Instructions to teachers and believers, again.

Subject: Instructions to teachers and believers, again. Sun Jul 06, 2008 6:06 am

Good read!

[b]3. INSTRUCTION FOR TEACHERS AND BELIEVERS[/b]

At
Edrei, where Thomas and his associates labored, Jesus spent a day and a
night and, in the course of the evening's discussion, gave expression
to the principles which should guide those who preach truth, and which
should activate all who teach the gospel of the kingdom. Summarized and
restated in modern phraseology, Jesus taught:
Always respect
the personality of man. Never should a righteous cause be promoted by
force; spiritual victories can be won only by spiritual power. This
injunction against the employment of material influences refers to
psychic force as well as to physical force. Overpowering arguments and
mental superiority are not to be employed to coerce men and women into
the kingdom. Man's mind is not to be crushed by the mere weight of
logic or overawed by shrewd eloquence. While emotion as a factor in
human decisions cannot be wholly eliminated, it should not be directly
appealed to in the teachings of those who would advance the cause of
the kingdom. Make your appeals directly to the divine spirit that
dwells within the minds of men. Do not appeal to fear, pity, or mere
sentiment. In appealing to men, be fair; exercise self-control and
exhibit due restraint; show proper respect for the personalities of
your pupils. Remember that I have said: "Behold, I stand at the door
and knock, and if any man will open, I will come in."
In
bringing men into the kingdom, do not lessen or destroy their
self-respect. While overmuch self-respect may destroy proper humility
and end in pride, conceit, and arrogance, the loss of self-respect
often ends in paralysis of the will. It is the purpose of this gospel
to restore self-respect to those who have lost it and to restrain it in
those who have it. Make not the mistake of only condemning the wrongs
in the lives of your pupils; remember also to accord generous
recognition for the most praiseworthy things in their lives. Forget not
that I will stop at nothing to restore self-respect to those who have
lost it, and who really desire to regain it.
Take care that
you do not wound the self-respect of timid and fearful souls. Do not
indulge in sarcasm at the expense of my simple-minded brethren. Be not
cynical with my fear-ridden children. Idleness is destructive of
self-respect; therefore, admonish your brethren ever to keep busy at
their chosen tasks, and put forth every effort to secure work for those
who find themselves without employment.

Never be guilty of such unworthy tactics as endeavoring to frighten men
and women into the kingdom. A loving father does not frighten his
children into yielding obedience to his just requirements.
Sometime
the children of the kingdom will realize that strong feelings of
emotion are not equivalent to the leadings of the divine spirit. To be
strongly and strangely impressed to do something or to go to a certain
place, does not necessarily mean that such impulses are the leadings of
the indwelling spirit.
Forewarn all believers regarding the
fringe of conflict which must be traversed by all who pass from the
life as it is lived in the flesh to the higher life as it is lived in
the spirit. To those who live quite wholly within either realm, there
is little conflict or confusion, but all are doomed to experience more
or less uncertainty during the times of transition between the two
levels of living. In entering the kingdom, you cannot escape its
responsibilities or avoid its obligations, but remember: The gospel
yoke is easy and the burden of truth is light.
The world is
filled with hungry souls who famish in the very presence of the bread
of life; men die searching for the very God who lives within them. Men
seek for the treasures of the kingdom with yearning hearts and weary
feet when they are all within the immediate grasp of living faith.
Faith is to religion what sails are to a ship; it is an addition of
power, not an added burden of life. There is but one struggle for those
who enter the kingdom, and that is to fight the good fight of faith.
The believer has only one battle, and that is against doubt--unbelief.
In preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, you are simply teaching friendship with God. And this
fellowship will appeal alike to men and women in that both will find
that which most truly satisfies their characteristic longings and
ideals. Tell my children that I am not only tender of their feelings
and patient with their frailties, but that I am also ruthless with sin
and intolerant of iniquity. I am indeed meek and humble in the presence
of my Father, but I am equally and relentlessly inexorable where there
is deliberate evildoing and sinful rebellion against the will of my
Father in heaven.
You shall not portray your teacher as a man
of sorrows. Future generations shall know also the radiance of our joy,
the buoyance of our good will, and the inspiration of our good humor.
We proclaim a message of good news which is infectious in its
transforming power. Our religion is throbbing with new life and new
meanings. Those who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in
their hearts are constrained to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness
is always the experience of all who are certain about God.
Teach
all believers to avoid leaning upon the insecure props of false
sympathy. You cannot develop strong characters out of the indulgence of
self-pity; honestly endeavor to avoid the deceptive influence of mere
fellowship in misery. Extend sympathy to the brave and courageous while
you withhold overmuch pity from those cowardly souls who only
halfheartedly stand up before the trials of living. Offer not
consolation to those who lie down before their troubles without a
struggle. Sympathize not with your fellows merely that they may
sympathize with you in return.
When my children once become
self-conscious of the assurance of the divine presence, such a faith
will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality,
augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the
power to love and be loved.

Teach all believers that those who enter the kingdom are not thereby
rendered immune to the accidents of time or to the ordinary
catastrophes of nature. Believing the gospel will not prevent getting
into trouble, but it will insure that you shall be unafraid
when trouble does overtake you. If you dare to believe in me and
wholeheartedly proceed to follow after me, you shall most certainly by
so doing enter upon the sure pathway to trouble. I do not promise to
deliver you from the waters of adversity, but I do promise to go with
you through all of them.
And much more did Jesus teach
this group of believers before they made ready for the night's sleep.
And they who heard these sayings treasured them in their hearts and did
often recite them for the edification of the apostles and disciples who
were not present when they were spoken.P. 1766-1767. stargazer