiles that make it possible for us to do what we are doing; those who did all the things that make it possible are a part of what this is. And their labors are recognized as part of the Divine Plan.
If any man or woman at any time in past generations has done one thing which contributed toward making it possible for me to stand before you here this morning and speak to you, then that person was serving God; and if that pattern of activity was limited to ten minutes, then that life was not in vain. How many people have contributed to your being here and to my having the opportunity of standing before you? How many? Could you count them? No. Alright, let’s not forget them, whether of past generations or of this, it makes no difference.
So let’s not confuse the things of God with the things of this world—the things of this world. We need to recognize that we were created by God, and the things that were created by God on earth are for our use. And if those things come out as automobiles or airplanes or what have you, as long as they serve a constructive purpose they are “the things of God” and they are not “the things of this world”. So when I say the things of this world I never mean just material things as such. I mean the influences, the attitudes, the evil spirits, the things that spoil the proper uses of the things that God has made in creation and the things that God has made through man. Whether it be mighty bridges or—how about those who drilled a thirteen mile tunnel through granite back up here in the mountains so that water might flow along in that canal and we might have the sweet music of the motor running out here in our sprinkling system? All the men that labored there digging the canal, all the machines that helped to make it, all these things are the things of God, the works of God.
Now, those who help make it possible for us to minister effectively are ministering. Those who make it possible for me to do some thing are ministering. To the degree that you are centered in reality, the same thing holds true with you. So, let us not confuse the issue and classify the things of God as being the things of this world, for it puts you in the position of attempting to fight against God, and trying to make God fight against Himself, and that doesn’t work. If you would know God, accept Him as He is, and stop rejecting Him or that expression of His Being which makes it possible for us to be what we ought to be. Now, in clearing this point we have used up a bit of our time, in the sense of the tape that we have available to us here at the moment; but that is of vital importance, and learn to see the things of God, learn not to confuse the things of this world with God, or the things of God with the things of this world.
The Lord is my Shepherd. There is the starting point for all things whatsoever, insofar as this world is concerned, in movement toward Oneness with God. And as soon as you have reached the point of Oneness with God you are a part of the Lord, therefore a part of the Shepherd. In other words, it matters not where you are in the scale of outworking, if you are responding to reality you are included in that sentence, no matter how supposedly high or how supposedly low. The Lord is my Shepherd. You are either a part of that which the Lord is shepherding, or you are a part of the Lord doing the shepherding. I shall not want. “I”—that which is apart from the Lord, shall not want. But the Shepherd must determine this and that; the Shepherd must make choices, decisions, and provide that which is essential for the sheep.
Now all of the things that the Shepherd may do, through all the human beings to provide for the sheep, is a part of the Shepherd's activity. It may manifest imperfectly through some human beings at times, but it's still a part of Divine Action. I shall not want. The pattern of determination shall not be centered in the outer human being, at any time along the way. Now if this is true of you, and the eye is single, in all the ways in which we have considered that point together, if the eye is single, then it will be the Lord's eye, the Lord's point of identification, the Lord's capacity of seeing, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. The one eye [I]—the means of perception centered in the means of identification, centering. “I” then, the outer, shall not want. But “I” the inner, shall want. Isn't that right?
If God had no desire, if God had no longing, if God had nothing that could be called “wanting”, where would there be any progress? Why would there ever be any creation? Why wouldn't the whole of the cosmos be a completely static thing. Wouldn't it be? God wants something, and He has the right to want something. You have the right to share God's wanting—but not the human wanting. When you turn it around it works. “I want”—the human being desiring this and that in an attitude which denies God, which denies the power of God to accomplish His own works, which denies God's wisdom, which denies God's understanding of that which is necessary—all of that must go! And you must be functioning in this pattern of attunement that you can help others to let go of their wrong wanting, of their of their human wanting, and begin to let God's determination have meaning, God's Will. God determines, desires, longs, or wants.
Now God has been wanting something in two ways, for a long time. He has been wanting the prodigal son of the body of mankind to return home. He has been longing for that. He has had a want which has not been filled, too. We see the two possible meanings of wanting: If I “want” that, I desire that, or I lack that. The word “want”: I “desire” or I “lack”. It must be one of the two, must it not, in the pattern of meaning. It can be used to signify a lack or it can be used to signify a desire. Now God has been lacking something. He has been lacking the presence of the prodigal son in His House. And He has been desiring something. He has been desiring the return of the prodigal son to His House—the prodigal son of the body of mankind.
Now, if the human being takes the attitude of lacking or desiring, in this sense, the human being is denying that which is real in God; but if God desires or acknowledges a lack in relationship to man, He is only recognizing the facts with respect to man. There's the difference. And when you are centered in the Lord, who is the Shepherd, you do not need to be confused on the issue, and you can be a channel for Divine Action on earth.
