255 posts · 11 participants · started May 9, 2017, 12:04 PM
What is the kingdom of heaven?
99:3.2[Part III]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.
137:8.10 “John did indeed baptize you in token of repentance and for the remission of your sins, but when you enter the heavenly kingdom, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Besides being “born again”, entrance into the kingdom of heaven involves being baptized by the Holy Spirit. What do you suppose that means?
I am thinking perhaps it is the rebirth or the born again moment when we consciously respond to the Spirit. It’s our first moment of dedication to transfer the seat of identity from the material nature to the spirit nature? Pure speculation on my part. Soul is born as a child but this is not being born again.
Maybe being born again into the Spirit by personal conscious choice increases the power of the Spirit connection by this voluntary act of personal choice?
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
How about this:
(196:0.8) The faith of Jesus visualized all spirit values as being found in the kingdom of God; therefore he said, “Seek first the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus saw in the advanced and ideal fellowship of the kingdom the achievement and fulfillment of the “will of God.” The very heart of the prayer which he taught his disciples was, “Your kingdom come; your will be done.”
“. . . you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
What is the Holy Spirit?
8:5.3 The Holy Spirit is the spiritual circuit of this Creative Daughter of the Paradise Infinite Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a circuit indigenous to each local universe and is confined to the spiritual realm of that creation; but the Infinite Spirit is omnipresent.
28:5.22[Part I]So it is with mortal man: The Mother Spirit of Salvington knows you fully, for the Holy Spirit on your world “searches all things,” and whatsoever the divine Spirit knows of you is immediately available whenever the secoraphic discerners reflect with the Spirit concerning the Spirit’s knowledge of you. It should, however, be mentioned that the knowledge and plans of the Father fragments are not reflectible. The discerners can and do reflect the presence of the Adjusters (and the Censors pronounce them divine), but they cannot decipher the content of the mindedness of the Mystery Monitors..34:5.4[Part II]When mind is thus endowed with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it possesses the capacity for (consciously or unconsciously) choosing the spiritual presence of the Universal Father — the Thought Adjuster. But it is not until a bestowal Son has liberated the Spirit of Truth for planetary ministry to all mortals that all normal minds are automatically prepared for the reception of the Thought Adjusters. The Spirit of Truth works as one with the presence of the spirit of the Divine Minister. This dual spirit liaison hovers over the worlds, seeking to teach truth and to spiritually enlighten the minds of men, to inspire the souls of the creatures of the ascending races, and to lead the peoples dwelling on the evolutionary planets ever towards their Paradise goal of divine destiny..34:5.5 The Holy Spirit is partly independent of human attitude and partially conditioned by the decisions and co-operation of the will of man. Nevertheless, the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes increasingly effective in the sanctification and spiritualization of the inner life of those mortals who the more fully obey the divine leadings.
Mara, here is another quote; one that is very important, I think.
92:0.4 3. The Holy Spirit–this is the initial supermind bestowal, and it unfailingly appears in all bona fide human personalities. This ministry to a worship-craving and wisdom-desiring mind creates the capacity to self-realize the postulate of human survival, both in theologic concept and as an actual and factual personality experience.
Mara, here is another quote; one that is very important, I think.
92:0.4 3. The Holy Spirit–this is the initial supermind bestowal, and it unfailingly appears in all bona fide human personalities. This ministry to a worship-craving and wisdom-desiring mind creates the capacity to self-realize the postulate of human survival, both in theologic concept and as an actual and factual personality experience.
Yes, initially.
(1:0.5) Urantia mortals can hardly hope to be perfect in the infinite sense, but it is entirely possible for human beings, starting out as they do on this planet, to attain the supernal and divine goal which the infinite God has set for mortal man; and when they do achieve this destiny, they will, in all that pertains to self-realization and mind attainment, be just as replete in their sphere of divine perfection as God himself is in his sphere of infinity and eternity. Such perfection may not be universal in the material sense, unlimited in intellectual grasp, or final in spiritual experience, but it is final and complete in all finite aspects of divinity of will, perfection of personality motivation, and God-consciousness.
I think that the answer to my question lies not only with the meaning of the Holy Spirit, but also the meaning of baptize within the context Jesus was speaking. For the Jews, baptism had a very specific meaning. It was a purification ritual, meant to cleanse, to wash away unclean passions with holiness.
Initially it was thought that spirits lived within bubbling springs. Immersion was a way to contact the spirit. Bubbling springs led to running waters which were living, not stagnate. John baptized in living waters. Mikvehs used for purification rituals usually contained living, moving waters. If we keep the symbolism consistent, one might naturally conclude that the Holy Spirit could be the living water within the soul. At least that’s one way to look at it.
The Holy Spirit within the soul, being the supermind, a giant purifying mikveh, is the supporting arena in which we have our relationship with Deity. In a sense we become immersed in spirit whenever we attempt to enter the “dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness—contact with the divine presence.” (196:3.3)
Bradly, I posted this thinking of you, what you’ve said many times.
And also since Bonita has posted something regarding the wholehearted embryos, we all are.
(112:5.4) Human beings possess identity only in the material sense. Such qualities of the self are expressed by the material mind as it functions in the energy system of the intellect. When it is said that man has identity, it is recognized that he is in possession of a mind circuit which has been placed in subordination to the acts and choosing of the will of the human personality. But this is a material and purely temporary manifestation, just as the human embryo is a transient parasitic stage of human life. Human beings, from a cosmic perspective, are born, live, and die in a relative instant of time; they are not enduring. But mortal personality, through its own choosing, possesses the power of transferring its seat of identity from the passing material-intellect system to the higher morontia-soul system which, in association with the Thought Adjuster, is created as a new vehicle for personality manifestation.
Bradly wrote: Soul is born as a child but this is not being born again.
Yes, but I prefer to envision the soul conceived as an embryo which initially grows in and of itself. It’s tethered, like an umbilical cord, to both the material mind and to the Adjuster as long as we are in the flesh. When we decide to actively nourish the soul, I think the new birth begins to manifest itself. Things become new. It’s the newness that I think is crucial to the concept of being born again. It’s the discovery of the soul’s point of view, recognizing what it needs to thrive, interpreting how best to provide it and then committing oneself to doing the task. It’s a different and whole new way of looking at life. Evolution of dominance goes along with the evolution of the consciousness of newness, the discovery of this inner treasure and developing a relationship. And the best part of the baptism is the realization that you’re not having a relationship with an IT, an idea, but with another person who is not yourself, but a partner, someone you can actually become unified with. It’s alive, it’s growing and it’s kinda exciting! I don’t think being baptized by the Holy Spirit is for lazy people or cowards . . . that’s for sure.
Here is one I like about the exhibition of the characteristics of the Spirit as they may manifest in the lives of spirit-led mortals.
34:6.13[Part II]The consciousness of the spirit domination of a human life is presently attended by an increasing exhibition of the characteristics of the Spirit in the life reactions of such a spirit-led mortal, “for the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” Such spirit-guided and divinely illuminated mortals, while they yet tread the lowly paths of toil and in human faithfulness perform the duties of their earthly assignments, have already begun to discern the lights of eternal life as they glimmer on the faraway shores of another world; already have they begun to comprehend the reality of that inspiring and comforting truth, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And throughout every trial and in the presence of every hardship, spirit-born souls are sustained by that hope which transcends all fear because the love of God is shed abroad in all hearts by the presence of the divine Spirit.
What is the kingdom of heaven?
99:3.2[Part III] 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.
To the “literal-ist” reader of the UB, the previous UB quote, would actually be a literal answer to a question of what is the Kingdom of Heaven? Yet this post seems to have been overlooked by those, seemingly more spiritual in nature, rather than being a group of individuals in brotherhood with each other?
What is the kingdom of heaven?
99:3.2[Part III] 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.
To the “literal-ist” reader of the UB, the previous UB quote, would actually be a literal answer to a question of what is the Kingdom of Heaven? Yet this post seems to have been overlooked by those, seemingly more spiritual in nature, rather than being a group of individuals in brotherhood with each other?
Maybe it’s because, spiritually, speech has it’s limitations here on earth.
But “harmony is the speech of Havona” and that’s why we pray:
“Your will be done on earth; as it is in heaven.”
What is the kingdom of heaven?
(170:5.11) The kingdom, to the Jews, was the Israelite community; to the gentiles it became the Christian church. To Jesus the kingdom was the sum of those individuals who had confessed their faith in the fatherhood of God, thereby declaring their wholehearted dedication to the doing of the will of God, thus becoming members of the spiritual brotherhood of man.
In regards to what it means to be born of the Holy Spirit, I made a list of what I could find in TUB describing “who is born of the Spirit,” those who are in the kingdom of heaven:
#5 addresses the newness I was referring to, a readjustment to reality. Isn’t that what the Adjuster does with us once we’re in the kingdom? I think all things would become new if thoughts and attitudes were constantly being readjusted, reborn, reoriented toward spirit cooperation and coordination. #17 refers to what I previously referred to as the ability to “see,” making the choice to see the world through “eyes of faith”.
I imagine there are more descriptions of what it means to be “born of the Spirit” in TUB, if you find them, share them. We’ll grow the list. Thanks.
I think this relates to Bonitas list and was partly stated a bit differently in her # 11
Paper 142:7.3and4 Jesus explains the kingdom idea as an evolutionary concept and will be understood different in the future by the family idea – when man understands the fatherhood of god and brotherhood of man – sonship with God.
. . . to be “born of the Spirit”. . . .
In this reference the first sentence kinda jumped out at me. “Religion is functional in the human mind and has been realized in experience prior to its appearance in human consciousness.”
Perhaps *functional* refers to the unknown (in human consciousness) work of the adjutant mind spirits in preparing the mind for the reception of a Thought Adjuster, as well as the little known work of the Spirit of Truth and the Holy Spirit. The work of the Spirit is seamless and these influences are all as one. (8:5.4)
103:2.1 Religion is functional in the human mind and has been realized in experience prior to its appearance in human consciousness. A child has been in existence about nine months before it experiences birth. But the “birth” of religion is not sudden; it is rather a gradual emergence. Nevertheless, sooner or later there is a “birth day.” You do not enter the kingdom of heaven unless you have been “born again” — born of the Spirit. Many spiritual births are accompanied by much anguish of spirit and marked psychological perturbations, as many physical births are characterized by a “stormy labor” and other abnormalities of “delivery.” Other spiritual births are a natural and normal growth of the recognition of supreme values with an enhancement of spiritual experience, albeit no religious development occurs without conscious effort and positive and individual determinations. Religion is never a passive experience, a negative attitude. What is termed the “birth of religion” is not directly associated with so-called conversion experiences which usually characterize religious episodes occurring later in life as a result of mental conflict, emotional repression, and temperamental upheavals.
“. . . no religious development occurs without conscious effort and positive and individual determinations.”
Regarding the kingdom of heaven, section 5 of Paper 170 sheds some light on what influenced later ideas of the Kingdom and a *prophetic forecast* of the kingdom.
Having summarized the teachings of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, we are permitted to narrate certain later ideas which became attached to the concept of the kingdom and to engage in a prophetic forecast of the kingdom as it may evolve in the age to come.
170:5.10 . . . the tragedy consisted in the fact that this social reaction to the teachings of the kingdom so fully displaced the spiritual concept of the real kingdom as Jesus taught and lived it..170:5.14 When Jesus’ immediate followers recognized their partial failure to realize his ideal of the establishment of the kingdom in the hearts of men by the spirit’s domination and guidance of the individual believer, they set about to save his teaching from being wholly lost by substituting for the Master’s ideal of the kingdom the gradual creation of a visible social organization, the Christian church. And when they had accomplished this program of substitution, in order to maintain consistency and to provide for the recognition of the Master’s teaching regarding the fact of the kingdom, they proceeded to set the kingdom off into the future. The church, just as soon as it was well established, began to teach that the kingdom was in reality to appear at the culmination of the Christian age, at the second coming of Christ..170:5.21 The kingdom of the divine brotherhood is still alive and will eventually and certainly come forth from this long submergence, just as surely as the butterfly eventually emerges as the beautiful unfolding of its less attractive creature of metamorphic development.
Mara wrote: The revelators tell us the result was tragic.
Yeah . . . churchification is generally a tragic human failure, in my opinion. But TUB says there’s hope, that the kingdom is still alive and well, just submerged in a metamorphic state. It would be wonderful to see it emerge in my lifetime . . . I live in hope. I think the best way to free it from the cocoon it languishes in is for more and more people to change their minds by faith . . . faith in God himself, a person, rather than an institution, a creed, a book, a dogma, etc..
138:8.8 Jesus made plain to his apostles the difference between the repentance of so-called good works as taught by the Jews and the change of mind by faith – the new birth – which he required as the price of admission to the kingdom.
Isn’t the repentance of good works part of the temporal kingdom that is still after centuries putting the spiritual kingdom just out of reach?
