Book Four Chapter Twelve: Embracing Spirituality

TWELVE

Embracing Spirituality

We march singly; We march two and two.

Yes: hand in hand, we make our march around the contemporary church, and apart from the social and emotional restrictions that have rendered it static. We gladly, and hungrily seize the meat of the word, and we chew with delight. We follow a line of meaty treats: higher and higher. We embrace spirituality.

To many, no doubt, this work will be viewed as nothing more than a modern rewrite of Gnosticism. But we offer no candles, and if we chant, our chant is of a higher choice.

God blessed Solomon and granted his desire for cognitive skills. Solomon could have chosen worldly

things; he could have made natural choices - but he did not. He did not, for example, choose physical

wealth. He did not choose social honor. He did not, on an emotional level, ask revenge on his enemies. Solomon could have chosen to circumvent God’s natural order by asking for long life, but Solomon had a taste for meat: he asked for cognitive skills - and he did so for a specific reason: so that he might properly care for the people God had made him responsible for.

Solomon’s choice was actually God’s choice; in other words, Solomon wanted what God wanted, and God honored that.

See 2 Chronicles 1:11-12, “God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart (mind), and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge My people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee.”

We embrace spirituality - the true spirituality of the God-mind. We do not burn candles; you will not see us in parades or engaged in long and mournful contemplations. Our place is not found in pompous ceremony, nor in ridiculous gesticulations. We will, however, joyfully embrace the communicated nature of Him in whose image we daily walk.

2 Chronicles 7:10, “Glad and merry in heart (mind) for the goodness that the Lord had shewed (communicated).”

We were granted a taste and we hungered for more. What we received, we exercised. Through that exercise, we obtained abundance, by which abundance we are now empowered to receive even more. It is not our work, but God’s.

See 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart (mind) is perfect (enhanced) toward Him.”

However, it is inadequate to simply embrace a thing. What we choose, we must choose for a reason. Solomon had a reason - it was not just smarts for the sake of smarts. Again, it was not a bad or non-productive reason. We saw, in the book of Daniel, a king turned into an animal by the removal of the mind he had received from God. It is only reasonable to assume, therefore, that anything God can give us, He can also take back.

What is an unexercised muscle? It is a wattle. What is unexercised spirituality?

See 2 Chronicles 32:25-26, “Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart (mind) was lifted up (but not in the ways of the Lord): therefore there was wrath upon him . . . (then) Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart (mind) . . . so that the wrath of the Lord came not.”

Cause and effect. If our brain is impressionable, God will imprint His mind upon it. If we exercise the thing given us, it becomes greater and greater. As our ability to receive and respond to the God-mind grows, God, in like fashion, responds more and more to what He finds within us. In the next verse, I interpret a ‘tender heart’ as a mind that is attuned to the communications from God; as a mind that may be impressed, imprinted; as a mind that will sit up and pay attention – then respond. A tender heart (an impressionable mind) embraces spirituality.

See 2 Chronicles 34:27, “Because thine heart (mind) was tender (impressionable), and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest His words (communications) against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before Me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before Me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.”

We have already seen that God is actively seeking a ‘man after His own heart’. We have already seen that God makes every effort to show Himself strong on the behalf of those whose minds have been enhanced. And as to mirroring, we understand that God’s favorable responses to what He sees in us are proportional to our favorable responses to what we see in Him. We note, in the next verse, the word ‘before’ - a word that, in my estimation at least, carries the connotation of ‘facing’ what one is standing before. When I face myself in a mirror, I prefer that the image be exact and true.

See Nehemiah 9:8, “And foundest his heart (mind) faithful (conscientious, true) before Thee.”

I embrace the fact that God actually thinks about me, that I matter to Him. There is a force between my God and me, like lines of magnetism, that keeps us aligned. When God looks into the mirror and sees my face, it is a comfort to me that He sees something of Himself in me. I am God’s work. I am fully persuaded that I am His choice, and not some random event or mistake. I embrace the connection I have with God; I embrace God’s choosing, therefore, I embrace my choices.

See Job 7:17, “What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify (enhance) him? and that Thou shouldest set Thine heart (mind) upon him?”

I, like so many others, have received the God-mind. Like my brothers and sisters, I seek to impart to others what has been imparted to me. I imagine myself in a circle of mirrors, where I angle my shard to capture and redirect the image of God within, and as that image goes around, I realize that the ‘individual’ is also the ‘shared’: I realize that ‘God within us’ is also ‘God among us’. The key element in this circuit is the desire of the individual to communicate. It is the trickle of many streams that combine to achieve the force of a mighty torrent. To understand that force, one must humbly realize that what an individual communicates, was first communicated to him; one must realize that the individual is not the source, but the medium: that the work of communication is owned by God.

Many people doubt and reject the communications of God because they reach them through other people. They ask, how do we know that man did not alter or make up the communication? God communicates God to man, man, therefore, cannot help but communicate God to man.

See Job 8:10, “Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart (mind)?”

We are not the first to understand why we know such things, or where our glad secrets come from.

See how far back it goes in Job 10:10-13, “Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life (the God-mind) and favour, and Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. And these things (secrets) hast Thou hid in Thine heart (God’s own mind).”

Communication is the issue and is directly connected to our relationship with God. Where the eye turns, and what delights it are two matters that are highly visible in the words we choose to speak. Our very nature, our spirit, whether we face the mirror or look away are issues of extreme spiritual import.

Job 15:12-13, “Why doth thine heart (mind) carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest (choose) such words go out of thy mouth?”

What do you embrace?

Of course, those inclined to doubt the communications simply because they come from other humans, are they who have turned their spirit from God. After all, those who have rejected spiritual abilities have no tools with which to approach spirituality. They have stepped out of the circuit, and have dropped their shards. When an individual faces the Great Reflection, God faces the individual. When the individual turns away from the mirror, God turns away from the individual. Once touted, twice compounded - God responds by doubling: if the individual turns his eyes from the light, God gives him the blackness of night.

See Job 17:4, “For Thou hast hid their heart (mind) from understanding.”

What do you embrace?

What are your purpose and justification? What gives your life meaning? If the answer to these questions is ‘spirituality’, then know that even the righteous and the upright in mind enjoy no security other than their committed desire.

Job 17:11, “My purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart (mind).”

A man may stand alone only so long. We were meant to stand together, to strengthen one another: to receive and bear the communications of other men. Even though the arguments of Eliphaz, the Temanite were flawed, we know that one may not communicate spiritually what one has not received spiritually.

See Job 22:22, “Receive, I pray thee, the law from His mouth, and lay up His words in thine heart (mind).”

We must not forget that an invisible God works invisibly in the invisible parts of the inner man. Sometimes we struggle to comprehend just what good our trials can possibly accomplish. Simply because the work of God may not be seen, that is no reason to assume that it may not be felt. No one ever claimed that the imprinting of God’s mind would be comfortable: even a small tattoo stings a little.

See Job 23:16-17, “God maketh my heart (mind) soft (easily offended), and the almighty troubleth me: Because I was not cut off before (facing) the darkness, neither hath He covered the darkness from my face.”

This verse reminds me of how God set me free from the potential bondage of strong drink: He made my stomach easily offended. A good conscience is much more than most people realize. A good conscience is actually a milestone in our spiritual progression. A good conscience is a hallmark of the upright in mind. It may be said of the upright that they attempt to sanctify their uprightness by keeping it pure, by which I mean: the upright will not tolerate admixture. Good behavior is not mixed with bad behavior; good conversation is not mixed with bad conversation. In other words, the upright will rigorously uphold each spiritual gain, will guard it against pollution, will embrace the greater and abandon the lesser within the inner man.

See Job 27:6, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart (mind) shall not reproach me so long as I live.”

And I must add that the good conscience of a good man is not an arbitrary, or subjective concept: there is a test that may be applied to the conscience to determine its state of admixture or purity.

See Job 31:7, “If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart (mind) walked after mine eyes.”

So I ask again: what do you embrace?

I must add this inquiry, also: what do you communicate?

The seeker embraces the communication of an upright God: a God of knowledge. That communication is what we, in turn, communicate: the very nature of our spiritual Father.

See Job 33:3, “My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart (mind): and my lips shall utter

knowledge clearly.”

We communicate strongly: we communicate strength. We do not force, and yet, if we strive, it is in the hope we will not lose a brother or a sister. We sincerely desire that in our condescension to men of lesser estate, some will obey the call, face the mirror, and see just who they really are.

Sadly, we too often receive ridicule for our hopes and are accused of adopting ancient texts to rationalize our own personal agendas. But we do not communicate ourselves, we communicate God, and we know that God responds to good with good, to evil with evil.

See Job 36:12-14, “But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart (mental habits) heap up wrath: they cry not (attempting to seem tough) when He bindeth them. They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean.”

When we communicate, it is really God who communicates. Yes, we have within us all that God has

imparted, but it is still not we, per se, that work the work.

Job 38:36, “Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart (mind)?”

We but hold another shard in the circuit: the image and the communication of the image are of God.

We embrace our place in the circuit. What is given us, becomes us - and yet - there is a quality about the augmented mind that is separate and unique; it is a quality that may be engaged in conversation. Do you know someone who talks to himself? Perhaps that person is you.

But, if we have received the God-mind, is it really ourselves to whom we speak? And does that not raise the question of how close God is to each of us?

See Psalms 4:4, “Commune with your own (or God’s own) heart (mind).”

See also Psalms 7:10, “My defence (like a shield: something held close) is of God, which saveth the upright in heart (mind).”

Book Four Chapter Eleven: Realization

ELEVEN

Realization

This book puts forward the question: “What exactly is spiritual?” It is the seeker’s point of view that ‘spiritual’ and ‘cognitive’ are concepts that may be used interchangeably. Our premise is that a spiritual God (the God of knowledge) is realizing Himself into corporeal man by the process of replacing our minds with His.

See 1 Samuel 13:14, “The Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart (mind).”

Our studies have shown us that some people evince that transition, as denoted in Judges 5:15, “There were great thoughts of heart (mind),” and also in Judges 5:16, “There were great searchings of heart (mind).”

Now, everyone thinks, everyone searches and ponders and meditates, but not everyone goes to that next level. Natural man thinks natural thoughts. Spiritual man has been given something that places him in a higher bracket. That ‘something’, I think, is available to all; it is out in the open for any to freely take. However, to take it, one must use it.

See 1 Kings 3:12, “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart (mind).”

What God offers is starkly different from the comfortable traditions of the natural man, which are basically reactionary. It’s not like watching TV, or going to a party, or hanging at the beach; it is rather like a grand piano at the bottom of a long flight of stairs. One must not only go down and shoulder the burden, one must be willing to go higher with it: up to the top. In that sense, the gift of a wise and understanding mind is directional in nature.

There are two directions: going up and going down. Standing still is not the same as going down, but neither is it anything on a par with going up. We think of the natural mind as going down (declining), or standing still (static). We think of the spiritual mind as inclined or ascending.

Joshua 24:23, “Incline your heart (mind).”

One of the defining traits of the natural mind is a little thing almost everyone has heard of: ‘situation ethics’. The fickle mind, the double mind, chaff before the wind, torn and divided allegiance is the state of which I speak. Some people are constantly surprised at how others mistreat them; others know the signs and adjust their alliances accordingly. Yet, even among the double-minded, a man who stands behind his word is seen as a man of virtue, and a man who can be trusted.

So - how does a man arrive at the place where his word can be ‘taken to the bank’? It is highly likely

that he did not learn it from one who could not be trusted to honor his word. If, for instance, a man

learned it from his Dad, what the Dad communicated to his son was more than sterile information: it was his very nature that he imparted. Such a mind is learned from God. The more we are like God,

the more singular is our intent.

See 1 Chronicles 12:33, “They were not of double heart (mind).”

The natural mind can, in a certain light, seem to be singular. Some people exalt resistance to instruction. They think they know as much as the next man, so they are offended at the first indication of instruction. They simply do not wish to be ‘told’; they complain of those who try to ‘force’ thoughts, ideas, and opinions down their throats. These are of the ‘hardhearted’ type, and not likely to embrace a thought that does not already suit them. The opposite type are they with an inclination toward dialog: such would be one whose mind is malleable but not gullible, one whose mind is impressionable, approachable, yet analytical.

See 2 Kings 22:19, “Because thine heart (mind) was tender.”

This type is more predisposed to know not only the possibilities of the mind but also the limitations.

See 1 Kings 8:38, “Which shall know every man the plague of his own heart (mind).”

In the course of exercising the gift of the God-mind, knowledge increases and is known as understanding. Understanding increases and is known as wisdom. Inherent in this process is a thing

most of us come to appreciate. It is called experience. When I go to get a haircut, I look for the

professional with understanding over those who are still practicing. We all seek the best in our daily

lives. We look for an accomplished attorney rather than some kid with a freshly printed diploma. We

seek an experienced surgeon rather than some hack. In every case where it truly matters to us, we

seek the man with a well-developed mind, a man of experience, and of expertise.

See 1 Kings 10:24, “And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart (mind).”

God is not always instantly realized, as in the mind of Solomon. With most, it is a process that involves the length of our lives, not to mention disciplined study.

See 1 Kings 8:61, “Let your heart (mind) therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Of course, the natural mind is predisposed to view study as so much lugubrious labor: dull and boring to the point of tears. Such a mind will always find it more desirable to party, or hang with friends - anything! Seekers, however, do not find seeking dull; they are quite pleased with every new gem they discover.

1 Chronicles 16:10, “Glory ye in His Holy name: let the heart (mind) of them rejoice that seek the Lord.”

Down through the centuries, men have sacrificed to God: 1 Chronicles 29:9, “With perfect heart (mind) they offered willingly to the Lord.”

They brought to altars beasts for bloodshed. They brought to coffers coins for causes. They placed their presents at the pulpit. Compared with our template, these activities do not seem especially spiritual. Yet, it does not take an architect to see that something has, over time, been built up. We may wonder how killing an animal can lead to cognitive skills; the two seem less than complimentary. Yet, everyone must crawl before they can walk.

Early religious practice does not seem particularly aligned with knowledge, understanding, or wisdom; but it does represent the ‘baby steps’ of conformity. Through all of its fundamental ceremony, early religion did sharpen the mind through regular practice. In every life circumstance, including trials and temptations, the mind returned to a single clarion issue: one’s relationship to God. Though not always thought of, foundations are vital to any building project.

See 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart (mind), and hast pleasure in uprightness.”

In an early illustration, I likened the realization of God in corporeal man to a large fish materializing in a fish bowl. I mentioned that one of the important preliminary preparations in that process would necessarily be the modification of the environment inside the fishbowl. The fish could not just ‘pop in’. Since I am calling our heads fish bowls, it is our minds that must be prepared to accommodate the insertion.

See 1 Chronicles 29:18, “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart (mind) of Thy people, and prepare their heart (mind) unto Thee.”

That preparation of the mind is shown as crucial in contrasting verses such as 2 Chronicles 12:14, “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart (mind) to seek the Lord.”

‘Preparation’, ‘understanding’, and ‘covenant’ are, for the seeker’s purpose, related terms. ‘Blend’, ‘cognizance’, and ‘bond’ are alternate words found in the thesaurus. Our thoughts, by these terms, are directed toward the intent of ‘oneness’. Realization is a process. To think of this process, we must consider the individual’s connectedness, and our concern is for which direction the mind takes. There are people who do many good works - but that is the limiting factor: they are just works.

See 2 Chronicles 25:2, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart (mind).”

On the other hand, any of us who are, as we say, ‘wayward’ may draw close again to God and win new approval.

Take a look at 2 Chronicles 19:3, “Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart (mind) to seek God.”

In all of this, the mind either faces God or turns away. A seeker must, by his very nature, face God. The seeker, in receiving the communicated nature of God, seeks more of the same communication.

2 Chronicles 30:18-19, “The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart (mind) to seek God.”

God pardons and assists for it is the work of a spiritual God unto spiritual ends.

See 2 Chronicles 30:12, “The hand (the work) of God . . . to give them one heart (one mind) . . . by the word (the communication) of the Lord.”

Throughout the process that leads to one mind, the individual mind may be seen in its various stages.

2 Chronicles 17:6, “And his heart (mind) was lifted up in the ways of the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 29:31, “As many as were of a free heart (mind).”

As stated earlier, preparation is a blending of spiritual and corporeal, a practice aimed at achieving a bond. We are they that recognize and embrace those communications; we seek. We march inexorably toward that bonding of flesh and mind.

See 2 Chronicles 31:21, “To seek his God, he did it with all his heart (mind), and prospered.”

To prepare one’s mind to seek leads one to actually seek, and the word does say, ‘seek and you will find’. You must understand that the seeker does not receive idly. The seeker receives in order to practice; the seeker fully expects to exercise what he is given, fully expects the exercise to give abundance.

See Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had prepared his heart (mind) to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

What came first, the chicken or the egg? What came first, the grape or the seed? The second question answers the first. (What came first, the question or the answer?) Just as the grape enlarges around the seed, so the sons of mankind develop around the given mind. Man did not invent it but is an extension of it. God gave the God-mind to man. God prepared mankind to seek it. First and foremost, the God-mind is a spiritual work in a corporeal plane bent on lifting the corporeal to spiritual heights.

If we ask, will God listen? Of course, He will: it is His work.

See Psalms 10:17, “Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart (mind), Thou wilt cause Thine ear to hear.”

The process. To what may we compare it? It is like an engine of perpetual motion that continuously feeds upon, and builds upon its own increase.

See Psalms 22:26, “The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek Him: Your heart (God’s mind) shall live for ever.”

I’ll say it once more: a spiritual God is working a spiritual work in a corporeal plane for His own spiritual ends.

Read Proverbs 16:1 closely, “The preparations of the heart (the mind) in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.”

Most of us are familiar with the A. S. K. verse: Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.”

The A. S. K. verse presents three distinct, though related, concepts. The central concept is ‘seek’. When one seeks, one is in actuality ‘looking’ for something. The word ‘looking’ denotes direction, and in that regard, we are reminded of The Great Reflection. If you have forgotten, The Great Reflection is the interface between God and man, man, of course, being the reflection (or, the corporeal extension) of his spiritual creator. Face does indeed answer to face.

See Psalms 27:8, “When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart (my mind) said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”

It is real: the more we behold the face of God, the more we look just like Him.

Psalms 105:3, “Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart (the mind) of them rejoice that seek the Lord.”

Despite the weight of the argument, there is still an ingrained disposition to place all results in a far and distant future rather than in the here and now. Allow me to refute that with a timeline from Daniel 10:12, “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart (mind) to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for (because of) thy words.”

Both the preparation of the mind in man, and the answer of the tongue come from an invisible spiritual God. That is not to say we are puppets. We have a major role to play. Just as we are given muscles and must, therefore, exercise them to grow, the gift of the God-mind must be exercised. That exercise is growth, is health, is life.

See Proverbs 15:28, “The heart (mind) of the righteous studieth to (toward an) answer.”

It is a spiritual work unto a spiritual end. Our studied opinion: spiritual is mental is spiritual. Ask yourselves this question: what does our spiritual God promise more than anything else? The answer to that one is ‘Life’.

See Psalms 69:32, “The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart (mind) shall live that seek God.”

Chapter thirty of Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of the return of God’s chosen people from captivity, where their lords and nobles were foreigners, where no one had their good in mind, but only their usefulness. The chapter puts forth God’s claim that it was He that deliberately brought the evil upon His people because they had displeased Him. It also presents the reader with a picture of God’s desire toward His people: that He will make a full end to other nations but not to Israel.

It shows clearly that His intent is to heal and restore. Why? Because the people were thoroughly

humbled, and throughout their distress, their minds returned to God. The picture is of a spiritual

connection that God responds to. Just as in the day of Moses, the day of David, the day of Solomon,

God’s intent is to establish and build upon the personal relationship of those who, by the exercise of what they have been given, willingly seek His face. It is a vivid picture of both the corporeal Israel and the spiritual Israel’s spiritual progress.

See Jeremiah 30:21, “And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me: for who is this (what kind or what type of individual was it) that (purposefully) engaged his heart (mind) to approach unto Me? saith the Lord.”

Who will that governor be? None other than a seeker of the spiritual - and not a seeker who seeks ineffectively. The seeker that seeks the spiritual must seek it spiritually, must use all his spiritual tools.

See Jeremiah 29:13, “Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart (mind).”

It is no accidental role we play in the process of our spiritualization but a role we deliberately choose and embrace. Any seeker may use the willing words found in Ecclesiastes 1:13, “I gave (dedicated) my heart (mind) to seek and search.”

The seeker may adopt the spiritual determination of the preacher in Ecclesiastes 7:25, “I applied mine heart (mind) to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things.”

When God speaks of the nobles of a restored Israel, what would be His definition of the term? Mankind’s definition of a noble is based in the arbitrary: nobles rise to wield power over others; bloodline and ancestry are the determining factors. God sees nobility in a wholly different light.

See spiritual nobility in Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word (spiritual communication) with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

We must, as a body of seekers, mind the things of the mind. In the communication of nobility, we lift our brothers and sisters along with ourselves. In so doing, the one body approaches the one mind.

Philippians 3:16, “Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

That is the seeker building upon the gift of the God-mind, minding mind matters, becoming better, heading higher, leaning toward life.

Consider the fate of the non-seeker in Philippians 3:19, “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”

I do not express mind over matter, but I clearly iterate that it is a matter of the mind. Our mind is central to this study of things spiritual. It is important that the seeker make the connection between things spiritual and the mind.

Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

With the mind of Christ in our heads, we speak like Christ; we reason like Christ. We are little mini-Christs, becoming more and more of what He is: the way for others, light, truth, and life. We are the cluster of grapes forming on the vine.

Philippians 4:2, “Be of the same mind in the Lord.”

In the formation of the cluster of grapes on the vine, we see a process that we may compare to the formation of the God-mind in the individual and the development of the one mind. An opposite process, like a domino effect, occurs in those who mind earthly things. First, a blind eye is turned to the spiritual: the mind is set to reject the invisible. Second, the culmination of that self-imposed ignorance creates an ever-widening gap between that individual and God for the simple reason that they chose familiar darkness over illumination.

See Ephesians 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart (mind).”

The seeker truly walks a fine line. He is different from the worldly-minded, and yet, it is the seal of the seeker, and his content, that is God’s communication to the world of baser men. The seeker by his nature and by the exhortation of scripture is called to ‘mind’ higher matters, and yet, unless he deliberately plants himself among those he has risen above, he has no purpose, no meaning, no justification.

We see this clearly in Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”

Book Four Chapter Ten: Every Man is a Letter

TEN

Every Man is a Letter

The purpose of the new mind resides in the process of God realizing Himself in corporeal man. The same process that presents the seeker with the newer concept of ‘God among us’, also presents us with the new and improved son of mankind: the godly man. The older, contemporary take on man’s exact relationship with God, places God at inaccessible heights. Unfortunately for those believers, it also places the divine nature in man at inaccessible heights. The older, contemporary take on spiritual issues has settled on the social and emotional levels. The exaltation of these levels has a dire side effect for all those that hold to them; namely, that mentality, in their way of thinking, is aligned with worldly ‘head knowledge’ that is set in opposition to ‘true faith’. Such thinking is prominent for both a lack of interpretation and a propensity for clinging tenaciously to tradition.

A preacher will stand before his or her congregation and speak the word ‘love’ with a special 'preacherly' inflection. If you just heard that word pronounced, with your eyes closed, you would

immediately know, by the inflection alone, that it was spoken by a preacher. Never once have I heard

a preacher attempt a real definition of love - and I’m guessing that is because they exalt the emotional over the cognitive. They will stand and shout the word at their congregation, drawing out the pronunciation in a long, tortured manner, as if the loud inflection is enough.

Yet, the word of God places love in a mutually inclusive relationship with knowledge, as seen in Philippians 1:9-10, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

We have seen the scriptures speak of the ‘spirit of love’, and we seekers associate spirituality with mentality. Ephesians 4:30 tells us that we are ‘sealed’ unto the day of redemption. The language

associates that seal with the Holy Ghost: that is, the Holy Mind of God, which God has imparted to

the sons of men. Back in the day, when a king sent a letter, he set on it his own peculiar seal – a dollop of hot wax impressed by his unique signet.

Our similarity to such a letter is twofold: firstly, we have a unique seal that identifies the seeker as being sent by the sender; secondly, like the letter, our content is all that the sender placed inside us. Our mark – our seal – is the very mind of God. Our seal is both known and familiar. The more we know of God, the more like God we become. Christ said more than, simply, he knew the sheep that belonged to him. He added that his sheep knew Him.

Read 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The

Lord knoweth them that are His.”

The sons of men are letters to future sons of men. Each of us bears the seal of familiar knowledge that marks us as his; each of us contains the thoughts of God. We need but be opened and God is communicated. It behooves us, then, to study both content and seal. Two things will become clear: what sets us apart from the un-sealed, or the 'otherly-sealed', and how our content can make the uncommunicated one with us.

We willing participants in the realized mind of God serve the purposes of our Lord – and it was no accident that Christ was named the ‘Word’. Our communications of the God-mind add bone and sinew to the body of Christ. That legacy, that endowment, is not ours alone but belongs to each and every son of man. We know that serving our Lord in the communication of the realization of the mind of God in corporeal man will reward us, each and all, with the God-mind. What an inheritance!

Read of the coming advent of spiritual man in Colossians 3:24, “Knowing that of the Lord (the Word) ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ (the Word).”

It is not possible to avoid the issues of cognitive communications in this study. When we speak of the invisible things of the inner man, we speak of mentality. Many contemporaries cling to the social/emotional aspects of our relationship with God – and I would not belittle them. Before the

first-grade teacher begins to fashion the child’s mind, the kindergarten teacher shows that child how

to interact with others. Some contemporary Christians are at the first-grade level; some still hop,

skip, and jump.

We seekers have attained a higher level. We understand that the communication of the God-mind is not preoccupied with social standards that are based in the satellite emotions. Our new standards are standards of cognitive communication.

See James 3:13, “Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

And too, we know that what we receive of the Holy Ghost, of the Holy mind of God, is cognitive rather than emotional. Words that speak to seekers have little effect on non-seekers. The contemporary mindset clings to primary basics such as ‘sinner-saved-by-grace’, such as ‘for-God-so-loved’, such as the preaching of salvation, the attendance of church, and tithing. These standards are all good and have their place in the order of things.

Sadly, the contemporary mindset never seeks beyond its laurels. Ask yourself, where do the saved go beyond salvation? Does the church ever build beyond salvation? No – they just go on preaching salvation to the saved, perpetuating the social customs and emotional ruts that keep the church standing. The contemporary Christian view has a built-in aversion to things mental, they are almost immediately labeled ‘gnostic’.

And yet . . . Read 1 John 2:20, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”

Imagine a board containing an endless array of dominoes, always falling, each always affecting the next in line. So it is in our day-to-day reality. We affect one another. Seekers are letters to seekers. We are a small group now, and that leaves a whole lot of junk mail floating around out there – affecting people – infecting people. The contemporary Christian mindset holds that we need a lot of work in order to be what we need to be. Perhaps an entire overhaul. How does that mindset, traditionally, approach the issue?

Well, when unstructured interpersonal relations are the issue, abstinence is their answer. The absence of something, as Christ taught, only leaves a hole. The displaced spirit will return with seven of his buddies. Contemporaries do admit they need something to fit the hole – but what? Over the years, we have seen them plug holes with the same old plugs. When those plugs come out, as they regularly do, they put the same ones back in. You’d figure that after so much of that, they would look around for a plug that would do the job; you’d figure they would try something new. Even God, when He saw that yearly sacrifices did not do the job, tried something new – a sacrifice that only had to be applied once.

Our thoughts can accomplish little or much. What are you affected by? What are you building on? If a man leaned a ladder against his house but did not climb, would he reach the roof? When God comes to evaluates our performance, what do you think He will find?

See Genesis 6:5, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (mind) was only evil continually.”

A popular song once asked: “Will it go ‘round in circles, or will it climb high like a bird up in the sky?” Mankind goes around in circles: circles of emotion, circles of social standards and comfortable customs.

Genesis 6:6, “And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart (mind).”

In one sense, the Bible is a history of God’s communications to man. God was always giving man those things he needed to move forward. Man did not always move forward. Man developed customs, reworked what he had been given to make it comfortable. Man created false gods out of laziness. Man was more interested in what other men said – and he could always put in his own two cents worth with a push or a shove. Worldly, fleshly man is a preacher who preaches physical contact and force against obstacles; he preaches gratification and exalts the image of a man with an amputated future. He is a preacher who magnifies diminishment, a preacher who lifts up pulling down.

Little by little, the communications began to take root. People built upon what they were given by seeking more of the same. What they knew, they practiced and they developed the muscle of understanding. For the sons of men, from the beginning, it was a knowledge and a desire to know. That was the platform on which they built higher customs and laws. And, as men, they began to pull themselves away from the purely corporeal. It was spiritual.

See Exodus 35:21, “They came, every one whose heart (mind) stirred him up, and every one whom His spirit (mind) made willing.”

A man’s mind, his thoughts, will stir him up. A man’s thoughts will lead to action. A man may think about a matter and will make a decision based in all of that which he has been persuaded. Those people who had been persuaded by spiritual knowledge and understanding willingly made spiritual decisions.

See Exodus 35:29, “The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord.”

Over and over, we see the main attribute of our relationship to God – we see the augmented mind working spiritually in the corporeal realm.

We see Exodus 35:35, “Them hath He filled with wisdom of heart (mind), to work all manner of work . . . and of those that devise cunning work.”

That wisdom of mind was the mind of God, for the natural mind of man went in other directions. Always has God given His chosen learning aids to keep their attention focused forward, for without certain reminders our attention follows the paths of least resistance.

See Numbers 15:39, “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them, and that ye seek not after your own heart (mind) and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring.”

Mankind resists the spiritual. He draws lines; he places God above and man below. While God seems to him to be at inaccessible heights, maybe (just maybe), he thinks, God will not see. No: the sun did not just slip behind a cloud, but that is a true and recognizable darkness in man’s thinking. However, God exists both in heaven and in earth; He is there, but He is also here. The inaccessible heights of God, as a theory, is self-delusional. To view God as some distant, white-bearded sky Daddy in no way negates His real presence here among us. He is the same God here on earth as He is in heaven: He is a God of knowledge.

Turn your lights on and read Deuteronomy 4:39, “Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart (mind), that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.”

There is not a heaven God and an earth God; there is one God for both.

The sons of men, imbued with the mind of God, have been conveying God’s message for a very long time: ‘take off your blinders; walk in the light; remove from your thinking all things that get in the way of understanding: that come between you and the God of knowledge’.

See Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart (mind).”

As I have stated, two things will become clear: what sets us apart from the un-sealed, or the otherly-sealed, and how our content can make the uncommunicated one with us. Many people have aligned themselves with the church and have professed faith and allegiance to God. They have received Christ as their personal savior and they gather with like-minded people every Sunday. They meet the social and emotional requirements that have been placed upon them.

And yet . . . understand Deuteronomy 29:4, “The Lord hath not given you an heart (mind) to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.”

If God gives us an exercise program, and we never feel the burn, should we blame God that we are not buff? God has given us the tools we need; the language is simple.

Deuteronomy 30:14, “The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth (communication), and in thy heart (mind), that thou mayest do it.”

Book Four Chapter Nine: The Purpose of the New Mind.

NINE

The Purpose of the New Mind

How many times must a child be spanked before he learns not to run out in the street but take the adult’s hand of guidance? So it is with the developing spiritual mind in man. We suffer in small ways and we suffer greatly as well but we also learn. The young adult no longer takes the parental hand but will stop and look both ways all on his own. He does that because through training, through spankings and scoldings and gentle reminders, he has come to understand at last; he has reached the desired point where he is able to choose what is right and good. I paint a picture of spanked bottoms because that is how life, in general, proceeds. That is how the immature spiritual individual reaches the desired point of understanding whereby he is at last able to choose good without being guided or forced.

For being able to choose good rather than bad, see Matthew 12:35, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart (the mind) bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth (chooses) evil things.”

The desired goal is a spiritual state. The God-mind makes godly choices. Communication of the nature of the communicator levels a man up to a point where, through understanding (that is: practiced knowledge), he is both able and willing to make the same choices God would make. That God is more the mind, and making the choices, does not diminish the man, but exalts him to heights of wisdom.

See the spiritual man (the God-minded man) in Luke 6:43-45, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit (choices/actions). For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart (mind) bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart (mind) bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart (mind) his mouth speaketh (communicates).”

I have already said it: God communicates the God-mind to man. Man, in turn, communicates the God-mind to man. Mentality is spirituality when it comes from God. However, to reject spiritual instruction, to turn away, by no means negates communication. Man still communicates, but he has chosen to communicate things devoid of spirituality, things bereft of higher thought, understanding, wisdom.

Worldly, fleshly man is a preacher who preaches physical contact and force against obstacles; he preaches gratification and exalts the image of a man with an amputated future. He is a preacher who magnifies diminishment, a preacher who lifts up pulling down. Just as a street runs in two directions, so does mentality run. There are minds that choose good; there are minds that choose bad and call it good. Both minds communicate.

See Matthew 15:18, “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart (the mind).”

I ask ‘what exactly is spiritual?’ and then I go on and on about mentality. Am I just another man with an off-center take on old writings? No. If you get anything out of this writing, does that make you a seeker? Yes. Every time I note a scripture that deals with spirituality, it is padded with words such as ‘knowledge’, ‘known’, and ‘know’. Spirituality, and the attainment of spirituality, is always couched in terms of impartation, communication, receptivity, and close familiarity.

What exactly is spiritual? See Luke 2:15, “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see (confirm) this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

What is the purpose of the new mind? See Luke 1:77, “To give knowledge of salvation unto His

people by the remission of their sins.”

Are there methods of giving knowledge? Yes. By the remission of their sins is one method.

See John 10:38 for another, “Believe the works: that ye may know.”

Ever heard the expression ‘rubbing off on’? Ever read the verse that states “Iron sharpeneth iron?” Remember the theme of ‘familiarity through close contact’?

See John 10:14, “I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.”

Reciprocity. Is it, as the expression goes, ‘all in our heads? Yes. See Acts 1:24, “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts (the minds) of all men.”

Knowledge is the key building block in spiritual development. I wish to stress that point. Men of knowledge practice what they know; they teach what they know. The practice of knowledge brings

them to a state called understanding; the practice of understanding brings them to a state called

wisdom. The trend, the direction, the overall development is spiritual. However, that avenue is not

open to those who are not open to that particular avenue.

See John 7:24, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Those who judge only by the appearance, are unreceptive to the invisible matters of spirituality.

See John 3:11-12, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”

It is always a shame that those who judge by appearance find their way into positions of authority where they may adversely affect the impartation of knowledge.

See Luke 11:52, “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.”

I ask, then, what is the ‘key’ of knowledge? Actually, this expression may be taken two ways. One: ‘key of knowledge’ may simply indicate that knowledge is the key to spiritual advancement, and two: ‘key of knowledge’ may point more precisely to knowledge as a door or lock that is accessed by something other than the knowledge indicated. An example of the former might be the practice of the old Catholic church. They made demands on the people without sharing the source material of the scriptures. I have no example for the latter, but I have some notions; two allusions to scripture that I hope will prove somewhat enlightening. In the previous verse, please note the Lord’s reference to entering in.

I say reference because I was immediately reminded of Christ’s self-description as the ‘way’, also as the ‘door’. It might well be supposed that something as basic as a decision could be the ‘key’ to knowledge. Then again, Christ once asked His disciples ‘don’t you know what this parable means? If you don’t know this one, how will you know the others?’ In saying this, I point to a ‘key’ embedded in all the words imparted by God, including those of His only begotten Son. When Christ said that to His disciples, I was impressed with the possibility that one parable could unlock all the others.

I do not propose that there is a ‘code’ of any sort in the scriptures; while there might be a system of clues in the written word, I do not here insist upon it, but there seems to be a ‘way’ of hearing something that everyone else is equally exposed to, yet coming away with something more. Two roads may lead to the same physical location, but the path chosen makes a big difference in what one may get out of the trip. A lower road may lead through mires that muddy the feet, may lead through brambles that tear our best apparel, but the high road can offer a thrilling overview of the entire trip whereby we are afforded somewhat of an advance warning of the terrain ahead, even a broad and pleasing view of the destination.

We move from knowledge to understanding to wisdom. Is knowledge the key? Worldly, fleshly man is a preacher who preaches physical contact and force against obstacles; he preaches gratification and exalts the image of a man with an amputated future. He is a preacher who magnifies diminishment, a preacher who lifts up pulling down. Yet, he will claim equality with the spiritually inclined. He will say: ‘I’m educated; I know this and that’. But, he does not share the same familiar practice of knowledge as the seeker, he turned away from that, or as scripture says, he preferred the darkness rather than light. He has chosen a kind of knowledge that is devoid of light and life, a knowledge that pulls down rather than builds up.

See where a choice may lead in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”

Read it often and ask yourself, ‘how could knowing be eternal life?’. The purpose of the new mind becomes a bit clearer. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish authorities took the law that was given to all and used it exclusively to maintain the advantage of power over the general populace. Matters of law such as the Sabbath (which was meant to be a celebration of God’s satisfaction) were turned into legalisms that bound the people under grievous weights of restrictions meant to appease the taskmasters - a knowledgeable group, by the way; well versed in magnifying diminishment.

Kinda reminds me of those deconstructionists in our own time who pulled down prayer from schools and the ten commandments from courts. I do not doubt that many have rued their laws and lawmakers. But the seeker walks the high road, his attitude is unaffected by muddy feet.

See 1 Timothy 1:8, “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully.”

As a standard, could the law be the key of knowledge - that is, if used lawfully? Could the law fit our second assumption of a key? In the historical overview, the value of faith was preceded by the practice of the law. Many, of course, see the law as ineffectual against the advent of faith. Paul associated the law with death and faith with life. Yet, in a particular light, the law is seen as a level of development leading into faith. Did faith open to the world through the agency of the law as a ‘key’?

See Romans 7:14, “For we know that the law is spiritual.”

Now that seems strange; dogmatically, the law and spirituality are presented on opposite ends of the spectrum. But think: the law is a communication; by it, knowledge is imparted for man to practice. To what extent might we see the practice of the law leading to the attained state of faith? The allusion is to the practice of knowledge leading to the attained state of understanding. If we ask ‘what is the purpose of the new mind?’ we must also ask ‘what is the purpose of faith?’, ‘what is the purpose of knowledge?’, ‘what is the purpose of the law?’, for, like pearls on a necklace, they are all connected.

Developmentally speaking, if all the right choices are made, there is a single linear progression from the valley floor to the lofty peak.

See Ephesians 3:10, “To the intent that now unto (developmental progression) the principalities and powers in heavenly places (where the God of knowledge resides) might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.”

Recall, please, that every tree is known by his own fruit; recall that those words of Christ set at odds the right mind from the wrong mind; recall that all action flows from the headwaters of mentality.

See the good tree and the corrupt tree in Titus 1:15-16, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience (the headwaters) is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

They would have us believe that they have gathered figs with the best of them, but our eyes are open to the thorns they lift up.