The Message made plain

Map of the Course

2008-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Message Made Plain

2006-10-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

In our day, the mysteries are to unfold

Since time immemorial, man has sought for answers to the mysteries of life. Who am I? What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of life on Earth? Is there really life after death? What are the conditions of that life? And how do we secure it for ourselves?

Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why poverty, injustice, famine, war, disease and death? Why me? Where is the love of God? Every thinking man comes to ask himself these questions.

In answer, Jesus Christ spoke to the men of his time. He revealed the answers to all these questions and more; but because the people were not ready, he was largely misunderstood and misinterpreted. And much of the resulting confusion still exists even into our day and age.

However, we don’t have to remain ignorant and confused. We need only to go back to first principles, to the original answers given by Christ and then, work forward from there, in order to transcend all the conflicting interpretations and see things as they really are. But this time, instead of embracing half-truths and blind teachings, we should be discriminating and wise, guided more by the dictates of reason in the light of our vastly superior wealth of personal experiences.

‘The Message Made Plain’ is a study course that precisely brings back into focus the actual words and teachings of Jesus Christ to enable the student to start afresh without having to contend too much with the misguided and confusing interpretations of mere followers.

As you go through the course, many things will clarify themselves to you. You should be able to realize the answers to all your important questions about life and death.

In Lesson 1, you will come to realize your urgent need to further your spiritual studies and prepare for eternal life. In Lesson 2, you will learn all about the person of Jesus and come to know him intimately. He refutes many of the old beliefs and teachings which still persist even today in Lesson 3. In Lesson 4, he explains why we need to live right in the sight of God.

The reasons for suffering and the way whereby Heaven can be attained are taken up in Lesson 5. Lesson 6 puts forward for our consideration, a more practical approach to life and includes a discussion of the underlying rational bases behind his spiritual teachings. And finally, all you need to know about life hereafter are discussed in Lesson 7.

You really can’t afford to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s like having a private audience with the Lord where he reveals to you the secrets of his kingdom.

The question is: Are you now ready for him?

Why take up this study

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The ‘THE MESSAGE MADE PLAIN’ is the most comprehensive and complete study course available on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The course provides clear answers to all your important questions about life here and hereafter.

They compress into just a few months of study what otherwise could take many years of weekly Bible and advanced spiritual studies.

Help and personalized guidance are available through a competent counselor-teacher by posting your query or comment at the bottom of the appropriate Blog and email-copying INNER QUEST at iq@innerquest.org.ph if you should require an earlier response.

Exercises to monitor your progress and get you back on course are provided at the end of every lesson.

There is the distinct advantage of being able to pursue your studies at your leisure, in your own time and at your own pace.

The principles set forth in the courses have practical applications in your daily life.

Instructions to the Student

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To obtain the fullest benefit out of ‘THE MESSAGE MADE PLAIN’, you are enjoined to follow these suggested procedures:

Read the Introduction in order to have a general overview of the course.
Read each lesson carefully and relate the numbered passages from the Bible to the thoughts expressed in the text.
After studying a particular lesson thoroughly, turn to the Review Exercises. While the solutions to some of the questions may not have been actually taken up in the lessons, you should be able to provide the correct answers by drawing from your own personal experiences. In addition, you may refer back to all the materials previously given. You will be able to gain much more from your studies if you first give thought to what the answers might be, writing them down on paper, before looking up the Solutions to the Exercises.
Compare your answers to the suggested Solutions and review your mistakes. Strive to understand precisely where you were wrong and determine not to commit the same mistakes again.
After validating your answers, you may email INNER QUEST, care of the Course Counselor, should you have need for any further clarifications regarding any aspect of the course. Your Course Counselor is there to help you. Do not hesitate to solicit his help in all matters pertaining to the course.
Proceed to the next new lesson. Repeat Steps 2 to 5 until you complete all the lessons.

According to your efforts, so shall be your rewards. May you find the Truth that you are seeking.

Introduction

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MANY PREDICTIONS have been put forth concerning the advent of a New Age in the life of our planet. It is said that it will be an age when love will reign in the hearts of many, where, at the present time, mostly ignorance, hatred and distrust abide. The world will have peace and the ignorance of the past will dissipate in the face of the determined onslaught of God’s divine light and truth. However, this future possibility can become a reality only if we do the work that should be done at the present time.

All over the world, many people are grasping at straws. In the face of the world’s ills, they fail to see the divine purpose in everything that is. They are unable to realize the meaning behind their existence. Thoroughly fed up with all that is going on around them, they dimly perceive the existence of God’s magnificent plan; but until now, they have not yet succeeded in finding the truth they are seeking. It is to these seekers after truth that this study course is addressed.

Truth can be found. It has always been waiting for the determined seeker. Truth has never been hidden from anyone. It is just that man, in the past, was not yet ready to receive the truth. But whenever the student is ready, the Master comes. Therefore, we must first make ready and we can begin, now.

This course tackles the basic principles which are prerequisites to more advanced studies. Herein is provided a rational basis for the divine teachings and a practical approach to life. It lays stress on the building of sound ethical foundations, which precedes all true learning. It is meant to be a primer, which should provide you with the initial impetus towards your further study of the deeper spiritual truths.

Because this New Age or the Age of Aquarius is to be a Christian movement, it is necessary, therefore, that we begin our study with the Christian Bible. But how should we regard the Bible?

The Bible, as will be referred to in this course, is a compilation of inspired works, which came to be written as a result of some divine intervention in the form of direct inspiration, an actual experience of a divine truth or a prophetic vision, and which expounds on varying aspects and levels of the divine teachings. The resulting interpretations are largely dependent on the individual writer’s own capacity to comprehend the teachings as determined by his own level in the order of evolution. Such differences in development are to be viewed as limiting factors in the credibility and extent of authority of Biblical and all other writers.

In view of the foregoing limitations and the vastness of the materials included in the Bible, the course has been confined to the study of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is these four books that contain the actual words and teachings of Christ, who is the accepted supreme authority. Christ is the Light. All the others are merely reflections of the Light. It is Christ, therefore, who is the focus of our studies.

All the divine principles set forth in the course are verifiable in the light of our own individual experiences. Nevertheless, to elucidate on these principles further, selected Biblical passages have been incorporated into the course. However, the Biblical excerpts are not intended to supplant the study of the complete Bible but are included merely to facilitate the study of this course. The translations are based on various old, as well as modern translations, but not on the original manuscripts which are not available to the writer, nor are such references considered necessary by him. The inclusion of these passages is deemed beneficial because of the wide divergence in the various transcriptions of the different translators.

Many passages appear vague and conflicting. Many verses and thoughts are seemingly not in the proper context or in their right sequences. Hence, the translations made part of this course are effected by this writer with a view to improving on these observations. Therefore, certain unnecessary verses and vague and extraneous thoughts, which could mislead more than enlighten, have been restructured or reworded while others have been deleted. Thus, a greater understanding may be attained by the student because of the advantage of having a clearer and more ordered presentation of Scriptural support to the divine principles herein detailed. Further, in order that the Biblical truths may be more easily received, the passages have been translated into modern-day English.

The exercises at the end of every lesson are simple but thought provoking. These exercises have been designed to drive home certain basic and very important points. In this course, the student will have to do a lot of independent thinking. He will have to lay aside, for a while, all that he has been previously conditioned to believe, because such beliefs may not necessarily be true and would only make his progress difficult. It would be well for him to test out all that he believes. And now is the time for him to do this. Every student should ask himself: With all that I already know now, how is it that there still seems to be something missing? And why is it that the pieces don’t fit? And as he realizes and is able to accept that he doesn’t know enough, then, he can begin to learn.

Many will be asking who I am. However, it is not important who I am, because none of these thoughts are mine. I may have organized the materials in a different manner such that they might appear to be new to some. But they aren’t. "All that is has been and will be again." Again I repeat, I am not even the author because Christ is the author. I have merely written down what I have been given to write. In all of this work, I have been provided the necessary guidance.

In 1976, while I was, myself, in search of answers, a message was transmitted to me from the Spirit World. It said, "My brother, don’t let little things deter you in your search for truth." — I didn’t. And so shouldn’t you.

Therefore, I urge everyone to begin his studies, today. Center on the concepts and principles expressed herein. Study them well. Analyze and test them. Dwell on the message, not on the messenger. Focus on the principles because they are eternal and immutable, and not so much on the facts and figures which are variable and open to question. As you read enough, you will come to realize that for every thing that has been written, there is an opposite and contrary statement that has also been put to print.

Widen your field of vision. Read the whole Bible, if you will, and even the Holy Scriptures of all the different faiths which, after all, are essentially one, so that you may gain a more panoramic view of divine realities. But first, I would advise that you build your foundations by learning all you can from this basic course.

Nevertheless, should you find that certain principles mentioned in the course are unacceptable to you, it is suggested, at least until you have completed the course, that you assume that such principles are valid. This is so because, otherwise, you won’t be able to reconcile what comes next. In any case, you are enjoined to reserve your judgment until after you have gone through all the lessons. And in the meantime, try your best to keep an open mind.

Above all, trust in God and have faith that all that may be new or unclear, at this time, will clarify and confirm themselves to you as you continue in your quest. And in time, you should be able to find all the answers you need.

Here then, to all of you who think that you are ready, the Message is made plain.

The Writer

Lesson 1 -- Study and Preparation for Life

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MODERN CIVILIZATION has taken giant leaps forward in just the last few hundred years. Everywhere, there have been very great changes. It is now becoming increasingly more difficult for man to remember that only a few thousand years before, things were not as they are now.

02 Then, electricity had not yet been discovered: there were no telephones, no radios and no television sets; and at night, just to keep warm, people had to keep an open fire. There were no automobiles. Most people walked while the more affluent rode on the backs of animals. There were no trains or buses, airplanes or spaceships. Water couldn’t be had by turning a faucet.

03 There was a very high illiteracy rate. Reading, writing and the beginnings of a formal education were accessible only to members of the nobility and the monastic scholars. Books were a rarity and there were no newspapers. People believed that the world was flat, that the sun was God and that the earth was the center of the Universe. There clearly was a need to raise the level of consciousness of the people. One of the more effective ways was through the teaching of religion.

04 To bring the people forward, the wise men of old had formulated only the simplest possible explanations and teachings. They were all that the people could understand, then. During those early times, people were told to accept God’s divine instruction given through prophets and priests without question. Moreover, they were compelled to blindly follow the teachings of the church under the threat of excommunication or the pains of hell. There were good and valid reasons behind this injunction.

05 Certainly, little children should not be allowed to play with matches because they might burn the house down. For much the same reason, the higher knowledge was not revealed to the common people.

06 They being morally deficient, any such advantage over others would have been misused and utilized mainly for selfish interests, resulting in harm to others as well as to themselves. Further, being intellectually inferior, they would find extreme difficulty in trying to understand advanced concepts. Such elevated ideas would serve only to confuse them all the more. First, they must be thoroughly grounded in the basics in much the same way that we must be fully conversant with simple arithmetic before we can begin to study higher mathematics. Based on these considerations, it was deemed to the people’s best advantage that, in the meanwhile, they should rather concentrate their time and efforts on matters which were better suited to their particular stage of development.

07 For their own good, therefore, the higher teachings were withheld from those who were not ready for them. However, to a very few deserving students, the higher truths were taught in secret. In the East, the Masters taught their disciples and initiates in the temples of higher learning. Christ, himself, taught most of the people in parables but spoke plainly to those few who were ready for more advanced instruction (1, 2).

08 Today, however, the times have greatly changed. Now, modern man is considered sufficiently evolved to begin to understand. In fact, thinking men and women everywhere find the old teachings to be sorely inadequate, even unreasonable and illogical, running counter to the dictates of their ordinary common sense. To them, the old explanations can no longer suffice. And their dissatisfaction gives rise to a compelling desire to search for deeper meaning and explanations to the mysteries of life.

09 Clearly, today, the reasons for withholding the teachings no longer apply. And, in preparation for the coming Age of Enlightenment, the knowledge is to be disseminated to all the people. Still, as always, understanding can come only as a result of continuous strivings.

10 In preparation for our life on earth, we choose to undergo many years of rigorous studies in order to attain to some degree of worldly success. We spend long, hard years of sweat and tears, passing through every phase, from grade school and, hopefully, on to the more advanced degree courses just so that we may have a better life with better opportunities that are not available to the less educated among us. And yet, when it relates to spiritual matters, far too many leave everything to chance, and they insist falsely that these matters cannot be learned.

11 To all the questions of life, the answers can be found. We should re-examine our thoughts on this matter because there is so much that we can do today to get over our confusion concerning the deeper and more spiritual aspects of our being.

12 In any field of knowledge, we learn only as we study. As we study, we inquire, we seek, only then are we able to learn more and more. However, even as we investigate and seek out every possibility, we must at all times analyze, test and question. And only after, should we accept that which we find to be reasonable.

13 The wise commit themselves to serious study and preparation for the life to come. They don’t just wait, doing nothing. Instead, they endeavor to learn what will be required of them and prepare all things beforehand. Just like the wise virgins who prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, we, too, must prepare for the coming of death, because the gates of heaven will be shut to those who are not ready to enter therein. We can’t afford to be like the foolish virgins (3). We must study and prepare.

14 People who have attained to some measure of worldly success may feel that their entry into heaven is already guaranteed. But this is not so. Real success is not according to the standards of the people in the world (4). Therefore, in our quest for heaven, we should first strive to learn the laws lest we fail because of ignorance.

15 Looking around us, we find that people are such a confused lot. They don’t realize what they are supposed to do, and so, they do all the wrong things. They continue in their error-filled ways, unaware of the deeper spiritual realities. In order that the people may be guided, God sent Jesus to light the way (5). And even into our modern age, his message rings true. Everyone who seeks the Higher Path needs only to refer to the words of God revealed through Jesus (6).

16 Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The higher laws apply also to the innocent and to the ignorant. They continue to affect us even if we choose to ignore them or even reject them (7). Although we may not believe in the teachings of Christ, the same will be the basis of our salvation (8). And so, it is inevitable that those who desire to be on the side of the Truth should listen to him and hear his life-giving words (9). Those who listen and strive to live according to his divine teachings are wise and they will prosper (10).

17 The young and innocent are allowed certain concessions. However, since they are not yet deserving, the true riches in heaven cannot be made available to them. Precisely, this is why they are being taught and helped now (11). But if they should choose to disregard the guidance being given them and refuse to acknowledge their mistakes, then, they will have no one to blame but themselves. They will seek for God, but they won’t be able to find Him (12). All those who have been so instructed should do their utmost to live accordingly because the kingdom of God is reserved only for the righteous (13, 14).

18 As we become increasingly aware of our true spiritual objectives, we will come to realize that so many things which we previously thought to be important are not really important. Consequently, free from many worldly cares, we will be able to live more meaningful lives and be able to progress more easily and much faster (15).

19 We should be more concerned with fulfilling our duties and responsibilities to God and faithfully attending to the work assigned to us. Those who are faithful and vigilant in the performance of their duties shall be rewarded in heaven. But all those who fail to do their allotted tasks will certainly get what they deserve (16, 17, 18).

20 No one knows exactly when we will be called to account for all that we have done. And while there may still be a sufficient amount of time left for each of us to do what must be done, still, there is no time to waste. We must always be alert and watchful. We must study and prepare.

Lesson 1 -- Bible Passages

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LK 10:21

"Thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these truths from the intellectual and the worldly wise and revealing them to the innocent and the open-hearted."
MT 13:03.23

"Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seeds in the field, some of them fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it scorched the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seeds fell among thorn bushes which grew up and choked the plants. But some seeds fell on good soil and produced a good crop; some brought in a hundredfold, some sixty and others thirty." And Jesus concluded; "Those who want to learn should listen."

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?"

Jesus answered, "It is because you are permitted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have more than enough. But to those who don’t have, even the little they may be able to acquire will be taken away. That is why I tell these stories, so that people will hear and see, but not understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, ‘They hear, but don’t understand; they look, but don’t see! For their hearts are hard and heavy, and their ears are dull, and they have closed their eyes in sleep so they won’t see and hear and understand or turn to me so that I should heal them.’ But, blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear! Many prophets and righteous men have longed to see what you have seen, and hear what you have heard, but couldn’t.

"Listen, then, and learn the meaning of this parable. Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in them. The seeds that fell on rocky ground are those who, as soon as they hear the message, receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them and it doesn’t last for long. For when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give it up at once. The seeds that fell among thorn bushes are those who hear the message; but the cares of this life and the love for riches choke the message, such that it doesn’t bear fruit. And the seeds sown in the good soil are those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as a hundred, some, sixty and others, thirty."
MT 25:01.13

"The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the Parable of the Ten Virgins who went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise enough to fill their lamps with oil while the other five were foolish and forgot. The bridegroom took some time in coming; so the girls laid down to rest until at midnight, they were roused by the cry, ‘The bridegroom is on his way! Prepare to meet him!’ All the girls immediately got up and trimmed their lamps.

"Then the five who didn’t bother to check their oil begged the others to share with them some of theirs because their lamps were about to die out. But the others replied, ‘We don’t have any to spare. You had better go out quickly and buy what you need.’ But while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.

"Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord, let us in!’

"But he told them, ‘Go away! You’re too late!’ So stay alert and ready because you don’t know exactly when the Son of God will come."
LK 16:19.31

"There was a certain rich man," Jesus said, "who was always well dressed and lived each day in merriment and luxury. There was also a poor and sick beggar named Lazarus who used to be brought to the rich man’s door. As he lay there longing for the leftover scraps from the man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to hell. There, in anguish, he saw Lazarus in the distance with Abraham.

"‘Father Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘pity me! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for these flames are scorching me.’

"But Abraham said to him. ‘My son, remember when you were still on earth, you had everything you wanted and Lazarus had nothing. So now, he is here being comforted and you are tormented. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us and anyone who would want to come to you from here won’t be able to do so; nor can anyone from your place cross over to us.’

"Then the rich man said, ‘I beg you, then, Father Abraham, please send him to my father’s home, to my five brothers, to warn them about this place of torment lest they come here when they die!’

"But Abraham said, ‘The Scriptures have warned them time and again. Your brothers can read them anytime they want to.’

"The rich man replied, ‘No, Father, they won’t care to read them. But if someone who is dead were to come and talk to them, then, they would surely turn from their sins.’

"But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen, either, even though someone rises from the dead!’"
JN 12:35

"The light will be with you for just a little longer. Walk while you still have the light, for those who walk in the dark will have great difficulty finding their way."
JN 9:39

"I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are really blind."
LK 4:04

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
JN 12:48

"Whoever rejects me and does not accept my teachings will, nevertheless, be judged according to the truths I have spoken."
JN 18:37

So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you a king, then?"

And Jesus replied, "You could say that I am a king, and I have come into this world to reveal the truth. All who are of the truth listens to me."
MT 7:22.27

"On the Day of Judgment, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name, we spoke God’s message, we cast out demons and performed many miracles.’

"But I will say to them, ‘Get away from me! I don’t know any evildoers!’ Therefore, he who listens to my teaching and lives accordingly is wise, like a man who builds his house upon a rock. Even if the rain should come in torrents, and the floods rise, and the wind beat against his house, it won’t collapse because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my words and doesn’t heed them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. And when the rain falls, and the floods come, and the wind beats against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash."
LK 23:34

"Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing."
JN 9:41

"If you were blind, then, you wouldn’t be guilty; but since you claim that you do see, then, your sin remains."
JN 15.22

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of committing sin. But, as it is now, they have no excuse for their sin."
MT 13:24.30

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed choice seeds in his field. But one night, while he was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. When the crop began to grow, the weeds also grew. The man’s servants came and told him, ‘Sir, the field is full of weeds. How could it have happened?’

"‘An enemy must have done it,’ he surmised.

"‘Shall we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

"‘No, you’ll only hurt the wheat, if you do. Let them both grow together until the harvest, and I will tell the reapers to sort out the weeds and burn them and put the wheat in the barn.’"
LK 10:38.42

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister Mary sat on the floor listening to Jesus as he talked. But Martha was so busy with the big dinner that she was preparing; and surveying all the work that still had to be done, she approached Jesus and said, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"

The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You are anxious and upset over so many things. There is really only one thing worth being concerned about! Mary realizes this, and I won’t deny it to her."
LK 13:06.09

"A man planted a fig tree in his garden and he often looked to see if he could find any fruit in it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘It’s been three years and there hasn’t been a single fig,’ he said. ‘Why wait any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’

"‘Give it one more chance,’ the gardener answered. ‘Wait another year. I’ll see to it, personally, and give it plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine; if not, I’ll cut it down.’"
MK 13:34.37

"The coming of the judgment will be like a man who went on a trip to a far country. He gave his instructions to each of his servants and delineated the work that each of them is supposed to do while he is away. Be diligent and alert then, because you don’t know exactly when the master will be returning. And if he should come suddenly, he might find you sleeping on the job. And so I say to you and to everyone: Stay alert and watchful."
LK 12:35.48

"Always be prepared for the coming of the Lord so that when he returns home from the wedding feast and knocks at the door, you may immediately open up to him. It will be a great day for all those who are ready and waiting for his return. For he himself will make them a feast and serve them.

"If a man were to know that a thief is going to break into his home at a given hour, he would keep watch to prevent this from happening and thereby safeguard his property from loss. The thief knowing this, therefore, comes when he is least expected. Likewise, you should be ready at all times, because you don’t know when the Lord will actually come."

Peter asked him, "Lord, does this parable apply to us only or to everyone, also?"

And the Lord replied, "I speak to every servant who has been given some authority over his co-workers and the responsibility of attending to their needs. And if the master should return and find that his servant has done his work well, then he will reward his servant and put him in charge of all he owns. But if that servant were to think, ‘It will be some time before the master returns,’ and begins to abuse his authority, neglect his duties and engage in merrymaking and raucous living, then, the master will return unexpectedly, relieve him of his post and put him in his proper place.

"The servant who is aware of what his master wants him to do but refuses to do it will be severely punished. But the servant who unknowingly does something he shouldn’t do will be punished only lightly. For to whom much is given, much is required; and to whose care more is entrusted, much more will be expected."

Lesson 1 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

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Set A: TRUE or FALSE (2 points per item)

Enlightenment is a gift from God.
Our real objective is to attain to some measure of worldly success.
God desires that we learn more about Him.
We should not question God’s word.
In like manner that we prepare for earth life, we should also prepare for eternal life.
The Bible is the only true word of God.
The laws of men are very different from the laws of God.
Heaven cannot be earned through good deeds.
We need only to believe in Jesus and we are saved.

Before we can find truth, we must seek for it.
The way to God is through the accumulation of knowledge.
Only Christians can ever get to heaven.
The more we pray, the surer we can get to heaven.
Every question has an answer.
The more we study, the more we learn.
Ignorance breeds fear and with knowledge, fear is dispelled.
Everything complex can be made simpler.
While money is all-important upon earth, in heaven, it is spiritual knowledge that is most important.
Only the righteous can enter heaven.
Every teaching should be subjected to the test of reason in the light of our own personal experiences.

Set B: Supply the missing word or phrase (2 points per item)

In any field of knowledge, we learn only as we _______ (Text).
"The seeds that fell on rocky ground are those who, as soon as they hear the message, receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them and it doesn’t last for long. For when _________ or _____________ comes because of the message, they give it up at once" (MT 13).
"Forgive them, Father! They _______ ______ what they are doing" (LK 23).
Real success is not according to the standards of _____ ________ ____ _____ _______ (Text).
"You could say that I am a king, and I have come into this world to reveal _____ _______. All who are ____ _____ _______ listens to me" (JN 18).
"My son, remember when you were still on earth, you had everything you wanted and Lazarus had nothing. So now, he is here _______ ___________ and you are ___________" (LK 16).
"For to those who have, ______ will be given, and they will have ______ ______ ________. But to those who don’t have, even the little they may be able to acquire ______ ____ _______ ______" (MT 13).
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by _______ ______ ____ _____" (LK 4).
"Walk while you still have _____ _______, for those who walk in the dark will have great difficulty finding _______ _____" (JN 12).

"For to whom much is given, ______ ____ __________; and to whose care more is entrusted, ______ ______ ______ ____ __________" (LK 12).
"The seeds that fell among thorn bushes are those who hear the message; but the _______ ____ ______ ______ and _____ ______ _____ ________ choke the message, such that it doesn’t bear fruit" (MT 13).
"If you were blind, then, you wouldn’t be guilty; but since you claim that you do see, then, ______ _____ _________" (JN 9).
"Whoever rejects me and does not accept my teachings will, nevertheless, be judged according to _____ ________ ___ ______ ________" (JN 12).
However, even as we investigate and seek out every possibility, we must at all times __________ ______ _____ __________ (Text).
"Thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these truths from the ______________ and _____ _________ ______ and revealing them to the innocent and the open-hearted" (LK 10).

Set C: Write whether you AGREE or you DISAGREE with the following statements and then, briefly, in a few sentences, explain why or why not (3 points per item)

Life ends at death.
Concerning spiritual matters, we must rely on blind faith because these things are beyond our ability to comprehend.
We should limit our involvement in purely worldly pursuits.
Here on earth, our chief goals are happiness, peace and contentment.
Man can never understand the mysteries of life.
We don’t need to pay for our sins because they have already been paid for by the blood of Jesus.
The innocent may be excused and allowed to enter heaven.
The righteous shall be fully rewarded here on earth.
As it is on earth, so also in heaven.
The course teacher is always right.

Lesson 1 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Enlightenment is a gift from God. FALSE. A gift is always free. However, enlightenment is not a free gift because we have to exert great efforts in order to merit the attainment of it. Instead, only the knowledge can be given, but enlightenment or the inward realization of it must be earned.
Our real objective is to attain to some measure of worldly success. FALSE. See Sol 1.C.4 (the Solution to Lesson 1, Set C, No. 4). We should look at things from God’s point of view, from the spiritual, and not from the point of view of the people in the world. Then, we would realize that worldly success is not at all that important, really.
God desires that we learn more about Him. TRUE. Certainly. However, the knowledge can come only gradually as a consequence of our continuous study and application of the divine truths.
We should not question God’s word. FALSE. Refer to Par 1:12 (Lesson 1, Paragraph 12). We must test and analyze even the supposed Word of God.
In like manner that we prepare for earth life, we should also prepare for eternal life. TRUE. The one important message of this lesson is that we all need to study and prepare for eternal life.
The Bible is the only true word of God. FALSE. The Bible is neither the only true Word of God nor is it complete in itself. In John 16:12, Jesus clearly tells us there is still so much more that he wants to tell us. In John 21:25, it is reiterated that even the Bible, which is revered as the greatest book of all, does not contain all that Christ did and taught. In addition, as may be inferred from the Introduction, there are the Holy Scriptures of all the other faiths. Likewise, as may be gleaned from the INNER QUEST Home1, Home2 and Home3, more advanced teachings are being made available to us, today, through more recent sources.
The laws of men are very different from the laws of God. TRUE. God’s laws are perfect. The same cannot be said of the laws made by men. Imperfect or ignorant men can never formulate thoroughly just laws. In this sense, the two are, in fact, very different from each other and so are their resultant effects.
Heaven cannot be earned through good deeds. FALSE. The opposite is true. Many Christians are taught that they only need to believe in Jesus to be saved. However, as they continue to mature in the faith, they are subsequently enjoined to apply Christ’s teachings or else lose their right to salvation. Therefore, good deeds are still very much required.
We need only to believe in Jesus and we are saved. FALSE. It is not enough to simply believe. We can only be saved if we live as Christ taught we should live. Therefore, we alone can save ourselves. See also Sol 1.A.8.

Before we can find truth, we must seek for it. TRUE. The Truth can be found only by the pure in heart who are persistent and dedicated in their search. Truth like gold and anything else of real value demands a stiff price to be paid before it can be found.
The way to God is through the accumulation of knowledge. FALSE. Knowledge alone without the proper applications is useless. Selfless love and active service to our fellowmen are what bring us closer to God. More on this in Lesson 5.
Only Christians can ever get to heaven. FALSE. Everyone is equally a child of God, even those belonging to other faiths, and all of us will come to join Him in heaven, eventually.
The more we pray, the surer we can get to heaven. FALSE. Prayer alone is not enough. The needed action must follow. We shall be judged according to our deeds.
Every question has an answer. TRUE. Very much so. However, there are different levels of answers, superficial and deep, simple and complex, depending on the capacity of the student to understand. Today, however, all the answers are being made available to those who are ready to receive them.
The more we study, the more we learn. TRUE. Of course, no question. See Par 1:11.12.
Ignorance breeds fear and with knowledge, fear is dispelled. TRUE. Fear comes from not knowing. With knowledge, one proceeds to do what needs to be done without fear.
Everything complex can be made simpler. TRUE. No matter how complex, all things can be simplified and explained in terms that most everyone can easily understand. It is only a matter of relating such complex ideas and things to the ordinary, everyday things and experiences that we encounter daily.
While money is all-important upon earth, in heaven, it is spiritual knowledge that is most important. FALSE. Knowledge is important but character is most important. Knowledge is nothing without works.
Only the righteous can enter heaven. TRUE. In the World of Perfection, there can be nothing imperfect or less than righteous. More on this in Lesson 7.
Every teaching should be subjected to the test of reason in the light of our own personal experiences. TRUE. This is the first rule to learn and practice before anyone can count himself worthy of arriving at the truth. See Par 1:12.

Set B: (2 points per item)

In any field of knowledge, we learn only as we study (Text).
"The seeds that fell on rocky ground are those who, as soon as they hear the message, receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them and it doesn’t last for long. For when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give it up at once" (MT 13).
"Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing" (LK 23).
Real success is not according to the standards of the people in the world (Text).
"You could say that I am a king, and I have come into this world to reveal the truth. All who are of the truth listens to me" (JN 18).
"My son, remember when you were still on earth, you had everything you wanted and Lazarus had nothing. So now, he is here being comforted and you are tormented" (LK 16).
"For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have more than enough. But to those who don’t have, even the little they may be able to acquire will be taken away" (MT 13).
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (LK 4).
"Walk while you still have the light, for those who walk in the dark will have great difficulty finding their way" (JN 12).

"For to whom much is given, much is required; and to whose care more is entrusted, much more will be expected" (LK 12).
"The seeds that fell among thorn bushes are those who hear the message; but the cares of this life and the love for riches choke the message, such that it doesn’t bear fruit" (MT 13).
"If you were blind, then, you wouldn’t be guilty; but since you claim that you do see, then, your sin remains" (JN 9).
"Whoever rejects me and does not accept my teachings will, nevertheless, be judged according to the truths I have spoken" (JN 12).
However, even as we investigate and seek out every possibility, we must at all times analyze, test and question (Text).
"Thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these truths from the intellectual and the worldly wise and revealing them to the innocent and the open-hearted" (LK 10).

Set C: (3 points per item)

Life ends at death. DISAGREE. Life continues into the next world, life being eternal.
Concerning spiritual matters, we must rely on blind faith because these things are beyond our ability to comprehend. DISAGREE. Nothing should be accepted blindly. Every proposition must be analyzed and tested. And only that which is reasonable should be accepted. And eventually, given sufficient time and opportunities, we will be able to comprehend all things.
We should limit our involvement in purely worldly pursuits. AGREE. We must do all that we need to do. We must learn to master the material aspects of life first before advancing on to the more spiritual. Certain unfinished lessons necessarily entail some degree of worldly involvement. However, the less time and energy we devote to such relatively unimportant worldly matters, the more we will be able to devote to the more important spiritual concerns.
Here on earth, our chief goals are happiness, peace and contentment. DISAGREE. Rather, our true purpose is to study and prepare for the real and greater life to come after death, where the happiness, peace and contentment that we desire can be enjoyed. Other schools, however, may prefer to use the term perfection, growth or spiritual development to describe our chief goal or purpose in coming to earth. But these terms really have the same meaning.
Man can never understand the mysteries of life. DISAGREE. Everyone can discover the Truth and learn and understand even the mysteries. But there are prerequisites. First, we must have the desire to learn. Next, we must actively seek for the answers to these mysteries. And as we continue to study and learn more and more, we should, at the same time, consistently apply the divine principles in our lives. Only then can we begin to understand.
We don’t need to pay for our sins because they have already been paid for by the blood of Jesus. DISAGREE. No one can pay for the debts of another. We must settle our own accounts ourselves. The divine principle of personal responsibility and accountability is the necessary balancing complement to the enjoyment of our free will.
The innocent may be excused and allowed to enter heaven. DISAGREE. Heaven is reserved only for the righteous who have attained to certain prescribed standards of perfection in virtue, wisdom, knowledge and other things, besides.
The righteous shall be fully rewarded here on earth. DISAGREE. In the early stages of development, it is often deemed necessary to grant certain earthly compensations because the person still requires reassurances and proofs to keep him straight and convinced. However, the more highly evolved are able to forego earthly rewards, secure in their knowledge of spiritual realities, and they prefer to receive their just rewards in heaven.
As it is on earth, so also in heaven. DISAGREE. In most everything, the opposite is true. There is nothing evil or imperfect in heaven. And all things beautiful on earth are mere shadow images of the genuine articles in heaven.

The course teacher is always right. DISAGREE. No one is perfect, hence, no one is always right. However, a student who has not completed instruction or this course is not competent to judge on the matter. Therefore, for the student’s own good, the rule is that he should submit to the authority and advice of the teacher-guide. Once he completes the course, however, he ceases to be a student. He is then free to decide matters for himself and to do as he pleases.

What your scores mean

70% is marginal. You need to go over the lesson again if you really want to learn; otherwise, your weak foundation will prevent you from moving forward. You may not believe in the principles detailed herein; nevertheless, you should know what they are. In addition, you probably need more patience. Remember that unless one is willing to work hard for what he wants, he can never, ever attain it.

80% is satisfactory. You already have a good grasp of the basics, which are really, mostly common sense. But there are still a few things you need to be clarified on. So go over your answers and don’t make the same mistakes, again.

90% is very good. You have learned much from your experiences. And so, you are not easily fooled. Your eyes are open. And success is not too far away from you. But learn from your littlest mistakes. And now, all you need to do is to persistently apply the principles you have learned in your daily life.

It doesn’t really matter if you should rate low in any of these exercises. In the beginning, no one is expected to know so much. What is important, however, is what you have learned and retained after you have completed the lessons and what you do with what you’ve learned.

Now, you know where you stand and what you need to do. What happens next is entirely up to you.

Lesson 2 -- Jesus, the Christ

2006-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

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THE ANGEL told the shepherd in the field: "Don’t be afraid! I bring you the good news that will bring great joy to all the people of the world. For this very night, in the City of David, the Saviour, Christ, the Lord, was born" (1).

02 As it is written, so it has come to pass. Out of the house of David, in the City of Bethlehem in Judea, the Messiah was born. And, immediately, the righteous and the wise sought to honor him (2, 3).

03 In time, this child grew to become a man who did mighty works never before witnessed by human eyes because he is not of this world. He is from above. He comes from heaven (4).

04 Concerning him, much is written and much is foretold. John, the Baptist presaged his coming and acknowledged him to his followers (5). Isaiah, the prophet, wrote of him and his work: his teachings of divine truths; his message of hope, his path of deliverance and his promise of eternal life (6). Of his manner and purpose, these are also written (7). And how that some would believe and many would not (8).

05 He is wiser than the wisest and greater than the greatest that ever walked the earth (9). And the pure in heart alone shall be able to receive him (10).

06 Many people in the world have not quite attained to a high degree of development. They have the capacity to evolve to higher levels but as yet, these capacities are like seeds in the process of growth. Many are like sheep, adrift in a sea of darkness and ignorance, lost, not knowing where to go and what to do. Mindless and confused, they need the guidance of a shepherd.

07 Christ is the good shepherd sent by God to tend His sheep. And he knows these sheep well; he feeds them and guides them towards that time when all of them will be together again in the fields of heaven (11).

08 Because of the evil in the hearts of men, the world remains lost in darkness and only the ways of love and goodness can bring light. Christ is this true Light of the World! And through him, we are led to the right path that leads to God. Through his life and teachings, we are guided such that we no longer have to fear the darkness. For so long as we walk in the light of truth, the darkness can be dispelled (12, 13).

09 Very early in his life, Jesus already knew what he was to do (14). He came so that we may better understand the divine laws, so that these laws may more effectively guide us in our quest for the heavenly life (15).

10 He is especially sent to the sinners more than to the righteous, because they are in greater need of his guidance and divine instruction (16). But he teaches even the elect, because even they have much to learn concerning the ways of righteousness. The world does not know the ways of heaven. But Christ who comes from heaven knows. And through him, we are able to obtain insights into these deeper spiritual principles (17).

11 He has revealed and will continue to reveal these truths to all who are deserving. And henceforth, so long as we follow after his divine ways of goodness and holiness, he will be our able guide, our elder brother and our beloved friend (18).

12 There is nowhere else to turn if we desire the best teacher. For he is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Supreme Teacher. No one else knows better than him. To him are entrusted the words of eternal life (19, 20, 21).

13 Love is the way, the only way. Christ demonstrating perfect love, he is become as love. Christ is love. Christ is the way. Christ having attained to perfect knowledge, he is become as truth. Christ is the truth. Because Christ lives even though he died, he is become as life. Christ is the life. And whosoever follows after the path of love and righteousness shall inevitably find the Truth and enter into the everlasting life prepared for us by the Father since the foundation of the world (22).

14 In order that the people may sit up and listen to his teachings, he performed many so-called miracles. But these things that he did were considered as miracles only because people then were not aware of the underlying and applicable natural laws. In reality, there are no miracles. It is only that the laws governing such phenomena have not as yet been discovered or accepted by our scientists. But all these he performed in order that his message may be heard and accepted (23).

15 He demonstrated his ability by turning water into excellent wine (24). He multiplied the loaves and fish needed to feed thousands (25, 26). The forces of nature obeyed him and acceded to his commands (27). He demonstrated his ability to walk even on water (28). He did many things that no man ever did. But these were not enough. And so he did more.

16 As foretold by the prophets before him, he made the blind to see and the deaf to hear (29, 30, 31). He healed all kinds of diseases and ailments, like fever, leprosy and paralysis, in his desire to alleviate the suffering of many, all the while stressing the need for those afflicted to realize the error of their ways. And still, many people would not listen (32, 33, 34, 35).

17 He cast out evil spirits who had great fear of him, he being the Holy One from God. Evil always being subject to goodness and holiness in all things, except upon the earth, nevertheless, the evil spirits meekly obeyed him (36, 37, 38). Further, he saved many from the clutches of certain death (39, 40). And finally, he raised even the dead back to life (41, 42, 43). All these mighty deeds are recorded in the Holy Scriptures so that all may believe in him, the Christ from God.

18 John the Baptist testified of him but John himself came to doubt his own testimony. To confirm to all who doubted that he was who he said he was, Christ performed his mighty miracles again (44). For more that just the testimony of John, Jesus had far greater proofs to support his contentions. His whole life is one magnificent revelation and his teachings and mighty works prove that he is sent from God (45).

19 Other Bible passages prophesy the death of Jesus: his return to Jerusalem riding on a colt; the soldiers casting lots for his robe, the piercing of his side and the condition of his bones (46, 47, 48).

20 He himself gave sufficient notice to his disciples many times concerning his demise, but they failed to understand what he meant until what he had predicted had actually come to pass. Only then were they able to understand that life is not of the body but of the spirit (49).

21 Had he so desired to keep his earthly life, he would have asked for legions of angels to safeguard him (50). But his kingdom is not of this world. He came down to earth to accomplish a mission of love. Having completed it, he was to go back home to heaven. And though he dreaded the pains of death as anyone would, he knew that the true life awaited him immediately after. And so he resigned himself not to the will and desires of his physical form but to the divine will of God (51).

22 Three days after they had killed his physical body, his followers searched for him but could not find him. And only later when he appeared to them did they realize that he had conquered death just as he had foretold and that he is risen. And because he lives, we too can live. This is the promise of Christ.

23 Many believed in him because they witnessed his many miracles and his triumph over death but more blessed are those who have not even seen him and yet have believed in him (52).

Lesson 2 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

LK 2:10.11

And the angel said to them, "Don’t be afraid! I bring you the good news that will bring great joy to all the people. For this very night, in the City of David, the Saviour, Christ, the Lord, was born."
MT 2:01.11

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod. At that same time, wise men from the East arrived at Jerusalem, asking, "Where can we find the newborn King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the East and have come to honor him."

When Herod heard about this, he became understandably concerned because he considered the child a threat to his throne. He called together all the chief priests and religious authorities and demanded to know from them where the Messiah should be born. And they told him, "In Bethlehem in Judea, for it is written by the prophet, Micah, ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the cities of Judah, because from you shall rise a leader who shall rule my people, Israel.’"

Herod then summoned the wise men for a meeting and inquired from them just when they first saw the star. Then, he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search for the young child there; and when you have found him, bring me back word so that I may also come and honor him."

After they had met with the King, the wise men traveled on and lo, the star that they saw in the East preceded them, until it came to rest above the place where the young child was. And on reaching the place, their joy was boundless. And when they went inside the cave, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down on their knees. And opening their treasure chests, they offered him presents — gold, frankincense and myrrh.
LK 2:21.38

When eight days had passed, at his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was even conceived. When the days of purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons as sacrifice.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He was an upright and devout man, and he was avidly awaiting the coming of the Messiah because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Christ, in the flesh. Moved by the Spirit, he went to the temple and when the child Jesus was brought in for the prescribed rituals, he took him up in his arms and praised God. "Now let Your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to Your promise, for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared for all the nations, a light to reveal Your will to the Gentiles and to the glory of Your people, Israel."

As Joseph and his mother wondered about the things spoken regarding him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "Sorrow shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in Israel, and this, to their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy of many others. And the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed."

There was also a very old prophetess, a widow named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She had been married for only seven years and was now eighty-four years old. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. She, too, came up that same instant and gave similar thanks to the Lord and talked about Jesus to all those looking for the redemption in Jerusalem.
JN 8:23

"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."
JN 1:19.36

And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to question him. "Who are you?" they asked.

He frankly confessed, "I am not the Christ."

They asked him, "Then who are you, Elijah?"

He said, "No, I am not."

"Are you the prophet?"

He answered, "No."

Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may tell those who sent us? What have you to say regarding yourself?"

He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare for the coming of the Lord,’ according to the words of Isaiah, the prophet."

The Pharisees asked him, "Then why do you baptize if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"

John answered them, "I baptize with water, but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who will come after me and whose sandal-strings I am not fit to untie." All these occurred at Bethany beyond the Jordan where John was baptizing.

The next day, he saw Jesus approaching him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! He is the one I referred to when I said; After me will come a man who is far greater than me, for he existed long before me. I didn’t know he was the one, but I am here baptizing with water in order to point him out to the nation of Israel." John continued, "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and alight on him. Although I did not know him, the one who sent me to baptize with water also told me, ‘On whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I did see it and I testify that he is the Son of God."

Again the following day, John was standing with two of his disciples when he looked at Jesus as he was walking along, and he said, "Behold the Lamb of God."
LK 4:16.21

He came to Nazareth where he grew up and as usual, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him and on opening the scroll, he found the place where it was written and which he read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to deliver the captives and restore sight to the blind, to set free the downtrodden and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down.

The eyes of everyone were fixed on him. And then he said to them, "Today, this Scripture is fulfilled!"
MT 12:17.21

So was it fulfilled according to the words of Isaiah: "Behold My servant whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights; I will invest him with My spirit and he will judge the nations. He will not quarrel or shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed; he will not extinguish a smoldering wick until he carries justice to victory. And in his name shall the nations trust."
JN 12:37.41

But despite all the miracles he had done, most of the people would not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah had predicted: "Lord, who will believe us? Who will accept God’s mighty miracles as proof?" But they couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they may neither see nor understand and repent, nor turn to me to heal them." Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction for he had seen a vision of his glory.
LK 11:30.32

"For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Man from Heaven be to this generation. And at the Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba shall arise and point her finger at this generation condemning it; for she went on a long, hard journey just to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, someone who is greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh, too, shall arise and condemn this nation, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and someone who is far greater than Jonah is here."
MT 16:13.17

When Jesus entered the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say I am?"

They said, "Some say, John the Baptist; others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."

He asked them, "How about you, who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"

Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of John, because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven."
JN 10:01.16

"Whoever does not enter the sheepfold through the gate but sneaks up over a wall must surely be a thief. For a shepherd comes through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, the sheep hear his voice and come to him and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He walks ahead of them and the sheep follow because they recognize his voice. However, they will not follow a stranger and, instead, will run away from him." Jesus told them this parable but they could not understand him.

So he continued, "I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever comes in through me will be saved; he will move about freely and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, to slaughter and destroy. But I have come so they may have life and have it abundantly.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man who is not the shepherd or the owner of the sheep deserts the sheep and runs away when he sees the wolf coming. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and does not really care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd and I know my own, and they, in turn, know me; just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for my sheep. I have other sheep also that are not in this fold; I must lead them as well and they will listen to my call so that there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
JN 8:12

"I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."
JN 1:06.09

There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came to attest to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Light. John himself was not the Light but was sent to testify regarding the Light. Christ is that true Light that illumines every person who comes into this world.
LK 2:41.49

Every year, his parents would go to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve, they went up to Jerusalem, as had been their custom. When the festival was over, the people started to go home but the boy Jesus remained behind without his parents being aware of it. Thinking that he was with friends among the other travelers, they were able to travel one whole day without really missing him. But when he failed to turn up that evening, they started to look for him. And when they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.

On the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. When his parents saw him, they were amazed at his unconcern and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere."

He said to them, "But why did you need to search for me? Didn’t you realize I would be attending to my Father’s work?"
JN 9:39

"I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are really blind."
MK 2:15.17

That night, Levi invited his fellow tax collectors and many other notorious sinners to be his guests so that they could meet Jesus and his disciples. But when some of the Jewish religious leaders saw Jesus eating with this unholy lot, they said to his disciples, "How can he stand to eat with such filth?"

When Jesus heard what they were saying, he told them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but the sick do; I came not for the righteous, but to call on sinners to repent."
LK 9:51.56

As the time for his return to heaven drew near, he proceeded towards Jerusalem with determination. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his coming. But the village people refused to receive them. The disciples, James and John, upon learning of this said, "Lord, would you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?"

But he turned and rebuked them and said, "You don’t realize your true divine nature and purpose! For the Man from heaven did not come to destroy human lives but to save them."
JN 15:14.15

"You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have acquainted you with everything I heard from my Father."
JN 17:01.02

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Reveal the glory of Your son so that he may give You the greater glory. For You have given him authority over every man and woman in all the earth. He grants eternal life to all those You have given him"
JN 17:22.26

"I have given them the glory which You have given me so that they may be one, even as We are One. I in them and You in me, all being perfected into One, so that the world may know that You have sent me and have loved them as You have loved me. Father, I would want all of them to be with me where I am so that they may behold the glory which You have given me because You loved me even before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world doesn’t know You, but I do; and these disciples know that You have sent me. And I have made Your name known to them and I will continue to reveal more and more so that the mighty love You have for me may be in them and I in them as well."
JN 6:66.69

Many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and asked them, "Will you also go away?"

Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we believe and are certain that you are the Holy One of God."
JN 14:04.06

"You know the way to where I am going."

Thomas remarked, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me."
JN 4:48

"Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe."
JN 2:01.11

On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee at which Jesus’ mother was a guest and Jesus, with his disciples, was also invited. When they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus asked him if he could help solve the problem.

"I can’t help you now," he said, "the time has not come for me to do miracles."

Nevertheless, his mother told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

There were six stone water jars which were used for Jewish ceremonial purposes and which could hold from twenty to thirty gallons each. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the brim with water. After this was done, he said, "Draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the feast."

After the man had tasted the water-turned-wine, not knowing where it came from, he called the bridegroom and told him, "Everyone serves the better quality wine first and the cheap wine for later when the men are already too drunk to notice or care. But you have kept the best for last."

This miracle was Jesus’ first public demonstration of his divine powers. And his disciples believed in him even more.
MK 8:01.09

In those days, another large crowd had gathered. And after some time, there was nothing left to eat. So, summoning his disciples, he told them, "I feel very sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days now and have nothing left to eat. If I should send them home hungry, they would faint on the way and some of them come from far away."

His disciples answered, "But where in this wilderness can we get enough bread to feed so many?"

He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"

They said, "Seven."

So he instructed the people to sit down on the ground and took the seven loaves of bread. He gave thanks, broke them and gave them to his disciples who then set them before the crowd. They also had a few small fish. And after he had thanked God for them, he told his disciples to distribute them also to the people. So they ate and were filled, and they picked up the leftovers, seven baskets full. About four thousand had eaten and then he sent them away.
JN 6:05.14

Looking up and noticing that so many people were coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?" But he said this only to test him, because he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, "Two hundred pennies worth of bread will not be enough to even half-satisfy all of them."

One of the other disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter told him, "There is a lad here with four loaves of barley and two small fish, but how can they suffice?"

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." And all the men, about five thousand of them, sat down on the grass. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and had them served to those who were seated and he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate as much as he required. When they had finished eating, he told his disciples, "Gather up all the leftovers so that nothing is wasted." What remained of the five loaves of barley was enough to fill twelve baskets.

When the people realized that he performed a miracle, they said, "This surely is the prophet who is to come into the world."
LK 8:22.25

One day, he and his disciples got into a boat and he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." So, they set sail.

But on route, he fell asleep. And a squall of wind came down on the lake and, presently, the boat was filling with water and they were in danger of sinking. So they came and awakened him, exclaiming, "Master, Master, we are going to die!"

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the surging of the water and they ceased and all became calm. Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?"

But awed and amazed, they said to one another, "What kind of man is he who commands even the wind and water and they obey him?"
MT 14:22.33

He immediately urged the disciples to embark and to sail ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. Afterwards, he climbed the hill to pray. Evening had fallen and he was there alone. But the boat was, by that time, already a good distance from the shore and was being tossed by the waves because of the strong wind.

At about four in the morning, he approached them walking on the water. Thinking him a ghost, they cried out in terror. But he at once addressed them and reassured them, "It is all right! Don’t be afraid!"

Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come over to you by walking also on the water!"

He said, "Come."

Peter got out from the boat and he walked on the water towards Jesus. But when he looked around at the huge waves, he became terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and rescued him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you have to doubt?"

And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the others knelt before him and said, "You really are the Son of God!"
MK 8:22.25

Upon reaching Bethsaida, the people there brought a blind man to him and implored him to touch him. So, taking hold of the blind man’s hand, he led him out of the village. Then after putting saliva on his eyes, he put his hands on him and asked him, "Do you see anything?"

He looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking."

Then again, Jesus placed his hands on his eyes; and then he looked more steadily, his sight having been fully restored, and he saw everything distinctly.
MK 10:46.52

As they were leaving the town of Jericho, a great throng was following after them. Now, it happened that a blind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road as Jesus was passing by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was near, he began to shout out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!"

"Shut up!" some of the people yelled at him.

But he shouted the louder again and again, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, "Call him."

So they called the blind man, "Come on. Get up. He is calling you." Bartimaeus tore off his old coat, flung it aside, jumped up and went to Jesus.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

The blind man replied, "Teacher, I would like to see."

And Jesus said to him, "All right, it is done. Your faith has healed you." And instantly, the blind man could see and followed Jesus down the road.
MK 7:32.35

A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him and everyone begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man and heal him. Jesus led him away from the crowd and put his fingers into the man’s ears, then he spat and touched the man’s tongue with the saliva. Then, looking up to heaven, he commanded, "Be open!" Instantly, the man could hear perfectly and speak clearly.
JN 5:01.09

Later on, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem, by the sheep market, there is a bathing pool. Here, crowds of invalids lay waiting for the stirring of the water. For at intervals, an angel descended into the pool and stirred the water. Whoever got in first after the agitation of the pool became healed whatever his ailment. One man there had been suffering from an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When Jesus noticed him lying there, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

The invalid replied, "Yes, but I have no one to put me into the pool right after it has been disturbed; each time I make my move, another always gets in ahead of me."

Jesus told him, "Get up, pick up your mat and walk." Instantly, the man was well. And he was able to pick up his mat and start walking.
MT 8:14.15

When Jesus entered Peter’s house, he observed that his mother-in-law was bedridden with fever. So he touched her hand and the fever left her. She got up and waited on him.
LK 5:18.25

Then some men came carrying a paralytic on a couch and tried to bring him in and lay him before Jesus. But as they found no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles, couch and all, right in front of Jesus.

Seeing their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you!"

The religious authorities and the Pharisees began to reason, "Who is this, speaking blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?"

Jesus, aware of their thoughts, said to them, "Why is it blasphemy? Is it harder to forgive his sins than to heal him? However, so that you may know that I have authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic, "I tell you, rise, pick up your couch and go home."

At once, he got up in their presence, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
LK 6:06.10

On another Sabbath, as he went into the synagogue and taught, a man whose right hand was withered was also there; and the religious authorities and the Pharisees were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might find something to accuse him of. But he knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, "Rise up and stand here in the center." And he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it allowed to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath; to save a life or to destroy it?" Then, looking around at all of them, he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." And as he did so, his hand was fully restored.
MK 7:25.30

A woman whose little daughter was possessed by a demon came as soon as she heard of Jesus and threw herself at his feet. She was a gentile and she begged him to expel the demon from her daughter.

He said to her, "First, let the children of my own family, the Jews, be satisfied; for it is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs."

But she answered him, "Yes, Lord, yet the dogs under the table are given some scraps from the children’s plates."

"Good!" he said, "You have answered well, so well that I have healed your little girl. Go home. The demon has left her." And when she arrived home, her little girl was lying quietly in bed and the demon was gone.
LK 4:33.36

Once, as he was teaching in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon began shouting at Jesus. "Go away. We don’t want you here. Have you come here to destroy us? I know you. You are the Holy One of God!"

Jesus cut him short. "Be silent!" he told the demon, "Come out!"

The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched and then left him without hurting him further. Amazed at what had happened, the people asked, "What kind of doctrine is this that he teaches? And how is it that even demons obey him?"
MT 8:28.32

When they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the country of the Gadarenes, two men possessed with demons met him. They lived in a cemetery and were so ferocious that no one could go through that area. They began screaming at him, "Jesus, Son of God, you have no right to come and bother us before our time."

A herd of swine was feeding in the distance; so the demons begged, "If you would cast us out, send us into the herd of swine."

"All right," Jesus told them, "go."

And they came out of the men and entered the swine and the whole herd rushed down the precipice into the sea and perished in the water below.
LK 7:01.10

When he had finished teaching, he went back into the City of Capernaum. At that time, an army officer had a servant who was dear to him and who was sick and near death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and begged him earnestly to come with them and help the man. "If anyone deserves your help, it is he," they said, "for he loves our people so much; he even had a synagogue built for us."

Jesus went with them. But just before he arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, "Sir, don’t inconvenience yourself by coming to my home. I do not deserve such an honor; neither do I consider myself worthy to come to you in person. Only give the order and my servant will get well. I know, because I, too, am under the authority of my superiors and I have authority over my men. I only need to say, ‘Go!’ and they go; or ‘Come!’ and they come; and to my servant, ‘Do this or that,’ and he does it."

Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, "Never among all the Jews in Israel have I met a man with faith like this." And when the friends of the officer returned to his house, they found the servant completely healed.
JN 4:46.53

There was a government official whose son was sick in Capernaum. When he learned that Jesus had come from Judea and was traveling to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son who was near death.

Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe."

"Sir," begged the official, "Please come with me before my child dies."

Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live!"

The man believed Jesus and started to go home. On the way, his servants met him with the news that his son had recovered. He asked them when the boy began to feel better and they answered, "It was one o’clock yesterday afternoon when his fever suddenly disappeared."

Then, the father remembered that it was at that same hour when Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." And the man and his entire household believed.
MK 5:22.42

Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived and when he saw Jesus, he threw himself at his feet and begged him earnestly, "My little daughter is very sick. Please come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live." So Jesus started off with him. So many people were going along with Jesus such that they were crowding him from every side.

There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years even though many doctors had treated her. She had spent all her money; but instead of getting better, she was getting worse and worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him saying to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well." She touched his cloak and her bleeding stopped at once and she knew that she was healed.

Jesus realized instantly that healing energy had issued from him; so he turned to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

His disciples answered, "There are so many crowding us; why do you ask?" But Jesus kept on looking around to see who it was.

The woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, knelt at his feet and told him the whole truth.

Jesus said to her, "My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your disease."

While he was still talking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus and told him, "Your daughter has died. There is no further need for Jesus to come now."

But Jesus ignored them and said to Jairus, "Don’t be afraid. Just trust me." Then Jesus stopped the crowd and would not allow anyone to go on with him to Jairus’ home except Peter, James and John.

When they arrived, everything was in turmoil with unrestrained weeping and wailing. He went in and said to them. "Why all this commotion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead; she is only asleep!" They laughed at him bitterly; but he told them all to leave and, taking the girl’s parents and his three disciples, he went into the room where she was lying. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Get up, little girl!" And she got up and started walking around. Her parents were overwhelmed. But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what happened and he said, "Give her something to eat."
LK 7:11.16

Soon afterward, Jesus went to the village of Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a lot of others. As he approached the village gate, a funeral procession was passing by. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart filled with pity for her and he said to her, "Don’t cry."

Then he walked closer and touched the coffin and the men carrying it stopped. Jesus said, "Son, get up!" The dead man got up and began to talk to those around him.

A great fear swept the crowd and they exclaimed with praises to God, "A mighty prophet has risen among us" and "We have seen the hand of God at work, today."
JN 11:01.45

Do you remember Mary who poured the costly perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair? Well, her brother Lazarus, who lived in Bethany with Mary and her sister Martha, was ill. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very ill."

But when Jesus received the message, he said, "No, Lazarus won’t die but this has happened in order that God’s purpose may be served." Although Jesus was very fond of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for two more days despite the urgency of their call before he finally decided to go to them.

"Teacher," the disciples answered, "just a short time ago, the people there wanted to kill you. How can you even think of going back?"

Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight everyday and during those hours, a man can walk safely and not stumble. But if a man walks at night, he stumbles because of the darkness." Jesus said this and then added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up."

The disciples answered, "If he is just asleep, Lord, he can wake up without needing our help."

But Jesus really meant that Lazarus had died. And he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, for this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let’s go to him."

Thomas said to his fellow-disciples, "Let’s all go with him so that we may die with him."

When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had been buried for four days already. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and many Judeans had come to see Mary and Martha to comfort them. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him; but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Had you been here, Lord, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, if you will only ask God, He will grant you whatever you ask."

Jesus told her, "Your brother will live again."

"I know," she replied, "that he will rise to life at the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall go on living; and whoever lives, believing in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she answered, "I do believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is to come into the world."

After Martha had said this, she went back to tell Mary that Jesus is asking for her. When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. Jesus, all this time, was staying outside the village. When they saw Mary get up and leave, the people in the house followed her, thinking that she was going to visit her brother’s grave. Mary arrived where Jesus was and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. "Lord," she said, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Jesus saw her weeping and he saw, also, how the other people were weeping; his heart was touched and he was deeply moved. "Where have you buried him?" he asked them.

"Come and see, Lord," they answered. Jesus wept. "See how much he loved him," the people said. But some of them said, "He gave sight to the blind. Why couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?"

They came to the tomb that was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. "Roll the stone aside!" Jesus ordered.

Martha answered, "There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been dead for four days now."

Jesus said to her, "Didn’t I tell you that you would witness the glory of God if you would only believe?" They rolled the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, "Father, thank You for listening to me. I know that You always listen to me but I say this now so that the people here may believe that You sent me." After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

And Lazarus came out, his hands and feet still wrapped in burial cloths and with his face covered up. "Untie him," Jesus told them, "and let him go." Many of the people who witnessed this event believed in Jesus.
LK 7:19.23

John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, "Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?"

At the same time that the two found Jesus, he was conducting his healings and many were being cured of their ailments. When they asked him John’s question, he replied, "Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf are able to hear, the dead are returned to life and God’s message is given to all. And tell him, Blessed is he who does not lose his faith in me."
JN 5:36

"But I have greater proof than John’s testimony — the things that I have done, the work that the Father has commissioned me to do — they speak on my behalf and prove that the Father has sent me."
JN 12:12.16

The next day, the large crowd that had come to the Passover festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "God bless the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord!" Jesus came riding on a young donkey, fulfilling the prophecy that said: "Don’t be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkey’s colt."

His disciples did not realize it at the time that this event was a fulfillment of prophecy; but after Jesus had returned to his glory in heaven, they realized that many prophecies of Scripture had come true before their eyes.
JN 19:23.24

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. The soldiers said to one another, "Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who gets it."

This fulfilled the Scripture that says, "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my robe." So, that is what they did.
JN 19:31.37

Then, the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath since the coming Sabbath was especially holy.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead; so they did not break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side and at once, blood and water poured out.

This was done to make the Scripture come true: "Not one of his bones will be broken." And there is another Scripture that says, "People will look at him whom they pierced."
JN 2:18.22

"What right have you to order them out?" the Jewish leaders demanded. "If you have this authority from God, show us a sign to prove it."

"All right," Jesus replied, "destroy this sanctuary; and in three days, I will raise it up."

"What!" they exclaimed. "It took forty-six years to build this temple and you can do it in three days?" But by "this sanctuary," he meant his body.

After he came back to life, the disciples remembered that he had said this and realized that what he had quoted from Scripture really did refer to him and had all come true.
MT 26:52.54

"Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "All who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Don’t you realize that I only need to call on my Father for help and at once, he would send twelve legions of angels? But if I did, how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled?"
LK 22:41.44

He walked away, perhaps a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. However, not my will, but Your will be done." Then an angel from heaven appeared to comfort and strengthen him, for he was in such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly.
JN 20:29

Jesus said to Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe, just the same."

Lesson 2 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Prophets and seers can predict the probable future.
The knowledge of the world is foolishness to God.
Christ came to show sinners the way to God.
Even prophets and righteous men need to learn more about God’ ways.
Jesus is the only son of God.
There really are no miracles that cannot eventually be explained.
Only Jesus can ever do the things he did.
Christ is not of the world.
Evil is subject to goodness even upon the earth.
The apostles understood Christ’s teachings perfectly well.
Christ has already told us everything he knows.
Only those who have come from heaven really know about heaven.
The wise men of the world are necessarily highly evolved spiritually, as well.
No source of information is ever 100% reliable and accurate.
Jesus is the One God of all.
Christ never had to study and develop himself; he has always been the Christ from his creation.
Christ existed even before Abraham was born and he lives even now.
Christ is one with God.
Christ is the greatest authority concerning God’s divine teachings.
Christ will come again.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"I am the light of the world; he who _________ me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (JN 8).
For You have given him authority over _______ man and woman in all the earth. He grants _________ ______ to all those You have given him (JN 17).
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He has anointed me to ________ the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to ______ the broken-hearted, to _________ the captives and _________ _______ to the blind, to _____ ______ the downtrodden and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (LK 4).
"I have come into the world to ______ _______ to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that ______ _____ ________ _______ (JN 9).
Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the _______ ____ _________ ______ and we believe and are certain that you are _____ ______ _____ ____ _____" (JN 6).
"Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "All who ______ ____ the sword shall ________ by the sword" (MT 26).
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but the sick do; I came not for the righteous, but to call on sinners ____ ________" (MK 2).
"I am the _____, the _______ and the ______; no one comes to the Father except through me" (JN 14).
And henceforth, so long as we follow after his divine ways of goodness and holiness, he will be our ______ _______, our _______ _________ and our _________ ________ (Text).
James and John, upon learning of this said, "Lord, would you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?" But he turned and rebuked them and said, "You don’t realize ______ ______ ________ ________ and _________!" (LK 9).
"Unless you see _______ _____ _________, you will not believe" (JN 4).
There is nowhere else to turn if we desire the best teacher. For he is the ______ ____ _______ _____ ______ ____ _______, the _________ _________ (Text).
"I no longer call you __________, for a _________ does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you _________, because I have acquainted you with everything I heard from my Father" (JN 15).
"I am the ______________ and the ______: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall go on living; and whoever lives, believing in me, shall _______ _____" (JN 11).
Life is not of the body but of _____ ________ (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

God, being perfect, created us already perfect and mature beings.
We should not listen to other teachers, but only to Christ.
Having come from Jesus, the word of God should be accepted without question.
Christ’s teachings are no longer relevant in these modern times.
Unless we are baptized, we cannot be saved.
The Jews are God’s only chosen people.
It must be true because the Bible tells us so.
The message is what is important; the source of the message is not so important.
There are those in the body of Christ and those who don’t belong to it.
Everyone should be subservient to the Lord.

Lesson 2 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Prophets and seers can predict the probable future. TRUE. Our life on earth can be compared to the studies that a student undertakes in a classroom. The major events and lessons are predetermined as in a lesson plan but countless minor details may be subject to a lot of changes. This is because the future very much depends on what we cause to happen in the present. Nevertheless, based on present conditions, there are future probabilities. These probabilities can be accessed by those who are sensitive to higher vibrations. However, no prophet, seer or fortune teller is ever 100% accurate.
The knowledge of the world is foolishness to God. TRUE. The total of all the knowledge available in the world is, for us, only a beginning. Much, much more lie in wait. While we here on earth are capable of understanding a lot more now than ever was possible at any time in the past, still, we will only be able to fully realize the rest of the Higher Knowledge after we are freed from the bonds of earth. Being as yet imperfect and limited by our finite minds, we will be unable to comprehend in full that which is perfect and infinite. More on this in Lesson 7.
Christ came to show sinners the way to God. TRUE. Sinners are more in need of Christ’s guidance. See Par 2:10 and Ver 2:16 (Lesson 2, Verse 16).
Even prophets and righteous men need to learn more about God’s ways. TRUE. Without an exception, everyone here on earth needs to learn more about God. Prophets and righteous men may know more than we do but even they don’t know everything yet. See Par 2:10 and Ver 2:17.
Jesus is the only son of God. FALSE. We are all children of the One God except that Jesus Christ is much more highly evolved than we who are still here on earth.
There really are no miracles that cannot eventually be explained. TRUE. See Par 2:14.
Only Jesus can ever do the things he did. FALSE. We are all destined to attain to perfection. Eventually, we, too, will be able to do everything, including those that Jesus did. He, himself, states this plainly in John 14:12, "All that I have done, you can do and you will be able to do even more."
Christ is not of the world. TRUE. This is according to Jesus’ own words. See Par 2:03 and Ver 2:04.
Evil is subject to goodness even upon the earth. FALSE. See page 21. For purposes of our instruction on earth, evil is allowed free rein. More on this in Lessons 5 and 6.
The apostles understood Christ’s teachings perfectly well. FALSE. The apostles may be more advanced than we are but even they do not know everything yet. To some extent, therefore, their own teachings contain errors and false interpretations. See Ver 2:17.
Christ has already told us everything he knows. FALSE. Christ said in John 16:12, "There is so much more I want to tell you." And these other things are included in this course.
Only those who have come from heaven really know about heaven. TRUE. Those who have not experienced heaven can, at best, only speculate about it but can never know for sure. Life in heaven is known only to those who have earned the right to gain entry there. More in Lesson 7. Refer also to the INNER QUEST Home2.
The wise men of the world are necessarily highly evolved spiritually, as well. FALSE. Possibly but not necessarily. To be specific, it is the character of a man that determines his level of spirituality, not just his wisdom.
No source of information is ever 100% reliable and accurate. TRUE. Nothing perfect can come from or through someone or something which is imperfect. Since no one here on earth is perfect, then no source is ever 100% reliable and accurate. See also Sol 2.A.1 and 2.C.7.
Jesus is the One God of all. FALSE. Because Jesus is so very far advanced compared to us, for all intents and purposes, he is a god. However, there is an even Greater Being than Jesus, Who is the One True God and Father of us all.
Christ never had to study and develop himself; he has always been the Christ from his creation. FALSE. If God were to make exceptions, He would not be a fair and just God. Instead, every one of His children is treated fairly, in the same way. And so, even Jesus had to evolve from the seed that he was into the perfection that he has become. See also the information detailed in the INNER QUEST Home2 regarding the completion by spirits of all their requirements.
Christ existed even before Abraham was born and he lives even now. TRUE. In John 8:58, Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am." In fact, Christ was already Christ before the world was created. And now, according to the Scriptures, he sits in a place of honor, at the right hand of the Father.
Christ is one with God. TRUE. Having gone far ahead of us in his own development, Jesus Christ (or, for that matter, any spirit who has attained to the level of a Christ) is for us the most perfect example of how we should live life in full accord with the divine will of God. He has already attained to a more perfect knowledge of the whole Truth. Hence, he is able to think more like God thinks and act more like God acts. He is one in mind and purpose with God. He is in complete attunement (at-one-ment) with the Divine.
Christ is the greatest authority concerning God’s divine teachings. TRUE. Because he is very highly advanced and the most qualified, he is given the authority and responsibility of guiding forward all of us spirit beings who are still in the lower stages of our development. See Par 2:12 and Ver 2:19.21.
Christ will come again. TRUE. According to the esoteric (occult) teachings, periodically, or at least every 2,000 years, a World Teacher or a Christ comes to upgrade the level of divine instruction to people in the world. Another Christ (or the same Jesus again) is prophesied to appear after the year 2000 which event coincides with the advent of the New Age or the Age of Aquarius. Refer also to the ‘The Aquarian Conspiracy’, the INNER QUEST Home3.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (JN 8).
For You have given him authority over every man and woman in all the earth. He grants eternal life to all those You have given him (JN 17).
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to deliver the captives and restore sight to the blind, to set free the downtrodden and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (LK 4).
"I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are really blind (JN 9).
Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we believe and are certain that you are the Holy One of God" (JN 6).
"Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "All who take up the sword shall perish by the sword" (MT 26).
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but the sick do; I came not for the righteous, but to call on sinners to repent" (MK 2).
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me" (JN 14).
And henceforth, so long as we follow after his divine ways of goodness and holiness, he will be our able guide, our elder brother and our beloved friend (Text).
James and John, upon learning of this said, "Lord, would you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?" But he turned and rebuked them and said, "You don’t realize your true divine nature and purpose!" (LK 9).
"Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe" (JN 4).
There is nowhere else to turn if we desire the best teacher. For he is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Supreme Teacher (Text).
"I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have acquainted you with everything I heard from my Father" (JN 15).
"I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall go on living; and whoever lives, believing in me, shall never die" (JN 11).
Life is not of the body but of the spirit (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

God, being perfect, created us already perfect and mature beings. DISAGREE. In the beginning, God created the perfect seeds of all things which He intended to unfold through the process of growth and development in order to attain to full maturity and self-perfection through their own exertions. In the human context, we could say that we were created as babies, initially innocent and ignorant, but endowed with all the latent potentialities and capabilities and destined to become, in the fullness of time, fully developed adult humans.
We should not listen to other teachers, but only to Christ. DISAGREE. While Jesus is the highest authority, still, there are other aspects of the divine teachings, especially in the preliminary stages of learning, that may best be handled by others who are closer to that particular phase of development and, as such, may be understood better by those under instruction. The rule should be to always keep an open mind. However, the lower level teachings will need to be upgraded as we continue in our studies. And, regardless of the source, take only the good and reject the bad.
Having come from Jesus, the word of God should be accepted without question. DISAGREE. In the first place, coming into this world late, we have no way of knowing for sure whether or not Jesus actually said the things that he is purported to have said. And we can only speculate on what he really meant by the words attributed to him. Still, so long as such statements seem to us to be reasonable, it may be all right to assume their validity and authenticity. Nevertheless, unless one questions, one cannot really learn. No matter who or what the source, every teaching and every statement must be subjected to analysis and test. Only those that we find to be reasonable in the light of our own personal experiences should be accepted as a veritable truth.
Christ’s teachings are no longer relevant in these modern times. DISAGREE. Quite the opposite, Truth is eternal and the applications of the Truth encompass the whole of time and beyond. However, we may gain the benefits only after we have learned and understood the divine principles. Then only can we live wisely and productively, in the most practical way.
Unless we are baptized, we cannot be saved. DISAGREE. Baptism is only an initiation ceremony symbolic of spiritual purification. It is not sufficient in itself. And, being only a symbol, it is not even necessary in connection with our salvation. What is of far greater importance to us is that we believe in righteousness and that we live accordingly. We will be able to save ourselves only if we pursue such a life.
The Jews are God’s only chosen people. DISAGREE. With the passage of the ages, different people and races will be called upon to do God’s work. God has no favorites, but He loves everyone equally. Before the Jews, the Hindus and the Greeks as well as others were equally favored. And in the future, new and more advanced people and races will be chosen to show the rest of the world the way to God.
It must be true because the Bible tells us so. DISAGREE. In this world, no source, whatever, is thoroughly accurate and complete in itself. Therefore, everything must be analyzed and tested. And only those things that have been verified by our own experiences should be accepted as really true. All others, provided they are reasonable, may be accepted but only conditionally until they are subsequently so proven to be true.
The message is what is important; the source of the message is not so important. AGREE. Truth speaks for itself no matter who speaks it or whatever the source. Everyone is a custodian of some truth. There is light in the greatest and in the least. But even so, no one is always 100% correct or right.
There are those in the body of Christ and those who don’t belong to it. DISAGREE. Outside of God, there is nothing. No one is outside of God. And Christ is one with God. Therefore, all are in the body of Christ, also, whether they know it or not, and even if they don’t like it.
Everyone should be subservient to the Lord. DISAGREE. Everyone is given the right to exercise his own free will and is destined to attain to perfection. No one can be perfect who is dependent or subservient to someone else. But as we approach perfection, we will come to judge of things more as God judges things and act more as God acts.

Lesson 3 -- The Things of Men and the Things of God

2006-10-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

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WITH THE PASSAGE of the years, individual nations or races of people develop their own brand of beliefs and practices which are peculiar to them. These have come about as a result of the many and varied racial experiences of our forebears. We have adopted almost automatically and without further forethought those beliefs and customs handed down to us from generation to generation, it being the presumption that what were right for the ancients in times past must also be right for us in the present. But are they, really?

02 There are many such beliefs and practices. Some people refrain from drinking wine and eating meat. Some wash their hands before eating while others bathe first before praying. Some kneel all the way to the altar while others nail themselves to the cross. Some do not shave their beards while others have their ears and noses pierced. These are what men require of other men. And many people slavishly adhere to such abstinences, observances, rituals and ceremonies in the belief that the performance of these age-old traditions is all that is required of them. But quite the contrary, God does not even require our observance of such traditions; rather, He has other things in mind and these others are the things that we should strive to learn (1).

03 Many people believe in offering sacrifices to God in exchange for favors. These sacrifices take the form of slain animals or other burnt offerings, even humans in certain cases — even Jesus Christ, who, many still insist, gave up his life on the cross in payment for our sins — while others choose self-inflicted pain or torture as penance for the remission of their sins. But one thing is far more acceptable to God than all these senseless offerings and sacrifices. Love — love of God and love for our fellowmen — this is much preferred (2, 3).

04 Man in his youthful exuberance decrees all kinds of laws; laws on taxation, laws against crime, laws to govern religious worship, laws on what to eat and what not to eat and when, just laws and unjust laws, significant and useless laws, wise and foolish laws. Nevertheless, these earthly laws should be followed lest we be sent to jail or worse. All things whatsoever we are required to do, we should do. But far too many consider only the letter of the law when the spirit behind the law is what should concern us more (4).

05 We should constantly review our position relating to our present beliefs and practices. We should always question the relevance and propriety of our every action. We should realize also that what is good for one person is not necessarily good for another. One man’s medicine is sometimes another man’s poison. We may follow the dictates of tradition, but we must not be remiss in the more important things in life. In all matters, therefore, we should learn to think for ourselves (5).

06 Men believe in what other men believe. Because others believe, then, it must be true, so they suppose. But the people of the world espouse so many foolish thoughts and superstitions. They so easily believe in the lies and promises of false prophets and blind leaders (6, 7). They believe in foolish doctrines premised on blind faith (8). They prefer to rely on the interpretation of others concerning God’s words when they should strive to find out the real meaning of these words for themselves. They fail to realize that they are directly accountable for all their actions such that they need to decide matters on their own.

07 We must learn to discriminate. Life provides many important lessons. All that we see that is right, we should do and what we observe to be wrong, we should not do. Though our elders and teachers may err, we should, nevertheless, do as they say we should, provided, that what they say is for the good. But we should not follow after their works if their works are evil (9).

08 In any case, these false prophets and blind leaders will themselves be judged. The greater their accountability, the harsher the judgment. Although they may laugh now, they will weep later. God is just and no one can escape His judgment (10). So will all men be judged according to their deeds.

09 The world thinks in terms of I, me and mine: what is good for me or for us only, without any thought for the sake of others. But God considers what is just, what is needful and what is best. He provides what is best for all, and not just for a few. He attends to the needs of the whole, and not to just a part of the whole. God is love and all men are His children. All, therefore, who gather in the name of love and work for the good of all are sent from God (11, 12, 13). And we shall know them by their works.

10 Many people feel mistakenly that they know almost everything, including the truth. But if this were so, then they would no longer be here on earth. In fact, they are here precisely because they really don’t know (14). They don’t know the simplest things. They don’t know about life. How can they know about death? They prefer the things of this world when they should prefer the things of heaven. They secure their places on earth by accumulating worldly treasures and waste their time in pursuit of temporary pleasures but they neglect the needs of their eternal soul (15). They do not want to die when it is only in dying that we can gain eternal life (16). No, these people are not wise; rather, they are foolish!

11 Because there are still many things we may not be able to understand even now, first, we must have faith. But faith alone is not enough. Rather, we should live our life according to our faith and according to God’s words. It won’t do for us to simply think good thoughts. It won’t do for us to simply speak good words. But we must think good thoughts, speak good words and do good deeds before we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven (17).

12 In the world, there is both good and evil. And if it were possible, man would eradicate all evil from the face of the earth. But the evil in the world is vital to the development of man. Evil teaches us what not to do and what should not be. And unless we are able to experience the effects of evil deeds, we won’t learn to prefer the good. Therefore, despite man’s vehement protests, God sends us the bad along with the good in order that we may learn from these situations and continue to progress.

13 People in the world are all too quick to judge, easy to condemn and slow to forgive. They have some strange desire to inflict suffering on others, but they don’t want to experience the same. However, what we sow is what we will reap. If we judge, so will we be judged. If we condemn others, so will we be condemned. If we forgive others their trespasses, so will God also forgive us. But God cannot forgive us if we ourselves will not forgive. Violence begets violence. And evil begets evil (18, 19).

14 Some believe that their black deeds can be kept forever hidden. They believe that they won’t have to pay for their transgressions. They insist that it is not a crime unless one gets caught and only fools get caught but the wise always manage to get away. Perhaps so, but this can only be true on earth.

15 In God’s domain, nothing is secret. There is no hiding the evil in the hearts of men. The ugliness in us will be there for all to see. There it will remain until we mend our ways and we repay in full. To God, all things are known (20). And God’s justice will not be denied.

16 First, we must change ourselves before we can see clearly to help others change themselves (21). People find it so hard to be honest with themselves. When they look at themselves, they gloss over the ugliness and prefer to tell themselves lies. They find it easier to simply look the other way rather than to institute the needed reforms because to do so would entail so much hard work. But no one can progress unless he himself exerts the necessary efforts.

17 Some people like to think that they alone know what is best, not only for themselves but also for everyone else. In order to impose their will on others, they aspire to positions of power. These people want to rule the world and everything in it. All things must be according to what they think is true, according to what they think is best and according to what they think is expedient. No one else knows more than they do. They are always right and everyone else is wrong.

18 But God has decreed that everyone have free will. Each one is given the right to live according to his own vision. No one should impose his will over another. Each one, even on his own and in spite of his mistakes, will be able to progress. Everyone is entitled to his own freedoms.

19 Many people lust for the things of this world. They love to possess things. They work themselves to death over money, power and fame. To attain these ends, they will stop at nothing, even murder. They fail to realize that the quality of life depends not in the things a man possesses, which are all extraneous to him, but in what he is or what he has made of himself. For life is in being and not in having (22).

20 As we continue in our studies, we have one great enemy we must guard against. As we look around us, we find that others are not as aware as we are regarding spiritual truths. We begin to look at others as less than we are. After a while, we, too, begin to feel that we alone know what is right and what is best. But we should never regard others as inferior because all of us are destined to become perfect. And everyone will also come to know all there is to know. Therefore, we must not fall into this trap. At all times, we should guard against spiritual pride and self-righteousness.

21 We want to share with others what we have learned in order that they, too, may be able to move forward, but they don’t want to listen. They even get mad and insist that they know just as much as anyone else. We should look back at our own past in order to see more clearly what is happening in the present. There is a time for all things. And all men will come to their own realization of truth, but in their own way and in their own time (23).

22 Real success can only be through patience and love. The way of the world is not the way of God. The things of men pertain only to the world. The things of God reign forever supreme in heaven.

Lesson 3 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

MK 7:01.09

Some Pharisees and teachers of the law gathered around Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish rituals before eating, that is, they had not washed their hands in the way the Pharisees teach that people should. For the Pharisees and the Jews follow the teachings they received from their ancestors: they do not eat unless they wash their hands in the prescribed manner; nor do they eat anything unless it is properly washed first. And they have many other rules such as the proper way to wash cups, pots, copper bowls and beds. So they asked Jesus, "Why is it that your disciples disregard our age-old customs and eat without first washing?"

Jesus answered them, "Isaiah was so right when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he has written: ‘These people honor Me with their words, but they really have no love in their hearts for Me. Their worship is a farce, because they teach people man-made laws as if they were God’s laws!’ You have set aside God’s commands just so that you may keep your own traditions."
MK 12:32.33

The teacher of the law said to Jesus, "Well done, Teacher! It is true as you say that only the Lord is God and that there is no other God but He. And man must love God with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength; and he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer altar animals and other sacrifices to God."
MT 9:13

"Seek out the meaning of this particular verse of Scripture, ‘It isn’t your sacrifices and gifts that matter; instead, you must be merciful and kind.’ My work is to bring sinners back to God and not to concern myself with those who are already righteous."
LK 6:01.05

Jesus was walking through some cornfields on a Sabbath. His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn, rub them in their hands and eat them. Some Pharisees asked, "Why do you allow your disciples to break the Jewish law that applies to working during the Sabbath?"

Jesus answered them, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? He went into the house of God, took the bread offered to God, ate it and gave it also to his men. Yet, it is against our law for anyone except the priests to eat that bread." And Jesus concluded, "The Son of God is Lord, even of the Sabbath."
MT 23:23

"Yes, woe to you, Pharisees and religious leaders! You hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden but ignore the more important things — justice, mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone."
MT 7:15.20

"Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really like ravenous wolves and will tear you apart. You will know them from the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes and briers do not bear figs. So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Similarly, you will know the inner nature of men by studying the things that they do."
MT 15:13.14

"Every plant which my Father did not plant will be uprooted," answered Jesus. "Don’t worry about them! They are blind guides leading the blind. And when a blind man leads another, both shall fall into a ditch."
MT 16:05.12

Arriving across the lake, the disciples discovered that they had forgotten to bring some bread. Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They thought he said this because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus sensed their thoughts and told them, "You have so little faith. Why are you so worried about having no food? Won’t you ever understand? Don’t you remember at all the five thousand I fed with five loaves and the basketsful left over? Don’t you remember the four thousand I fed and all that was left? How could you even think that I was talking about food? But again I say: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then, at last, they understood that by "leaven" he meant the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
MT 23:01.03

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of the law, just as Moses was before them. So you should obey and follow everything they tell you to do. It may be best for you to do what they say; only, don’t follow after their examples, because they don’t practice what they preach!"
MT 21:33.43

"Listen to another parable," Jesus said. "There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip. In due time, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his appointed share of the harvest. The tenants grabbed his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned yet another. So the man sent other servants, but the tenants treated them the same way. Finally, he sent his own son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he thought.

"But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and we can take over his inheritance.’ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and slew him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what do you think he will do to those tenants?" Jesus asked.

"He will certainly kill those evil men," they answered, "and rent the vineyard out to other tenants who will give him his proper share of the harvest."

Jesus said to them, "Haven’t you ever read what the Scriptures say? ‘The stone that the builders rejected as worthless has been made the honored cornerstone. This, the Lord did. And how marvelous it is!’ And so I tell you," added Jesus, "the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to others who will produce the proper fruits."
LK 9:49.50

John spoke up, "Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he is not with our group."

But Jesus said, "Don’t stop him, because those who are not against us are working with us."
MT 12:30

"Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is, in fact, scattering."
JN 10:16

"And I have other sheep not of this fold. I must also tend to them. They shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."
JN 9:39

"I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are really blind."
LK 12:16.21

Then Jesus told them this parable: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were so full to overflowing that he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem and he finally exclaimed, ‘I know — I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then, I’ll have room enough. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. You can take it easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself!’

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night, you will die. Then who will get it all?’

"Yes, every man is a fool who is rich in the things of this world, but not in the things of heaven."
MT 16:21.23

From then on, Jesus began to speak plainly to his disciples about his going to Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him there at the hands of the Jewish leaders — that he would be killed and that on the third day, he would be raised to life again. But Peter took him aside to remonstrate with him. "God forbid it, Lord!" he said. "That must never happen to you."

Jesus turned on Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan. You are an abomination in my sight because you look at things only from the worldly point of view and not from God’s."
MT 7:21

"Not everyone who calls me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do."
LK 6:37

"Don’t judge and you shall not be judged: don’t condemn and you shall not be condemned; forgive and you shall be forgiven."
MT 26:52

"Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "All who take up the sword shall perish by the sword."
LK 12:01.03

Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands upon thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. By this, I mean their hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and every secret shall be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight and whatever you have whispered in private will be shouted from the rooftops."
LK 6:41.42

"And why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye but pay no attention to the board in your own eye? How can you even say to him, ‘Brother, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the board in yours? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the board and then, perhaps, you may be able to see well enough to deal with his speck."
LK 12:13.15

A man approached Jesus and said, "Master, speak to my brother, and tell him to give me my share of our inheritance."

But Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me to judge concerning such matters?" He then said to the people, "Watch out and guard against covetousness, for a man’s worth does not depend on the abundance of his possessions."
LK 9:51.56

As the time for his return to heaven drew near, he proceeded towards Jerusalem with determination. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his coming. But the village people refused to receive them. The disciples, James and John, upon learning of this said, "Lord, would you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?"

But he turned and rebuked them and said, "You don’t realize your true divine nature and purpose! For the Man from Heaven did not come to destroy human lives, but to save them."

Lesson 3 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Our fate is in our own hands.
To serve our fellowmen is to serve God.
No one can understand light without experiencing darkness.
Without conflict, no one can gain strength.
What we now own indicates how successful we are.
The truly spiritual person is necessarily also a vegetarian.
We are directly and personally liable for all our thoughts and deeds.
We should rid the world of all evil.
What is good for me is certainly good also for everyone else.
God doesn’t just look at our deeds, but He also considers our motives.
If we always do what our elders tell us to do, we can never go wrong.
In order to progress, we also need to undergo painful experiences.
God sends both good and evil.
We should learn to think for ourselves.
The way of the world is not the way of God.
Love will conquer all.
It is God’s wish that all males should be circumcised.
We should learn to rely on ourselves and on our own efforts.
Rather than fight evil, we need only strive to learn the spiritual lessons they bring.
We receive not because we ask not.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"Man must love God with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength; and he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than ____ _______ _______ _________ and _______ ____________ to God" (MK 12).
"Don’t stop him, because those who are not against us are _________ ______ ____" (LK 9).
"Watch out and guard against ______________, for a man’s _______ does not depend on the abundance of his possessions" (LK 12).
"‘These people honor Me with their words, but they really have no love in their hearts for Me. Their worship is ___ _______, because they teach people __________ laws as if they were _______ laws!’ You have set aside God’s commands just so that you may keep ______ _____ ____________" (MK 7).
Jesus turned on Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan. You are an abomination in my sight because you look at things only from _____ _________ _______ ____ ______ and not ______ _______" (MT 16).
But one thing is far more acceptable to God than all these senseless offerings and sacrifices. ______ — ______ ____ _____ and ______ _____ _____ ___________ — this is much preferred (Text).
"You hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden but ignore the more important things _________, _______ and _______. Yes, you should _______, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone" (MT 23).
"Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will _______ the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who ____ what my Father in heaven wants them to ____" (MT 7).
Life provides many important lessons. All that we see that is right, we should ____ and what we observe to be wrong, we should _____ ____ (Text).
"Beware of _______ __________ who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really like ravenous wolves and will tear you apart" (MT 7).
"For there is nothing covered that _______ _____ ____ __________ and every secret _______ ____ ______ _______" (LK 12).
God is just and no one can escape His judgment. So will all men be judged according to _______ _______ (Text).
"Don’t worry about them! They are _______ guides leading the _______. And when a _______ man leads another, both shall fall into a ditch" (MT 15).
Then, at last, they understood that by "leaven" he meant the _______ ___________ of the Pharisees and Sadducees (MT 16).
And if it were possible, man would eradicate all evil from the face of the earth. But the evil in the world is _______ ____ _____ _____________ ____ _____ (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

All men will be judged according to their beliefs.
Everyone will also come to know all there is to know.
Evil men will rot in hell.
If we don’t pray and praise the Lord, He will never allow us into heaven.
God is not just because He allows us to become victims of injustice.
If we are already serving God, then we no longer need to serve our fellowmen.
God doesn’t really love us because he takes away our loved ones too soon.
Provided we pray and ask earnestly, believing we will receive, God will always grant our requests.
There is no sense to the practice of flagellation or self-inflicted pain.
Our possession of psychic powers proves that we are highly spiritual.

Lesson 3 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Our fate is in our own hands. TRUE. A basic teaching is the principle of personal responsibility. This means that we get only what we deserve, no more and no less. The present is the result of all that we have done in the past. And we are building our tomorrow with the things that we do today. Our future, therefore, is entirely up to us.
To serve our fellowmen is to serve God. TRUE. We are, all of us, part and parcel of God. We are parts of the Whole. When we help a part, we serve the Whole, we serve God.
No one can understand light without experiencing darkness. TRUE. In order to learn, before we can really know, we have to experience all sides and opposite ends to everything.
Without conflict, no one can gain strength. TRUE. We exercise and use weights to build muscles and develop physical strength. In like manner, if we do not experience problems, crises and other forms of conflict, we won’t be able to develop our spiritual strength.
What we now own indicates how successful we are. FALSE. God owns everything, we ourselves own nothing. All our material possessions are simply loaned to us so that we may learn to use them as God intended them to be used. And should we suffer the loss of them, then we would all the more come to appreciate their true worth. Hence, these physical things or possessions are to be viewed only as learning aids that are given and taken away for the purpose of instruction. Also, the real gauge of whether or not we are successful in the spiritual sense is not what we have but what we are. See Par 3:19 and Ver 3:22.
The truly spiritual person is necessarily also a vegetarian. FALSE. What we eat affects only the body. On the other hand, our level of spirituality is determined by our character which is the result of all our thoughts and deeds. Christ also said, "It is not what enters our body but what comes out of it (the things we do) that defiles us." Therefore, our being a vegetarian doesn’t really matter in the least, spiritually speaking. As a further proof, Christ himself ate fish.
We are directly and personally liable for all our thoughts and deeds. TRUE. We are directly accountable for all that we do and we personally will have to pay for our own mistakes. See Par 3:06.08.
We should rid the world of all evil. FALSE. The evil in the world is vital to the development of man. Without the opportunity to experience evil, no one can progress. See Par 3:12.
What is good for me is certainly good also for everyone else. FALSE. Different people have different needs and wants. See Par 3:05.
God doesn’t just look at our deeds, but He also considers our motives. TRUE. God realizes that we are prone to error because we don’t know everything yet inasmuch as we are still in the early stages of spiritual development. Therefore, what is more important to Him at this point in time is what is in our hearts.
If we always do what our elders tell us to do, we can never go wrong. FALSE. While we should heed the counsel of our elders, but we must learn to think and decide for ourselves. Review Par 3:06.07 and Sol 2.C.10.
In order to progress, we also need to undergo painful experiences. TRUE. Some lessons are especially difficult to learn. It is unfortunate but, nevertheless, true that the more painful the lesson is, the more effectively we are able to learn it. See Par 3:12.
God sends both good and evil. TRUE. All things come from God, according to His divine plan. See Par 3:12.
We should learn to think for ourselves. TRUE. In all matters, we should think for ourselves. How else can we attain to perfection. See Par 3:05.06.
The way of the world is not the way of God. TRUE. This is the point of the whole Lesson and this truth is expressly stated in Par 3:22.
Love will conquer all. TRUE. In the end, in God’s kingdom, this is inevitable. Love is the key that opens every door.
It is God’s wish that all males should be circumcised. FALSE. God being Spirit is concerned only with the things of the Spirit. Since circumcision has nothing at all to do with spirituality but pertains only to the body, therefore, it is really of no concern to God whether we have ourselves circumcised or not.
We should learn to rely on ourselves and on our own efforts. TRUE. Definitely, we should. We won’t be able to progress, otherwise. The principle of personal responsibility is an important part of the divine teachings.
Rather than fight evil, we need only strive to learn the spiritual lessons they bring. TRUE. Christ said, "Don’t resist evil." This is because he knew very well the true spiritual value of the evil in the world. See Par 3:12. Therefore, let us just learn our lessons and then evil will have no more reason for being a part of our life. More on this in Lessons 5 and 6.
We receive not because we ask not. FALSE. Whether we ask or not is of no consequence whatever. God knows what we need and He provides accordingly. There will be more on this in subsequent lessons. See Sol 3.C.8.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"Man must love God with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength; and he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer altar animals and other sacrifices to God" (MK 12).
"Don’t stop him, because those who are not against us are working with us" (LK 9).
"Watch out and guard against covetousness, for a man’s worth does not depend on the abundance of his possessions" (LK 12).
"‘These people honor Me with their words, but they really have no love in their hearts for Me. Their worship is a farce because they teach people man-made laws as if they were God’s laws!’ You have set aside God’s commands just so that you may keep your own traditions" (MK 7).
Jesus turned on Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan. You are an abomination in my sight because you look at things only from the worldly point of view and not from God’s" (MT 16).
But one thing is far more acceptable to God than all these senseless offerings and sacrifices. Love — love of God and love for our fellowmen — this is much preferred (Text).
"You hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden but ignore the more important things — justice, mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone" (MT 23).
"Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do" (MT 7).
Life provides many important lessons. All that we see that is right, we should do and what we observe to be wrong, we should not do (Text).
"Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really like ravenous wolves and will tear you apart" (MT 7).
"For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and every secret shall be made known" (LK 12).
God is just and no one can escape His judgment. So will all men be judged according to their deeds (Text).
"Don’t worry about them! They are blind guides leading the blind. And when a blind man leads another, both shall fall into a ditch" (MT 15).
Then, at last, they understood that by "leaven" he meant the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees (MT 16).
And if it were possible, man would eradicate all evil from the face of the earth. But the evil in the world is vital to the development of man (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

All men will be judged according to their beliefs. DISAGREE. It is not enough just to believe. We also need to live as we believe. In effect, we will be judged according to our deeds and according to our motives as mitigated by our present knowledge, abilities and circumstances.
Everyone will also come to know all there is to know. AGREE. Perfection includes perfect knowledge of all things.
Evil men will rot in hell. DISAGREE. In ancient times, it was deemed advantageous to put a scare into people in the hope that they may be scared straight. However, through Reincarnation and the opportunities it makes available to us, we will be able to reform ourselves and get to heaven, eventually. There really is no such place as hell, except that we will experience continuous hardships in the lower worlds or planes of being until we have proven that we deserve better things in life. Still, according to some other sources, because of the extreme difficulties of life on earth as compared to life in the higher planes of being, our earth is considered to be one of the lower hells. These planes will be taken up more in depth in Lesson 7.
If we don’t pray and praise the Lord, He will never allow us into heaven. DISAGREE. God is not an insecure or vain God. And so, whether or not we recognize Him and praise Him doesn’t really matter to Him. Instead, He will look at our deeds and our intentions in our dealings with our fellowmen. Still, to some people, doing good is praising the Lord. However, in this course, let us use only the words that clearly convey our meaning. Let us say what we mean and mean what we say, and let us, at all times, speak plainly.
God is not just because He allows us to become victims of injustice. DISAGREE. In God’s viewpoint, there are no victims, ever. Instead, everyone here on earth is a spirit-student undergoing necessary and very valuable spiritual instruction. It is just that we also need to experience the bad effects of evil doings before we can fully realize that such acts are not to be desired.
If we are already serving God, then we no longer need to serve our fellowmen. DISAGREE. Quite the contrary, it is only as we serve our fellowmen that we are able to really serve God, since each and every one of us is part and parcel of God. Moreover, God being perfect needs no help from us; instead, it is each of us individually, imperfect as we are, who should extend and receive help.
God doesn’t really love us because he takes away our loved ones too soon. DISAGREE. No one is ever taken away. Death is rebirth into the greater life after our lessons are over. And our loved ones will be there waiting for us when we ourselves go over to the life that waits beyond this life.
Provided we pray and ask earnestly, believing we will receive, God will always grant our requests. DISAGREE. We can certainly work to attain everything that we want out of life. But whether we ask or don’t ask does not affect matters one bit because, regardless, God always provides what is just, what is needful and what is best in accordance with His Divine Plan.
There is no sense to the practice of flagellation or self-inflicted pain. DISAGREE. In regard to our debts, we may repay in kind or through the rendering of service to others. While the latter is very much preferred over the former, nevertheless, both avenues provide relief.
Our possession of psychic powers proves that we are highly spiritual. DISAGREE. Spirituality relates to moral character and is not directly related to the possession of psychic powers. Psychic abilities are natural and inherent properties of every spirit being. And they are available to us just as soon as we are liberated from our physical bodies. However, such powers are not usually available to us on earth, because if they were, we would be distracted needlessly from the more important matters that we need to focus our attention on. Psychic abilities upon the earth are to be viewed only as tools that are made available to us for use in helping others. But, then, in a greater number of instances, there are many other tools, talents and other abilities and resources that may, instead, be availed of to achieve even better results.

Lesson 4 -- Christ on Righteousness

2006-10-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

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PEOPLE just can’t seem to follow the simplest of instructions. They insist that they already know what to do. They don’t care to listen. They follow their own inclinations and they do things their own way. And this proud and foolish attitude is precisely what gets them into all sorts of difficulties. And then, they complain — but they have no right to complain. They deserve all that they are getting because, in the first place, they did not follow the simple instructions given to them. Had they done so, their life would have been much easier and far more satisfying.

02 Christ advised us so long ago: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness." Nothing else is as important. To follow the ways of righteousness should be our primary concern.

03 If we are to attain this goal, our hearts and minds must be receptive to divine instruction. Only those who possess the right attitudes and who fully realize the importance of these studies will be accorded the knowledge. And those who heed God’s teachings by applying the divine principles they have learned in their daily lives will continue to be provided with everything they need (1).

04 Life is a continuous striving for righteousness in our thoughts, words and deeds. We must learn to discipline our thoughts and emotions. We must also be conscious of everything we say and do (2. 3).

05 But before we may be entitled to receive anything from God, first, we must make ourselves right with Him. We must cease to do evil and repent of the evil we have done. However, repentance alone is not enough; we must also effect the necessary restitution and where this may no longer be possible, we must make amends through some form of service to others. No one can receive if he is not ready to receive (4).

06 We should not be overly concerned with our material possessions. Instead, we should realize that our attachment to physical things is, precisely, the very thing that is preventing us from ascending to our true home in heaven. Therefore, we should prefer to be simple and to live simply. We should strive to free ourselves from lust and desire for the things of the world (5, 6).

07 In our quest for spiritual advancement, each one must begin with self. We should not be critical of others; instead, we should attend to our own personal needs more. We should learn to mind our own business and respect the rights of others. Everyone has the right to live his life according to how he feels life should be lived. No one has the right to impose his will on others. Each one has the right to decide matters for himself and to be judged not by the standards set by others but by the standards he has set for himself. Therefore don’t judge and don’t criticize (7).

08 As we learn to be more considerate of the feelings and needs of others, we will prefer to more humble in our ways. We may think ourselves great; but we are only, at best, as great as our brother. God is in our brother just as He is in us. We are all equal in the sight of God. We all should respect one another (8).

09 No one is perfect. We all have much to learn and do. While on earth, we really do not have the means to accurately assess our progress, not being in possession of all the facts and blinded as we are by the illusions and false notions in the world. In this world, we are very much like students undergoing examination. We might feel that we are making out quite well; but until those result are in, we won’t know for sure. Therefore, we should neither be over-confident nor self-righteous. Instead, a contrite heart will afford us the means to focus on those things that require our further attention and correction (9).

10 Many people prefer the praise of men to that of God. They do things to please men in order that men may honor them and reward them. They advertise all their good deeds in public. In their craving for worldly recognition, they succeed in being highly regarded by other men. But God is not fooled! He sees through the facade of pretense and guile straight to the hearts of men. God sees through hypocrisy and He compensates justly. In all matters, therefore, we really should be truthful (10, 11).

11 God gives to every man according to his abilities and according to what he deserves. All things that are made available to us should be put to good use. And as we faithfully comply with our allotted duties and responsibilities, we shall be able to merit more and better things. Should we be so entitled, however, we must be fully aware of our greater accountability, because to whom much is given, much is required. And lest we become overconfident and negligent, we should always remember that while God may give so freely, He also may take away just as easily should we prove unworthy of these privileges and benefits (12, 13, 14).

12 It is the same in the world as it is in heaven. When we are faithful and trustworthy in the performance of our assigned duties, we get promoted to higher positions and we are given a commensurate increase in pay with additional privileges. But if we are dishonest and unfaithful, our employer will terminate our services and we could even be sent to jail. And if we are unfaithful in worldly matters, why should God entrust His true riches in heaven to us?

13 Therefore, we should strive to fulfill our duties faithfully and to the best of our abilities. And we should begin today while our accountability is still small. We should make it a habit. We should be faithful in the little things so that we may deserve much greater (15).

14 Whenever possible, we should help all who may be in need whether or not they ask for our help (16). We should give freely without thought of recompense and simply because it is right for us to help others (17). In the first place, we ourselves own nothing, but God has made us caretakers of a part of His wealth; and, therefore, we should do as He would, which is, to use all things for the good of all.

15 It is not important whether we give much or we give little. What is important is the spirit in which the giving is done. We should give from the heart. Our attitudes and feelings relative to the act of giving are what count (18). The true giver demands nothing; moreover, he gives not to those who would be able to repay him but to those who can’t (19).

16 But we should temper our charities with wisdom. We should learn the proper ways of helping. We should learn when to help and when to withhold help in order to help all the more. We should not give that which is holy to dogs nor should we cast our pearls before swine (20). Likewise, we should always take care never to impose our help on others.

17 All men are God’s children. As being naughty and mischievous is only natural to the children of men, being evil is just as natural to young spirit children because they, as yet, know no better. But given time, everyone will be able to attain to God’s divine ways. Meanwhile, if we go by earthly standards, we can never attain to heaven. Entry into heaven demands much, much more. Instead, we should strive to be more like our Father in heaven. Through our increased awareness of spiritual truths, we should be able to love even our enemies. We must love as God loves (21).

18 When someone commits an offense, we should help him to become aware of his error. And if he should be sorry for his mistakes, then we should forgive him, everytime (22). Everyone commits mistakes and will continue to commit mistakes. Therefore, we should learn to be more understanding and to forgive (23).

19 More often than not, offenders don’t really know that what they are doing is wrong. And then, even when they do realize that they are in the wrong, they are unable to desist from doing wrong because of certain circumstances that prevent them from doing right. It is best for us, therefore, to try to determine the true situation surrounding the offense and be ready always to offer our sympathy, understanding and forgiveness. To love is to forgive (24).

20 In addition, we really need to forgive others because we commit a lot of mistakes ourselves, whether knowingly or unknowingly. And God is a just God. He forgives us so long as we forgive others. But He cannot forgive us if we, ourselves, will not forgive (25).

21 Love is an all-encompassing word that includes many other virtues like charity, mercy and compassion. All these, Christ demonstrated when he was in the world. And it is now our duty to love as he loved and to become the living examples of his teachings to others if we desire to be with him (26, 27).

22 Many say that they love God even though they hate some of their brothers. But in truth, no one can love God who does not love all his fellowmen. If we cannot learn to love those whom we can see, how can we love God Whom we cannot see? Necessarily, we must begin by loving our neighbor. And we must love him as we love ourselves. We should be as the good Samaritan who loved even those he did not know, who cared for those in need and who gave, demanding nothing in return (28). To love our fellowmen is to love God.

23 Nothing comes that does not come from God. It is just that man, in his ignorance, is not as yet able to fully comprehend all the reasons behind God’s actions. But our every experience, however bad and especially the bad, is provided to further our spiritual development. It is especially during these trying times that we are afforded the opportunity to return love for hate and good for evil. Hence, we should not resist evil; instead, we should view it as the opportunity that it really is. Once we become fully aware of the very real and lasting benefits accruing to our spirit selves when we undergo bad experiences, we will inevitably cease to remain opposed to them. And only then can we learn and benefit the most from them (29).

24 One of the simplest and most effective tests of the rightness of our actions is to ask ourselves what we would want others to do given a particular situation. If we are in need and we ask someone for help, certainly, we would want him to help us out to the best of his abilities. If we are to purchase anything, we would want the best that can be available at a price that is reasonable. If we are seeking information, we would not want to be misled. In our dealings with people, we would want to be trusted and accorded due respect. And if we were to commit an offense, provided we are truly sorry, we would want to be forgiven. Whatsoever, therefore, we would want others to do for us, we should first be willing to do for others. Our actions can be deemed justifiable and proper if taken in this light; otherwise, they cannot be so justified. But we must do these very things for others first before we can expect others to do the same for us (30).

25 Yes, everyone desires all the good things in life. And being God’s children, we are all destined to enjoy the very best. God, our Father, is super-rich and He wants all of us to have everything we desire. But we must deserve to have these true riches.

26 Such is the purpose of life on earth. Here, we are taught the basic precepts of divine love and righteous living. Here, we train in preparation for the greater life that is to come. Here, we must prove that we truly deserve to enter into His Kingdom. And if eternal life and happiness are what we desire, then we know what we must do. First, we must seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and, then, all other things will be ours, as well, however, not here on earth but in heaven (31).

Lesson 4 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

MK 4:24.25

"Whatever rules you apply in your dealings with others, the same shall be applied to you. And those who are open to guidance shall be given all they need, because those who value the things that they have will be given even more while those who don’t will be deprived of even the little that they have."
MT 5:27.28

"You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who even looks at a woman with lust is already guilty of committing adultery."
MT 5:21.22

"You have heard that people were told, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be brought to court.’ But now I tell you: Whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be held answerable; whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Council; and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to hell."
MT 5:23.25

"If you are intending to honor God with a gift or sacrifice, make certain that no one has a valid grudge against you; otherwise, your gift cannot be deemed acceptable by God. First, you must go and make peace with your enemies; and only then should you come back and offer your gift to God. Settle disputes with your adversary amicably before it is too late; otherwise, he might drag you into court and the court would hand you over to the authorities to be thrown in jail."
MT 19:16.24

Once, a man came to Jesus, "Good Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to gain eternal life?"

And Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? There is only one who is really good — and that is God. But to answer your question, you can enter into life if you keep the commandments."

"Which ones?" he asked.

And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself."

"I’ve always obeyed all these commandments," the man replied. "What else must I do?"

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he was very rich. Jesus then said to his disciples, "It is almost impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again — it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!"
LK 12:13.15

A man approached Jesus and said, "Master, speak to my brother and tell him to give me my share of our inheritance."

But Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me to judge concerning such matters?" He then said to the people, "Watch out and guard against covetousness for a man’s worth does not depend on the abundance of his possessions."
MT 7:01.05

"Don’t judge and you won’t be judged. In like manner that you judge, so will you be judged, according to the same rules and standards. And why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye but pay no attention to the board in your own eye? How can you even say to him, ‘Brother, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the board in yours? Hypocrite! First, get rid of the board and then perhaps, you may be able to see well enough to deal with his speck."
LK 14:07.11

Jesus noticed how some of the guests desired to have the choice seats at the table; so he told this parable to all of them: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t always head for the best seat. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host would have to come and say to you, ‘Let him have your place.’ Then you would be embarrassed and have to transfer to whatever seat is left vacant. Instead, when you are invited, go and sit where the lowly sit and when your host comes, he might say to you, ‘Friend, come on up. We have a better place for you.’ In this way, you shall be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever exalts himself shall be abased and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
LK 18:09.14

Then he told this story to some who boasted of their virtue and scorned everyone else. "Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee; the other, a tax collector. The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other men who are greedy, dishonest or an adulterer. I fast twice a week and I give a tenth of all my income.’

"But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven in shame, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’ I tell you," said Jesus, "this sinner and not the Pharisee returned home forgiven! For the proud shall be humbled and the humble shall be lifted up."
MT 6:05.06

"When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners so that everyone may see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father in private. And your Father Who knows all your secrets will reward you openly."
MT 6:16.18

"And when you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone may see that they are fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, wash your face and comb your hair so that others may not suspect that you are fasting. And your Father Who knows every secret will reward you."
MT 25:14.30

"The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man who was about to leave home on a trip. He called his servants and put them in charge of his property, entrusting to them various amounts of money which they are to invest for him while he is gone. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one, he gave five thousand gold coins; to another, two thousand; and to another, one thousand. Then he went on his trip.

"The servant who had received five thousand coins immediately invested the same and earned another five thousand. In the same way, the servant who received two thousand coins earned another two thousand. But the servant who received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

"After a long time, the master came back and called his servants to account for his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted five thousand coins brought him ten thousand. His master praised him for his good work. ‘You have been faithful in handling this small amount,’ he told him, ‘so now, I will reward you by investing you with greater authority and more matters will be brought under your care.’

"Next came the servant who had received two thousand. ‘Master, you gave me two thousand and I have doubled it,’ he said. His Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Likewise, inasmuch as you have been faithful in handling such a small amount, I will now entrust much more to your care.’

"Then the servant who had received one thousand came in and said, ‘Master, I know you are a hard man; you harvest where you did not plant and gather where you did not winnow. I was afraid; so I went off and hid your money under the ground and here it is.’

"‘You despicable and lazy servant!’ his master said. ‘You knew, didn’t you, that I reap where I did not plant and gather crops where I did not winnow? Well then, you should have deposited my money in the bank and I would have earned some interest on it. Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.’ For everyone who makes good use of what he is given will be given more and he will have more than enough. But from anyone who proves to be unfaithful, even the little that he has will be taken away from him."
LK 19:12.26

"There was once a man of noble birth who was going to a far country to be made king, after which, he planned to return home. Before he left, he called his ten servants and gave each of them a gold coin and told them, ‘See what you can earn with this while I am gone.’ Then the man left.

Upon his return, he ordered his servants to appear before him in order that he may find out what had happened to his money. The first one came and said, ‘Lord, I have earned ten gold coins with the one you gave me.’

"‘Well done,’ he said, ‘you are a good servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will put you in charge of ten cities.’

"The second servant came and said, ‘Lord, I have earned five gold coins with the one you gave me.’

"To this one, he said, ‘You will be in charge of five cities.’

"Another servant came and said, ‘Lord, here is your gold coin; I kept it hidden in a handkerchief. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and even confiscating the crops that others plant.’

"The king said to him, ‘You evil servant! Hard, am I? That’s exactly how I’ll be towards you! If you knew so much about me and how harsh I am, then why didn’t you deposit the money in the bank so that I could at least earn interest on it!’ Then he said to the others, ‘Take the money away from him and give it to the man who earned the most.’

"‘But Lord,’ they said, ‘he has enough already!’

"‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘but it is always true that to the one who has, even more will be given and from the one who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away.’"
LK 12:47.48

"The servant who is aware of what his master wants him to do but refuses to do it will be severely punished. But the servant who, innocently, does something he shouldn’t do, will be punished only lightly. For to whom much is given, much is required; and to whose care more is entrusted, much more will be expected."
LK 16:01.12

"There was once a rich man who hired a man to manage his business. Some time later, he was informed that the man was thoroughly dishonest. He called in the manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about your stealing from me? Turn in a complete report of your stewardship because you are dismissed.’

"The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what can I do? I can’t go out and dig ditches and I’m too proud to beg. I know! Yes, that’s what I’ll do! And then I’ll have plenty of friends to take care of me, just in case.’ So he invited each one who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’

"‘I owe a hundred barrels of oil,’ the man replied.

"‘Here is the contract you signed,’ the manager told him. ‘Tear it up and write another for fifty.’

"And to another man, he said, ‘And how much do you owe him?’

"‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ was the reply.

"‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take your note and replace it with another for only eight hundred bushels.’

"The rich man had to admire the rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the worldly are far more clever in handling the affairs of this world than the godly are. But shall I tell you to act that way, to buy friendship through cheating? Will this ensure for you the rewards you expect to gain? No! For he who is faithful in that which is the least is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in minor matters will also be dishonest in the more important ones.

"If then, you have been proven untrustworthy in the handling of worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you cannot be trusted with other people’s property, who would care to rely on you for anything at all?"
MT 5:42

"Give to those who ask and lend to those who would borrow."
MT 6:01.04

"Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly to be admired by men, for then, you would lose your reward from your Father in heaven. But when you give alms, don’t make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets, so that people may think well of them. I tell you in all earnestness, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

"But when you help someone, do it in such a way that not even your closest friends may know about it. Then, it will be a private matter. And your Father Who knows all secrets will reward you."
MK 12:41.44

As Jesus sat near the Temple treasury, he watched the people as they dropped in their money. Many rich men gave quite a lot of money. Then a poor widow came along and dropped in two little copper coins, worth about a penny. He called his disciples together and said to them, "I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in a little of their excess wealth; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had, even that she needed to live on."
LK 14:12.14

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your relatives or your rich neighbors. For they will invite you at some other time to return the favor. Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they won’t be able to pay you back. And you shall be rewarded when the righteous are brought back to life."
MT 7:06

"Don’t give that which is holy to dogs; neither cast your pearls before swine lest they trample them with their feet and then turn to attack you."
MT 5:43.48

"You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven.

"For He makes the sun to shine on both the evil and the good and sends rain to the just as well as to the unjust. And if you love only those who love you, why should you merit a reward? Even the tax collectors do as much. And if you respect only those who are your friends, what do you do that is more than what others do? Even the pagans do that. But you are to become perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
LK 17:03.04

"If your brother commits an offense against you, inform him of his mistake; and if he should be sorry, forgive him. And even if he wrongs you seven times in one day and, each time, comes to you asking your forgiveness, you should forgive him."
JN 8:01.11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early the next morning, he went back to the Temple. All the people gathered around him and he sat down and began to teach them. As he was speaking, the Jewish leaders and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and placed her out in front of the staring crowd. "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. According to the law, Moses commands that such a woman must be stoned to death. But what do you say?" They were trying to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against him; but as though he had not heard them, Jesus stooped down and traced his fingers on the ground.

They kept demanding an answer; so he stood up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." Then he stooped down again and continued to write on the ground.

Convicted by their own conscience, all who heard his words began to leave, one by one, beginning with the eldest, until only Jesus was left alone with the woman. He straightened up and said to her, "Where are your accusers? Is there no one left to condemn you?"

She said, "No one, Lord."

And Jesus said, "Well, neither do I condemn you. Go, but don’t sin again."
LK 7:37.50

In that town, there was a woman who lived a sinful life. She heard that Jesus was eating in the house of a Pharisee; so she brought an alabaster jar full of perfume and stood behind Jesus, by his feet, crying, and began to wash his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them and poured the perfume on them.

When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, "If this man really were a prophet, he would have known what kind of woman this one is. She is such a notorious sinner."

Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Yes, Teacher," he said, "what is it?"

"Two men owed money to a moneylender," Jesus began. "One owed him five hundred silver coins and the other one, fifty. Neither of them could pay him back; so he cancelled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?"

"I suppose," answered Simon, "that it would be the one who owed more."

"You are right," said Jesus. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your home and you didn’t give me water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not welcome me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I came. You provided no olive oil for my head, but she has covered my feet with perfume. Her sins, and they are many, are forgiven because she loves so much. But those whose sins are not so great, though they be forgiven, will not love as much." Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

The others sitting at the table began to say to themselves, "Who does he think he is, going around forgiving sins?"

But Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
MT 18:23.35

"The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to update the accounts of his servants. In the process, one who owed him ten thousand gold coins was brought in. The servant did not have enough to pay his debt: so the king ordered that he be sold as a slave, together with his wife and children and all that he had in order to pay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before the king, ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will repay the full amount.’ The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.

Then the same man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few silver coins. He grabbed him and started choking him, demanding that he be paid. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged him, ‘Be patient with me and I will pay you back.’ But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should pay the debt.

"When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything. So he called the servant and said to him, ‘You evil-hearted wretch! I forgave you the whole amount you owed me just because you asked me to. You should have been merciful to your fellow servant just as I had shown mercy to you.’ The king was very angry and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount."

And Jesus concluded, "So shall my Father in heaven do the same to all those who refuse to forgive their brothers."
JN 15:12

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
MK 12:28.33

One of the religious teachers who was listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

Jesus replied, "The most important one is this: ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord, our God, is the one and only God. And you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘You must love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these."

The man then said, "Well done, Teacher! It is true, as you say, that only the Lord is God and that there is no other God but He. And man must love God with all his heart, with all his mind and with all his strength; and he must love his neighbor as he loves himself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer altar animals and other sacrifices to God."
LK 10:29.37

The man wanting to justify his strong aversion for certain people asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

Jesus answered, "There was once a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers jumped him, stripped him and beat him up, leaving him half dead. Some time later, a priest went down that road; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed over to the other side of the road and walked on by. A Jewish temple-assistant did the same thing; he, too, left him lying there.

"But a despised Samaritan came along and when he saw him, his heart filled with pity. Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. The next day, he handed the innkeeper two silver coins and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill should come to more than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference when I return.’ Now, which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the victim?"

The man replied, "The one who helped him."

Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."
MT 5:38.41

"You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But now I tell you: Don’t resist evil. But when you are slapped on one cheek, offer the other also. And if someone takes you to court to demand your shirt, let him have your coat, as well. And if anyone compels you to go a mile, go with him two miles."
MT 7:12

"Accordingly, whatever you would want people to do for you, do the same for them. This is the essence of the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets."
MT 6:33

"But first, seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be ours, as well."

Lesson 4 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

We should return good even for evil.
The more we have, the more contented we will be.
God gives to every man according to his abilities.
God owns everything; we ourselves own nothing.
The true giver gives especially to those who can’t repay him.
We should love even those who hate us.
God gives to each of us exactly what he deserves.
Charity should be tempered with wisdom.
We must rise far above earthly standards before we can merit heaven.
We should learn to mind our own business.
Everyone has the right to decide matters for himself.
We need not respect people who don’t respect themselves.
Righteousness comes only as a result of constant practice.
It is only natural for many young and active children to be naughty and full of mischief.
In many cases, what is important is not so much what we do but why we do it.
There is a right way and a wrong way of giving.
Rich men can never get to heaven.
Because He loves us, God will always forgive us, even if we don’t forgive others.
Rewards can be either here on earth or in heaven.
We never really know anything until we’ve tried it.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ______ _____ to enter the Kingdom of God!" (MT 19).
In our quest for spiritual advancement, each one must _______ ______ ______. We should not be critical of others; instead, we should attend to our own personal needs more. We should learn to ______ _____ _____ __________and _________ _____ ________ ____ ________. Everyone has the right to live his life according to how ____ feels life should be lived. ____ _____ has the right to impose his will on others (Text).
"Instead, when you give a feast, invite _____ ______, _____ __________, _____ ______ and _____ _______; and you will be blessed, because they won’t be able ____ _____ _____ ______. And you shall be rewarded when the righteous are brought back to life" (LK 14).
"He who is _________ _____ among you, let him cast the first stone" (JN 8).
It is not important whether we give ______ or we give ________. What is important is the ________ in which the giving is done. We should give ______ _____ _______ (Text).
"For whoever exalts himself _______ ____ ________ and he who _________ _________ shall be exalted" (LK 14).
"Take care! Don’t do your good deeds __________ to be admired by men, for then, you would lose ______ ________ from your Father in heaven" (MT 6).
"You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: ______ your enemies" (MT 5).
"You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But now I tell you: _______ ________ evil" (MT 5).
As being _________ and _____________ is only natural to the children of men, being ______ is just as natural to young spirit children because they, as yet, know no better. But given time, everyone will be able to attain to God’s ________ ______ (Text).
"For he who is faithful in ______ _______ ____ _____ _______ is faithful ______ ____ ______. And he who is dishonest in _______ _________ will also be dishonest in _____ ______ ___________ ______" (LK 16).
"I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in a little of their ________ ________; but she, poor as she is, put in _____ _____ _____, even that she needed to live on" (MK 12).
"And if you respect only those who are your friends, what do you do that is more than what others do? Even the pagans do that. But you are to become _________, just as your Father in heaven is _________" (MT 5).
"But first, seek the _________ ____ _____ and _____ _______________ and all these things shall be ours, as well" (MT 6).
Such is the purpose of life on earth. Here, we are taught the basic precepts of ________ ______ and ___________ ________. Here, we train in preparation for the _________ ______ ______ ____ ____ ______ (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

We can change the world.
Those who are great in the eyes of men are necessarily great also in the eyes of God.
Anyone who hates cannot love God.
All the really good things can only be found in heaven.
Repentance alone is not enough.
Jesus said, "Judge not." Therefore, we should abolish courts and judges.
Criticism doesn’t help at all.
To every given situation, we should go by the book.
Where possible, we should give our loved ones only the best that this world can offer.
Rewards cannot be both on earth and also in heaven for the same deed.

Lesson 4 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

We should return good even for evil. TRUE. Here is one of many instances where Jesus upgraded the teachings of Judaism or the Old Testament. Previously, the teaching was "An eye for an eye." See Par 3:13 regarding good and evil, Par 4:23 and Ver 4:29.
The more we have, the more contented we will be. FALSE. See Par 3:19 and Ver 3:22. Life is in being and not in having.
God gives to every man according to his abilities. TRUE. All things come as a consequence of our own efforts and strivings. See Par 4:11.13 and Ver 4:12.13.
God owns everything; we ourselves own nothing. TRUE. We are only caretakers for God and we should act accordingly. See Par 4:14.
The true giver gives especially to those who can’t repay him. TRUE. A distinction should be made between giving and investing. See Par 4:15 and Ver 4:19.
We should love even those who hate us. TRUE. Jesus said, "Love your enemies." See Par 4:21.22 and Ver 4:26.28. See also Sol 4.C.3.
God gives to each of us exactly what he deserves. TRUE. God being fair and just has decreed that this be so. See Par 4:11.12 and Ver 4:12.14.
Charity should be tempered with wisdom. TRUE. There is a right way and a wrong way of giving. These are learned through persistent practice. See Par 4:16.
We must rise far above earthly standards before we can merit heaven. TRUE. Only those who have attained to certain prescribed standards of righteousness can be allowed to enter heaven. Christ clearly sets down these standards in Lessons 4 to 7 and these standards are far above the righteousness of ordinary men. Loving our enemies is one of the requirements. There are others. See also Par 4:17.
We should learn to mind our own business. TRUE. Everyone has his rights and is entitled to his own freedoms. See Par 4:07.
Everyone has the right to decide matters for himself. TRUE. Since we are personally responsible for everything we do, then we must learn to decide matters for ourselves. See Par 4:07.
We need not respect people who don’t respect themselves. FALSE. Everyone deserves to be respected, regardless. Jesus advises that we must do more than what ordinary people on earth do. See Par 4:07.
Righteousness comes only as a result of constant practice. TRUE. We should strive to do what is right, everyday. There is no other way to attain to righteousness.
It is only natural for many young and active children to be naughty and full of mischief. TRUE. Being as yet young, ignorant and inexperienced, children know no better. See Par 4:17.
In many cases, what is important is not so much what we do but why we do it. TRUE. God realizes that we still have much to learn and so He understands that we will be committing many mistakes or sins in the meanwhile. Therefore, regardless of what we do, whether we do right or wrong, God looks straight into our hearts and also considers our motives and intentions, whether these be for good or ill.
There is a right way and a wrong way of giving. TRUE. Charity should be tempered with wisdom. This is learned through persistent practice. See Par 4:16.
Rich men can never get to heaven. FALSE. All things should be taken in moderation and we should look at things in their proper perspective. It is not riches, per se, which prevent us from entering heaven but our attachment to riches and our wrong use of them.
Because He loves us, God will always forgive us, even if we don’t forgive others. FALSE. We can only be entitled to receive from others what we are willing to give to them, in the first place. See Par 4:20 and Ver 4:25.
Rewards can be either here on earth or in heaven. TRUE. See Sol 4.C.10.
We never really know anything until we’ve tried it. TRUE. We need to experience in order to learn. Otherwise, we cannot really know for sure.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!" (MT 19).
In our quest for spiritual advancement, each one must begin with self. We should not be critical of others; instead, we should attend to our own personal needs more. We should learn to mind our own business and respect the rights of others. Everyone has the right to live his life according to how he feels life should be lived. No one has the right to impose his will on others (Text).
"Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they won’t be able to pay you back. And you shall be rewarded when the righteous are brought back to life" (LK 14).
"He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone" (JN 8).
It is not important whether we give much or we give little. What is important is the spirit in which the giving is done. We should give from the heart (Text).
"For whoever exalts himself shall be abased and he who humbles himself shall be exalted" (LK 14).
"Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly to be admired by men, for then, you would lose your reward from your Father in heaven" (MT 6).
"You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies" (MT 5).
"You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But now I tell you: Don’t resist evil" (MT 5).

As being naughty and mischievous is only natural to the children of men, being evil is just as natural to young spirit children because they, as yet, know no better. But given time, everyone will be able to attain to God’s divine ways (Text).
"For he who is faithful in that which is the least is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in minor matters will also be dishonest in the more important ones" (LK 16).
"I tell you that this poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in a little of their excess wealth; but she, poor as she is, put in all she had, even that she needed to live on" (MK 12).
"And if you respect only those who are your friends, what do you do that is more than what others do? Even the pagans do that. But you are to become perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (MT 5).
"But first, seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be ours, as well" (MT 6).
Such is the purpose of life on earth. Here, we are taught the basic precepts of divine love and righteous living. Here, we train in preparation for the greater life that is to come (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

We can change the world. DISAGREE. It is not right for anyone to impose on another against his will. Neither can we change the world if it doesn’t care to change itself. It is enough that we change ourselves. And let us allow everyone else the freedom and the choice to change himself. The right to decide for oneself goes hand in hand with the principle of self-accountability and must be respected. And the world can change itself only through the collective individual efforts of all its inhabitants.
Those who are great in the eyes of men are necessarily great also in the eyes of God. DISAGREE. Man judges on the basis of incomplete and, very often, false information. His sense of values is distorted, premised as it is on the illusions and false notions of the people in the world. But God is not so deceived or bound by such worldly standards. God demands far more. And His judgment is always fair and just.
Anyone who hates cannot love God. AGREE. We are, all of us, part and parcel of God. No one can hate any part and still love the whole. We must love all and hate no one before we can really love God.
All the really good things can only be found in heaven. AGREE. All things on earth are just poor replicas of their genuine counterparts in heaven. Earthly things are not to be desired.
Repentance alone is not enough. AGREE. In addition, we need to effect restitution or else render compensatory services to our fellowmen.
Jesus said, "Judge not." Therefore, we should abolish courts and judges. DISAGREE. It is true that we should not judge others; however, courts and judges are with us because there is so much benefit to be derived from such judicial exercises. In the process, all who are involved will be able to learn more concerning the principles of justice and fairness. At the same time, those who err may be helped to reform themselves.
Criticism doesn’t help at all. DISAGREE. Actually, constructive criticism is very necessary towards one’s improvement. Otherwise, very few will be able to make good progress. However, we should always take care that our intentions are for the good. Likewise, we should learn the proper ways of offering our suggestions.
To every given situation, we should go by the book. DISAGREE. Because of special circumstances that are almost always present in every situation, more often than not, we should decide matters on a case to case basis. Still, we should also refer to and be guided by the set guidelines that may be available although we should not be so constrained or limited by them.
Where possible, we should give our loved ones only the best that this world can offer. DISAGREE. In like manner that God provides us with necessary trials and tribulations for our further development, we also should be concerned with the more important needs of our loved ones. We should consider the lasting effects of such gifts and provisions on the spirit self, rather than just the temporary physical satisfaction the gifts can bring.
Rewards cannot be both on earth and also in heaven for the same deed. DISAGREE. The granting of rewards depends on what is actually needed and is always according to what is best. In many instances, the rewards may be broken down proportionately with a portion to be granted here on earth and the rest to be enjoyed in the higher realms.

Lesson 5 -- The Way to Life

2006-10-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

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TO ATTAIN to the goods of this world, people lie, cheat and commit murder. And for a time, many appear to succeed despite their evil deeds. The righteous are no match for the children of this world where earthly pursuits are concerned. And the ignorant continue to be bewildered, not realizing the worthlessness of earthly treasures in comparison with the true riches in heaven.

02 But there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known (1). There shall come a day of reckoning. And the righteous shall stand justified before the eyes of God.

03 Still, it doesn’t really matter that we have sinned or that we have transgressed divine laws because everyone sins and continues to sin, no one being perfect. What is important is that we come to realize our mistakes and sincerely desire to change for the better. Everyone, no matter how grievous his errors, has the means to extricate himself out of his predicament. No one is forever committed to hell provided he repents (2).

04 We must repent or suffer the consequences (3). Many people feel that the tragedies in their life are not of their own making. But nothing happens to us that is not the result of our own doing. We are only reaping the effects of all that we have sown. Nothing comes about by accident. Instead, all that we are now and are experiencing now are the direct results of all that we have done in the past. And our tomorrow will depend entirely on the things that we do, today. What is not generally known, however, is that we have existed before we were born into this world and we will continue to live after the transition called death (4). And this is what many cannot, as yet, understand and so the truth continues to elude them. But no one can escape the consequences of his actions. We all must repent and sin no more lest a worse fate befall us (5).

05 We need only to take a step towards God, our Father, and He will welcome us with open arms provided we are truly repentant. And God will forgive us and all can be well again. The way is always open to everyone who has come to realize his mistakes and is willing to atone for those mistakes (6).

06 However, it is against the laws of justice and fairness for any person who has caused injury to others to escape his responsibility by simply acknowledging his mistake. All losses must be restored and the debt repaid in full. Justice demands no less (7).

07 These are the crosses we must bear. And we can blame no one but ourselves. These sufferings in life that are our lot may seem quite meaningless to most people. But through these painful experiences, we are able to repay in part for our transgressions. And at the same time, we are able to undergo the very experiences that will enable us to learn the lessons that we need in order to progress.

08 We must take up our cross daily and push forward no matter what the cost, and no matter even if we should lose our earthly life. He who loves the things of this world will surely die; but he who continues to walk in the path of righteousness even at the expense of all such worldly considerations will be able to attain to the true life in heaven. And one measly earth life can never compare to the glory of eternal life.

09 Very few are able to accept these truths. But those few who have obtained insights into the spirit reality find it easier and to their best interest to forego their enjoyment of the pleasures of this life in anticipation of the real treasures waiting for them in heaven (8).

10 These fortunate ones willingly do all they possibly can to effect restitution for their transgressions. They repay all their debts cheerfully and are quick to help out wherever and whenever they can. And no matter the gravity of their sins, because of the innate goodness in their hearts, their sins are forgiven them (9).

11 The Way to God is never easy. The road is strewn with thorns. The journey, extremely difficult. The path, narrow and hard to traverse. And very few are able to find it (10).

12 We need to be fully aware of our true spiritual objectives. And we must always bear them in mind. We cannot pursue both the things of God and the things of the world at the same time in like manner that we cannot manage to stay on top of two horses pulling away from each other and going in opposite directions. We cannot serve both God and money.

13 Nevertheless, while we are still upon this earth, we must be realistic. We have certain material needs. These needs must not be left unattended, but we should not over-emphasize the importance of these needs to the detriment of our spiritual endeavors. Rather, we should find a reasonable balance between them that will enable us to pursue our spiritual goals in the most effective manner and without undue waste of time and effort (11).

14 Let us not labor for the things of this world which can last only for a brief lifetime but, rather, let us work for those spiritual things that will endure for all eternity (12).

15 While we have been given eternal life, God has decreed that we must work in order to earn for ourselves almost everything else. Certainly, God will help and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. But He will leave us to do for ourselves all that we are capable of doing. The ancients said it all along: "God helps those who help themselves but God will not help those who will not help themselves."

16 And the way to best help ourselves is through our helping and serving others. Wherever we may be, however humble our worldly status, no matter what field of endeavor we may be engaged in, we all have an opportunity to be of service to our fellowmen.

17 Where the home is concerned, the father can provide for the family’s material needs and see to the moral upbringing of the whole family. The mother can tend to the needs of her mate and her children. And the children should study and prepare now for future service. In the office, everyone should see to his assigned duties, faithfully, and to the best of his abilities. At work or at play, a kind word and a friendly smile can help a lot. In times of trouble, sympathy and understanding are much needed; these, too, comprise service.

18 The employer should pay just wages, while the employee should render honest work. The executive should further improve his managerial expertise, while the laborer should always be ready to lend a hand. The blind, the handicapped and the aged can help and console one another. The ignorant provide the opportunities whereby the learned may be able to share of their knowledge. And the poor provide the wealthy with the means to serve by giving of their wealth.

19 Those in government service should put the interest of the public over and above their own. Those in business should see to the effective and efficient production and distribution of goods in an earnest desire to be of service to their community; and where possible, they should also contribute what they can to the public welfare. Those into social service should never cease to study the ways whereby they may be able to render greater service to those in need.

20 To everyone, we can give of ourselves. But we need only give of what we have. And in so doing, we will have done well (13). And through our efforts, however modest, we should be able to help others find their own way to God (14).

21 The physical body is sustained by the food we eat and without food, the body will die. However, the spirit indwelling the body has its own needs. The spirit self draws sustenance from doing God’s will and finishing the work that God has given it to do (15). God has given to everyone his own work. It is for each of us to determine for ourselves the nature of this work.

22 In furtherance of the work given to him, Christ gave separate instructions to his disciples to guide them (16, 17). In the world, so-called public servants rule over the people and exercise their authority over them. But in the Kingdom of God, the situation is altogether entirely different. Therefore, those who desire to become great in the Kingdom shall minister to the needs of their brothers. And the greatest among them shall be the servant of all (18).

23 To Christ is given the task of bringing God’s divine love and instruction to all the people in the world. There is so much work to be done and the workers are so few. Many more men and women are needed to help carry on this work of Christ (19).

24 The work is many and varied. There are all the different churches of all faiths, the evangelical groups, the healing missions, the charitable organizations, the social workers, the missionaries and those in the areas of research and education. All who have committed themselves to any of these varied aspects of the work are in the service of God and are co-workers with Christ.

25 In the field of spiritual education alone, there is a great need for all classes of people. We need teachers and counselors to plant the seed of truth and help nurture it. We need students who should undergo special training in the present in order that they may be able to impart what they have learned to others in the future.

26 There is a demand for authors to write books and, necessarily, publishers and printers need to share in this work. Other forms of communication, including radio, television and the Internet, would require the employment of other highly specialized skills and talents. Music also is a very potent force and has to be availed of. In order to reach more people, even those in the entertainment world may be tapped as well.

27 We need managers to oversee the effective execution of the work. We need businessmen to help in providing adequate logistical support to the work. We need lawyers to handle all the legal aspects and accountants and controllers to guarantee the effective utilization of all resources. Various other kinds of workers from the researchers and promotions people to the clerks and typists could render essential support services. There would also be some need for land, vehicles and various office and communication equipment that would inevitably become necessary as the work continues.

28 And since the organizations concerned would not be engaged in business for profit, their continued operation will be largely dependent on the financial support of their sympathizers and friends.

29 All these are needed if we are to heed the call of Christ to feed his sheep, to help provide spiritual guidance to men in the world (20). But make no mistake; we are also doing these things for ourselves. Even in the world, workers are only given wages commensurate to the work that they do. If a worker desires to get promoted to a higher position, first, he has to prove himself worthy of such a promotion. It is the same where the things of heaven are concerned. If we desire for spiritual advancement, we must serve. And we must serve much more than we are actually compensated for. Only then can we have treasure in heaven. Only then can we rise above the level of this world (21).

30 God has given each of us certain duties to perform. And what these duties are, we alone have the right to determine for ourselves. Everyone must search deep within himself to find his answer. To each his own work and every worker will have his own reward. Each one can do so much. Everyone then is expected to give his share (22).

31 But we must be steadfast in our determination to heed God’s call. He who hesitates and allows himself to be distracted by worldly preoccupations is not yet ready to undertake God’s work (23). Wherever feasible and practical, we should gradually withdraw ourselves from active involvement in the affairs of this world in order that we may become free to attend fully to our higher duties towards God and do the work we are called to do (24, 25).

32 However, it is only proper for each of us to study this matter very carefully. We must weigh all the consequences of our decision. It would not be wise for us to commit more than we can expect to deliver. To many of us, there is still so much that we need to do first before we can turn our backs on the things of this world and give preference to the things of heaven. Still, everyone can contribute what little he can to the work and he will be rewarded accordingly (26).

33 One of the important considerations that deter prospective workers with an earnest desire to enter into God’s service is the mistaken notion that those in His service are doomed to suffer a life of abject misery and poverty. This need not be so. This should not be.

34 Inasmuch as they have committed themselves to guide others to the Path as their special service to all of mankind, they are entitled to be compensated justly for their service. "A laborer is worthy of his hire." Still, every worker must make certain that his motives are what they should be. He should work to serve God and not serve in order to gain material advantages.

35 Moreover, every skilled worker must be free to attend to the needs of his craft. In order for him to be proficient at his work, he must study and train incessantly. To these highly motivated workers in Christ, to work for a normal living, as is the way of the world, would be a waste of precious time and effort that could be utilized for much greater purposes. It is only fitting and proper, therefore, that whereas these workers render valuable spiritual services to others, then, the latter should, in their turn, help them with their material needs (27).

36 Among the many who are called, only a few will be able to respond positively. And to these few, the Way will be especially difficult. But they will not be alone. For God will be with them.

37 The Way to the true life is clear. It is through love and service to our fellowmen. And as we continue along this Path, we will inevitably arrive at a greater understanding of these divine principles. And more, we shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make us free (28).

Lesson 5 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

MT 10:26

"There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and hid that shall not be known."
MT 21:28.32

"But what do you say to this? There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

"‘I won’t,’ he answered; but later, he changed his mind and he did go.

"Unaware of his change of mind, the father told the younger, ‘You go.’

"And he said, ‘All right, I will.’ But he didn’t. Which of the two obeyed his father?"

They replied, "The first, of course."

So Jesus told them, "I tell you plainly that evil men and prostitutes will get into the kingdom before you do. For John told you to repent and turn to God and you wouldn’t, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to change your minds and believe him."
LK 13:01.09

At this time, he was informed that Pilate had butchered some Jews from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the temple in Jerusalem. "Do you think they were worse sinners than other men from Galilee?" he asked. "Is that why they suffered? Not at all! But I tell you that unless you repent, you shall also perish. And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, indeed! And unless you turn from evil and repent, all of you shall likewise perish."

Then he spoke this parable. "A man planted a fig tree in his garden and he often looked to see if he could find any fruit in it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘It’s been three years and there hasn’t been a single fig,’ he said. ‘Why wait any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’

"‘Give it one more chance,’ the gardener answered. ‘Wait another year and I’ll see to it personally and put in plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine; if not, I’ll cut it down’"
JN 15:19

"If you were of the world, then the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you."
JN 5:01.14

Later on, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem, by the sheep market, there is a bathing pool. Here, crowds of invalids lay waiting for the stirring of the water. For at intervals, an angel descended into the pool and stirred the water. Whoever got in first after the agitation of the pool became healed, whatever his ailment. One man there had been suffering from an infirmity for thirty-eight years. When Jesus noticed him lying there, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

The invalid replied, "Yes, but I have no one to put me into the pool right after it has been disturbed; each time I make my move, another always gets in ahead of me."

Jesus told him, "Get up, pick up your mat and walk." Instantly, the man was well. And he was able to pick up his mat and start walking.

But all this happened on a Sabbath; and when the Jewish authorities saw the man, they accosted him and said, "This is a Sabbath. It’s illegal for you to carry that sleeping mat!"

"The man who healed me told me to," was his reply.

"Who is this man who told you to do this?" they demanded. But the man couldn’t tell because Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.

But afterwards, Jesus found him in the temple and told him, "Now you are well, but don’t sin again lest a worse thing happen to you."
LK 15:11.24

"There was once a man who had two sons. The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. A few days later, this younger son packed up all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land and there, wasted all his money in reckless living. At about the time that his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. He persuaded a farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the bean pods he was feeding the swine looked good to him. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home, even the hired men have enough and to spare and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, Father I have sinned against both heaven and you and am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me in as a hired hand.’

"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming and was filled with loving pity and ran and embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and you and am not worthy of being called your son.’

"But the father called to his servants, ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Then go and get the prize calf and kill it. We must celebrate with a feast. For my son was dead, but now he has returned to life. He was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began"
MT 5:25.26

"Settle disputes with your adversary, amicably, before it is too late; otherwise, he might drag you into court and the court would hand you over to the authorities to be thrown in jail. I tell you, you won’t be released from there until you have paid the last penny."
MK 8:34.36

"If anyone wants to come after me, he must put aside all his selfish desires, take up his cross and follow me. Whoever saves his life shall surely lose it, but whoever gives up his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel shall find it again. For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world if, in exchange, he loses his eternal soul?"
LK 19:01.10

As Jesus was passing through Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and a wealthy Jew, tried to see who Jesus was; but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree, hoping to get a look at Jesus from there. When Jesus reached that same spot, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name, "Zacchaeus," he said, "come down quickly, for I am to be a guest in your home, today."

Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him heartily. However, the crowds were displeased that Jesus was to be a guest of a notorious sinner. But Zacchaeus paused and said to Jesus, "Lord, I will give half my wealth to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone, which was never my intention, I will give him back four times as much."

Jesus said referring to him, "Today, salvation has come to this house inasmuch as this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Man from Heaven came to seek and save the lost."
MT 7:13.14

"Go in through the narrow gate because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy and there are many who choose to enter therein. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard and only a few people find it."
MT 6:24

"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else, he will support one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
JN 6:27

"Don’t strive for the perishable things of this world but for those things that will endure for all eternity."
LK 11.41

"You only need to give wholeheartedly of the things that you have; it is by being clean inside that the outside becomes clean, as well."
MT 5:16

"Let your light shine before the people so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven."
JN 4:31.34

In the meantime, the disciples were urging Jesus, "Teacher, have something to eat."

But he answered, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

So the disciples started asking each other, "Has anyone brought him food?"

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the One Who sent me and to finish the work He gave me to do."
MT 10

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness and disease. Here are the names of his twelve disciples: Peter and his brother, Andrew; James and his brother, John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew; James, son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; Simon, the patriot and Judas Iscariot.

To these twelve, Jesus gave the following instructions: "Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans but only to the people of Israel — God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, cure the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received. Don’t take any money with you. Don’t even carry a duffel bag with extra clothes and shoes or even a walking stick, for those you help should feed and care for you.

"When you come to a city or village, look for someone who is willing to welcome you and stay with him until you leave that place. And as you enter the house, greet the members of the family as friends; and if the home is deserving, give it your blessing. As you leave any city or home that will not welcome you or hear your words, shake off the dust from your feet. At the Judgment Day, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than them.

"I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as serpents and harmless as doves. But be careful of men. For you will be arrested and tried and whipped in the synagogues. And you must stand trial before governors and kings for my sake. This will give you the opportunity to tell them about me. But when they arrest you, don’t worry about what you are to do or say for you will be given the right words at the proper time. For the words you will speak will not be your own; they will come from the Spirit of your Father Who will be speaking through you.

"Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one city, flee to the next. I will return before you have reached them all.

"No pupil is greater than his teacher; no servant is greater than his master. So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher and a servant like his master. If they have called the head of the house, Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household? But don’t be afraid of them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and every secret will be made known. What I tell you in the dark, you must repeat in broad daylight; and what you have heard in private, you must announce from the rooftops. Don’t be afraid of those who can kill only your bodies but can’t touch your souls. Fear only God Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

"For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows; yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. And even the hair on your head are all numbered. So don’t worry. You are far more valuable to Him than many sparrows.

"If anyone publicly acknowledges me, I will openly acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly rejects me, so will I reject him. Don’t think that I have come to bring peace to the world. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; a man’s worst enemies shall be the members of his own household.

"Whoever loves his father or mother, son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps is not fit to be my disciple. If you cling to life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for my sake, you will save it.

"Those who welcome you are welcoming me. And when they welcome me, they are welcoming God Who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet because he is a man of God will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes good and godly men because of their godliness will share in their reward. And you can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of water to the least of my followers, because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward."
LK 22:35.36

And he said to them, "When I sent you out on your mission without a purse and money, or shoes, did you lack for anything?"

And they said, "Nothing."

Then he told them, "But now, he who has a purse should bring it and money, as well. And he who doesn’t have a sword should sell his garments to buy one."
MK 10:42.45

"As you know, the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people. But in your case, it is different. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be the greatest of all must be the servant of all. For even I, the Man from Heaven, am not here to be served but to help others and to give my life as a ransom for many."
MT 9:37.38

"The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few," he told his disciples. "So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting and ask him to recruit more laborers to help in the work."
JN 21:15.17

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Peter, "Peter, son of John, do you love me more than the others?"

"Yes, Lord," he answered, "you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." But Jesus repeated the question, "Peter, son of John, do you really love me?"

"Yes, Lord," he answered, "you know I am your friend."

Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." And once more, he asked him, "Peter, son of John, are you even my friend?"

Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked the question this third time. "Lord, you know my heart, you know I am," he said.

And Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."
MT 6:19.21

"Don’t waste your time accumulating the fleeting treasures of this earth which can last only for a time and can be stolen, besides. But strive for the true treasures of heaven which cannot be destroyed and which cannot be stolen. For where your treasures are, there your heart will be also."
JN 4:35.38

"You have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest.’ But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested. Already, the reapers receive their wages and gather up the crop of souls to be granted eternal life so that both the sowers and the reapers may rejoice together! For it is true that one sows and someone else reaps."
LK 9:61.62

Another said, "Yes, Lord, I’ll come; but, first, let me go and say goodbye to my family."

But Jesus told him, "Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
LK 9:59.60

To another man, he said, "Follow me."

But the man said, "Lord, first let me go back and bury my father."

Jesus replied, "Let those who are dead in spirit bury their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God."
LK 14:16.27

Jesus replied with a parable: "A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When everything was ready, he sent his servants to notify his invited guests that it was time for them to arrive. But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it and asked to be excused. Another said he had just bought five pairs of oxen and wanted to try them out. Another had just been married and, for that reason, couldn’t come. The servants returned and reported to their master what the intended guests had said.

The master was furious and told them to go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and to invite the beggars, the crippled, the lame and the blind. But even then, there was still room.

"‘Well, then,’ said the master, ‘go out into the country lanes and out behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come so that the house will be full. For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.’"

Then Jesus addressed the milling crowd, "Anyone who wants to be my follower must love me far more than he does his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers or sisters — yes, more than his own life — otherwise, he cannot be my disciple. And no one can be my disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow me."
LK 14:28.33

But, first, conduct a thorough study before you even begin. For who would initiate the construction of a tower without first getting estimates and then checking to see if he has enough money to cover the cost? Otherwise, he might be able to complete only the foundations before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at him. ‘Foolish man,’ they would mock. ‘He started that tower and couldn’t finish it.’ Or what king would even consider going to war without first consulting his advisers and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand men who are marching against him? If it weren’t, then, while the enemy troops are still far away, he would send messengers to negotiate for peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he is willing to relinquish everything he has."
LK 10:07.09

"When you enter a village, don’t move from house to house but stay in one place, eating and drinking whatever is set before you. And don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, for the workman is worthy of his wages. And wherever you may be received, heal the sick; and as you heal them, tell them, The Kingdom of God is very near you now."
JN 8:31.32

"If you adhere to my teaching, you will really be my disciples; and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free."

Lesson 5 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

The way is through prayer and devotion to God.
God never punishes; instead, God teaches.
Despite our persistent and best efforts, we will still continue to commit mistakes.
The way is through the development of psychic powers.
As we sow, so shall we reap.
We are not supposed to undergo suffering in this life.
No matter the gravity of our sins, we can be forgiven.
Our material wealth will be a credit in our favor even in heaven.
We can clear up our liabilities only by paying back the full amount.
Our tomorrow depends entirely on what we do today.
Regardless of what religion we may espouse, the Path remains essentially the same.
We can best help ourselves by helping others.
Some physical needs are very essential and should be attended to first even before some of our spiritual needs.
The way is through love and service.
Those in God’s service are doomed to a life of abject misery and poverty.
We can ask someone else to carry our cross for us.
The way to God is easy when you know how.
The way can be easier when you know what to do.
Every little contribution helps in the total effort.
Apart from life and our innate capabilities, we must work to gain for ourselves almost everything else.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ‘I won’t,’ he answered; but later, he _________ _____ ______ and he _____ ____. Unaware of his change of mind, the father told the younger, ‘You go.’ And he said, ‘All right, I will.’ But he ________. Which of the two obeyed his father?" They replied, "The _______, of course." So Jesus told them, "I tell you plainly that ______ _____ and _____________ will get into the kingdom before you do" (MT 21).
"For what good is it for a man to ______ the whole world if, in exchange, he _______ his eternal soul?" (MK 8).
"As you know, the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people. But in your case, it is different. Whoever wants to be great among you must be ______ _________. And whoever wants to be the greatest of all must be _____ _________ ____ _____" (MK 10).
To another man, he said, "Follow me." But the man said, "Lord, first let me go back and bury my father." Jesus replied, "Let _______ _____ _____ ______ ____ ________ bury their own dead. Your duty is to go and ________ _____ ________ ____ _____ _________ ____ _____" (LK 9).
It doesn’t really matter that we have sinned or that we ______ ______________ divine laws because everyone ______ and continues to _____, ____ _____ being perfect (Text).
"Settle disputes with your adversary, amicably, before it is too late; otherwise, he might drag you into court and the court would hand you over to the authorities to be thrown in jail. I tell you, you won’t be released from there until you ______ ______ _____ ______ _______" (MT 5).
"No man can serve _____ masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else, he will support one and despise the other. You cannot serve ______ God and money" (MT 6).
"The harvest is so great but _____ _________ _____ ____ _____" (MT 9).
"Don’t take any money with you. Don’t even carry a duffel bag with extra clothes and shoes or even a walking stick, for those you help should ______ _____ ______ _____ _____" (MT 10).
The Way to God is _______ ______. The road is strewn with ________. The journey, extremely ___________. The path, ________ and ______ to traverse. And ______ _____ are able to find it (Text).
"If anyone wants to come after me, he must _____ _______ _____ _____ _________ _________, ______ ____ _____ _______ and ________ ____" (MK 8).
"I have food to eat that you know nothing about. My food is ____ ____ _____ ______ ____ _____ _____ _____ ______ ____ and ____ ________ _____ ______ ____ ______ ____ ____ ____" (JN 4).
"Don’t waste your time accumulating _____ __________ ___________ ____ ______ _______ which can last only for a time and can be stolen, besides. But strive for _____ ______ ___________ ____ ________ which cannot be destroyed and which cannot be stolen" (MT 6).
"____ you adhere to my teaching, you will really be my disciples; and you shall know _____ _______ and _____ _______ shall make you free" (JN 8).
The Way to the true life is clear. It is through ______ and _________ ____ _____ ___________ (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

In this life, we should divide our time equally between our material and spiritual pursuits.
Love implies a ready willingness on our part to suffer in the place of another.
Our material or physical desires very often run counter to our spiritual needs.
Each person needs to do his own share in God’s work.
In striving to be good, we shouldn’t push ourselves to our limits.
Far better than to give a man fish is to teach him how to fish.
In this life, hardships cannot be avoided.
Since we cannot avoid misfortunes, our life being mostly predestined, we may as well conserve our efforts at preventing such occurrences.
So long as we are able to render the greater services, we may dispense with the lesser ones.
What we owe one, we can repay to another.

Lesson 5 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

The way is through prayer and devotion to God. FALSE. To the enlightened, the only Way is through righteousness and service to our fellowmen. Also review Sol 3.C.4.
God never punishes; instead, God teaches. TRUE. God never intended to punish us for our mistakes. He understands that we will be committing many mistakes because of our ignorance and inexperience. However, in order to teach us, He allows us to suffer the consequences of our every thought and deed. Eventually, we will much prefer not to commit mistakes in order not to experience their consequences.
Despite our persistent and best efforts, we will still continue to commit mistakes. TRUE. On the road to perfection, there are many mistakes to be made.
The way is through the development of psychic powers. FALSE. Review Sol 3.C.10.
As we sow, so shall we reap. TRUE. See Par 5:04. In the Eastern religions, this corresponds to the Law of Karma.
We are not supposed to undergo suffering in this life. FALSE. See Par 5:04,06.07 and Sol 5.C.2.3,7. There will be more on this in Lesson 6.
No matter the gravity of our sins, we can be forgiven. TRUE. See Par 5:10. No one will be committed to suffer forever in hell.
Our material wealth will be a credit in our favor even in heaven. FALSE. Beyond earth, material wealth has no value, whatsoever. Instead, what will matter is how we made use of all that were entrusted to us, whether we used them for good or for bad.
We can clear up our liabilities only by paying back the full amount. TRUE. This is how God is just, through the application of the law of sowing and reaping or the Law of Karma. See Par 5:06.07,10.
Our tomorrow depends entirely on what we do today. TRUE. Our fate is in our hands. We can only reap what we have sown. See Par 5:04.
Regardless of what religion we may espouse, the Path remains essentially the same. TRUE. There is no other Way to God but love and service to our fellowmen. This is what Christ symbolizes.
We can best help ourselves by helping others. TRUE. Not being the one in distress, we are able to see things more clearly and think and act dispassionately. Consequently, we are able to learn the most that we can from the experience. Further, we are parts of a whole. What benefits any part also benefits all the other parts by extension. See also Par 5:16.20.
Some physical needs are very essential and should be attended to first even before some of our spiritual needs. TRUE. We have to be practical. See Par 5:13 and Sol 5.C.1.
The way is through love and service. TRUE. There is no other Way to God. This is what Jesus Christ is teaching. See Par 5:37.
Those in God’s service are doomed to a life of abject misery and poverty. FALSE. While this may be possible, it is not necessarily true. See Par 5:33.35.
We can ask someone else to carry our cross for us. FALSE. This is against the principles of personal responsibility and divine justice. See Par 5:06.08 and Ver 5:07.
The way to God is easy when you know how. FALSE. The contrary is expressly stated in Par 5:11.
The way can be easier when you know what to do. TRUE. Because you are clear as to your direction in life, the way can be less difficult although certainly not easy. Especially to those on the Higher Path of learning, the lessons are particularly hard.
Every little contribution helps in the total effort. TRUE. Of course.
Apart from life and our innate capabilities, we must work to gain for ourselves almost everything else. TRUE. God endowed us with eternal life and the potential to become perfect, as He, our Father, is perfect. However, we are required to exert our own efforts in order to develop all of these potentialities and work to gain all that we want in life.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ‘I won’t,’ he answered; but later, he changed his mind and he did go. Unaware of his change of mind, the father told the younger, ‘You go.’ And he said, ‘All right, I will.’ But he didn’t. Which of the two obeyed his father?" They replied, "The first, of course." So Jesus told them, "I tell you plainly that evil men and prostitutes will get into the kingdom before you do" (MT 21).
"For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world if, in exchange, he loses his eternal soul?" (MK 8).
"As you know, the kings and great men of the earth lord it over the people. But in your case, it is different. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be the greatest of all must be the servant of all" (MK 10).
To another man, he said, "Follow me." But the man said, "Lord, first let me go back and bury my father." Jesus replied, "Let those who are dead in spirit bury their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God" (LK 9).
It doesn’t really matter that we have sinned or that we have transgressed divine laws because everyone sins and continues to sin, no one being perfect (Text).
"Settle disputes with your adversary, amicably, before it is too late; otherwise, he might drag you into court and the court would hand you over to the authorities to be thrown in jail. I tell you, you won’t be released from there until you have paid the last penny" (MT 5).
"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else, he will support one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money" (MT 6).
"The harvest is so great but the workers are so few" (MT 9).
"Don’t take any money with you. Don’t even carry a duffel bag with extra clothes and shoes or even a walking stick, for those you help should feed and care for you" (MT 10).
The Way to God is never easy. The road is strewn with thorns. The journey, extremely difficult. The path, narrow and hard to traverse. And very few are able to find it (Text).
"If anyone wants to come after me, he must put aside all his selfish desires, take up his cross and follow me" (MK 8).
"I have food to eat that you know nothing about. My food is to do the will of the One Who sent me and to finish the work He gave me to do" (JN 4).
"Don’t waste your time accumulating the fleeting treasures of this earth which can last only for a time and can be stolen, besides. But strive for the true treasures of heaven which cannot be destroyed and which cannot be stolen" (MT 6).
"If you adhere to my teaching, you will really be my disciples; and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free" (JN 8).
The Way to the true life is clear. It is through love and service to our fellowmen (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

In this life, we should divide our time equally between our material and spiritual pursuits. DISAGREE. "Equally" here is an inappropriate word. Here, our objective is the effective and efficient use of our time. Necessarily, we will be devoting more of our time to one rather than the other depending on specific circumstances. The physical body is only a vehicle which is utilized by the spirit entity in like manner that we, as physical beings, make use of a car. A car would need gas, oil and other necessities, but we certainly can do without many of the accessories. Similarly, our physical needs should be attended to, but we can and we should forego all other activities and things which are not really necessary so that we can have more time to devote to our spiritual pursuits.
Love implies a ready willingness on our part to suffer in the place of another. DISAGREE. We cannot pay for someone else’s debts. Each one of us must pay his own. Moreover, experiences, especially those that are painful, provide learning. And when we deny someone the opportunity to undergo important learning experiences, we are actually stunting his growth such that he will not be able to develop as much or as fast as he should. Therefore, everyone should be allowed to live his own life and undergo his own painful experiences.
Our material or physical desires very often run counter to our spiritual needs. AGREE. Man on earth desires wealth, comfort, luxury, good health and he certainly doesn’t want to die. But these conditions breed and abet weakness, complacency and stagnation. On the other hand, poverty, suffering and ill health provide the best opportunities for learning very valuable lessons needed by the spirit self — while death frees us from the bonds of earth, enabling us to return home to God.
Each person needs to do his own share in God’s work. AGREE. We are as members and parts of the one body of God. To use the physical body as an illustrative example, the eye does not hear or the ear, speak, but each organ or part of the body has its own particular function. So do we as individual members of God’s body have our own specific and distinct work to do that contributes to the success of the total effort.
In striving to be good, we shouldn’t push ourselves to our limits. AGREE. It is not advisable to go to either extreme. We should be balanced in all things. The practical way is to take the middle way in all matters. Provided we are pointed in the right direction, we don’t have to be straight arrows or try so very hard to be good, just as long as we aren’t so bad, either, or too lax. This is also the central teaching of Buddhism.
Far better than to give a man fish is to teach him how to fish. AGREE. Everyone must learn to do things for himself. We should strive to be independent and self-reliant. Ignorance is not being perfect, and non-reciprocal dependence on others is parasitical. And we are supposed to grow perfect in every aspect of being.
In this life, hardships cannot be avoided. AGREE. All experiences, even hardships, provide learning and will eventually bring us forward in our development. In fact, in a sense, without hardships, many things cannot be learned. Hence, hardships will always be a part of our lives no matter how hard we may try to avoid them.
Since we cannot avoid misfortunes, our life being mostly predestined, we may as well conserve our efforts at preventing such occurrences. DISAGREE. It is true that the major circumstances and situations we will encounter in our present earth life have been largely predetermined based on our actual spiritual needs. These are the lessons we need to learn. However, we don’t know that such imminent circumstances and situations are, in fact, the ones planned for us; therefore, we still must do everything that we can do to avoid needless harm. We should exert every effort. But we should accept as God’s will whatever the outcome may be.
So long as we are able to render the greater services, we may dispense with the lesser ones. DISAGREE. There are no greater or lesser in the eyes of God but all have equal value. Little things are big things. We should attend to all, equally, and to the best of our abilities.
What we owe one, we can repay to another. AGREE. We are, all of us, parts of the One God. What we owe to a part, we owe to the whole. When we pay to any other part, we repay the whole, and we discharge the debt. The principle of offset can be applied here. However, the original creditor will himself be repaid in full but, in this instance, no longer by the same debtor.

Lesson 6 -- Christ on Practical Living

2006-10-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

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LOOKING OVER THE CONDITIONS obtaining all over the world, we see, unless we are blind, that the wicked prevail over the just. Injustice is the rule rather than the exception. The crooked get the money, the girls and everything besides. Everywhere, there is hunger and want, pain and misery. In addition, we see the travails of the righteous, how they suffer. Honesty pays no dividends and the principled end up penniless and friendless in the end. It is no wonder then that many people find it ridiculous and clearly against their own self-interest to live according to God’s teachings of selfless love and righteousness.

02 Worldly men who assess life based exclusively on earthly considerations cannot but inevitably arrive at these sad conclusions. However, if we can only be more open to spiritual realities, we would be able to judge more accurately concerning life.

03 The man of the world considers only the things of this world, those that he can see and touch. He believes that he is his physical body; and, therefore, he thinks that whatever happens to it, happens to him. He believes only in this life. He lives this life to the fullest, thinking that with death, everything ends. He is so entranced with the things in the world, too preoccupied even to consider that there could be something more to life. Not being able to see beyond the world around him, he pursues only his own physical needs and desires.

04 However, the truly spiritual person is deeply aware of spiritual realities. He understands his real nature. He looks forward to the life that is to come. He knows he will live on even though his body may die. He has obtained to some understanding of the conditions of life in the hereafter and is fully cognizant of the meaning and purpose of life on earth.

05 Consequently, he gives emphasis where emphasis is due. He focuses on his true spiritual objectives. Similarly, we, too, should prefer the things of the spirit. We should strive for righteousness first in order to gain everything else (1, 2, 3).

06 Experience is the best teacher. And in order to progress, we need to undergo all the necessary experiences. Consequently, in this world, we shall, all of us, experience trials and tribulations. However, we should look at life in a more positive light. We should see these trials and tribulations, not as the world sees them, but as they really are. In fact, these experiences are the special opportunities given to each of us in order that we may advance in our development.

07 Even so, life can be really hard. Therefore, we should strive to learn the ways whereby we could wade through life’s many difficulties wisely and effectively. Those who have attained to some enlightenment have evolved a better approach to life. Based on their own analysis of actual conditions, they have found that the spiritual way is the more practical way of life.

08 God loves all of His children. He knows everything about them and He is aware of their every need. And to Him, nothing is impossible. Therefore, we need not worry about anything at all. We need only to put our faith and trust in Him. He will never allow us to come to any harm (4, 5).

09 God created the world and everything in it. Because He loves us, He desires only what is best for us. Consider the whole of the Universe. In it, there is order; there is total harmony. God is fully in control of every situation. All things are proceeding according to His Divine Plan.

10 Everything comes from God. However, because of sin and ignorance, man is unable to comprehend God’s divine plan. First, man must strive to free himself from sin and advance towards righteousness before he can begin to understand God’s divine ways. But there is always a valid reason behind everything that happens. There is no accident in the Universe. It is for each of us to fathom the reasons, why (6).

11 Being young and ignorant, we don’t know what we really need, but God knows. He sends us only the trials He knows we can handle. He sends us no problems that we do not have the capacity to solve. No one is given more than he can cope with. No one is tested beyond his own limits. All these tribulations are sent our way in order that they may be overcome (7, 8).

12 Such is the true nature of this world. While the people of the world continue in pursuit of elusive and temporary earthly pleasures, the spiritually wise realize that, quite the contrary, it is the pain and misery that afford us so much spiritual benefit. The enlightened ones have learned the hard way, from their own personal experiences. They know now that many things should not be changed. This knowledge enables them to accept life’s harsh realities.

13 And because they understand better than others, they are able to simply let things be as they are. Where nothing more can be done, they are able to let go by surrendering everything to God. And, calmly and patiently, they are able to endure every hardship, confident in the knowledge that even these must all pass away (9, 10, 11).

14 They fully realize that God is a good Father to His children. Being all knowing, all just and all-powerful, He sends us only the very best, everytime. He provides for everything that is needed. He gives to all who ask and even to those who don’t ask. All these He does, because He loves us and He loves us all equally (12).

15 In the course of our development, we must pass through every stage of learning. We cannot turn spiritual without fully comprehending the principles governing material existence. First, we must learn all the lessons of this world. And only then can we move on to the more advanced and spiritual lessons. We should, therefore, not be too concerned with haste; instead, we should be more thorough and strive to be fully knowledgeable concerning each phase of life before leaving it and moving on to the next.

16 The move to the spiritual should never be as an escape from one’s difficulties. Rather, it should be because one has actually outgrown one’s desire for material or physical things. It should come about as a natural progression, physical existence having ceased to provide any further and meaningful challenges, it having been thoroughly learned and mastered.

17 Nevertheless, while we are yet in the world, we should strive for practicality in all things. We should lean towards the spiritual but we should not neglect our other needs. Still, we should not be so attached to physical things; instead, we should strive to be desireless where they are concerned (13, 14).

18 We should be reasonable and understanding concerning our efforts. While we are imprisoned in the flesh body, we are helplessly vulnerable in so many ways. The poor steal just to eat. Prostitutes sell themselves to survive. Businessmen corrupt to remain in business. The needy and the desperate lie and cheat to keep their jobs and submit to every evil whim of their superiors. The weak are compelled to disavow their principles. And protagonists kill so as not to die.

19 These are just some of the many things we do that we would not even think of doing, were we not, otherwise, so constrained. The flesh is weak. We must, therefore, learn to be more gentle and lenient with ourselves. Provided we sincerely desire to do what is right, the way back to God will be revealed to us (15, 16, 17).

20 The levels of righteousness to which we must attain before we can enter heaven have already been laid down. However, we don’t and we can’t attain to these high standards, immediately. "Rome was not built in a day." And to spirit beings, time is eternal. "A thousand years is as one day to the Lord," according to Peter. We can, therefore, make haste, slowly and easily, in patience, but with determination. It is enough, for now, that we point ourselves in the direction of divine righteousness and everything else will follow in good time.

21 Many people are out to reform the world. In the first place, as has already been pointed out, many things should not be changed. Instead, we need only to understand, to learn. Moreover, in reality, no one can change anyone else. Rather, we should reform ourselves so that by our example, we may encourage others to reform themselves. In effecting changes, therefore, we should begin with self.

22 Regarding some things, there is so much that we can do; but concerning many others, we can do nothing. We should learn the difference between the two. Rather than spend our time and efforts fruitlessly on matters which do not really concern us and which we cannot help resolve in the very least, we should concentrate our energies on those matters wherein we can be of some help. In so doing, we will have minimized our exertions and we shall be able to conserve our strength for use where it can do the most good.

23 They also serve who only stand and wait. Much of life is study and preparation. Before anyone can serve effectively, one must first learn the ways. To prepare for future and greater service is a very worthwhile and ceaseless endeavor. And when one is ready to serve, he will always be given the opportunity to do so.

24 Everyday affords a new beginning. However grave our past failings, it is counter-productive for us to feel guilty when all we need to do is to fare better each time around. Certainly, we should be guided by our past mistakes, but we should not allow ourselves to be held down by them. Instead, we should be more aware of the many opportunities provided us daily. We should not dwell on our past failures, or even on our past successes. Neither should we worry needlessly about the future. Instead, we should focus on what we can and should do today, now (18).

25 Everyday brings its special opportunities to everyone. There is always something to learn. There is always some quality to further develop. Were it not so, we would not be here. On the road to perfection, much remains to be done. Therefore, no one should ever be content.

26 Everyday provides new insights into life. Provided we are open, our faults and weaknesses will be revealed to us. If we are sincere in our desire to pursue the path of righteousness, then we should be able to realize our shortcomings.

27 Daily, the opportunities are there for us to learn and practice selflessness, acceptance, forgiveness, understanding and love. We are given the opportunities to repent of our sins and mend our ways. We are provided the means whereby we can fare better than before. If we are alert, we should be able to recognize the possibilities for rendering service to others. And in the process, we should continue to learn and develop necessary skills and talents.

28 We should not so much mind the hardships and troubles because they will always be with us. Instead, we should keep to the positive. We should ever be alert to our daily lessons and opportunities. And let us avail of them as much as we can. These are the good things our Father continually provides for us. And in time, provided we persist, we shall be able to attain to the perfection, which is the destiny of all men.

Lesson 6 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

LK 16:13

"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else, he will support one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
LK 10:38.42

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister Mary sat on the floor, listening to Jesus as he talked. But Martha was so busy with the big dinner that she was preparing; and surveying all the work that still had to be done, she approached Jesus and said, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!"

The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You are anxious and upset over so many things. There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary realizes this; and I won’t deny it to her."
MT 6:33

"But first, seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall simply be added to you."
MT 10:29.31

"For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows; yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. And even the hair on your head are all numbered. So don’t worry. You are far more valuable to Him than many sparrows."
MT 6:25.32

"Don’t be anxious about life. Don’t worry about food, drink, or clothes. After all, isn’t life worth more than mere food? And isn’t the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds! They don’t plant seeds; neither do they reap nor store up grain. And yet, your Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they are? Furthermore, will all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothes? Observe how the lilies of the field grow and thrive without having to work at all. And yet, I tell you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was never arrayed as magnificently as one of these. And if God so adorns the grass in the field that lives only for a day and is quickly gone tomorrow, will he not more surely clothe you? How little is your faith! Therefore, don’t worry about what you will eat or drink, or even what you will wear because your Father in heaven already knows all that you need."
JN 19:11

"You would have no power at all over me unless it is given to you from above."
JN 12:08

"You will always have the poor with you..."
MT 24:04.13

"Be careful and don’t let anyone fool you. For many will come claiming to be the Christ and will lead many astray. When you hear of wars beginning, don’t be so disturbed because they must come; but the end is not yet. The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But all these will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. Then you will be persecuted and killed and hated by all the world because you are mine, and many of you will fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those who endure to the end shall be saved."
LK 6:30

"Give to all who ask; and when things are taken away from you, don’t even try to get them back."
MK 14:34.36

"The sorrow in my heart is so great that it is almost unbearable; stay here and keep watch." He went a little farther on, fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering. "Father," he prayed, "my Father! All things are possible to You. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Even so, not what I want but what You want."
JN 18:11

"Put away your sword. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
MT 7:07.11

"Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Anyone who seeks, finds. And if you will only knock, the door will open. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a poisonous snake if he should ask for fish? Of course, not! As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
MK 10:17.25

Once, a man came running to Jesus and asked him, "Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

And Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? There is only One Who is really good — and that is God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not kill; do not steal; don’t lie; don’t cheat; honor your father and mother."

"Teacher," the man said, "ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments."

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack one thing," he told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me." When the man heard this, he went away sad because he was very rich.

Jesus watched him go, then turned around and said to his disciples, "It is extremely hard for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God." This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: "How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
LK 20:21.25

The spies sent to entrap Jesus asked him, "Sir, we know what an honest Teacher you are. You favor no one but teach plainly the ways of God. Now tell us — is it right to pay taxes to the Romans or not?"

Perceiving their craftiness, he said to them, "Show me a coin. Whose name and image are on it?"

They replied, "Caesar’s."

And he said to them, "Well then, give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God."
MT 26:41

"Be vigilant and pray that you do not succumb to temptation. The spirit may indeed be willing, but the flesh is weak."
MT 26:31.35

"Tonight, you will all desert me. For it is written in the Scriptures that God will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. After I have risen back to life, I will go to Galilee and meet you there."

Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I won’t."

Jesus told him, "The truth is that this very night, before the cock crows at dawn, you will have denied me three times!"

Peter answered, "I will never deny you even if I have to die with you." And all the other disciples vowed to do the same.
MT 26:69.75

Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting in the courtyard, one of the servant girls came to him and said, "You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee."

But Peter denied it loudly. "I don’t know what you are talking about," he declared angrily.

Later, out by the gate, another girl noticed him and said to the men there, "He was with Jesus of Nazareth."

Again Peter denied it, this time, with an oath. "I don’t even know the man," he said.

But after a while, the men who had been standing there came over to him and said, "Surely, you are one of them, for you speak with the same Galilean accent."

Peter began to curse and swear. "I don’t know the man," he said. And immediately, the cock crowed. Then, Peter remembered what Jesus had said, "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
MT 6:34

"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow’s needs shall be met even as tomorrow comes. Life is difficult enough as it is without our having to complicate it further. Therefore, it is sufficient that we resolve our problems as they arise and live one day at a time."

Lesson 6 -- Exercises

2006-10-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Mistakes cannot be avoided but they can be minimized.
We will always have the opportunities to further develop ourselves.
Failure is actually a stepping stone to eventual success.
He whom God loves, He chastens.
One earth life is only a tiny fragment of eternal life.
In the world, injustice is more the rule rather than the exception.
God considers the needs of the soul more than the needs of the body.
God is fully in control of every situation.
God doesn’t know what we need; we need to keep on telling Him, everytime.
While we are still constrained by the flesh body, we really are unable to do all that we should do.
Each success is only a prelude to even greater success.
God doesn’t hear so well; we should repeat the same prayers over and over again.
Every new day always brings new opportunities for spiritual progress.
Tribulations are actually valuable opportunities for spiritual growth.
The spiritual way is not a practical way of life.
Righteousness is love in action.
Those who have more in life are fortunate; they can advance faster, spiritually.
We are responsible only for our efforts; the results are all up to God.
We should never hurry unduly but we should proceed through life at our own pace.
All that happens is according to God’s divine plan.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows; yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father _________ ____. And even the hair on your head are _____ __________. So don’t worry. You are _____ ______ __________ to Him than many sparrows" (MT 10).
"You will ________ have the poor with you" (JN 12).
"As bad as you are, you know how to give ______ ________ to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give ______ ________ to those who ask Him!" (MT 7).
"So don’t worry about __________, for ____________ needs shall be met even as __________ comes. Life is difficult enough as it is without our having to complicate it further. Therefore, it is sufficient that we resolve our problems ____ ______ _______ and live _____ _____ ____ ___ ______" (MT 6).
First, man must strive to free himself from _____ and advance towards _______________ before he can begin to understand God’s divine ways (Text).
"Don’t be anxious about ______. Don’t worry about ______, _______ ____ _________. After all, isn’t ______ worth more than mere food? And isn’t the ______ more important than clothes?" (MT 6).
"When you hear of wars beginning, don’t be so disturbed because they ______ come" (MT 24).
"Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and give to _____ what belongs to _____" (LK 20).
The man of the world considers only the things of this world, those that he can _____ and _______ (Text).
In the course of our development, we must pass through _______ _______ ____ __________. We cannot turn spiritual without fully comprehending _____ ____________ ___________ __________ ___________. First, we must learn _____ the lessons of this world (Text).
"You would have no power at all over me unless ____ ____ _______ ____ _____ ______ _______" (JN 19).
"Father," he prayed, "my Father! All things are possible to You. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Even so, not ______ ___ ______ but ______ _____ ______" (MK 14).
"Be __________ and pray that you do not succumb to temptation. The spirit may indeed be _________, but _____ _______ ____ ______" (MT 26).
____________ is the best teacher. We should see these trials and tribulations, not as the world sees them, but ____ ______ ________ _____. In fact, these experiences are _____ _________ _______________ given to each of us in order that we may advance in our development (Text).
___ __________ _______ is as one day to the Lord (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

Opportunities for progress are always readily available.
God provides for all our physical needs.
The physical body and the soul being inseparable, what happens to one happens also to the other.
Perfection can be attained in one lifetime.
If we follow after the Lord, He will not allow us to suffer.
The shortest way to God is to pass up earthly preoccupations and concentrate on the more spiritual side of life.
Doing nothing is doing something.
If we pray hard enough for peace, believing, we will never have war.
Many have been healed because of their faith.
We should always depend on God’s providence.

Lesson 6 -- Solutions

2006-10-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

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Set A: (2 points per item)

Mistakes cannot be avoided but they can be minimized. TRUE. Being imperfect, we will all continue to commit mistakes. However, as we apply what we learn from our experiences, our mistakes can be greatly lessened.
We will always have the opportunities to further develop ourselves. TRUE. But see Sol 6.C.1.
Failure is actually a stepping stone to eventual success. TRUE. What we learn from our every failure will help us to succeed later on.
He whom God loves, He chastens. TRUE. He chastens and teaches us in order that we may become more like Him.
One earth life is only a tiny fragment of eternal life. TRUE. Self-explanatory. Actually, there are many such fragments, many earth lives.
In the world, injustice is more the rule rather than the exception. TRUE. If the result of only one earth life is considered, the answer is true. However, with the application of the Doctrine of Reincarnation and the Law of Karma (sowing and reaping), absolute justice is assured after a sufficient number of earthly lives.
God considers the needs of the soul more than the needs of the body. TRUE. See Sol 6.C.2.3.
God is fully in control of every situation. TRUE. See Par 6:09.
God doesn’t know what we need; we need to keep on telling Him, everytime. FALSE. See Par 6:08.11.
While we are still constrained by the flesh body, we really are unable to do all that we should do. TRUE. See Par 6:18.19.
Each success is only a prelude to even greater success. TRUE. On the road to perfection, there is infinite progress and many successes await. We will attain to more and greater successes.
God doesn’t hear so well; we should repeat the same prayers over and over again. FALSE. See Par 6:08.11. God already knows what we need without our having to tell Him.
Every new day always brings new opportunities for spiritual progress. TRUE. See Par 6:24.28.
Tribulations are actually valuable opportunities for spiritual growth. TRUE. See Par 6:11.
The spiritual way is not a practical way of life. FALSE. Review the whole lesson.
Righteousness is love in action. TRUE. This is how righteousness is defined in the ‘Desiderata’ found in St. Paul’s Church.
Those who have more in life are fortunate; they can advance faster, spiritually. FALSE. In essence, we should regard all seemingly adverse circumstances and situations as aids to learning the lessons that we spirit beings need to learn. In effect, the less we have and the more we suffer, the more we are able to learn the difficult lessons of life. See also Sol 6.C.2.3,5,8.9.
We are responsible only for our efforts; the results are all up to God. TRUE. In the world, our performance is evaluated based on the results we are able to achieve. It is a little different where the things of heaven are concerned. Instead, God looks mainly at our motives and the efforts that we exert, and not so much at results because there are so many other factors influencing the outcome that are beyond our control and for which, we cannot be held responsible.
We should never hurry unduly but we should proceed through life at our own pace. TRUE. We have all of eternity to do our thing. What is more important is that we are thorough and effective in learning our lessons.
All that happens is according to God’s divine plan. TRUE. See Par 6:09.12.

Set B: (2 points per item)

"For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows; yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. And even the hair on your head are all numbered. So don’t worry. You are far more valuable to Him than many sparrows" (MT 10).
"You will always have the poor with you" (JN 12).
"As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (MT 7).
"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow’s needs shall be met even as tomorrow comes. Life is difficult enough as it is without our having to complicate it further. Therefore, it is sufficient that we resolve our problems as they arise and live one day at a time" (MT 6).
First, man must strive to free himself from sin and advance towards righteousness before he can begin to understand God’s divine ways (Text).
"Don’t be anxious about life. Don’t worry about food, drink or clothes. After all, isn’t life worth more than mere food? And isn’t the body more important than clothes?" (MT 6).
"When you hear of wars beginning, don’t be so disturbed because they must come" (MT 24).
"Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God" (LK 20).
The man of the world considers only the things of this world, those that he can see and touch (Text).
In the course of our development, we must pass through every stage of learning. We cannot turn spiritual without fully comprehending the principles governing material existence. First, we must learn all the lessons of this world (Text).
"You would have no power at all over me unless it is given to you from above" (JN 19).
"Father," he prayed, "my Father! All things are possible to You. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Even so, not what I want but what You want" (MK 14).
"Be vigilant and pray that you do not succumb to temptation. The spirit may indeed be willing, but the flesh is weak" (MT 26).
Experience is the best teacher. We should see these trials and tribulations, not as the world sees them, but as they really are. In fact, these experiences are the special opportunities given to each of us in order that we may advance in our development (Text).
A thousand years is as one day to the Lord (Text).

Set C: (3 points per item)

Opportunities for progress are always readily available. DISAGREE. Such opportunities as those that are available on earth are terminated at death because without our physical vehicle of flesh, we can no longer manifest or otherwise continue to study in this world of matter. Likewise, the exact-same circumstance or situation will not repeat itself. Further, since a thousand earth years is just as one day in spirit time, it could take a long, long time before a similar opportunity to move ahead becomes available. Hence, it would be wise for us to avail of every opportunity that comes our way.
God provides for all our physical needs. DISAGREE. God provides for every spiritual need. The physical needs are only of minor importance and are provided for only if such provisionings are in consonance with the primary spiritual needs. Most often, however, the needs of the body are in conflict with the needs of the spirit self. And when this is the case, then such physical needs will be ignored and not be provided for.
The physical body and the soul being inseparable, what happens to one happens also to the other. DISAGREE. In the first place, the body and the soul are really distinct and separate from each other. And as to the effect of certain stimuli on these two, trials and tribulations tax the body but strengthen the eternal spirit-soul. Poverty and want deprive the body of all those things that it desires; but as a consequence, the spirit within learns and develops the all-important spiritual qualities or virtues. And finally, death terminates the existence of the body but releases the hitherto imprisoned spirit being which is automatically reborn into the greater world.
Perfection can be attained in one lifetime. DISAGREE. Obviously not, because there is far too much to be learned and developed than is possible within a short span of earthly existence. Development will have to continue even after the end of our present lifetime. We will need to live again and again until we are able to completely learn all the lessons of this earth. This is the concept of Reincarnation or repeated lives.

Many esoteric sources including some old Catholic writings that trace the evolution of the Catechism attest that Reincarnation, along with Karma, was taught by Jesus.

However, in subsequent councils called to settle doctrinal questions, the early Church Fathers, for reasons of their own, voted to disauthorize this important teaching. All references to Reincarnation were then expunged from the sacred books and this doctrine was henceforth suppressed and regarded as heretic.

Nevertheless, many veiled allusions to the Doctrine of Reincarnation have survived the rewriting of the Scriptures. In the Gospels, they can be seen in the references to Elijah returning as John the Baptist (JN 1:19.28, MT 11:7.15, MT 17:10.13), to Jesus before he came to be born as Jesus (MT 16:13.14) and to Jesus coming again. Jesus, himself, said, "You must be born again." There is also the reference to a sin committed in a past life (JN 9:01.02) as the reason why a man came to be born blind. Many other passages do not make practical sense if Reincarnation is not taken in its context (JN 4:24 - God is a Spirit, JN 10:34 - You are gods, MT 5:48 - You must be perfect).
If we follow after the Lord, He will not allow us to suffer. DISAGREE. Quite the contrary, those whom God loves, He chastens, but always, for their own good. Certain difficult lessons are best learned through the experiencing of pain and suffering. It is also true that the more we suffer, the more we learn. But how wonderful it will be for us after we have completed our earthly education.
The shortest way to God is to pass up earthly preoccupations and concentrate on the more spiritual side of life. DISAGREE. Earthly subjects are prerequisites to the study of spiritual subjects. We must learn all the lessons of this world. If we pass up a certain activity or learning opportunity, we won’t know what it is about and we won’t be enabled to comprehend more advanced studies. So instead, we need to learn and master earthly conditions and situations before we may leave them behind us. Then, sufficiently evolved and freed from material influences, we can more effectively take on the more spiritual aspects of our being.
Doing nothing is doing something. AGREE. In many instances, we may find ourselves unable to decide on a clear course of action. And experience will tell us that because we acted in haste, many times, we did more harm than good simply because we reacted to a particular situation when we shouldn’t have. Whenever in doubt then, provided there is time enough before a reaction is deemed necessary, we should let the dust settle, so to speak. Let us think on the problem. A little forethought always provides important clarifications that make for more effective action. In any case, continuous practice brings proficiency. And only after we are clear on the matter will we really be able to decide correctly whether to react and do something or to leave things as they are and do nothing at all.
If we pray hard enough for peace, believing, we will never have war. DISAGREE. War must be because of its educational value. However, the unenlightened are enjoined to devote time to prayer, just so that, for at least a few moments of their day, they are able to think of God, instead of devoting the whole of their time to unimportant worldly preoccupations. But those of us who are students on the Path of Truth are called to do acts of righteousness despite all adverse conditions and regardless of results.
Many have been healed because of their faith. DISAGREE. Faith really has nothing to do with our being healed or not, but is a convenient excuse or explanation for those who are not as yet expected to be able to understand the higher teachings. An ailment is in itself only a learning experience. Therefore, a person is healed soon after the lesson necessitating such a diseased condition has already been learned. And so now, on to other lessons and other circumstances, conditions and situations.
We should always depend on God’s providence. DISAGREE. In every instance, we should strive to be self-reliant and learn to fend for ourselves. We should do everything that we can do. We must do our part. God helps only those who help themselves. However, if we don’t have the means or the capacity or if for some valid reason, we are unable to do something for ourselves, then God will do for us whatever else still needs to be done.

Lesson 7 -- Life Forever

2006-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

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OUT ON THE FIELDS, on a clear day, you can see them. The delightful and lovable butterflies, the flowers of the air, are some of nature’s best offerings. Endowed with iridescent colors and markings, they shimmer with exceptional beauty. Neither hemmed in nor restricted, above the hustle and bustle below, they flit in and out of flower clusters, in the beauty and fragrance of it all, carefree, happy and content. Free to enjoy nature’s bounties, free to love and be loved in return, free to live amid the beauty and splendor of God’s grand creation, life to the butterfly is such a joyful and very wonderful thing.

02 But not so very long ago, the butterfly was not yet a butterfly. For only a short time before, it used to be just an ugly caterpillar, crawling laboriously up a tree, unglamorous and grubby. Then, busy with its voracious preoccupations, never in its wildest dreams could it have imagined that, in time, it would be able to fly far and wide into a very different and far more beautiful world.

03 Man is so much like a caterpillar. And like the caterpillar, he, too, will undergo a very similar metamorphosis. Man, at the present time, thinks himself earthly, subject to the elements and the debilitating influence of his physical form. But inevitably, he, too, will be able to cast aside his repressive body of flesh. After all the pain and the sorrows, he will be able to soar to far greater heights. No longer so constrained, he would be free to live a much more meaningful existence than ever was possible upon the earth.

04 But how do we explain to a caterpillar the changes it will undergo in the coming days? Will it be able to understand? How can we describe the mechanics of its flight? How can we demonstrate the vastness of the earth, when all it can sense, for now, is only its own limited and dim surroundings? How can we picture the beauty and the grandeur of nature, which is all around it, but which it cannot yet perceive?

05 In point of knowledge and perception, man is as an ignorant and insensitive caterpillar. He still has so much to learn. But, as yet, his capacity to comprehend is so very limited, his perceptions are thoroughly deficient and his experiences, too inadequate.

06 Teaching even the wisest of men in this world the deeper spiritual realities is not quite unlike teaching pre-school children medicine, politics, algebra, magnetism and astronomy. Such children would find extreme difficulty trying to understand skyscrapers, moon landings and computers. And man is, very much, in a similar situation. Man may feel that he is already very highly developed; however, even the most advanced humans are, in actuality, only as very little children in comparison with the more spiritually evolved beings inhabiting the higher worlds. To these higher beings, we are as mere grubs and caterpillars. And so, necessarily, the journey of every man towards greater light and truth is ever so gradual. We can only take one small step at a time.

07 That which is flesh is flesh and to dust it will return. However, man, in reality, is not the flesh body. He is far greater. Man is a creature of spirit, a divine spark of God (1).

08 Spirit is distinct and separate from the body. However, for the sake of convenience, we have always been taught that we are body and soul. But we are not. We are, plainly stated, spirit beings indwelling and manifesting through a physical body. At the transition that we term death, we, the spirit beings, disengage from our gross physical bodies. And in like manner that the caterpillar sheds off its outer covering and humans take off their clothes at the end of every day, so also do spirit beings cast aside their flesh bodies and return home to where they really belong.

09 For there is a far greater world than this world. In fact, there are many other worlds. Moses and Elias are still alive on those worlds. So are Abraham, Jacob and the rest. For spirit is immortal. Spirit cannot die (2, 3, 4).

10 Jesus spoke to us concerning these worlds. He insisted that he is not of this world, and neither are we of this world (5, 6). But because we were very much like that ignorant and insignificant little caterpillar, we could not fathom what he was trying to tell us.

11 Our real home is not this world of pain and suffering. We should not love this world or the things that are in the world. Instead, we should much prefer the things of heaven. Only in the Kingdom of Heaven can we find the pearl that is more valuable than all the other pearls together. Only there can we find the treasure that is well-worth selling everything we have in order to buy it (7).

12 After he quit his body, before ascending to heaven, he appeared to his followers. Before him, no man ever came back from the dead. But so that we may believe, he came back to prove to all that he is risen. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene and then to his disciples. And to resolve the doubts of Thomas, he appeared again. And again, he appeared to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias where he gave his final instructions (8, 9, 10). And according to his promise, because he lives, we, too, will also live (11, 12).

13 Christ comes from heaven above, while we who are still upon the earth are from below. At our present stage of development, we are still unable to fully comprehend the higher realities. But to encourage us further, Christ revealed many of the secrets of the kingdom to us. He came down to earth precisely so that we may be better informed. No one really knows what goes on in heaven, except Christ who comes from heaven (13).

14 Heaven, Christ affirms, is very real, indeed. And we, too, will be able to get there. However, we can approach heaven only gradually, level by level, grade by grade. For in the Kingdom of God, there are many mansions, each one greater than the one before. Each level is as one rung in the ladder of evolution, one step in the golden stairway that leads to God (14). Our earth is only as God’s footstool; and any one of the higher dimensions of being is as Paradise compared to our earth. However, we can ascend only to such level that we have deserved, according to our own thoughts and deeds (15).

15 Life in the higher dimensions is very, very different from what ignorant men may imagine it to be. As much as we may be attached to our physical bodies, we won’t be able to take them with us. Nor will these bodies be resurrected, complete with worms and all. Instead, we will have new and more beautiful bodies, which are infinitely far better than what we have now. We won’t need to eat or drink anything to sustain life; instead, our lives will become more and more gratifying as we continue in God’s loving ways. In heaven, the wealth and the power that we might have highly esteemed on earth have no real significance. Instead, greater value is placed on what we have done with whatever was entrusted to us. While upon earth, money may have been all-important; but in heaven, the character to which we have attained is the only passkey to all things worthwhile.

16 Having no need for food in heaven, no one hungers. And all good things are there in abundance, waiting only to be materialized into being by the force of our will. There is nothing to prevent us from doing all the things we feel we should do. There is no hate, no evil and no conflicts. The law of brotherhood and harmony prevails and God’s justice reigns (16). Love and goodness, peace and wellbeing are present everywhere. The pain and the miseries that all men have suffered while upon the earth just cannot be in heaven. And in heaven, in the realm of the angels, the promised rewards to the just can be enjoyed to the fullest (17, 18).

17 However, much remains to be done before we may be allowed to gain entry there. While entry is available to all, there is a price that must be paid. Only those who are deserving may be admitted in. In the World of Perfection, there can be nothing imperfect (19, 20). The higher and heavenly standards of righteousness must be met fully. These standards are unchangeable and cannot be negotiable (21).

18 On that appointed day, the words of God will judge everyone (22). Then shall we be required to account for our every thought and deed. Then shall we fully realize the glorious results of all our strivings. Then shall we be glad that we fed the hungry and gave the thirsty a drink; that we helped even strangers and all who were in need; that we comforted and consoled the sick and the afflicted. These then, but these only may enter the Kingdom and enjoy the benefits of eternal life (23, 24).

19 During the time that the Master walked upon the earth, people were so very young and ignorant. They did not really have the capacity to comprehend the higher spiritual truths. Their finite minds and error-filled ways precluded the entry of divine light. But the times have changed. Man now has evolved sufficiently enough to begin to comprehend these deeper realities.

20 Whereas before, all these truths were clothed in parable, today, even the mysteries of the world and of the Kingdom are slowly being unfolded and made plain (25).

21 Still, as it was then, so is it also even today. Only those who live according to God’s divine laws of love and righteousness can ever find the Way and know the Truth (26). However, all who are sincere in their quest for God and for truth need not despair. Provided they are ready, the Spirits of Truth will come to guide them (27).

22 It never was meant for us to remain here on this miserable planet. Earth life is merely an intermediate phase, a take-off point to a better life. We really were not created to suffer needlessly. But we are simply being given these great opportunities to further develop spiritually and prepare ourselves adequately for the life that God, our Father, has prepared for us, the life of peace, of happiness and of love that will never, never end.

Lesson 7 -- Bible Passages

2006-10-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

JN 3:06

"What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."
LK 9:28.31

Jesus took Peter, John and James with him and went up a hill to pray. While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men were there, talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah. They were splendid in appearance, glorious to see; and they were discussing how Jesus would soon fulfill God’s purpose by dying in Jerusalem.
LK 20:37.38

"And Moses clearly proves that the dead are raised to life. In the passage about the burning bush, he speaks of the Lord as the ‘God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ He is the God of the living, not of the dead; for to Him, all are alive."
LK 12:04.05

"Don’t be afraid of those who can do nothing worse than to kill the body; but fear God, Who, after killing the body, has the power to cast you into hell. Yes, I tell you — fear Him."
JN 8:23

"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."
JN 18:36

"My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight so that I should not be handed over to the Jews. But no, my kingdom is not from here."
MT 13:44.46

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man discovers and then conceals. Afterwards, he gladly goes and sells everything he has just so he can buy that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant in search of choice pearls. He discovers a pearl of exceptional value and promptly sells all he owns in order to purchase it."
JN 20:11.20

Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she bent over and looked inside the tomb and saw two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus should have been.

"Woman, why are you crying?" they asked her.

She answered, "They have taken my Lord away and I do not know where they have put him!" She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus but she didn’t recognize him.

"Why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Whom are you looking for?"

Thinking him to be the caretaker, she said to him, "If you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will go and get him."

"Mary!" Jesus said.

She turned towards him and exclaimed in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" which means Teacher.

"Don’t touch me," he cautioned, "for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God."

So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and related to them what he had told her.

That evening, the disciples were meeting behind closed doors in fear of the Jewish authorities, when suddenly, Jesus was there standing among them. After greeting them, he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!
JN 20:24.31

One of the disciples, Thomas, was not with them when Jesus came. When they kept on insisting that they had seen the Lord, he told them, "I won’t believe it unless I see the wounds in his hands and touch them, and place my hand into his side."

Eight days later, the disciples were together again and this time, Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, like before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them. Then he said to Thomas, "Touch the open wounds in my hands. Place your hand on my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!"

"My Lord and my God!" Thomas said.

Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe, just the same."

The Lord’s disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones mentioned in this book; but these are recorded so that you may believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in him, you may have life.
JN 21:01.14

Again Jesus appeared to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples of Jesus were all together. Peter said to the others, "I am going fishing."

"We will come with you," they told him. So they went out in a boat, but all that night, they did not catch a single fish.

As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then he asked them, "Young men, did you catch any fish?"

"No," they answered.

"Throw out your net on the right side of the boat and you will catch some." So they did; but because they caught so many fish, they couldn’t draw in the net.

Then John said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" On hearing this, Peter put on his tunic, jumped into the water and swam ashore. The others came to shore in the boat, pulling the net that was so full of fish. When they stepped ashore, they saw a ready fire with fish on it and some bread.

"Bring some of the fish you have just caught," Jesus said. So Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. By his count, there were one hundred and fifty-three large fish; and yet the net hadn’t torn.

Jesus said to them, "Come and eat." Jesus took the bread and gave it to them; then he did the same with the fish. This, then, was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
JN 14:19

"In a little while, the world will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live."
JN 11:25.26

"I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall go on living and whoever lives, believing in me, shall never die."
JN 3:11.13

"I am telling you the truth: I speak of what I know and testify of what I have seen and yet, you won’t believe me. But if you cannot even understand what I am telling you concerning the things of this world, how can you possibly believe me if I told you about the things of heaven? And no man has ever gone up to heaven, except the Son of God who came down to earth from heaven."
JN 14:01.03

"Don’t let your heart be troubled. You trust in God, now trust also in me. In the kingdom of my Father, there are many mansions. I am going to prepare a place for you. And when everything is ready, then I will come and get you so that you, too, may be with me where I am."
LK 23:39.43

One of the criminals hanging next to him scoffed at him and said, "If you really are the Messiah, save yourself and us, too!"

But the other criminal protested, "Don’t you even fear God when you are about to die? We deserve to die because we are guilty, but this man is completely innocent." Then he said, "Lord, remember me when you enter into your kingdom."

And Jesus replied, "I assure you that this very day, you shall be with me in Paradise."
MT 12:46.50

Jesus was still talking to the people when his mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside, asking to speak with him. So one of the people there said to him, "Teacher, your mother and brothers are waiting outside and they want to speak with you."

Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?" Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants him to do is my brother, my sister and my mother."
LK 20:27.36

Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, approached Jesus and said, "The laws of Moses state that if a man dies without children, the man’s brother shall marry the widow and their children will legally belong to the dead man, to carry on his name. We know of a family of seven brothers. The oldest married and then died without having any children. His brother married the widow and he, too, died. Still no children. And so it went, one after the other, until each of the seven had married her and died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died also. Our question is this: Whose wife will she be at the resurrection? For all of them were married to her?"

Jesus replied, "Marriage is only for people here on earth, but when those who are declared worthy are raised from the dead and enter the kingdom, they do not marry. And they never die again. Instead, they will be as the angels who are sons of God because they have gained for themselves a new and better kind of life."
MK 10:28.30

"Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything — home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children or property — for me and for the gospel, who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land, here and in the world to come, including eternal life."
MT 13:47.49

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by a fisherman. He casts a net into the water and gathers in fish of every kind, valuable and worthless. When the net is full, he drags it to shore, sits down, and sorts out the edible ones into crates and throws the others away. That is the way it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the just."
LK 16:19.31

"There was a certain rich man," Jesus said, "who was always well dressed and lived each day in merriment and luxury. There was also a poor and sick beggar named Lazarus who used to be brought to the rich man’s door. As he lay there, longing for the leftover scraps from the man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to hell. There, in anguish, he saw Lazarus in the distance with Abraham.

"‘Father Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘pity me! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am being scorched by these flames.’

"But Abraham said to him, ‘My son, remember when you were still on earth, you had everything you wanted and Lazarus had nothing. So now, he is here, being comforted and you are tormented. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us and anyone who would want to come to you from here won’t be able to do so; nor can anyone from your place cross over to us.’

"Then the rich man said, ‘I beg you then, Father Abraham, please send him to my father’s home, to my five brothers, to warn them about this place of torment lest they come here when they die!’

"But Abraham said, ‘The Scriptures have warned them time and again. Your brothers can read them anytime they want to.’

"The rich man replied, ‘No, Father, they won’t care to read them. But if someone who is dead were to come and talk to them, then they would surely turn from their sins.’

"But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen, either, even though someone rises from the dead!’"
MT 5:20

"Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, you will never be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
JN 12:48

"Whoever rejects me and does not accept my teachings will, nevertheless, be judged according to the truths I have spoken."
MT 25:31.46

"When the Son of God with all his holy angels comes, he shall sit upon his throne of glory, and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison and you visited me.’

"Then, the righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger and help you? Or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

"And the King will tell them, ‘When you did this for the least of my brothers, you were doing it for me!’ Then shall he turn to those on his left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry and you wouldn’t feed me; thirsty, and you wouldn’t give me anything to drink; a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, and you wouldn’t clothe me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.’

"Then, they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and not help you?’

"And the King will answer, ‘When you refused to help the least of my brothers, you were refusing to help me.’ And they will go away to eternal punishment; but the righteous shall enter into everlasting life."
JN 5:28.29

"Don’t be so surprised. Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall rise again — those who have done well, to eternal life and those who have continued in evil, to condemnation."
JN 16:25

"I have used proverbs to tell you these things, but the time is coming when the truth shall not be so veiled and I will speak to you plainly about the Father."
JN 8:31.32

"If you adhere to my teaching, you will really be my disciples; and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free."
JN 16:12.13

"Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you cannot understand it now. When the Spirit of Holiness and Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth..."


Instructions		Introduction
Lesson 1	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 2	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 3	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 4	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 5	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 6	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions
Lesson 7	Bible Passages	Exercises	Solutions