Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for May 30, 2010
Live Empowered From Within
This is the last week of May and the last week of discussing the Faculty of Power - AND the last week of wearing purple.
If you look at the calendar in your program today you will see that in June we will be talking about Imagination, represented by the disciple Bartholomew and we will be wearing Light Blue in June.
But today we are talking about living empowered from within.a
THE GOSPEL OF USES, MYRTLE FILLMOREb
Myrtle Fillmore had some interesting thoughts on Power. She writes, "Since "the hand that rocks the cradle . . . rules the world," why should ambition look farther for a mighty opportunity?"
For every one of you who is now or has raised children, do you realize that you can make or break the destinies of nations, since out of your homes proceeds the quality of your nation? Do you want a country ruled by love and justice? Then establish such rule in your own home. Anarchy and strife, war and bloodshed are but the outcome of inharmonious and unhappy homes.
There is nothing to fear from those who come from the harmony of a happy home. The soul of our nation will be delivered from the "spoilers" when homes like these are in the majority.
We tend to think that if we had certain things or were in a certain environment we would be happy. But we have the things and the environment now; it is the use of the present possessions and the present surroundings that makes the difference between the opulent, happy life and the poor, wretched existence.
The ideal is not found by looking 'way out there' somewhere; it is developed by a daily use of the privileges that are at hand. Your ideal world is within you, but your obstacles are too. The ideal is the thing that would satisfy the longing; the obstacles are the habit of looking to the future or somewhere outside of you for what the present moment offers.
We have to learn to use our Faculty of Power to bring us what we want. Temper is power going in the wrong direction; worry is the exhausting misuse of the energy that should be applied in a positive direction. All friction in the home results from using the forces along wrong lines. This is particularly true of irritability in children, who often reflect the conflicts of others.
There is such a world of blessings at our command that our most important lesson is to know how to apply them. It is not the things that we have or that we think we need, but how we use them that is important in our lives. Instead of praying for more, ask for the wisdom to use what you already have. We will find that we are now much richer in all ways than we had thought.
One person in a household can inaugurate good, just by beginning and keeping it up. Maintain your joy and the strength of wisdom. Keep asking for wisdom and continue exercising what you have. Live the joy of your new ideals. Everything will fall into line, because right is the power that adjusts all forces, and one faithful member of a family can and will redeem a whole home. One joyful presence in a home will drive out every grumble. One peaceful presence will clear the house of discord. One presence of content will banish the specter of unrest.
In the Book of Matthew is says, For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance.c To the one who has joy, joy will be added; to the one who has peace, peace will be added.
Our minds must have scope and thought substance. Our soul power is starved out through material methods; a knowledge of the all-providing substance of Spirit must be ours before we are liberated from our bondage to material conditions.
Know that God has given you all the possibilities that your understanding grasps. Our blessings are so great and so many that there is no emptiness anywhere in us. If we wish to do noble things we can do them where we are; if we wish to become great we have the opportunity to do great deeds just where we are.
We can never get into better conditions by simply running away from present surroundings. The present environment corresponds to the present state of soul development, and we only postpone the adjustment by trying to get away. Now is the time to begin the work of bringing harmony out of discord, and the wish for a better condition is the soul's prophecy of its own good coming into appearance through its own faithful endeavors. The kingdom of heaven is within, and it is only through bringing its unfailing law of love to act upon every situation that we shall establish its peace in our surroundings.
PENTECOST
Last Sunday was Pentecost. Pentecost was the Israelites great "feast of harvest," or "day of the first-fruits." It was celebrated on the 50th day after Passover.
It says in the Bible that the Book of Acts is about 1all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. 'This', he said, 'is what you have heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'d
6So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?' 7He replied, 'It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.e
In studying the Faculty of Power you will find that Charles Fillmore writes, "The climax of man's power and dominion is set forth in the resurrection and ascension of the type-man, Jesus."f But it starts "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." The first Pentecost after Jesus Christ's ascension was the time of the first recorded coming of the Holy Spirit baptism on His disciples and immediate followers.
Throughout Jewish history the spirit of the Lord - as the Holy Spirit is usually called in the Old Testament - was not available for everyone. God's spirit empowered heroes, prophets, and kings. But John the Baptist had predicted that the Messiah would make the Lord's spirit widely available.
So Jesus told them that the new baptism of the spirit will arrive "not many days from now." The apostles have only to wait in Jerusalem. After the spirit comes, they will receive all the motivation and power they need.
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.g
So they were in the upper room of the mind, which is a spiritual state of mind, and had been praying for ten days with one accord for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit as given by Jesus This attitude of many minds forms a mental magnet and brings about results in flashes of light and spiritual illumination. Religious revivals have demonstrated this to greater or lesser degree. And we should be doing this to bring in new people to our church.
1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.h
5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, 'Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.' 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'What does this mean?' 13But others sneered and said, 'They are filled with new wine.'i
That day of Pentecost" signifies a gathering of spiritual powers for the purpose of harvesting the first fruits of Spirit. In the unfoldment of the spiritual mind there are periods when the ideas that we have meditated on, and accepted as true, spring forth into consciousness, becoming living realities in our life instead of mere mental concepts. In this awakening we get the fruits of the ideas that we have planted in our mind; we have escaped from darkness (Egypt) and have entered into light (Promised Land).
When we fill our mind with true ideas about God and man we should gather our thoughts to one point or "place." That point or place is: "I am that which I conceive myself to be in Spirit." If we proceed in an orderly manner, there will be an inrush of spiritual force from the higher realms of consciousness that will fill the whole body, as described in Acts 2.
Christian experience shows that a habit of praying and giving thanks to the Lord daily will finally lead to a state of exhilaration of the whole person similar to that produced by wine. On the day of Pentecost the spiritually exhilarated disciples were thought to be "filled with new wine." This stimulant of Spirit builds up the mind and the body instead of tearing them down, however, and each day adds some new joy
The ultimate result of this outpouring of Spirit is that the disciples (faculties of mind) receive new power to express Truth ("speak with other tongues"), and go forth proclaiming the salvation of God through Christ, until the whole man is renewed and regenerated.
Spirit always manifests according to the measure of our faith and trust. When our people (thoughts) are gathered in the upper chamber (a place of high spiritual understanding) and are unified in thought and purpose (prayer), the way of the Lord is made straight. We receive the gift of gifts-the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I would like to close with a poem by Jessica Powers called The Kingdom Of God.
Not towards the stars, O beautiful naked runner,
not on the hills of the moon after a wild white deer,
seek not to discover afar the unspeakable wisdom,-
the quarry is here.
Beauty holds court within,-
a slim young virgin in a dim shadowy place.
Music is only the echo of her voice,
and earth is only a mirror for her face.
Not in the quiet arms, O sorrowful lover;
O fugitive, not in the dark on a pillow of breast;
hunt not under the lighted leaves for God,-
here is the sacred Guest.
There is a Tenant here.
Come home, roamer of earth, to this room and find
a timeless Heart under your own heart beating,
a Bird of beauty singing under your mind.j
a Twelve Powers In You Robert Knapp & Gay Lynne & David Williamson
b How to Let God Help You Myrtle Fillmore
c Matthew:25:29
d Acts 1:1-5
e Acts 1:6-9
f Metaphysical Bible Dictionary Charles Fillmore
g Acts 1:12-14
h Acts 2:1-4
i Acts 2:5-13
j The Kingdom Of God Jessica Powers
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