Urantia Book Commentary and Articles

Steve Dreier

We are taught that "One is free to choose and act only within the realm of one's consciousness. (377:5)

The sincere study of The Urantia Book has produced, for many of us, a genuine expansion of consciousness, introducing new possibilities for choice and action, particularly with respect to God. The concepts we have about the Universal Father must necessarily condition our experience of relationship with him. When God is small and far removed it is difficult to rely upon him to any great extent. But the Universal Father of The Urantia Book is found to be infinitely loving, infinitely powerful, and the closest and dearest friend any of us shall ever know. We are given a philosophic foundation upon which we may exercise a level of childlike trust in God which far exceeds what was previously possible for us.

But philosophy is not faith. This expanded life with the Father is not automatic; we must each choose to have it. Each of us is a freewill being, at least with respect to that which is spiritual. We are not compelled to either seek or do the Father's will; it must be a matter of voluntary, genuine, and wholehearted personal choice. We are obliged to confront and answer the question: Do we really want to do the Father's will?

What do we know about the Father's will? Quite a lot really, at least in the general sense. We know that the Father's will involves such concepts as truth, beauty, and goodness; it is associated with the positive elements of relationship: love, service, devotion, mercy, kindness, loyalty, patience, sincerity, etc. We know that his will is not self-centered or self-seeking but outgoing, sharing, and giving. And we know that it utterly transcends our human conception of these values, for it is the kind of will which loves and serves even a so-called enemy. In the will of God there is no provision for human intolerance or unfairness, not to mention anger, hate, and revenge.

On the contrary, the Father's will implies a devoted life of unselfish and wholehearted service which is freely given as, when, and where required. But it is not sentimental or foolish. It does not condone idleness, immaturity, or the pursuit of that which is evil. The Father's will requires real courage, persistent effort, and above all, a living and personal faith. We know it is a high ideal, a grand and inexpressibly glorious purpose, and that it can really be understood only by being lived. And we further know that it is ours for the asking, if we truly desire to have it. Whatever the specific and personal nature of the Father's will for us, it is certain to be reflective of these general qualities.

So, do we really want to do the Father's will.? Do these generalities provide us with enough information to formulate a decision? Of course what is being asked may seem impossibly high; we may fear that we are not capable of living life on such an exalted level of loving service. Many of us have probably experienced enough of our own faults and failures to cause us to doubt our ability to live in such a manner, even if we sincerely wanted to. The real question, however, is not can we do it but rather do we really want to do it? Do we want to give ourselves to the Father to love and serve as he directs, and with all that this implies? There are two ways of answering yes to this question: partial and wholehearted. The partial acceptance of this offer is not hard to come to; we all have the desire to seek the Father's will to some degree. But the wholehearted and unstinted response is quite another matter. In the face of well-known human limitations, mind alone is likely to be of little use. Only a genuine and trusting personal faith in the amazing promises of the Father can really free us to accept the privilege of the wholehearted doing of his will. "But I say to you in all sincerity: Unless you seek entrance into the kingdom with the faith and trusting dependence of a little child, you shall in no wise gain admission." (*1536:4)

Battle doubt with faith.

Are we capable of living as the Father asks us to? Jesus consistently taught that the ability to do the Father's will could not be self-attained. He always taught that such an ability was a gift, a bestowal, or an endowment, freely given by the Father to each of his children who sincerely desires it and who will, in faith, ask for it (see p. 1609). The Father never asks us to do the impossible. If we really trust him and decide to do as he asks, he will provide us with all the tools we require to accomplish his assignments. Just how this can be is not mind-comprehensible; these are spirit transactions and they transcend the capacity of our minds. Nevertheless, whoever sincerely desires to live the will of God and who will, by faith, accept the Father's gift of spiritual power, is certain to experience the reality of these promises. The chief barrier to this realization is doubt. "The believer has only one battle, and that is against doubt--unbelief." (*1766:4)

While the doing of the Father's will is accomplished by the endowments of the spirit, the purpose of this bestowal of ability is not the attainment of a life of static and blissful ease. When the power of doing God's will is given, it is for the actual doing of that will. It is certain that all who have the faith to accept this greatest of all gifts will immediately be assigned to the Father's service. It is equally certain that this service will be difficult and demanding. Yet at the same time there may also be experienced the "peace which passes understanding." Difficulty and tranquillity might seem an incompatible combination when examined by the logic of mind.

But in the faith experience of those who have chosen to wholeheartedly seek and do the Father's will these elements often find an inexplicable and transforming union. There is no knowing just where the Father's leading is going to take us, except to say that it will certainly lead down vigorous paths of genuine self-forgetfulness, wholehearted loving service, and divine assurance. "In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its responsibilities or avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel yoke is easy, and the burden of truth is light." (*1766:3)

Again, are we really interested in doing the Father's will? It is a commonplace observation that human beings, given a choice, will focus their attention upon matters which interest them. Some people have an interest in sports, so they devote considerable time to thinking and talking about sports. Others are interested in music or movies, and they think and talk about these things.

But who consistently directs attention to the Father's will? Do you observe that when students of The URANTIA Book gather together, whether for study or fellowship, that the frequent topic of serious inquiry is the knowing and doing of the Father's will? And in our family life, with our close friends, or with passing acquaintances, do we often consider and discuss the Father's will?

Jesus was always thinking and talking about the Father's will, and we are called to follow him. Can we expect to make progress in this domain without giving regular and genuine attention to it? "Even to approach the knowing of a divine personality, all of man's personality endowments must be wholly consecrated to the effort; halfhearted, partial devotion will be unavailing." (*30:4)

Those of us who have, at this early date, been brought to The URANTIA Book are a truly blessed generation. We have been called out to be champions for the Universal Father - our Father - the God of all creation. We have been offered the unparalleled opportunity to live the remainder of our lives as representatives of the Father, to know and do his will. Many of our fellows sit in darkness, in near complete ignorance of even the existence of this kind of life, but for us it is an immediate possibility. We have a matchless text to inspire and instruct us, we have a multiplicity of spiritual forces to guide and sustain us, and we have each other. What more do we require?

It is hoped that future days will witness a growing preoccupation on our part with the question of knowing and doing the Father's will. This inexhaustible subject sorely needs the attention of sincere and interested sons and daughters. It is also hoped that we shall learn to use more of our time together to encourage one another to go forward on this endless journey, to continually grow in our willingness and ability to always say: "It is my will that your will be done." The doing of the Father's will, then, is first a question of wholehearted desire, next of the faith acceptance of spiritual power, and lastly of continued seeking of the Father's way.

The will of God can be done by anyone who truly desires to do it. Would the Father ask us to do that which we were incapable of doing? But we must be willing to seek his guidance continually and to rely upon him completely. If we truly want to love and serve, if we really wish to work for the establishment of the unseen Father's universal family, then we can and will be empowered to do so. This empowering is the rebirth of the spirit; one is born again. Everything becomes new. These are the liberated sons and daughters of God, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the free and liberated members of the infinite family of the Universal Father.

A service ofThe Urantia Book Fellowship

Labels: choice, courage, doubt, faith, God's will, service, Steve Dreier, The Urantia Book, Universal Father

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Monday, June 04, 2007

Science in Jesus' Life

by Jeffrey H. Wattles
Scientific Symposium I 1988

We all want to live the integrated life, with science as part of a growing mind in a progressive personality. But how do we do it? How do we approach this great ideal?

Are we all just supposed to go out and get super-involved with science? Somehow it seems that there's more to it than that.

It's not easy.

o Modern technology can be so complex that some people just get turned off.

o There is so much poor science these days that fails to distinguish correlation from causation.

o There is so much confusing dispute between the experts.

o And there are the well-known ethical problems with science.

So how are we going to strengthen the scientific component in our lives? My two-part answer is philosophic and biographic.

I can put the philosophic part very briefly. We can begin by recognizing and affirming our God-given intuitive capacity for recognizing facts and discerning causal relationships. Some popular books today tell their readers about releasing the mystic within you or releasing the artist within you. We could equally well speak of actualizing the scientist within you. We all have capacities beyond what most of us usually use. We simply need the courage to affirm and sharpen our scientific intuition.

The biographic part of the answer is a reflection on Jesus' life.

The apostles had not been successful in their teaching. They were fleeing through northern Galilee and bewildered about what was going on. Jesus' blunt explanation to them included these words:

"Consider the Greeks, who have a science without religion, while the Jews have a reli- gion without science. And when men become thus misled into accepting a narrow and confused disintegration of truth, their only hope of salvation is to become truth-co-ordinated--converted.

"Let me emphatically state this eternal truth: If you, by truth co-ordination, learn to exemplify in your lives this beautiful wholeness of righteousness, your fellow men will then seek after you that they may gain what you have so acquired." (*1726)

We can understand this teaching by looking at Jesus' life.

First, Jesus became acquainted with nature as a child and continued his interest into adulthood.

"Jesus' earliest training, aside from that of the home hearth, had to do with a reverent and sympathetic contact with nature." (*1364) He asked lots of questions concerning science. (*1365) He studied the habits of the fish on the Sea of Galilee so closely that he could predict catches that others regarded as miraculous.

Next, Jesus understood the essential truths of philosophy of science, as we see in his discourse on science. He knew the limitations of science and taught a friendly universe in which fact and value have a common cause in the Paradise Father. (*1477)

Next, Jesus got to know all kinds of people well. In order to understand how Jesus exemplified his teaching about science and the beautiful wholeness of righteousness, we need to expand the concept of science to include social science. The scientific component in his righteousness included more than a superb knowledge of weather and the habits of fish. Jesus carried out a thorough study of how men make a living. (*1371) We are told that "The real purpose of his trip around the Mediterranean Basin was to know men. He came very close to hundreds of humankind on this journey. He met and loved all manner of men, rich and poor, high and low, black and white, educated and uneducated, cultured and uncultured, animalistic and spiritual, religious and irreligious, moral and immoral." (*1424)

Next, Jesus thoroughly studied the scriptures and associated literature. One of the humanistic sciences is the science of interpreting texts. At the age of 13 Jesus began a painstaking topical study of the scriptures and associated literature in order to deal with every implication they might hold for his life work. (*1390-91) At age 26 in Capernaum,"he spent at least five evenings a week at intense study." (*1420) During the four months of intensive training with the first six apostles, Jesus explained that "they should spend three hours every evening in study and preparation for their future work." (*1533)

Jesus never wore his learning on his sleeve; his apostles were surprised to hear him discourse on a sophisticated level. But his masterful knowledge was always there when he needed it, for example, during his last week in the flesh, when he was challenged by the Sadducees who did not believe in resurrection. They were the professional specialists in the first five books of the Bible. Jesus showed that from those very scriptures a subtle inference could be drawn to overturn their skeptical doctrine: "And even your Father Moses understood this, for, in connection with his experiences at the burning bush, he heard the Father say, `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' " (*1900) The present tense of that verb--I am the God of Abraham, rather than I was the God of Abraham--implies that the relationship is a present one, and hence that Abraham has been resurrected. Jesus saw the implication that the specialists had missed--but he didn't go around showing off this grammatical subtlety. It was merely ready in case it was ever needed.

Next, Jesus courageously faced the hard facts. We are told that "Science is the source of facts, and mind cannot operate without facts." (*1222) My point is complementary: facts are the beginning of science. One of the reasons for Judas' downfall is that "he did not like to face facts frankly." (*2056)

We have a tendency to think that science has to do with those facts that are remote from us. We tend not to use our scientific abilities on intimate matters. But rigorous and tough-minded thinking must invade the realms of daily life. Scientific integrity begins at home.

Jesus at the age of 12 had been called by the celestial messenger to be about his Father's business; but then he found himself after Joseph's death faced with a family emergency. He faced the facts and "rightly reasoned that the watchcare of his earthly father's family must take precedence of all duties." (*1389)

Jesus told his followers about the hard facts of the social environment in which they were laboring for truth. In the Ordination Sermon he said, "In all the business of the kingdom I exhort you to show just judgment and keen wisdom. Present not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample your gems under foot and turn to rend you. I warn you against false prophets who will come to you in sheep's clothing, while on the inside they are as ravening wolves." (*1571)

Throughout Jesus' public career he was keenly aware of the political situation, staying clear of danger early in his public career when opposition began to mount in Jerusalem; confronting challenges in the Epochal Sermon when open conflict had become inevitable; telling his followers to be realistic--to count the cost of being a disciple; warning his disciples about the downfall of Jerusalem and the enmity of the world; all the while proclaiming the primal facts of the sovereignty of God and the love of the Father for the individual.

Finally, Jesus organized his knowledge into idea-decisions. So often we collect a piece of knowledge and leave it there, sitting on the shelf of the mind. We gather information, but we don't wrestle issues to the point of judgment, decision. We become passive consumers of information in a scientistic culture. But we have an alternative: to take that piece of knowledge and to bring to actualization its contribution to decision and action.

"Revelation teaches mortal man that, to start such a magnificent and intriguing adventure, he should begin by the organization of knowledge into idea-decisions." (*1112)

Right after his baptism, Jesus prepared for his great decisions by recalling his full range of planetary knowledge. We are told, "Jesus thought over the whole span of human life on Urantia, from the days of Andon and Fonta, down through Adam's default, and on to the ministry of the Melchizedek of Salem." (*1514)

We would like to know much more than we do about Jesus the scientist. We are given very little of the data he collected empirically. But we are given, from time to time, results of his knowledge of humankind. Jesus organized his knowledge into idea-decisions--and also into instructions for his followers. Consider a few of his teachings which embody the knowledge of cause and effect, of action and result:

He had his apostles begin with personal ministry before public preaching.

He taught that sharers of truth should "not undertake to show men the beauties of the temple until you have first taken them into the temple." (*1593)

And he predicted that "The persistent preaching of this gospel of the kingdom will some day bring to all nations a new and unbelievable liberation, intellectual freedom, and religious liberty." (*1930)

And what knowledge of humanity is embedded in his new commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you."!

There is a danger for us: we have not acquired the empirical foundation for these teachings; we may fail to understand why they are important; we may act contrary to their implicit wisdom; and we may have to rediscover their truth through a harvest of unhappiness.

We have the priceless opportunity of intelligent participation in the evolution of our universe. Science is on trial before the bar of human need. Will we utilize our scientific capacities to understand and act in accord with divine teaching or will we do something else with these abilities? Science requires courage and honest adventure. And it touches upon the beliefs at the root of our actions. Will we follow the Master fully in our devotion to truth?

"If you, by truth co-ordination, learn to exemplify in your lives this beautiful wholeness of righteousness, your fellow men will then seek after you that they may gain what you have so acquired." (*1726)

* * *
We can live in a more truth-co-ordinated way by basing our lives more perfectly on what we can learn from science. (This might involve exercise, nutrition, rest, recycling, or a more intelligent approach to our work or study.) What personal growth project would you like to undertake along these lines? Write down one or more needs that you would like to work on.
For each of these needs, answer the following questions:

1. How does this need require you to become more of a scientist yourself, making observations, testing hypotheses, etc.?

2. How does this need require you to explore more of what science has already discovered?

3. How does this need require you to put into practice what you already know?

Labels: cause and effect, courage, facts, Jeffrey Wattles, Jesus, Jesus's life, needs, organization, philosophy, science, social science, study

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Monday, February 06, 2006

The Living Religion Of Jesus

Meredith Sprunger
4/99/83

One of the most important things in human living, is to find out what Jesus believed, to discover his ideals, and to strive for the achievement of his exalted life purpose. Of all human knowledge, that which is of the greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it. (2092)

Jesus founded the religion of personal experience in doing the will of God and serving the human brotherhood. (2092)

The living religion of Jesus is the most powerful force for shaping human destiny on our world. In less than two-thousand years, which is only a moment in anthropological time, it has influenced life on our planet more than all of the kings who have ever reigned; the armies who have ever marched; the navies who have ever sailed; and, yes, more than the advent of the atom bomb and atomic power! What was the key to this marvelous life which he lived among us?

Jesusâ€™ entire life centered around a consciousness of God, and all of the beliefs by which he lived, stem out of this relationship with the heavenly Father. His dynamic, living faith was the source of all of his teachings. Let us look at this transforming faith of Jesus. First of all, Jesus believed and taught that God is in sure and ultimate control of the universe and that God loves man as a father loves his children. Jesus assures us that God is our heavenly Father; and, therefore, we have nothing to fear. He told the fearful young man who fled to the hills with a crippling sense of inferiority, that he could free himself from this false self-image by realizing that he was a son of God. Living in this reborn image of the spirit, Jesus told him, "Trouble will invigorate you; disappointment will spur you on; difficulties will challenge you; and obstacles will stimulate you. Arise, young man! Say farewell to the life of cringing fear and fleeing cowardice. Hasten back to duty and live your life in the flesh as a son of God; a mortal dedicated to the ennobling service of man on earth; and destined to the superb and eternal service of God in eternity." (1438)

We have the resources of the universe on our side. Jesus was always aware of the power of spiritual leverage in solving the material problems of life. He said to the young man working with him in the Caesarean shipyard, who was grumbling about his cruel and unjust foreman, "Since you know the ways of kindness and value justice, perhaps the Gods have brought this erring man near, that you may lead him into this better way. Maybe you are the salt which is to make this brother more agreeable to all other menâ€¦Why not assert your mastery of evil by virtue of the power of goodness; and thus become the master of all relations between the two of you? I predict that the good in you could overcome the evil in him, if you gave it a fair and living chance." (1430)

Jesus never tired of reminding his fellowmen that they were sons and daughters of God, and that the spiritual resources at their disposal were more than adequate to cope with their human and material problems. Indeed, he had a very high regard for human nature, and understood its great potentials. He saw in Mary Magdalene, not the harlot of the streets, but the strong spiritual leader which she became. He perceived in Peter, not the impetuous man who spoke before he thought, or the coward who denied his Lord, but the spiritual rock and great evangelist, which he became. The confidence which Jesus has inspired in countless men and women over the centuries, has inspired them to actualize their potentialities, as has no person in the history of man.

Unfortunately, vast numbers of struggling people do not hear this life-giving message of Jesus. Dr. James Dobson, in a survey of young married women, found that their most difficult problem was low self-respect. The religion of Jesus is tailored to the needs of such people. Jesus declared that even the most lowly human being, is a son or daughter of God; and that when they recognize and accept this fact, they will develop a superb self-respect. Most of the debilitating problems in our lives are the result of a negative self-image, and its consequent negative view on life.

Dr. Morrison of :Pasadena, CA, contrasts the outlook of two people he knew. The first was a suicide note from a girl saying, "I am twenty-one. I have seen everything worth seeing. I know everything worth knowing. I donâ€™t like life â€“ itâ€™s cheap, dirty, and disappointing. Iâ€™ve had all I want."

The other was written by William Mulock, Canadian statesman and educator, on his ninty-fifth birthday. "I am still at work, with my hand to the plow, and my face to the future. The shadows of the evening lengthen about me, but morning is in my heart. The testimony I bear is this: The Castle of Enchantment is not yet behind me. It is before me still, and daily I catch glimpses of its battlements and towers. The best of life is always further on. Its real lure is hidden from our eyes somewhere behind the hills of time."

What is the real difference behind these contrasting views of life? It is their self-images. The one identifies with a sense of meaninglessness and the consequent worthlessness of life. The other is identified with the transcendent Reality behind the hills of time, and the consequent richness of a life of service. Both have the finite frailties of the human mind and body, which, like sand and water when mixed together, can be exceedingly weak; but to the one life, there was added the cement of spiritual reality, which transmuted these frail human elements into the concrete and permanent achievements of the soul.

The unconquerable faith which Jesus had in the loving rule of God in the heart of man, along with his confidence in the high potentialities of men and women, caused him to proclaim the existence of the most basic relationship of the universe: The Kingdom of God. The fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man are the basic foundations of this spiritual kingdom. This loving relationship is established within the heart and mind of each person, and brings the greatest freedom and joy which finite man can experience. The two indispensable requisites for entering this spiritual kingdom, are the sincerity of faith, and the hunger for truth. Jesus taught that truth perception is the heart of spiritual experience. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (1796) Over six-hundred rules dominated the religious life of the Jewish people of Jesusâ€™ day, and controlled every aspect of their lives. The kingdom of God establishes true spiritual freedom. Followers of the religion of Jesus, live by the timeless spiritual principles of the universe, rather than custom-conditioned religious rules. Or, as St. Augustine phrased it, "Love God and do as you like."

As we place the spiritual priorities of the kingdom first in our lives, other things follow creatively. The inner leading of the spirit enables us to discover and actualize abilities and activities which make us effective sons and daughters of God.

The well known English writer, A. J. Cronin, began his professional career as a physician, but always, in the background of his mind, was the urge to write a novel. At the age of thirty-three, he developed a gastric ulcer, and was told he must take six months complete rest in the country on a milk diet. One day, weeks later, bored by enforced idleness, he stood on the desolate shore of a Highland loch, and raised his voice in a decision of frustration, "By heavens! This is my opportunity. Gastric ulcer, or no gastric ulcer, I will write a novel." For months, he struggled and agonized over words, phrases, and sentences. When he was half way through the novel, he paused to read what he had written. He was appalled. Never, had he read such nonsense. No one would read it. Furious with the futility of all of it, he bundled up the manuscript, went out, and threw it in the ash can.

With sullen satisfaction, he went for a walk in the drizzling rain. Half way down the loch shore, he came upon the old Scottish farmer who was his host, laboriously digging a patch of heath. When he told the old farmer what he had just done, his weathered face slowly changed; his keen eyes scanned Cronin with disappointment and a queer contempt. The silent man eventually spoke: "My father ditched this bog all his days, and never made a pasture. Iâ€™ve dug it all my days, and Iâ€™ve never made a pasture. But pasture, or no pasture, I canna help but dig. For, my father knew, and I know, that if you only dig enough, a pasture can be made here."

Cronin understood. He returned to the ash can, retrieved his manuscript, and before the six months were over, he finished it. The novel, Hatterâ€™s Castle was selected by the English Book Society, dramatized, serialized, translated into nineteen languages, and has sold millions of copies.

Our lives are made meaningful, and the most useful, when we follow the inner leading of the will of God. When we are following these spiritual priorities, we do not change them simply because we become discouraged, meet opposition, or do not find the results we would like. Sometimes, generations of digging are necessary to turn some evil bogs into pleasant pastures.

Next to placing complete trust in the loving sovereignty of God over all of life, the second major emphasis in the religion of Jesus, is that faith and confidence in the spiritual realities of the kingdom, is the foundation of sonship with God. Faith is the only requirement for sonship and salvation. If your life is to be strong and productive, you need to distinguish between belief and faith. Belief is an intellectual assent, which may, or may not be lived. A psychological state of mind attains faith levels only when it dominates our life style, with our wholehearted consent.

Belief is limiting and circumscribed; faith is expanding, releasing, and growing. Belief tends toward dogmatism; faith tends toward openness and freedom. Belief can be second-hand, and a group possession; faith must be personal. Spiritual faith is unconquerable. It causes us to grow and progress in spite of our desire for ease, and the urge of the lower level animal tendencies. It generates courage and confidence despite adversities, reverses, and defeat. Faith, working through individuals, undergirds the continued survival of justice and altruism, in spite of human selfishness, social antagonisms, industrial greeds, and political maladjustments.

We are living in a culture experiencing a crisis in faith. There is a "credibility gap", a decline of public trust in all our social institutions. Theologian Richard Rubenstein in After Auschwitz, says: "We stand in a cold, silent, unfeeling cosmos, unaided by any purposive power beyond our own resources." Our secular society is nearing the brink of what Baptist theologian Carl Henry calls: "â€¦the absolute autonomy of man, who does not need God, either to know the truth, or to do goodâ€¦whether he wishes to walk on the moon, cure cancer, or bring peace on earth." Mass education has failed to produce an enlightened society, or curb greed and violence.

In such a world of confusion and disharmony, to exercise living faith in the religion of Jesus, requires spiritual vision and moral courage. One of the most noble exponents of this faith was Toyohiko Kagawa of Japan. This modern St. Francis of Assisi was the son of a philandering businessman, and a concubine. He was raised by an embittered stepmother and stepgrandmother, who took turns beating the boy. Only when when he was sent away to school, did he learn that there was love and tenderness in the world. Two Christian missionaries took the lonely boy into their hearts and homes, and taught him that all people are created by a God of love; and that any person devoting himself or herself to serving their fellowman, can work tremendous changes for good. The religion of Jesus inspired in Kagawa a lifelong passion to lift the down trodden, love the loveless, and serve the oppressed.

Later, when he started studying for the Christian ministry, he plunged into his studies so furiously, he developed tuberculosis. Friends sent him to the seashore for a year, where he wrote a novel on assorted scraps of paper. Kagawa, driven by an obsession to live, in spite of racking hemorrhages, returned to his studies in Tokyo. He completed his studies, and following graduation, moved his few possessions into a six by six hut in the slums of Shinkawa, where he was to live and work for fifteen years. Here, in Shinkawa, he developed the ideas and service programs which made him world famous, and where he wrote most of his more than one hundred books.

Beggars of a baser sort took advantage of his Christian faith. One asked Kagawa for his shirt, and when he got it, demanded also, his coat and pants. When he complied, a reformed prostitute brought Kagawa a womanâ€™s kimono, which he wore about the streets. Ruffians demanded money, and wen he had no more to give, they assaulted him, and knocked out his front teeth. He took a job as a chimney sweep at $5.00 a month, to provide more rice for the destitute. When visitors called him a fool, he proudly amended it to "Christâ€™s fool."

In 1914, he began to promote social reform. When thousands of Kobe dock workers asked for his leadership, he responded by organizing them into Japanâ€™s first labor union, with the condition that they use non-violent methods. The police seized him, beat him, and dragged him off to jail. The day he was released, 35,000 men armed with bricks and crowbars, set out on a march to destroy the shipyards. There were no guards to stop them, but standing on a narrow bridge over which they had to pass, was a solitary figure. The mob came to a halt. Kagawa did not speak; he stood praying silently. The men, ashamed, turned, and went home. Largely because of his influence, in 1925, the law forbidding unions was repealed. It was also because of the co-operatives which Kagawa organized, that communism was uable to get a major foothold in Japan.

Following Pearl Harbor, Kagawaâ€™s pacificism frequently landed him in jail; but, following the war, it was this pint-sized man who had spent his life stalwartly living the religion of Jesus, that Emperor Hirohito asked to come and tell him how he might become a man of the people. The audience lasted three times as long as the time for which it was scheduled. Finally, Kagawa opened a battered Bible and read: "Whosoever will be great among youâ€¦shall be the servant of all." He added: "A rulerâ€™s sovereignty, Your Majesty, is in the hearts of his people. Only by service to others can a man, or a nation, be godlike."

It is this quality of faith that changes lives and nations. It is not where society is now, or where you are now, which is important. The all important thing, is the way in which you are facing. When Jesus and Ganid brought the two women of the night in Corinth to Justusâ€™ wife, he was not concerned about their mistakes in the past, but in helping them get a start on a new and better way of life for the future. It is our mind-set which controls our destiny. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Even now, we can use the mind of Jesus to augment our weak and often unstable minds. His Spirit of Truth is ever present in our own minds to strengthen, guide, and lead us into thoughts of wisdom and power. This mind and soul-force of the kingdom may start in our lives, from mustard seed beginnings, but it grows from within to take charge of our lives, and make us powerful and efficient instruments for truth, beauty, and goodness.

The third major emphasis of the religion of Jesus, is that love and service are the highest motives for living. These are the "Being" values which fulfill the deepest needs of human nature, and bring happiness into our lives. When the lawyer of the Pharisees asked Jesus to state the first and greatest commandment of life, Jesus replied: "There is but one commandmentâ€¦â€™you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strengthâ€™â€¦and the second commandment is like the firstâ€¦â€™You shall love your neighbor as yourself.â€™ There is no other commandment greater than these; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (1901)

The empirical and scientific wisdom of man has arrived at the same conclusions. The psychiatrist, Dr. Fisher, in his book Some Buttons Missing, says that if all of the wisdom which psychiatrists and psychologists have garnered over the years were boiled down to the meat, leaving out the parsley, and if this meat were written by the worldâ€™s best poets â€“ you would have a lesser facsimile of the worldâ€™s greatest message of love, "The Sermon on the Mount." The anthropologist, Ashley Montagu, in On Being Human says: "The [human] organism is born with an innate need for love. Whatever is opposed to love, to goodness, and to co-operation, is disharmonic, unviable, unstable, and malfunctional â€“ evil."

When Mozart was a small boy, he was visited by an eminent man of wisdom, Gottfried von Jacquin. Mozart was already well known as a child prodigy. Gottfried von Jacquin wrote these memorable words in Mozartâ€™s album: "True genius without heart, cannot exist â€“ for neither high intelligence, nor imagination, nor both together, make genius. Love! Love! Love! â€¦is the soul of genius."

Jesusâ€™ religion of love even appeals to most of those who reject institutional Christianity. Bertrand Russell, Nobel Prize winner, distinguished philosopher, and author of Why I Am Not a Christian, lectured at Columbia University in November of 1950. His brilliant mind traced the impact of science on contemporary society. In the first lecture, Philosopher Russell, rather thoroughly, dismissed the formulations of Christian theology. Yet, his last lecture ends with a rather strange conclusion. He is enumerating the things and conditions which are necessary if our scientific age is to be relatively happy and stable. He says: "The root of the matter is a very simple and old-fashioned thing; a thing so simple that I am almost ashamed to mention it, for fear of the derisive smile with which wise cynics will greet my words. The thing I mean â€“ please forgive me for mentioning it â€“ is love; Christian love; compassion. If you feel this, you have a motive for existence; a guide in action; and a reason for courage."

Love is the most powerful attitude of man. Harry Emerson Fosdick relates a story which occurred during the Armenian atrocities. A young woman and her brother were pursued down a street by a Turkish soldier. Finally, they were cornered and the brother was brutally slaughtered. The young woman, while her brother was being slain, dodged down an alley, leaped a fence, and escaped. Later, being a nurse, she was forced by the Turks to labor in a hospital. One day, to the ward she attended, came the Turkish soldier who had slain her brother. He was desperately ill, and the slightest inattention would have ensured his death. No one would have ever known. But, she did all within her power to restore him to health. He recognized her, and one day asked her why she had not let him die. She replied: "I am a follower of him who said: â€˜Love your enemies and do good for them.â€™" For a long time, the soldier was silent. Then he said: "I never knew that there was such a religion. If that is your religion, tell me about it, for I want it."

Service is the hallmark of all who live the religion of Jesus. We are told by a Mighty Messenger that: "Service â€“ more service, increased service, difficult service, adventurous service, and at last, divine and perfect service â€“ is the goal of time, and the destination of space." (316) "Every man feels, instinctively,â€¦", James Russell Lowell points out, "â€¦that all of the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single, lovely action." Any one who has experienced a dynamic personal relationship with God, and had dedicated himself to the demands of this relationship, must do something about it. "True religion must act." (1121)

Such service is possible even for those who are destitute and seemingly have nothing to give. George Washington Carver was such a person. He was born in Missouri of slave parents whom he never knew, because they were carried off by slave raiders when he was a baby. The white planter, Moses Carver, who raised him, was so poor, the Carvers were unable to send him to school. So, George went on his own; slept in barns and haylofts, worked for his food, at whatever jobs turned-up; took in all of the learning which the one-room school house had to offer.

He was admitted by mail, to the University of Iowa, but later rejected when they learned that he was a negro. George washed, scrubbed, and house-cleaned his way through three years at Simpson College and four years of agricultural studies at Iowa State College. There, his genius with soils and plants, won him, on graduation, a place on the faculty. But down in central Alabama, Booker T. Washington, the president and founder of Tuskegee Institute, was dreaming of economic emancipation for the negro farmer. He saw young Carver as the key to realizing this dream. When Carver arrived in Tuskegee in 1896, he had nothing to work with. He built a laboratory from material salvaged from trash piles; and transformed his sixteen-acre experimental sand farm into one of the most productive pieces of land in the South.

George Washington Carver became the first and greatest chemurgist in America. His research was the foundation of multi-million dollar agriculture enterprises. Thomas Edison invited him to join his staff at $50,000 a year. But, Carver had a formula for life which kept him at Tuskegee: "Start where you are, with what you have; make something of it; never be satisfied." Spiritual resources were at the heart of George Washington Carverâ€™s service. He had two favorite scripture verses. His "light" passage was Proverbs 3:6: "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." His "power" passage was Phil. 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

Service is not only related to the big and important things in life. It includes the small and semingly insignificant things. "Most of the really important things which Jesus said and did seemed to happen casually, â€˜â€¦as He passed byâ€¦â€™" (1875) This can be true of our lives, also. In the midst of the depression, when Ted and Dorothy Hustead were barely able to suvive in their Wall, South Dakota drug store, they noticed that travelers in the hot and dusty climate, were always thirsty when they entered the store. They posted signs along approaching highways, "Free Ice Water, Wall Drug Store, Wall, South Dakota." Soon, thirsty people were showing up, and signs were placed farther and farther East, all the way to the coast. Eventually, the Wall Drug Store was hiring twenty-eight employees to serve an average of 5,000 glasses of water a day.

Sometimes, the kind and thoughtful little things we do are long remembered, and have far-reaching consequences. Fred C. Kelly tells howâ€¦late one night, many years ago, the manager of a small hotel in Philadelphia, happened to be behind the desk when a middle-aged man and his wife from New York came in. The wife was ill, and they had been unable to find lodgings, because a large convention of some kind was in the city, and all of the hotels were crowded. They were polite, and didnâ€™t make any demands, but asked the advice of the manager about how they might obtain a place to sleep. "Every guest room is filledâ€¦", the manager said, "â€¦but," he added, "Iâ€™ll give you my own room."

The manager hadnâ€™t even learned their names, and didnâ€™t expect any special reward for his courtesy. He just did it as an act of decency. But, it made a great impression on the man and his wife. They noticed that the hotel was well managed, and that much attention seemed to be paid to small details, for the comfort of the guests. The next morning, the husband called upon the manager and said: "Youâ€™re the kind of hotel manager that should be at the head of a really great hotel. Iâ€™d like to build one for you. If that interests you, please get in touch with me some time." The guest was William Waldorf Astor. And the hotel man was the late George C. Boldt. As manager of the old Waldorf-Astoria, that Astor provided for him, Boldt became known as the greatest hotel man of his time.

The great challenge of every life is to find and dedicate oneself to a meaninful life-plan. God has a purpose for your life, and one of your greatest opportunities is to find and follow that plan. Millard Fuller, director of Habitat for Humanity, an ecumenical service project with headquarters at Koinonia Farm, near Plains, Georgia, thought he had found the key to American success in his twenties. As a law student, his part time entrepreneurial projects made him more money than the president of the university was making. After graduation, he put his money making abilities into high gear. Soon, he and his business partner owned a publishing business, and 2,000 acres of farm land. Millard was a millionaire before he was thirty. He and his wife, Linda, had plans on the drawing board for a $150,000 home on a twenty-acre lot, in a plush new sub-division just outside of Montgomery, Alabama. Then his world, rich in things, fell in.

One day, he came home and found a note from Linda saying she had gone to a hotel in New York to think about whether their marriage was wroth saving. Millard decided he needed to do some thinking of his own. After a week of soul searching, he realized that his entire life was headed in the wrong direction; his priorities were wrong. Millard went to New York, and together with Linda, they turned their lives, along with their possessions, over to Christ. Later in this year of 1968, they retreated to Koinonia Farm, founded by Clarence Jordan, and there, with a small band of dedicated Christians, they created the concept of Koinonia Partners, and the Fund for Humanity, to go into partnership with God, to do his work in the world.

They saw the tremendous need for decent housing among the poor people of the world, and so the Habitat for Humanity project was born. Durable and efficient houses were designed, co-operatively built, and sold to families with no profit or interest added. They were given twenty years to pay for the houses, so that payments would be low enough for them to afford. As a result of this dedicated housing, and learning first-hand about the religion of Jesus.

Finally, the religion of Jesus calls for fidelity and courage. Courage was the very heart of His teachings. "Fear not", was his watchword; and patient endurance his ideal of strength of character. The teachings of Jesus constitute a religion of valor, courage, and heroism." (1582) "No armies of the worldâ€¦", he declared, "â€¦have ever displayed more courage and bravery than will be portrayed by you and your loyal successors, who shall go forth to all the world proclaiming the good news â€“ the fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man." (1608)

Anyone who follows and grows in the religion of Jesus is almost certain to meet with opposition. Selfishness and greed always resist the leaven of love; egocentric pride and self-righteousness ever strive to limit the creative expression of others; and stereotyped religious dogma is eternally prepared to do battle with the enlarged insights of the Spirit of Truth. Jesus taught that nothing can ultimately defeat those sons and daughters of God whose lives are spirit directed. We should live fearlessly and rejoice in being pioneers of truth, beauty, and goodness. The march of truth cannot be stopped by those who only kill the body.

Jesus could have escaped the cross if he had conformed to the religious dogmas and institutional authorities of his day. Socrates would not have been forced to drink the cup of hemlock, if he had agreed to stop teaching young people in Athens. Giordano Bruno would not have been executed if he had disavowed belief in the new astronomical universe described by Copernicus. Savonarola would not have been hanged if he had stopped preaching about reforms needed in the church and civil life. John Huss could have escaped being burned at the stake if he had refrained from teaching liberal ideas. William Tyndale would not have died a martyr had he not published an English translation of the Bible.

So it is, that scores of valiant followers of the religion of Jesus have had the courage to live and witness to their faith, so that truth, beauty, and goodness â€“ the rule of God in the hearts of men and women â€“ might grow and prosper on our planet. This is the price of progress. "Happy are they", said Jesus, "â€¦who are persecuted for righteousnessâ€™ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven." (1570) The Master assures us that this is only the beginning of triumphant living. They who endure the test and trials of spirit-centered living in the here and now, will find on the mansion worlds on high, a continuation of thrilling adventure and fulfilling accomplishment!

Here, then, is the unsurpassed and living religion of Jesus â€“ his profound trust in the Fatherhood of God; his absolute faith in the kingdom of God as the relationship in which the best in human life is actualized; his grateful response in living a life of love and service toward God and his fellowmen; and, his stalwart courage in following the divine way in any and all of the circumstances of life. When these four basic principles of the religion of Jesus become the ruling tenets of your life, you have the resources for mastering all of the personal and material problems of life. These are the foundations of confident and creative living.

Jesus is the greatest person who has ever lived on our world. The faith by which he lived is yours for the taking. The abundant life which he experienced may also be yours. He is longing to guide you in this life of spiritual growth, fulfillment, and power. Jesus stands, in spirit, at the door of our hearts, and knocks. He wants to lead you into meaningful living; he wants to make your life significant through divine partnership. But only you can let him in; only you can give him all that you have, and all that you are. May I assure you that when you give him all that you have, then will be make you more than you are! (1285)

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THE LIVING RELIGION OF JESUS
(A bare-bones outline around which you can arrange your own illustrations.)

Intro: Jesusâ€™ entire life centered around a consciousness of God and all of the beliefs by which he lived stem out of this relationship with the Father.

First of all, Jesus taught that God controls the universe, and loves man as a Father loves his children.
1. He assures us that God is our loving heavenly Father.
1. We have nothing to fear.
2. The resources of the universe are on our side.
1. He had a high regard for human nature, and saw man as a son of God with great potential.
2. He inaugurated the Kingdom of God, the rule of the spirit of God in the heart of man.
3. He taught that truth perception is at the heart of spiritual experience.
1. Brings true personal freedom.
2. We live by spiritual principles, rather than by religious rules.
3. As we place spiritual priorities of the kingdom first in our lives, other things follow creatively.

Second, Jesus taught that faith and confidence in the spiritual realities was the foundation of life and sonship. It is the key to salvation.
1. Faith is the only requirement for salvation. It is not where you are now, but the way you are facing which is the important thing.
2. Utilize the "mind of Jesus", the Spirit of Truth for inner guidance. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Our mind-set controls our destiny. Growth is always from within.

Third, Jesus taught that love and service are the highest motives for living.
1. The two great commandments: Love of God and man. Love integrates all of the positive and constructive capacities of man. Love is the most powerful human capacity.

Labels: AJ Cronin, courage, faith, God, GW Carver, Jesus, Kingdom of God, love, Meredith Sprunger, purpose, religion of personal experience, self-respect, service, sonship, spiritual power, Toyohiko Kagawa