1999-09-21-Teaching & Preaching
Butler PA #69
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Teaching & Preaching
o 1.2 Group: Butler TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Tomas
o 2.2 TR: Gerdean
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
o 3.3 Dialogue
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Teaching & Preaching
Group: Butler TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Tomas
TR: Gerdean
Session
Opening
TOMAS: I am Tomas. Good evening. I address you this evening as my fellow apostles.
Lesson
TOMAS: It was the practice of Jesus to send his apostles out two and two, lest they fall into mischief. A pair of you together can aide greatly in alleviating those temptations which befall the justifications of the solo participant in life’s ventures, but those of you who have heeded the call to foster the gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind have committed yourself to a mighty challenge and a soulful path, one which requires the support of the universe, including your trusted brethren.
When Jesus sent his apostles out to teach and preach the gospel, he did not send them out to introduce them to a book. He did not attempt to educate them to educate their hearers about the previous visits to your world by other celestial helpers who had gone astray. He did not burden the hungry of spirit with historic details or of excessive cosmology or hierarchy. He taught the love of God.
That is the crux of your teachings also. Love cannot be taught; it must be experienced. And love, in its ideal, is learned experientially, and when it is learned it is never forgotten. A flash of cosmic insight may come upon a person as a spiritual experience, which is unique for that individual, and all seekers may have a significant experience, but many times, in their sense of unworthiness, they do not accept their personal spiritual experience as the touch of God; therefore they need to learn how to accept the love of God in their life, and even this you cannot teach by yourself but you must call upon the Spirit of Truth to accompany you and, in trust of its ability to do its work, you will find the words necessary to enable the Spirit of Truth to open the hearts of those who hear your words, of those who seek to know the love of God.
The love of God is simple and profound. It is a living reality. It is a living reality that will live beyond this life in the flesh. It will transcend the difficulties of this mortal existence, giving this mortal existence a new dimension of appreciation for the religionist. I use the word religionist and realize I’d best define my terms. A religionist is not a scientist of religion who studies academically and intellectually a religious way of thinking, even others’. This is a theologian. A religionist is one who lives his life as if he was having a constant and on-going religious experience. It is one who incorporates the Father in all that he does and all that he is.
The hunger for Father’s love and direction is that which is sought by all sincere seekers. It is true that they have learned to cling to any truth that has tickled their fancy and helped lighten their burden, but only the love of God will fill their souls with that for which they hunger and thirst. For you to teach and preach the gospel is to manifest divine love in your very life. Through your behaviors and attitudes, and as active apostles of the Christ, there is responsibility and grace entailed — and danger, yes, of a sort; excitement, certainly — but the joy of sharing your knowledge of your experience is your greatest gift, your testimony. This may entail your personal story, over which you have some authority and conviction; it may entail your philosophic assessment as to what is going on in the world today; it may entail your praise and thanksgiving and your confidence of a happy ending to all life’s challenges; it may entail any number of things and be genuine — if it is yours.
I am reminded now of our many lessons long ago about the symphony and how it is that you are all your own instruments, musical instruments – the lute, the harp, the trumpet, the kettle drum, the violins, the piano – and each one has its own notes to play, its own sound, and as its instrument obeys the leading of the Divine Conductor, the symphony is created and music is heard throughout the spheres. And so as you minister as you pass by, it is true that you will reflect your own instrument.
Do not compare your teaching and preaching techniques with others. There are different sounds to emanate from different instruments. You need to know who you are and how you sound and be sensitive to the cues from the Conductor so that when you have the opportunity to play your notes, they will be clear and appropriate, as a part of the living symphony of this divine love. How are you this evening?
Dialogue
THOROAH: If I can speak for both of us, I think we’re fine. I think we’re excited. We are anticipating this weekend. There are a couple of things that just happened to come up today and there’s a lot of cosmic coincidence involved in what’s happening and that is exciting, as you alluded to earlier, and now your message is very timely since we are about to go on the road as apostles, and I appreciate your insights there very much.
Closing
TOMAS: We are coordinated. We are part of the symphony. Part of the choir. And we have learned how to abide by the direction of the Conductor, the Choir Master.
