It seems to me that all the differences we have result from our ignorance of the word of God - or else our unwillingness to follow certain parts of it. In other words, the Bible sings one tune, and any disharmony in the church comes when we are out of tune, or singing our own tunes. If His words abide in us, we will be one. We’re just going to have to stop trying to change the truth and let the truth change us. Scary huh?

Dear Jasmin,

Thank you for your most valuable thoughts! The more I think about what you wrote the more values I find!

Allow me to share some thoughts that your words trigger in my mind:

Re fears, the latter rain, the second coming, differences, and the Kingdom of God:

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Fears

The fears you are talking about are very real indeed, are they not?! Think about it: We are so ingrained in our own realities that we many times reject most every blessing and most every offer that is not close enough to that with which we are not already familiar. Anything that is a tiny bit too far out from our usual way of thinking is most often automatically rejected or bypassed. It is all about security, isn’t it? We feel secure with that which we are used to. In fact we’d rather hang on to our suffering and pain and the type of remedies that we are used to consider, rather than accepting God’s free offers for complete cures by ways and means that sounds too unfamiliar to us. Venturing out into the unknown is very scary indeed. Yet we all know that “the more we know, the more we become aware that we do not know.” Isn’t that true? But it is just too scary to give up our old habits, our old tastes, our old and familiar thought patterns, isn’t it? This fear of the unknown is very much the same as fear of open fields, i.e. agoraphobia, is it not? I believe we all suffer from this fear to a greater or lesser extent.

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The latter rain

Yet, what is the nature of the latter rain? When we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the latter rain, aren’t we in fact requesting more messages from God for the purpose of cleansing our lives and thus for bringing us closer to our Creator and towards all those blessings that we associate with the Kingdom of God?

But, are we willing to listen, to look at, to consider, to receive and to accept that which we are asking for? Could it be that our prayers are being answered abundantly while we are refusing to accept the very answers to our own prayers that God is pouring upon us? Could it be that His answers are so abundant that we feel overwhelmed and shut ourselves into each our own comfort zones where most everything remains status quo and where we allow very little to change? Are we hiding ourselves in self destructive thought patterns such as “It sounds too good to be true, so it can’t be true,” while thus refusing even to consider the possibilities we are being offered for free by and from our Creator? Another false saying: “Nothing is free.” And closely associated: “Every free offer is a scam.” Why do we hide ourselves from God’s showers of blessings by such thoughts of error? Or aren’t God’s gifts to each of us free for the taking? The only hitch is: God will never force anything down our throat. He always requires our voluntary acceptance, not only in word, but also by our actions, does He not?

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Which tree?

Yes, sometimes it takes a lot of work to determine whether the things being offered comes from one tree in the Garden or from the other, does it not? How can we know? Worse yet, if we are used to eating only the fruit from the forbidden tree, how can we know which apple is good and which one is bad? Or can we? Is it even possible? How do we know whether the fruit we are being offered - or used to – comes from the right tree or not? Are we even willing to ask ourselves such a question? Where am I used to turn for information whenever I have a need for something? Do I turn to “the wisdom of men,” to “my doctor,” or else to such messages as have their source from our Creator? Do I turn to such men as are motivated by their regular pay checks, or do I turn to such as are motivated by higher ideals? Do I turn to such sources as are commonly accepted “by all” or do I fearlessly turn in directions where I know of no one else turning? Do I look for values oriented to life and truth rather than to values denominated in dollars and cents and my neighbor’s acceptance?

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The Second Coming

A thought came to me recently re the Second Coming: Jesus on the cloud surrounded by ten thousand by ten thousand angels (cf. Rev. 5:11.) If each angel represents a messenger with one unique message from our Creator, what does that tell me about the Second Coming? What will it be like? Will I reach out and welcome the second coming in verity, or will I wait for something else that I had in mind and which would be more in harmony with my [false] expectations? Will the reality of Jesus’ coming excite my fears and make me want to run into hiding under the rocks of my own imaginations? Perhaps I will even turn towards the insurances being offered by worldly institutions and by governments in order to protect me from the reality of Jesus’ second coming? Is this an impossible scenario? Is this an heretical thought? Didn’t the disciples in the boat almost have their Saviour pass them by for fear of thinking they were seeing a ghost? (Cf. Matt. 14:26.)

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God’s Kingdom

What is the nature of God’s Kingdom? Will everyone be like every one else? Will no one be characterized by the uniqueness that only God can create? Will everyone think the same types of thoughts? Will everyone agree on everything? Is it possible to reach that kind of unity in any State besides the State of Death?

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Differences? – God’s Peculiar People - or not?

Does a healthy tree have branches reaching out in all directions, or does a healthy tree grow in one direction only? If every branch is cut off from a tree, will that make it grow taller and reach heaven faster?

How about these thoughts re the Kingdom of God? What, if anything, gives me more joy than being appreciated for who I am and what I do? Do I dare to really be myself and to build upon the dreams God have built deep within me, or do I fearfully do what I believe is expected from me by my friends? If anyone is willing to accept from me that which I most desire to give to others of myself, will I not then truly be blessed by the joy of giving? And what about the recipients joy of receiving? What is more rewarding to me: The few dollars I may get for something I may not enjoy creating, or the joy I may experience when I know the values I share with another for nothing is being appreciated? Where is real value for me?

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Security – or Anarchy?

Now, if I am building upon a vision and a dream that is unique from those of all others, will I then be in competition with anyone at all? Or will that which I provide supplement and satisfy a need provided by no other? Do I then need to be fearful of attacks from the competition? And if there is competition motivated by little besides the greed of Mammon, should I care?

If I have learned to respect my neighbor for his uniqueness even while I do not understand why he is being so different, so odd, so peculiar, so weird… - Is my neighbor then more or less likely to return respect to me while my differences remain incomprehensible, strange, and unbelievable to him? Will I then feel more secure, or less? Do I dare showing appreciation for and respect another for his or her differences even when such differences are beyond my comprehension and outside of my realm of prior experience?

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Joy of Giving – and Joy of Receiving

If, two people, then three, then four… are able to freely share of each their own unique gifts one to another in an atmosphere of security and safety, will this create a richer society with more abundant blessings, or will it lead to a poor community with few choices, increased fears, irrational acts of destruction, conflicts and wars?

What sort of unity are we seeking? Forced unity under a hierarchy of men at the cost of each our uniqueness, or unity as God’s Peculiar People where each One is characterized by the uniqueness that make each one a unique building stone in the Temple of God?

A uniqueness that is characterized by the words: “I am whom I am,” “I am uniquely me,” and “I am only me” (Cf. Exodus 3:14.)

Whose name and sign are you and I carrying upon our foreheads? What is the reality of our daily action and the choices we make from day to day?

Is the latter rain for real or is it merely a “spiritual” matter of little consequence in our daily life – which is yet future and not yet seen or recognized?

What is our real objective: “Removing Differences?” If so, What differences?

Perhaps there is a difference between the marks we are carrying upon our foreheads? Are we satisfied with status quo? Or do we dare to fearlessly venture into that which is as yet unknown to you or me?