One as the Sum of its Parts/God is All of it (part two)

God is All of it (part two)

The character of science is seen in the redundancy of testing. If there is a hypothesis, it is tested. If the test confirms the hypothesis, the test is repeated. In other words, the test is tested. These tests and confirmations will be repeated under a number of controlled conditions, all in an attempt to place the truth beyond doubt or reproach. If an agreement has been tested and confirmed true, then peers jump in and repeat the testing in order to either confirm or refute the original testers. The redundancy moves forward with the end result being this: successive agreements mirror and confirm the original agreement. 1 John 5:8 “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

In a world of multiplicity, anyone may claim to possess 'the truth.' Religions lay claim to the truth. Non-religions lay claim to the truth. Nations and political parties lay claim to the truth. Everyone's truth is opposed to the truths of everyone else, and those truths are defended with ferocity. The reason is that such truths set their supporters apart from others, and paint an image of distinct character and distinct identity. It is easy to see that such truths are applications of separation rather than oneness. The truths of the Jews, Islam, and Christianity fall flat on their faces and make them no better than any other separatist.

In a sense, the faithful and the Atheists are the same; they practice separation rather than oneness. It must be understood that oneness is not found in the practices that set one group apart from the others; oneness is found in character. The inner nature is the test. The Son of God is one with the Father. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one. Does your inner nature mirror the inner nature of the Son? If so, the test confirms the hypothesis. Can it be repeated in your brothers and sisters? If so, then you and your brothers and sisters possess the truth of oneness with God. 1 Corinthians 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

If the all is the Father, and if the all is applied and managed by the Son, then there are only two possible responses. The first response is to realize that oneness has already happened; all of us are already one. It, therefore, follows the realization that our faith in the spirit will mirror, in us, the same agreement that the Holy Spirit brings about between the Father and his Son, the Word. John 10:30 “I and my father are one.”

A court case is intended to establish one truth; everything other than that one truth is the lie of multiplicity. The truth of oneness with God is established against the facts of separation. The second response, then, is rejection of the truth of oneness. In that rejection, a choice is made in favor of individuality among the multiplicity. Separatism is embraced and practiced, and every subsequent practice of individualism only serves to strengthen separatism at the cost of one's true inner reality. The separatists will go their way and know their end. Those of us who choose the inner reality of oneness with God, strengthen the inner nature of the Son of God. Between ourselves and our like-minded brothers and sisters, that inner nature is the Word. Between the Oneness above and the agreement in the Oneness here below, our tether and lifeline is the Nature of Jesus.

Here, on Earth, men have the Spirit of God; that is our starting point. From there we must rise up into the nature of the Son. We do so through baptism. The physical act aside, baptism is a realignment of our thinking. It is the divine spark within us rising to answer the call; standing on our spiritual feet and reaching with our spiritual hands to receive the gift of the inner reality that was always there, always the truth of us. That inner truth is that in order to be one with God, we must be the Son. The blood of Christ that we accept is the blood that God accepts as proof of Oneness. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

What is mediation? One: it is intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it; arbitration. Two: it is intervention in a process or relationship; intercession. Three facts come immediately to our attention. Between men and God, there has always been, first, a dispute, second, a process, and third, a relationship. The man/God issue has never been about one or the other; there have always been two parties involved. From the definitions above, we also understand that a dispute calls for a resolution; a consensus, an agreement must be reached. Also, in a process, in a relationship, there must be guidance, there must be the framework of rules. Without such, there is division, separation, and multiplicity. Therefore, we are made to see the issues at play.

There are two parties involved. The Spirit of one is the spirit in all. There is a dispute; some have pulled away and rejected the inner truth of their oneness. Finally, there is a need for arbitration; a mediator is called into action. If it had only been God being himself, there would be no division, no need for a mediator. If it had only ever been mankind going his separate way, there would have been no oneness to stray from, again, no need for a mediator. Galatians 3:20 “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.” Judging by the historical issues deemed important enough for men to discuss, record, and even argue about, we see there have always been the two sides of man and God, between them, the matter of Oneness versus independence. We can look anywhere and see the nature of the adherents as opposed to the nature of those who reject and dismiss.

The mediator came from the Oneness, seeking the separated. The technique of mediation was not simple argumentation; more than words needed to be applied, the Word needed to be applied. As the mediator was one with both parties, he applied himself as the mediation. Christ never doubted that he would sacrifice himself to resolve the rift between the parties. Christ's obedience unto death was the nature of his Oneness with the Father. He was willing to give his all for unity. Resolution calls for the spirit of willingness to sacrifice; it is part and parcel with the nature of the Son, and it was that to which Jesus referred when he said “take up your cross.”

We see that spirit of selflessness in the many willing martyrs of Christ. It differs extremely from those who call themselves martyrs, but in reality, are only acting out a separatist's agenda. The martyrs of Christ do not have a blood-lust, but they have rightfully claimed the blood. They do not seek the death and destruction of 'infidels.' Rather, at all costs to their own persons, they extend the call to whosoever will be a true Son of God.

End.

One as the Sum of its Parts/God is all of It (part one)

 God is All of it (part one)

All of us have a part in the process of oneness. God made his own; a whole world of us. God has plainly demonstrated his preferences. He chose a people for himself out of all the world and tested his people's character. Many failed the test, but overall, God established the model of obedience. Then, God set new rules, and called a new people from the obedient, and proved them through faith and love. The model for this new people is Christ Jesus. In Christ is demonstrated the nature of God, a spirit not outside of man, but within. The coming was proclaimed, and it falls to the faithful and obedient to that inner nature to do their part. Matthew 3:3 “For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

We should not only see the voice of John the Baptist out in the wilderness. Yes, he was one among many, and he played his part. Any wilderness is a place that is not straight; it needs to be prepared like a farmer works his land. Any one of us, as an individual, may play our part, but there are many of us. We are a prepared and growing body. We who are obedient and faithful are like a snowball rolling downhill, gathering speed and mass. We are no longer individual flakes, drifting around. We are a oneness calling for oneness. When we see an expression like 'the voice of one,' we may read it as the voice of oneness calling itself together in a wilderness of the unintegrated. The farmer's first furrow calls for the second, and the second calls for the third. The plowed field, once begun, calls for completion. Mark 1:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

God is in the snowball as the forces that hold it together and move it forward. God is one; all we gather to him and hold fast. The voice of one is the voice of God. The voice of one is the voice of us who are gathered to one. We are the prepared soil in which the seed of the spirit has been planted. There is no space between the Father and the Son. There is no space between the Son and the disciple. There is no space between the voice of the one calling and those who are called. But, there is a great gulf fixed between the oneness and those who deny their inner nature. That inner nature is the same nature found in Jesus Christ. It is the seed of the father that remains in us and makes all of us one. God is one. God is the voice, not only the spirit of the message but the spirit of the messenger. All who come to the father must accept the inner spirit of the son. Father, Son, and extended family; we are one. Luke 3:4 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

Look closely at the following verse. Matthew 12:6 “But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.” It may also be read in this manner: in this place, One is greater than the temple. The temple was the center of Judaic life. Men found a deep sense of connection in the law, the temple, and the performed rites. Jesus came along and said what he said, now, Christians interpret Matthew 12:6 to mean that the Son of God is greater than the temple. We must remember that the son is one with the father. Jesus said also, I and my father are one (One.) The Father/Son oneness, then, is greater than the temple, which represents obedience as a work outside the nature of oneness. To follow that line of reasoning, we may see that the Father/Son/disciple oneness is greater than the temple. Of course, it follows that everyone brought into that oneness is greater than the temple. That oneness, that spirit, that nature, that very God is in the body whole. Nature is the key here. Neither greatness nor oneness may be found in idle words. Empty are all incantations, all invocations, all memorized prayers if the nature of One is not present. Vain is all bowing and scraping and physical gestures if the spirit of the Son of God is not predominant.

Many religions and religiously maintained non-faiths taut a similitude of solidarity in their ideology or party line. Oneness is not found there; the nature of One is absent. In a grander, more cosmic application, oneness may be likened to a dairy farm. There are many buckets of milk sitting in the barn, but the milk is not one, even though similar. What rises to the top of the milk, the best of the milk, is gathered as special. The farmer may take the milk and feed it to his children, or he may feed it to the pigs. He might sell it, give it away, or throw it away. The cream is that special essence that is found in the diversity. There are many in the world, but the many are not the one. A large number of us reject that special essence that makes us who we are. God is in all of us, but many reject that special essence within. There are buckets in the barn that have deliberately spilled their cream. They will not accept cream from another bucket. In a bigger sense of who we are, God is all in all. We are spiritual beings drawing our spiritual nature from a single source: One. Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

God is all of it. Apart from God, there is nothing. We may choose between One and nothing. If you cut an arm or a leg away from the body, it dies. It is no longer able to partake of the health of the body, and in a very real sense, is no longer a part of the body. The severed limb grows cold and decomposes. In the end, it is nothing. The body, however, maintains its health and lives. Judaism does not, like Islam, and certain among the Christian faith, view God at the cosmic level. To those, God is reduced to an ideology or party line. For them, God is what separates them from others. Oneness and separation are opposites. Jews, Muslims, and Christians, among the many, fail to see that all of us are the same. We are spiritual beings who draw our natures from the nature of the One. We are spiritual brothers and sisters. We can no more keep the one true God to ourselves than we can hold back the rivers from joining the seas. Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord.”

Let us remove God from the limited framework of exclusive groups. The spirit of oneness was always outside those limitations. Let us set free the universality of our spirits. God can not be contained in a temple or a mosque. God can not be summoned and manipulated with prayer rugs or beads. There is one God; all of us are a part of him. Judaism is a severed leg. Islam is a severed arm. The arm and the leg must be attached to the body for either of them to be viable. Do you really think your exclusive belief ensures God's reality? He is above that. If temple sacrifices failed to do the job, will prostrating on a rug succeed? Will folding your hands together do anything? Will fingering beads work? There is no disbelief that can invalidate God. There is no single exclusive religious format that will come out on top. Oneness calls to oneness, therefore, only oneness will work. Exclusivity must be stripped away from our thinking. Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Let's think about baptism. Is it only for one religion? It is a physical token, like folding hands, or counting beads. A physical thing, by its own nature, is not a spiritual thing. Is there, then, a cleansing that is spiritual? Is there a rising up out of that really gets the job done? A true spiritual baptism is a cleansing from exclusivity. A true spiritual baptism is a rising up out of all narrow-minded worldly mindsets. Can there be a good Christian, or a good Jew, or a good Muslim when they hold themselves apart? Neither goodness nor justification may be found in separation. They are found in the union of our spirits with the nature of the Son of God. The Son of God is one with the Father. All goodness is found in One. Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”

The severed limb that rejected the body dies from want of nutrition. Having separated itself from the body, it may no longer draw from the health of the body. But a tick may attach itself to the body and draw from the oneness. The body whole is where the health is found. There is life in joining and death in detachment. God is One. If you are a part of that, you will share the goodness. No one is good, but God is good. God is the only one in which we may find the good that will sustain us. Mark 10:18 “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”

An accepted mindset from early times is that it takes more than a single witness to establish the truth in a dispute. It takes two or three witnesses. In our modern courts, great effort is placed into the delivery of proof. A line of facts is established by multiple witnesses, and it is then supported by actual facts like photos, and 911 call logs, by texts and emails. As to those witnesses, there must be agreement. By that, I mean they were all there, they all saw it go down, they are all aware of and/or are part of the same event. Those elements of agreement are the foundation of a case; the facts seen in photos, texts, emails, etc., all support the agreement. Again, the foundation is found in the agreement, and by that agreement, a truth is established. 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

One as the Sum of its Parts/How it Connects

 How it Connects:

There is a real connection. Let us take that fully into our hearts. I will say it again; there is a real connection. We are connected to God through Christ. That connection is not found in idle words, but in a spirit that is the same from Father to Son, the same from master to disciple. The spirit is a reality, a truth. It is found in every soul, indeed, it is what makes each body a living soul. Each of us has a pinch of the divine; it is the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ that possesses us. Every man woman and child with a mind has a piece of God living inside. That mind, that spirit, joins us and makes us one. 1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.”

We've been warned. We've been shown the connection. It has not been hidden from us but set like a candle for all to see. God is the spirit that makes man sentient, that gives man life. It rises up in every one of us like a clear spring of water. It flows freely between each individual. In each of us, God is there, calling for oneness. We have been plainly told that the connection is real. We have no excuse. The words you speak to me, you speak to Christ who lives in me. The things you do to me, you do to Christ who lives in me. The spirit in each of us exists simultaneously in this world and in heaven. Each spirit is precious to God because it is a part of him. He guards and protects what is his own, giving his angels charge over them. Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”

Christ was clear and precise when he spoke of the spirit. He showed us how it all connects. No man is independent of God; the body is an extension of spirit. The body is a tool that the spirit uses. It links each of us to our brothers and sisters. Mankind is like a stand of Aspen trees. A quick internet search will provide the reader with this explanation: A stand or group of aspen trees is considered a singular organism with the main life force underground in the extensive root system. ... In a single stand, each tree is a genetic replicate of the other, hence the name a “clone” of aspens is used to describe a stand. The spirit is our underground life force, and in reality, makes all of us a single entity. Matthew 18:5 “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”

You are called because you belong. You grow out of the same root system. While we may seem different on the surface, our sentience grows out of the same spirit. It feeds and waters each of us with a oneness that is undeniable. It matters not that some call themselves Christian, Jew, or Islam, deep down, we are all spiritual brothers. While the young are closer to the source of who we are, we all still draw from the same source. Why is Christ called the son of God? He is the example of God in man. He proves to mankind that we are possessed by the light which is God. It seems layered that the light comes first to one and then to the rest. It is like the nutrient that comes first to the root and then to the trees. Should a tree turn off the source of its nutrition, it would become withered and misshapen. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the rejection of what nourishes the soul. We receive light through Christ. That light is who we are; God in man. Mark 9:37 “Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.”

We have been shown how it connects. We have been both called and warned. A spring that rejects the water that feeds it is no spring at all. While all your rejection of light centers on yourself alone, there is still hope for redemption, healing, and regrowth. However, when you pass your darkness on to others, how can you not expect that the oneness will protect its own? How can you not see that you will be cut off and removed for the sake of the body whole? You will be deemed detrimental and removed. Matthew 25:45 “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”

One as the Sum of its Parts/The Joining

 The Joining:

Acts 17:27 “though he be not far from every one of us.” Another way to say this is 'he is close to every one of us.' God is close to every one of us. Christ is close to every one of us. Of course, some will accept and some will reject. The question remains, how close is he to every one of us? He is nature-close, he is identity-close, he is mind-close. How close is that? Romans 10:8 tells us that the word of God (Jesus, the message, the way, the truth, the life, the favored method) is so close that it can be found in our thoughts and communications. Again, some will accept, some will reject.

Tuning forks and the weight of the world. Many of us carry the weight of the world on our shoulders; we are not interested in the finer philosophical ruminations. We say, take what you are peddling down the road. One might speak of things important, urgent, necessary, but that heavy load some people assume leaves no room for resonance. In physics, a vibrating tuning fork will cause another nearby to resonate at the same frequency. I pulled the following from an internet search: “Striking one tuning fork will cause the other to resonate at the same frequency. When a weight is attached to one tuning fork, they are no longer identical. Thus, one will not cause the other to resonate.”

When one tuning fork is truth, then truth resonates in the other, unless 'the weight' staves it off. Communication is that way. Each of us has within us all we need to understand another person. That is because what we share in common is spiritual. With enough effort, we can understand what a person speaking a foreign language is trying to say. We tune in on body language and emotion. The pantomime gets through to us. Thoughts and concepts being spiritual, the resonance is akin to equalization, or Brownian Movement. It is like gold and silver placed together. A point will come where the silver includes gold, and the gold includes silver. John 18:37 “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

We have something in our individual spirit which is identical to the spiritual makeup of all other spiritual beings. Where does it come from? What is it? It is an investiture, a connection, a real and calculated constituency. It is like the badge a Marshal gives to his deputy that places in both of their hands the facility of law. It is a resonance, a vibe, an aptitude that proves a true link. 1 John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”

Deputizing an individual is an act of authorization, as the imposition of hands, a touching and connecting. It is the investiture of approval and communion, an act of acceptance, assent, admission. In a real sense, the spiritual bond that is passed between us is a sanctification. It is easy to see. Look at two lawyers speaking to one another. They speak 'the same language.' It is an understanding identical in both parties. It is an acceptance, an approval, a communion. This is true for all individuals who are accepted into a group under the auspices of a shared bond, a communal language. The bodies are not identical, but the resonance is. Those who plant and those who reap are paid by the same landowner. Hebrews 2:11 “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”

Please note the application of the expression “all of one.” Whether we accept it or not, all of us are “of one.” Those who reject the one, reject their own internal makeup. Those who accept the one, resonate at the frequency of one. Refer back to 1 John 2:20 and the “Holy One.” The “all things” that we know are the things that the One knows. It is a trickle-down process by which the Son is made one with the Father, and the disciple is made one with the Son. Each knows the truth because the truth is the one. It is that spiritual communion that exists above the nuts and bolts of the world. John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me; that they may be one, as we are.”

What is “thine own name?” It is One. Oneness has the dual meaning of both parties being a part of the other. For a bag of apples, one is just as much the apples in the bag as the bag containing apples. You can look at it from either perspective and see that it is true. My brother is just as much my brother as I am his. My wife is just as much my wife as I am her husband. To be part of the body whole is to be imbued with the nature of the whole. Just as Christ is imbued with the very nature of God, the disciple is imbued with the very nature of Christ. Any distinction is moot. Are you a Christian? Then Christ is actually, believably, in you. You are Christ to the world. You are truth to the world, the way, and the life, no less than Jesus. You are the message of oneness to the world. John 17:21 “That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

Is God the only one with glory? Is Christ the only one with glory? Now, there is a word we don't think about as much as we should. What is glory? Certainly, it is not some shiny external attribute. It is not found in our individual taste in clothing. It is not seen in a shiny Lamborghini. There is one truth, the truth of Truth. There is one glory, the glory of the One. Glory is the spiritual bond we share with God and Christ through the Holy One, knowing all things. John 17:22 “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.”

There are two points to be clear on. First, perfection is found in the bond. That bond accepts rather than rejects. That bond loves rather than hates. That bond unites into a single identity. Second, the world is every weighted spirit that mistakenly seeks perfection outside of the bond. Because they are outside, they exalt individualism through competition and hatred, through differences, strife, and war. They practice rejection by default. In actuality, they seek a bond, but they will never find it with others who practice being apart. They must be convinced, and they will be when they are helped to realize their true spiritual nature. John 17:23 “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

I have saved the mystery of this section for last. It is found in Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” All bodies on the earth are one body. All of their individual spirits are one spirit. We are all one when we are gathered together in the light. Unfortunately, some of us are still scattered in darkness. God spared not the angels, but cast them into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness. Earlier, I made a mysterious play on words: the truth of Truth. What is Truth? It is everything that is. Colossians 1:15-17 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Therefore, evil and the devil are the rejection of our godly nature, just as darkness is the absence of light. Many of us are gathered as one in One, as truth in Truth, and that message is for the scattered. That message goes out to all those poor souls buried under chains of darkness. We are called in one hope of our calling. What does that mean? The calling goes forth broadcast to all the bodies and spirits in the earth. The Shepherd has left the ninety and nine to seek the lost. The one hope is One. Oneness seeks oneness, the convinced, the 'whosoever will.'  

One as the Sum of its Parts/Gathered into a Whole

 Gathered into a Whole:

Consolidation; think about it. Two synonyms for consolidation are strengthening, and reinforcement. There is not a day where someone, somewhere, is not reorganizing what they have to make it better. A farmer weeds his garden and it is better. That which is pruned grows back stronger and more robust. Consolidation is a process that includes not only removal but also replacement. I used to own VHS movies and cassette tapes. When CDs and DVDs came along, I replaced the old with the new. I had everything I had before and more. I had it organized in a smaller space that allowed me to go out, buy more, and add it to my collection. In Christ's parable of the pearl of great price, we see that God uses the same process that we use. Matthew 13:46 “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

It is a process of elimination. We only need what we need. More than that is, ultimately, a hindrance. The needless gets in the way. How many of us have closets filled with stuff that we are forced to move out of the way? All of us begin with much, out of which we consolidate that which best suits our needs. Think about reorganization on a spiritual scale. God filled the earth with many nations. He chose one for himself. Then he removed that which did not please him. Around that new core, God is gathering to himself much more. He picks from other nations, other tongues. He chooses people with which to build the One. The parameters of oneness are constantly shifting; old pearls are dropped while newer, greater pearls are added. One increases. Acts 17:26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth.”

Jesus came from God to man teaching that certain men are gathered into God while others are rejected. Jesus taught the consolidation of oneness. He spoke to the new core about the increase that oneness sought. Judaism was exclusive. It did not allow for increase. The new core of Christianity allowed for increase. God sought greater pearls, and he would take them from Judaism, Islam, and the Gentiles. God seeks his own, not someone else's. If you are one of God's own, it does not matter that you began as a Jew or a Muslim. It does not matter that you began as a Buddhist, or an Atheist. If you are one of God's own, he will take you out of the general herd and add you to his private stock. John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

It does not happen overnight, but there is a proven method by which God achieves increase. The proven method is the favored method; there is no substitute for it. The very nature of the method is the very nature of the oneness. It is not found in exclusive attitudes and behaviors. It is not seen in differentiation or rejection. The very nature of oneness is found solely in God-likeness. Jesus is Christ because he has that nature. The very nature of the method of inclusion into oneness is found solely in Christ-likeness. God's own will be gathered through and gathered by Christ. That is the favored method. As we see in black and white, it is an ongoing process both on earth and in heaven. So then, whether we are on earth or in heaven, the path forward is clear. To be one with God requires Christ-likeness. Ephesians 1:10 “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him.”

There is not a single nation or people that may lay claim to God exclusively. The Jews may not, neither the Muslims, Buddhists, or any of the other national religions. None of them may say their God is bigger or better than the god of the others. Neither debates nor wars will settle the matter; it simply does not work at a national level. It works only at the individual level. One is either a child or one is not. A child mirrors the father in every respect. The natures are identical. That is how Jesus could say that when his disciples saw him, they saw his father. If you are a child of God, two things will be true and evident. One: your nature and God's nature will be identical – thought for thought, deed for deed. Two: your nature and Christ's nature will be identical – thought for thought, deed for deed. Think of the world, the millions and millions of souls. Somewhere among the Gentiles, among the Muslims and Jews, there are people with natures identical to the nature of Christ. If that is the case, Christ, himself, will come for you, and gather you into One. John 11:52 “And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.”

One as the Sum of its Parts/The Flesh and the Spirit

 One as the sum of its parts:

The Flesh and the Spirit:

What man has makes mankind one; what man does with what he has tears mankind apart. Let's talk about societal ills. There are many from divorce to ethnic cleansing. The key point of all of society's ills is division. Mankind is focused on differences. Mankind has the mindset of separation, independence, individualism, unrestraint, and self. The mind of man seeks everything except unity and oneness. Why do we always look for the differences?

The basic building block of society is marriage. It is a condition of union where individuals abandon the isolation of individualism in favor of unification. Unification is defined as the process of being united or made into a whole. A whole is defined as a thing that is complete in itself. Synonyms for complete include absolute, concluded, and perfect. All of this suggests that the state of being one is whole and perfect, overlooking differences, and instead, focusing on the similarities that bind together.

The cornerstone of society, the family, is meant as a unity; a unity of blood, a unity of flesh, a unity of values. In other words, oneness is the cornerstone and building block of mankind. Again, let me remind the reader of the words of Jesus Christ: a house divided can not stand. It was his response to the scribes' claim that “by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.” In a broader sense, it speaks of spirituality in every instance. If I portray spirituality as a mindset, we may see that opposing thoughts lead to devolvement and ruin. If I portray spirituality as a lifestyle, we may see that a focus on differences leads to dissolution and abandonment. Even as this mentality and practice seek solidarity with its own, it is an exercise doomed to greater acts of differentiation.

Oneness, on the other hand, was established early on in the very foundations of mentality and practice. You can only be one or not one, you cannot have it both ways. God directs society from the cornerstone of its initial union. Matthew 19:5 “And said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh.” Mark 10:8 “And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.” Matthew 19:6 “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.”

What the man and wife have in common makes them one. They are one mind and one flesh. That is to say, they are one body consisting of two members. They are separate and unique from other bodies, therefore, of incompatible constitutions. As flesh, they are not interchangeable. Each is sanctified to its own constitution. 1 Corinthians 15:39-41 “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”

The man and wife, the family unit, has a glory all its own. Mix-and-match is dilution, a loss of glory, an abandonment of oneness. Seeking differences rather than sameness poses a real danger to oneness. Beef mixed with fish is neither beef nor fish. Pure water mixed with ink is no longer pure. In a very real sense, you are known by the company you keep. You simply cannot stand with a foot on both sides of the stream; you will actually be either in the one camp or the other, whichever you are joined to. 1 Corinthians 6:16 “What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh.”

When we think of one, we think of the whole, the lump sum. In terms of all-or-nothing, a scattered flock is no flock at all. In terms of holding our own together, we like to keep all the little parts of us close at hand and under one rule: unanimity. The problem is this: how do we preserve our own uniqueness without focusing on differences? Even God sets parameters. God accepts his own and rejects sinners, but God does not push sinners away. Rather, God makes an open call as he gathers his own. There is a wonderful clause in God's covenant with man, it is the “whosoever will” clause. Anyone who wants to may be one with God – unless they actually want to not be one with God. Sinners push themselves away. Sinners choose oneness with some other.

God gathers his own, not someone else's. In the following verses, we see oneness maintained. As a husband gathers to himself only his wife, and as a wife gathers only her husband to herself, so we see the true nature of oneness in practice. It is not the focus on differences, but what actually belongs. It is not a labor of divisions, but a labor of integration. The man who seeks his lost sheep does not seek another man's sheep. The woman who sweeps her house seeks only that which belongs to her. Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” Luke 15:8 “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”

One: As on the same page/One Spirit, One Mind

 One Spirit, One Mind:

It is the assertion of this author that the mind is the spirit. It is the spirit that possesses the flesh to create and maintain a symbiotic relationship. It is a relationship in which both parties maintain the other. Imagine the relationship between a car and its driver. I present an extended example. We all know that a driver is responsible for maintaining his vehicle. He must make sure that all parts work in harmony. In my example, the car is also responsible for maintaining the driver, in the certainty that what works for the driver works for the car. What builds the driver builds the car. Such a relationship is found between Christ and the body of Christ. The body is Christ and Christ maintains the body, but also, the body maintains Christ. Scripture will tell us to 'magnify' the Lord. That is an important responsibility. It is like the exercise of a muscle; without exercise, the muscle is lost.

Have you ever wondered about the use of sheep in parables? On the whole, sheep stick together as a flock. In other words, they practice and maintain their 'flock-ness.' That body of sheep is a conversation that all the members understand and respond to. Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit.”

There is a real connection between a body and the spirit that possesses it. In its maintenance of the body, the spirit may decide that the body needs hydration. It is the spirit that deems it necessary, but it is the body that reaches for the glass of water. Both parties work together. In a sense, each party serves the other. In a group, an individual spirit may decide that another group member is worthy of encouragement, but it is the mouth of that individual that speaks. Romans 15:6 “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

That which is held in common within a group is the spirit. I have said that the spirit within an individual is the mind. The combined (similar) minds within a group are the spirit of the group, the mind of the group. In a group of Christians, when one mind communicates the issue of 'faith' to another mind, there is a resonance between the two. They are on the same page and share a full understanding. The minds are in synch and are possessed of a singular belief. Think of a line of light bulbs connected in series. According to the series circuit analogy, the flowing current is the same in all the bulbs. I take that information from https://www.electricaltechnology.org/2012/11/series-wiring-lighting-circuits.html Interestingly, the circuit line is also known as 'live.' When minds are so linked, the same energy lights all of them. What affects one mind, good or bad, affects the others. 1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.”

To be like-minded is not simply to agree. I can agree with your right under the law to have the opinions you have, but not share them. In fact, I may be fully opposed. To be like-minded is to be fully possessed and fully synchronized. Quite simply, a group is a group for that very fact. The members of a body do not oppose one another. A house divided cannot stand. The members of a group are fully committed to each other. They fully understand one another. A member will support, and even fight for, the other members of the group. That is because the spirit of the group is equal to each member. The mind is the same. Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another.”

In the sport of bodybuilding, one must apply oneself regularly with determination and patience. Through long hours and much personal effort, one sees the desired result. In other words, to those who have, more will be given. To be of the same mind requires work. Like-mindedness is achieved through patient application. That is to say, it will never happen unless you make it happen. Take a good hard look at the body whole. It is not a flower that blooms by chance. A loving family is achieved through patient direction and discipline. A body dedicated to mutual support and love is a body directed by the combined mind of love and support. It takes real work. It takes patience, discipline, and yes, quite a lot of self-discipline. All of the attributes listed above are derived through the spirit: the spirit of patience, the spirit of discipline, the spirit of unity. Romans 15:5 “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.”

One mind. One spirit. It is a goal that billions of souls have strived to achieve. It is not the gold medal, but it is the finish line. Mankind, as a historical whole, has never ceased reaching for unity. We have never ceased climbing the mountain to reach the zenith. Every body whole has its own plan for unity and singularity. It has often been mismanaged, politicized, and spoiled through conflict, but the higher aspirations of love, and integrity; honor, and righteousness are inviolable. Men and societies continue to reach for them. In the highest and most viable sense, they are perfection. There is a spirit of perfection that draws the body whole into its fullest expression. There is a spirit of peace that brings the seed into the light. There is a spirit of love that rains life upon the aspiring garden. 2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”