The Kingdom of Heaven

255 posts · 11 participants · started May 9, 2017, 12:04 PM

1. G

   GeneParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 3:21 PM

   Bonita wrote:

   So, does anyone want to venture into a discussion on how to recognize a person who is not God-knowing, given the definition of the kingdom of heaven in this quote:

   99:3.2 The kingdom of heaven is neither a social nor economic order; it is an exclusively spiritual brotherhood of God-knowing individuals. True, such a brotherhood is in itself a new and amazing social phenomenon attended by astounding political and economic repercussions.

   Are we supposed to exclude people who are not God-knowing? If we are, we should know how to recognize them. Is it solely the absence of spiritual fruit?

   maybe the absence of anything that resembles unselfishness.

   then there is the social and political thing, or the trickle down effect: Secular, power hungry, wealth dominated. Easy stuff to spot.

   i think the spiritual brotherhood is exclusive not because this brotherhood makes effort to exclude. Quite the opposite. Making an effort to exclude is wasted effort, i would think it happens all by itself.

2. B

   BonitaParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 3:38 PM

   Gene wrote:

   i think the spiritual brotherhood is exclusive not because this brotherhood makes effort to exclude. Quite the opposite. Making an effort to exclude is wasted effort, i would think it happens all by itself.

   What happens all by itself, the spiritual brotherhood or the exclusion of non-God-knowing persons?

3. G

   GeneParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 3:49 PM

   Both, like the birds of a feather saying.

   Effort to recruit in either direction seems to only create chaos.

4. B

   BonitaParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 3:54 PM

   Gene wrote:

   Effort to recruit in either direction seems to only create chaos.

   So, does that mean recruitment is not necessary in the kingdom of heaven?

5. G

   GeneParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 3:59 PM

   Bonita wrote:

   Gene wrote:

   Effort to recruit in either direction seems to only create chaos.

   So, does that mean recruitment is not necessary in the kingdom of heaven?

   entering the kingdom is a personal choice of faith. One could argue the spiritual influences that led to and or influenced a person to make this decision to enter the kingdom were recruiters of a sort.

6. G

   GeneParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 4:01 PM

   Does the physical environment recruit all of the planetary critters to learn how to adapt to and survive in it?

7. G

   GeneParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 4:03 PM

   Does reality recruit?

   Too philosohical for me

8. B

   BonitaParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 4:07 PM

   If we’re not supposed to recruit Non-God-knowing persons, why did Jesus say this in regards to persuading people:

   141:6.2 When Simon Zelotes and Jesus were alone, Simon asked the Master: “Why is it that I could not persuade him? Why did he so resist me and so readily lend an ear to you?” Jesus answered: “Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something into these hungry souls? Lead men into the kingdom, and the great and living truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error. When you have presented to mortal man the good news that God is his Father, you can the easier persuade him that he is in reality a son of God. And having done that, you have brought the light of salvation to the one who sits in darkness. Simon, when the Son of Man came first to you, did he come denouncing Moses and the prophets and proclaiming a new and better way of life? No. I came not to take away that which you had from your forefathers but to show you the perfected vision of that which your fathers saw only in part. Go then, Simon, teaching and preaching the kingdom, and when you have a man safely and securely within the kingdom, then is the time, when such a one shall come to you with inquiries, to impart instruction having to do with the progressive advancement of the soul within the divine kingdom.”

    

9. B

   BonitaParticipant
   Jul 3, 2017, 4:10 PM

   Gene wrote:

   Does the physical environment recruit all of the planetary critters to learn how to adapt to and survive in it?

   Personally, I think all of creation is already in God’s kingdom on one level or another. Life is a gift, and so is the inert material it is implanted upon.  God’s various ministries prod his creatures to progress.  Progress is the watchword of the universes.

10. G

    GeneParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 4:14 PM

    I refer to that quote often.

    my only response is Simon was an apostle. The apostles were on a mission to do just that, schooled, trained and sanctioned by the master.

    is this the mission of the spiritual brotherhood? With no sanction or training?

     

11. G

    GeneParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 4:21 PM

    Recruiting implies a conscious effort.

    Compare that to bearing fruit.

    are they one and the same?

12. B

    BonitaParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 4:24 PM

    Gene wrote:

    is this the mission of the spiritual brotherhood? With no sanction or training?

    Good question.  I don’t know.  Aren’t we being trained 24/7?  As to sanction, that’s none of our business really.  People who think they’re sanctioned to do this or do that are usually on the wrong choochoo.  But if sanction simply means permission . . . then there’s food for thought. I do think that spiritual fruits naturally attract truth-seekers and repel truth-haters.

13. B

    BonitaParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 4:28 PM

    Gene wrote:

    Recruiting implies a conscious effort. Compare that to bearing fruit. are they one and the same?

    I think that conscious effort must go into learning how to live a righteous life and living the righteous life automatically recruits because of its fruits.

    P.1726 – §2 “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. The measure wherewith truth seekers are drawn to you represents the measure of your truth endowment, your righteousness. The extent to which you have to go with your message to the people is, in a way, the measure of your failure to live the whole or righteous life, the truth-co-ordinated life .”

14. G

    GeneParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 4:33 PM

    “The extent to which you have to go with your message to the people is, in a way, the measure of your failure to live the whole or righteous life, the truth-co-ordinated life .”

    Guilty!

     

15. B

    BonitaParticipant
    Jul 3, 2017, 7:48 PM

    Gene wrote:

    Guilty!

    I’m sure you have a spiritual fragrance about you.  Sometimes people sense it, recognize it and run scared from it.  It doesn’t mean that you’re not living the righteous life.  Then again, if everyone is running scared . . .  you might have a problem . . . . (just kidding).

Reply on the current forum