It has often been said, “It all works the way it works; it doesn’t work any other way.” Other ways have been imposed upon the way it works by the strenuous efforts of human beings, and it has been discovered, although not thoroughly admitted yet, that it hasn’t worked. From the standpoint of our own awareness, to the extent of our radiant vision, we know something of the way it works. The way it works requires a spiritual body. To the extent that we have been willing to agree, a spiritual body has been forming, composed of the substance which we ourselves have provided through our own living. There is an evidence of failure on the part of many, who have the opportunity of knowing the way it really works, to participate in the way it works.
I’m sure all of you have had some experience of reading some services that were given even years ago that you had read before, and you suddenly discover that you hadn't really heard what was being offered through that particular service; it seems fresh to you. I have frequently pointed out that the mailings themselves are my personal letters to all concerned. There is some purpose to being a part of the process that works through the mailings. Unless there is true vision there cannot be true understanding.
There are two main factors that make observation very unreliable. One of them is that one cannot observe anything except through one’s own state of consciousness, and if the human ego persists at all one's state of consciousness will be distorted. We have been advised that it is unwise to judge. Well it is unwise anyway, but one can postulate a reason as to why it is unwise: because your observation will be distorted, so you will be judging something that you yourself have distorted. That is one aspect of it; you can’t see anything, observe anything, in this way except through your own, conditioned state of consciousness. Then, having done that, the impact of your distorted observation comes upon you and there is a mental and emotional reaction of some kind relative to this distorted observation; so that adds another layer of distortion on the whole thing.
This proclaims the importance of radiant vision, the vision which allows a person to live rather than perish. Radiant vision is aware of the forming of the spiritual body. This formation has appeared in the experience of those concerned to the extent that there has been alignment with the way it works. If there is radiant vision there is understanding of why the mailings themselves have significance and importance, for instance. True doing is never a duty or obligation. It is the natural and unavoidable expression of oneself in concert with the whole. Consider your correspondence with me in this light. Correspondence is the conveyance of spiritual substance into the core. The conveyance of that substance enables this spiritual body to live; without it it will very quickly perish, and perishing comes by reason of no vision. So if there are those who feel that it is sufficient for them to dispense with the mailings, [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2014/08/transcendentsignificance-martin-exeter.html] there is evidence of no vision, and such people are not only not contributing their substance but they are unwittingly a parasitic drain upon this forming spiritual body. I’m saying these things because it is indeed a vital matter. I’m sure we’re all very much concerned to allow the increase of life rather than the decrease of life; therefore we will function in a way that allows this to happen.
Radiant vision allows what may be observed to be seen as it truly is, and there will consequently be no inclination whatsoever to judge it. After all, it is already in the past; what’s the point of judging it? It’s a waste of life-force. We see clearly how things work. It may be that I have seen fairly clearly how things work for a long time. I suppose it could be said that, from the human standpoint, it is rather frustrating to be able to see the way things work and then to observe how so many people refuse to let it work that way. Now it seems that there are more who are coming into alignment and exhibiting a willingness to let it work the way it works, so that the creative process may be differentiated effectively through a growing spiritual body. The growing spiritual body through which this differentiation is occurring builds its own form. It builds its own form in the sense of physical flesh; the flesh body puts in an appearance, increasingly coordinated, composed of individual human bodies. So there is that much of a body, a spiritual body and a material body, but of course the purpose is not merely to produce a material body of flesh.
This whole process relates to the assumption of proper responsibility vested in man. All these things are not happening merely for the benefit of man. We are aware that man has a purpose, a reason for being, so there is form to appear beyond man. There is form which has appeared beyond human beings the way they now are, which we are inclined to call the world: the state of affairs on earth, which includes everything that is happening on the earth and some things that are happening beyond the face of the earth too. Our commission, our responsibility, is rather large, is it not?—to create a world.
I have asked the question as to how big we are, in our own sense of awareness and our own sense of destiny, because we certainly cannot create anything bigger than we are in the acceptance of ourselves. [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2022/05/angelic-staturearchangelic-stature.html] If there is an insistence upon being a little person who can’t do very much, well not very much will be done, obviously. But if one begins to have vision, radiant vision, you become aware of the immensity of the creative power by which a world is brought forth. Because all this is so unknown in human experience, completely unknown, it has seemed to many as though it was fantastic. But what is really fantastic is the human ego experience, polarized in past and future. That is the fantastic thing. Now we are emerging into the experience of reality. We find this fantastic state to be with us at the same time. We can’t leap out of the fantastic state into the real state; we’re fastened, still, quite extensively to the fantastic state. If we tried to leap we’d probably tear ourselves apart. So, rightly, because it’s the practical thing, it is a gradual process, and we have known it to be a gradual process, but there is no reason why we shouldn’t let it pick up speed—there’s no reason to drag our feet unnecessarily.
We have these fantastic connections with people, and we do not wish to shut them off so as to leave people without any connection to the reality. We experience within ourselves many of the factors that are present in human nature. It has always been assumed that this wasn’t true of the one called Jesus, but it was; He would have been useless if it hadn’t been. It is so for all of us. And sometimes people are rather surprised by the fact that these elements of human nature may still be hanging around. After all, we have been seeking to let our lives be transformed by the truth, and yet we’re still aware that there are elements of human nature in ourselves of which we may at times be quite ashamed.
We might recall a statement made by the Master long ago: “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” Which of you can make me ashamed, which of you can make me fearful? He wasn’t saying that there was no connection with these things in Himself but that He simply was not ruled by His awareness of these things from within Himself. We have these connections. That’s part of the commission, that we may have these connections and be aware of shame, be aware of fear, be aware of these elements of human nature, without being brought into subjection to them. It’s interesting: in the human nature state most people seem to imagine that they are unique, that they have things in themselves that are not shared, really, by anybody else. But when you begin to have vision you begin to become aware of the boring sameness of human nature anywhere in anyone! And while some aspects of human nature may be emphasized more in one person than in another, there is emphasis in everyone somewhere. And there is human nature present with everyone. We know these things.
But we are becoming aware, because of radiant vision, that there is no necessity to in any way be subject to such experiences as may still remain in us. We thank God for those experiences, because they connect us with other boring human beings too. And so, in allowing our own experience to be uncontrolled, uninfluenced, by these human nature elements that remain, we are opening the door for the same thing to happen to everybody else. If all are uninfluenced and uncontrolled by these factors of human nature, the factors of human nature would cease to exist. But you can’t expect to be picked out as a special person in whom these factors of human nature are going to be dissolved all on your own! Wouldn’t that be nice? “Now I’m free!”—and useless. While any are bound none are free. So this is to be expected; there is nothing strange about it; but we have the authority, we have the electromagnetic force to be unmoved by these puny little human nature elements. People sometimes look at some emissaries and think of them as cold fish who are never moved by the usual gamut of human emotion. Well they may not be moved by that but they certainly know what it is. That’s true of each of us. We all know the particular gamut of human emotion that is our own, and it is very little different from what is true of somebody else.
But we have vision. We stand in the present moment. We may observe these elements of human nature. Because we observe them they are already in the past. They no longer influence. Which of you convinceth me of sin? That’s a rhetorical question, but each one may ask it of everybody else: Can you make me feel ashamed or guilty because there are elements of human nature still present within the range of my experience? Of course there are, but why be ashamed or guilty about it when it is recognized that here is the salvation of other people, in whom these same elements of human nature are present? They don’t know what to do about it. They’re pushed around by their emotions, by their intellectual beliefs and all this; they don’t know how to come clear. But we do, we know. And we cannot be brought into subjection by the accuser.
The accuser is sometimes oneself, accusing oneself and saying in effect, “Well I shouldn’t feel these things.” That’s not true at all; you should feel them, you should be aware of them. That’s what makes you valuable. That’s what maintains a connection with other people, so that because you know how to handle a situation without becoming subject to the accuser, others may come clear also. They couldn’t except for those who let this happen in themselves. Then that electromagnetic force is extended to others, and others may find themselves hooked to it and begin to come clear too. They hear the word, “Come near unto me.” We say, in effect, “I know how to deal with this; come near and you will know how to deal with it too.” We invite people to associate with us, not because we are fulfilling some concept of perfection but because we are what we are, and we are in the present moment. I am. I have these elements in my form of manifestation. I don’t object, because I know if they were removed I might as well be removed. So we share this privilege of participating in the creative process with others, because we ourselves have vision, vision which makes our observations at least somewhat more accurate than they have been in times past.
I don’t suppose there is anyone sitting here who hasn’t at times felt weak and futile and inadequate and all these things, and we may have judged ourselves and said, “Well I shouldn’t be feeling that way." Oh yes, you should! But that need not be the element which determines how you act, how you behave. Your behavior is in line with your vision—it’s radiant. There is sufficient radiation so that all these other things can’t penetrate that radiation; and no one can convince you of sin then, even though there may be these things present within the range of your experience. Let us rejoice that we are capable of handling what comes to us effectively in the radiant power of spirit.
Come To Zero We Must
Yujin Pak September 15, 2024
I know it could be a little presumptuous of me to say that perhaps there may be more coming to Zero for us to do. If you find it presumptuous, please forgive me. But to Zero we must come—we must come! Only as we are in that place of complete fluidity, at Zero, available to respond swiftly, decisively, may we provide the expression of the identity and character of the LORD, in the most decisive moments, the climax moments … I want to be more presumptuous yet … I want to touch on another coming to Zero, and this relates to the question, “What does the LORD need the most in these crucial times?” Would it not be a true pattern of agreement; not general agreement, long distance agreement, but close, unified agreement. What stands in the way of it? Patterns of experience, memory of one another that brings wariness. Some of it may be understandable, but what about coming to Zero? And I include in this Core Leaders and individuals in our extended Body. How about the possibility of coming to Zero? How about the possibility of cancelling debts of the heart, cancelling debts of hurt, cancelling prejudgments, cancelling positions, outer and mental? How about coming to Zero regarding one another, putting ourselves together on the altar before the LORD, coming to Zero together? Would this not rejoice the LORD, coming to Zero in such a way that spirit may have a way, totally unexpected. Well, climax points have a way bringing things to Zero. Some of it is forced. But the Priesthood are the ones willing to come to Zero without the stimulation of outer events. Come to Zero because of love for the LORD, where all is yielded, all is made possible, fluid, especially one's opinions are yielded to the LORD. True expression in climax times, bringing everything so that the unfettered expression of spirit may be possible through us. On this anniversary of this ministry, I'm happy to share this consideration with you of the true expression of Priests and Priestesses after the Order Of Melchizedek, those that are willing to come to Zero in passionate love for the LORD allow what usually is impossible to be possible, and thus allow history that would otherwise be impossible to be made possible.
All things bright and beautiful—a new acceptance of the truth in living. It's been rather a heavy trip for many in times past. One makes it so for oneself, because it isn't really so. Just by saying the words that the yoke is easy, the burden light, doesn't make that the individual's experience, but it is the truth of the matter. And if it isn't our experience it is by reason of our own attitude, our own particular structures of consciousness, by reason of the impurities of heart that are still present. Now of course seeing that doesn't immediately dissolve the impurities of heart. This is a matter of healing, isn't it? We've been talking about relinquishing the impurities of heart, but it is healing. All healing comes through the heart. When the heart is pure there is no need for healing, so all healing is healing of the heart—the purifying of the heart. When it's clear as crystal, a sea of glass clear as crystal, oneness of heaven and earth is known and there is no need for healing. That is healing, that is health.
So perhaps we can see healing particularly in terms of the heart. There may be necessities of physical healing—there certainly are. I don't think human beings the way they are now in these rather coarse flesh bodies are a revelation of the true state. So there's a lot of healing to happen which includes all levels. We can't reach the levels where healing is required without the heart being healed, and immediately the heart is healed there is the oneness of heaven and earth and that is restoration—not a long, drawn-out process which it tends to be looked upon as being from the usual viewpoint of physical healing, for instance; or even mental healing, the healing of the attitudes and views and outlooks of human beings. If one is merely working at those levels, trying to make healing be, it won't work very well. You can't be healed by diet. You can't be healed by taking supplements. You can't be healed by reading books, particularly books about healing. The heart must be healed.
The healing of the heart is the purifying of the heart. This occurs not by reason of anything that human beings can do in their present state: not by might, nor by power, but only by the spirit of the Lord which is at work. We don't have to make it work—it is at work—and it is this creative power that is achieving what is being achieved. It is placing all of us under certain pressure to let the heart be healed. We have become aware of the factors which are present to resist it. Now here we come to this matter of welcome to the Lord, welcome to the spirit of God in action in our own experience, but—“Maybe tomorrow would be better. Stay out of our coasts for the moment, because it's uncomfortable.” How open are we really to the discomforts that arise?—not looking upon them as being caused by some external entity, clothed in human flesh very often, but in other ways too, but consequent upon something that is internal to ourselves. In other words, it relates to the heart which is in the process of being purified—and the spirit of God is in action.
Lillian mentioned changes working out in so many ways all over our ministry. Bill and Donna now have moved to Green Pastures; have their own house there. While I'm sure it wouldn't be inclined to be admitted by most of those who dwell there, nevertheless there has doubtless been a feeling of, “Depart from our coasts” because of the discomfort that is thereby engendered, because it requires something that is more obvious than it was before. It was required before, and if it had been allowed to work before then whatever comes next is found to be quite easy. But if the things that should have happened haven't happened, then it's going to be difficult, or seemingly difficult, and the inclination arises then to say, “You're the one”—someone external to oneself who's causing the trouble, causing the discomfort, “stay away and we'll be alright.” Then of course it wasn't alright before. So there is this matter of the working of spirit to purify the heart and the individual finds out how capable he or she is to handle the situations that arise. There’s nothing wrong with the situations that are arising, but how capable is a person of handling them? That's the only question that's being asked.
There have been things working out here on Sunrise Ranch that cause a certain amount of discomfort. Great. Praise the Lord, something's happening at last. And provided that all concerned assume their own responsibility in the handling of whatever discomfort arises within oneself, which is what it amounts to; but it requires the handling of situations external to oneself, then everything moves very rapidly and very easily, and it's found that the yoke is easy in the burden light. But of course the moment judgment enters in, “This person shouldn't be behaving the way he's behaving”, or whatever the problem may seem to be is looked upon merely as something external to oneself. Well if there is a seeming problem there, great! That's what's required, but the question is, “How am I going to handle it?” How am I going to allow the expression of spirit to be clear through me, so that I'm not reacting to the disturbance which I feel? As long as one is reacting to the disturbance and blaming someone else for it, one is not handling the situation; one is being handled by the situation—and all the beautiful Emissary principles that may come pouring out of the mouth don't mean anything.
It's what a person does that counts, not what he imagines that he knows. We're all in a circumstance where there is the necessity for assumption of responsibility and the handling of it. And we'll never be able to handle any circumstance that come to us as long as we are being moved by our emotions, our feelings, with respect to the circumstance, because always on that basis we will be rationalizing, and we will be feeling unjustly treated somehow—by the circumstance! Well we're supposed to have dominion on earth, and to be capable of handling whatever it is that arises, whatever it is that comes to us. Now this is something that we have particular opportunity to experience, in this Assembly now, for all who are present in this particular setting, to let what arises be seen in the light of one's own, specific field of action on the basis of the action of the spirit, not on the basis of one's reaction to the circumstance. Well you know these things in principle, but it is something that needs to be actual, not principleized.
Now here we have the Son consciousness beginning to put in an appearance while the cleansing of the heart continues. In the story of Jesus, the temptations in the wilderness are the initial consideration immediately before He assumed His responsibility in the public sense, or in the open sense. Something had been happening before that point. He'd been in the cycles of the maturing of His mind and heart and there was a necessity for the proof to be made apparent, that the point of maturity had been reached. So it's couched in this particular way, of the temptations in the wilderness, something to be handled, circumstances arising, in this instance, for something quite deliberate—to fast for forty days in order to have a circumstance in which many things would doubtless arise, clearly seen as relating to oneself. And He met the issue, assuming the responsibility of the Son.
These things which are described relate to what was rising up out of His own heart, out of His own subconscious mind, to be handled by Him. Now in that sort of a setting I suppose it would be possible to say, “Well these stones are bothering me,” or “It's so dry and hot here I don't like it; and this is what is causing all my troubles.” But He was sufficiently honest to acknowledge the fact that if there was trouble He was the trouble, and therefore saw the situation for what it really was—the means of handling what arose up out of his own subconscious mind and heart. He didn't try to blame anyone else. He didn't even blame the things that were rising up out of His subconscious mind and heart. He just met the situation in the right way, in a positive way. He didn't hedge.
Well the same thing is true of all of us, coming to a very particular point now, where presumably we recognize that our dependence, our security, our safety, is not based in this subconscious world, the subconscious state which is present in the world around us. We don't live by that bread alone. Something is needed—air to breathe for instance. We don't depend upon the ideas and the concepts, beliefs, the rationalizations of the mental realm. We don't imagine that heaven on earth can be produced by manipulating the kingdoms of this world and the supposed glory of them. We have no dependence at all, rightly, upon the idea that our salvation comes from external sources.
If we're still complaining and judging external things then obviously we are still assuming that somehow or other our salvation is coming from out of there, and somebody is preventing it from coming. Well we know, or should know clearly enough that this is not the case. But we have to prove it out, prove out that we know. We can't do that as long as these external things are dictating our course of action. Realizing these things, the spirit of God is moving in the heart—we're aware of the reality of this and therefore when there is agreement, conscious agreement with the spirit of God that is moving subconsciously, that's the two on earth who make possible the doing of what is needful by the Lord. Here is the continuing cleansing of the heart, because we recognize that it's not only our individual hearts that are involved, it is the heart of our emerging, resurrecting Body—it is the heart of all mankind. The job will continue to be done as we are faithful in our place as the Son.
The healing of the heart, the purifying of the heart, and the actual healing of the supposed scars that are present in the heart. Lillian said something about the scars that are present in the Emissary heart. Human beings are inclined to make a rather big song and dance about these things, like many people in the human world who are proud of their physical scars. They’ll show you the scar of their operation at the slightest provocation. And there has been a little inclination on the part of some to revel in the fact that they have such terrible heart scars. But the healing of the heart is a simple matter. When the heart is restored, of course it won't be anymore the scarred heart; it will be a different experience altogether. There are those who try to drag forward heart experiences out of the past which are part of all this scarred condition. We find people trying to patch up their differences in various ways when they could never be patched up. They don't need to be patched up. What is required is healing of the heart, which is actually not only a transformation but a transmutation—a new heart, a clear heart, a pure heart, in which the spirit can move without coloration or distortion but is revealed as it really is. It is this that makes possible the continuing work that is required relative to the responsibility of the Son.
Indication is that each individual must take his or her own responsibility so that one says for oneself, as one becomes aware of something that is in the field of one's responsibility, “I will take care of it. I will take care of it! I don't require anyB else to take care of it, I will do it.” But then, of course, sometimes there has been a little arrogance in the picture here. Human nature has still been hanging around saying, “I will take care of it,” on the basis of a view of oneself that isn't factual. In other words, one may have the desire to take care of it but is not yet capable of doing it. That is something that needs to be taken into account, but how is anyone going to develop the capability? By waiting for it to develop? A lot of people have seemed to imagine, well they're sitting around while the spirit’s busy here developing something, and suddenly it'll pop out. I don't think it works exactly that way. The spirit undoubtedly is at work but we have to provide the outlet, shall we say, for the action, for the expression. In other words, take responsibility; you have to do it. “I see what needs to be handled here; I will handle it.” But in that attitude it isn't an isolated thing either, because one recognizes one will have to take into account many other things in the handling of it. One can't ignore the total picture and say, “I will handle just this one thing,” as though it could be handled outside of the whole—it's a part of a whole! So always there are other people involved in relationship to what we are handling. But if we assume a focus point for the handling of something then one will take into account this person and that person who is related to the field of our handling. And one would always be very concerned that the tone of life be clear in one's own expression; and that relates to what has been called connection upward.
I've indicated that, in one sense at least, I'm personally not a part of the Body because I represent the Spirit of the Body. Now the spirit is presumably one with the Body when the heart is pure. So I represent the Spirit of the body—in other words, the Tone which is sounding throughout the whole Body. And it is this spirit which makes possible the handling of one's own individual responsibility. “I see the need here.”. I recognize that perhaps you looked around a little to see whether there's somebody else who might be better fitted, but doing that don't just leave it there. “I can't really find anyone who is better fitted.” It could be that if you can't find anyone who is better fitted, you are the one! So you take the responsibility, and it is seen in the context of the whole. You never lift out the factor of responsibility which you are taking, you never lift that out of the whole. You have to leave it in the whole, and handle it in the whole. This has seemed to be a problem to some. They think they could handle it if they got it all separated out into their own little bailiwick. But again, it doesn't work that way because the spirit of the whole is working through everybody.
I represent that spirit to the Body, but the Body increasingly comes into position so that mind and heart can provide the facility for the action of spirit. Sometimes people talk about, “Well I have to work with this in myself in this field, and so on. Well if that's what's actually happening nothing is happening, because minds working with minds, and minds working with hearts, and hearts working with minds, and all this, doesn't get anyone anywhere. This is what's been going on. It is the factor of spirit coming into the picture that is the missing element, or has been the missing element heretofore. So when it does begin to emerge from within the Body itself, then there is the possibility of right action insofar as the conscious mind is concerned, and insofar as the subconscious mind is concerned, in a unified sense, in an agreed sense.
As I say, I represent the Spirit of the Body. I represent the One who incarnates in that Body. We have referred to that One as the Archangel, for the sake of a word, incarnating in His Body on earth. The consciousness of the Body, and the Body itself all together, is a little rusty, and not all that capable as yet to accommodate that spirit fully. I suppose if that spirit is accommodated fully then there is no need for me anymore, to represent anything, because it is being done. That's what needs to be done. In one way or another I could retire at that point. But for the moment there is still a representation available, but not to be used as a means of avoiding the acceptance of individual personal responsibility. There are many areas where it is obvious there is need for someone to assume responsibility. Now one has to have some sort of a relatedness to the area.
I have noted that there has been an inclination, which is a mistranslation of what it is that is actually moving, for people to go off on tangents, imagining that, “Well, a great ministry is in this direction or in that direction.” From my standpoint the greatest ministry that is possible is right here on Sunrise Ranch. I've said that many times but no one, well very few at least, have really believed me. They see it over there, over there, somewhere else. Well, there's a stirring to assume the responsibility, but why should it be translated in consciousness as meaning over there?—when the fact of the matter is that the greatest possibility of assumption of focused responsibility is right here. Now I know that you mostly come from other places, so obviously you have an association in the unfolding cycles in other places. I'm thinking of this more from the standpoint of those who dwell on Sunrise Ranch, who have tended not to see the possibilities that are right here; not possibilities but essentials. Obviously, if you take it to the ridiculous extreme, if everybody on Sunrise Ranch decided that their ministry was somewhere else there would be nobody on Sunrise Ranch, and there would be no ministry anywhere else.
So, there are some things to clear in the subconscious minds of people, and there are applications that relate to other fields than Sunrise Ranch, as I'm sure all of you are capable of recognizing for yourselves. There are responsibilities, certainly, to be taken, in other places, and if one lives in some other part of the world or some other part of this continent, well presumably that's the place where you are to take the responsibility—to assume one's own responsibility for what one sees as being required, and keeping the acceptance of that open to the Tone which is represented by me, so that nothing is ever done that excludes that.
Now of course I couldn't possibly, in a practical sense, include all the information from all the people who are participating in our Body, directly. So there is a means by which it can come on through to me, but there are those things always that are rightly brought to me, in the sense that the individual is seeking to hold the connection open so that his assumption of the responsibility which he has assumed for himself—he's not requiring me to assume it, he is assuming it—he wants to make very sure that his Tone is clear. And while there are many who say, “well, I know you're not going to tell me what to do”—nowadays they may make that comment when something is brought to me—“but I would appreciate your comments.” That's getting around it isn't it, a little bit? No comment. Because the provision is all there already—everything is present, and continuingly present, principally by reason of what is moving through the services and the mailings. Here is a cohesive element which allows for the direction to be understood,provided a person doesn't become too hung up in some special area that he thinks of as his own. Then there's a tendency to overlook the obvious.
So there is this need for the assumption of responsibility in a personal sense, but never ignoring the point of representation of the Tone on the one side, and the responsibilities of other people on the other side, so that it is always encompassed, enfolded within the whole. One can't do that if one isolates oneself from the whole, or isolates one's field of activity from the whole. And on this basis the moving of the spirit purifies, heals, the heart. The healing of the heart is the healing of the mind, is the healing of the Body. Behold, I make all things new as the heart is healed. This is the truth of the matter.
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.
