Difference between revisions of "194:3 What Happened At Pentecost"
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| − | 194:3.1 Many [[queer]] and [[strange]] teachings became [[associated]] with the early [[narratives]] of the day of [ | + | 194:3.1 Many [[queer]] and [[strange]] teachings became [[associated]] with the early [[narratives]] of the day of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost]. In subsequent times the events of this day, on which the [[Spirit of Truth]], the new teacher, came to dwell with [[mankind]], have become [[confused]] with the [[foolish]] outbreaks of rampant [[emotionalism]]. The chief [[mission]] of this outpoured [[Spirit of Truth|spirit of the Father and the Son]] is to teach men about the [[truths]] of [[the Father]]'s love and [[Creator Son|the Son]]'s [[mercy]]. These are the [[truths]] of [[divinity]] which men can [[comprehend]] more fully than all the other [[divine]] [[traits]] of [[character]]. The [[Spirit of Truth]] is concerned primarily with the [[revelation]] of [[the Father]]'s spirit [[nature]] and [[Creator Son|the Son]]'s [[moral]] [[character]]. The [[Creator Son]], in the [[flesh]], [[revealed]] [[God]] to men; the [[Spirit of Truth]], in the [[heart]], [[reveals]] the [[Creator Son]] to men. When man yields the " [[fruits of the spirit]] " in his life, he is simply showing forth the [[traits]] which [[the Master]] [[manifested]] in his own earthly life. When [[Jesus]] was on [[earth]], he lived his life as one [[personality]]—[[Jesus]] of [[Nazareth]]. As the indwelling spirit of the " new teacher, " [[the Master]] has, since [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], been able to live his life anew in the [[experience]] of every [[truth]]-taught [[believer]]. |
| − | 194:3.2 Many things which happen in the [[course]] of a human life are hard to [[understand]], [[difficult]] to [[reconcile]] with the [[idea]] that this is a [[universe]] in which [[truth]] prevails and in which [[righteousness]] [[triumphs]]. It so often appears that slander, lies, dishonesty, and unrighteousness—[[sin]]—prevail. Does [[faith]], after all, [[triumph]] over [[evil]], [[sin]], and [[iniquity]]? It does. And the life and [[death]] of [[Jesus]] are the [[eternal]] [[proof]] that the [[truth]] of [[goodness]] and the [[faith]] of the spirit-led [[creature]] will always be [[vindicated]]. They taunted [[Jesus]] on the [[cross]], saying, " Let us see if [[God]] will come and deliver him. " It looked [[dark]] on that day of the [[crucifixion]], but it was gloriously bright on the [[resurrection]] [[morning]]; it was still brighter and more [[joyous]] on the day of [ | + | 194:3.2 Many things which happen in the [[course]] of a human life are hard to [[understand]], [[difficult]] to [[reconcile]] with the [[idea]] that this is a [[universe]] in which [[truth]] prevails and in which [[righteousness]] [[triumphs]]. It so often appears that slander, lies, dishonesty, and unrighteousness—[[sin]]—prevail. Does [[faith]], after all, [[triumph]] over [[evil]], [[sin]], and [[iniquity]]? It does. And the life and [[death]] of [[Jesus]] are the [[eternal]] [[proof]] that the [[truth]] of [[goodness]] and the [[faith]] of the spirit-led [[creature]] will always be [[vindicated]]. They taunted [[Jesus]] on the [[cross]], saying, " Let us see if [[God]] will come and deliver him. " It looked [[dark]] on that day of the [[crucifixion]], but it was gloriously bright on the [[resurrection]] [[morning]]; it was still brighter and more [[joyous]] on the day of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost]. The [[religions]] of pessimistic despair seek to obtain release from the [[burdens]] of life; they crave [[extinction]] in endless slumber and [[rest]]. These are the [[religions]] of [[primitive]] [[fear]] and dread. The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] is a new [[gospel]] of [[faith]] to be [[proclaimed]] to [[struggling]] [[humanity]]. This new [[religion]] is founded on [[faith]], [[hope]], and [[love]]. |
194:3.3 To [[Jesus]], [[mortal]] life had dealt its hardest, cruelest, and bitterest blows; and this man met these ministrations of [[despair]] with [[faith]], [[courage]], and the unswerving [[determination]] to do [[the Father|his Father]]'s will. [[Jesus]] met life in all its terrible [[reality]] and mastered it—even in [[death]]. He did not use [[religion]] as a [[Escape|release]] from life. The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] does not seek to [[escape]] this life in order to enjoy the waiting [[bliss]] of another [[existence]]. The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] provides the [[joy]] and [[peace]] of another and [[spiritual]] [[existence]] to enhance and ennoble the life which men now live in the [[flesh]]. | 194:3.3 To [[Jesus]], [[mortal]] life had dealt its hardest, cruelest, and bitterest blows; and this man met these ministrations of [[despair]] with [[faith]], [[courage]], and the unswerving [[determination]] to do [[the Father|his Father]]'s will. [[Jesus]] met life in all its terrible [[reality]] and mastered it—even in [[death]]. He did not use [[religion]] as a [[Escape|release]] from life. The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] does not seek to [[escape]] this life in order to enjoy the waiting [[bliss]] of another [[existence]]. The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] provides the [[joy]] and [[peace]] of another and [[spiritual]] [[existence]] to enhance and ennoble the life which men now live in the [[flesh]]. | ||
| − | 194:3.4 If [[religion]] is an [ | + | 194:3.4 If [[religion]] is an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate opiate] to [[the people]], it is not the religion of [[Jesus]]. On the [[cross]] he refused to drink the deadening [[drug]], and his [[Spirit of Truth|spirit]], poured out upon all [[flesh]], is a mighty world [[influence]] which [[leads]] man upward and urges him onward. The [[spiritual]] forward urge is the most [[powerful]] driving [[force]] present in this world; the [[truth]]-learning [[believer]] is the one [[progressive]] and [[aggressive]] [[soul]] on [[earth]]. |
| − | 194:3.5 On the day of [ | + | 194:3.5 On the day of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] the [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] broke all [[national]] restrictions and [[racial]] fetters. It is forever true, " Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. "[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=2nd_Letter_of_Paul_to_the_Corinthians#2nd_Letter_of_Paul_to_the_Corinthians.2C_III] On this day the [[Spirit of Truth]] became the [[personal]] [[gift]] from [[the Master]] to every [[mortal]]. This spirit was [[bestowed]] for the [[purpose]] of qualifying [[believers]] more effectively to [[preach]] the [[gospel]] of [[the kingdom]], but they mistook the [[experience]] of [[receiving]] the outpoured spirit for a part of the new [[gospel]] which they were [[unconscious]]ly [[formulating]]. |
| − | 194:3.6 Do not overlook the [[fact]] that the [[Spirit of Truth]] was [[bestowed]] upon all [[sincere]] [[believers]]; this [[gift]] of the spirit did not come only to [[the apostles]]. The one hundred and twenty [[men]] and [[women]] assembled in the [ | + | 194:3.6 Do not overlook the [[fact]] that the [[Spirit of Truth]] was [[bestowed]] upon all [[sincere]] [[believers]]; this [[gift]] of the spirit did not come only to [[the apostles]]. The one hundred and twenty [[men]] and [[women]] assembled in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle upper chamber] all [[received]] the new teacher, as did all the [[honest]] of [[heart]] throughout the whole world. This new teacher was [[bestowed]] upon [[mankind]], and every [[soul]] [[received]] him in [[accordance]] with the [[love]] for [[truth]] and the [[capacity]] to grasp and [[comprehend]] [[spiritual]] [[realities]]. At last, true [[religion]] is delivered from the [[custody]] of [[priests]] and all [[sacred]] [[classes]] and finds its real [[manifestation]] in the [[individual]] [[souls]] of men. |
194:3.7 The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] fosters the highest [[type]] of [[human]] [[civilization]] in that it creates the highest [[type]] of [[spiritual]] [[personality]] and [[proclaims]] the [[sacredness]] of that person. | 194:3.7 The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] fosters the highest [[type]] of [[human]] [[civilization]] in that it creates the highest [[type]] of [[spiritual]] [[personality]] and [[proclaims]] the [[sacredness]] of that person. | ||
| − | 194:3.8 The coming of the [[Spirit of Truth]] on [ | + | 194:3.8 The coming of the [[Spirit of Truth]] on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] made possible a [[religion]] which is neither [[radical]] nor [[conservative]]; it is neither the old nor the new; it is to be [[dominated]] neither by the old nor the young. The [[fact]] of [[Jesus]]' [[earthly]] life provides a fixed [[point]] for the anchor of [[time]], while the [[bestowal]] of the [[Spirit of Truth]] provides for the everlasting expansion and endless [[growth]] of the [[religion]] which he lived and the [[gospel]] which he [[proclaimed]]. The spirit [[guides]] into all [[truth]]; he is the teacher of an expanding and always-growing [[religion]] of endless [[progress]] and [[divine]] [[unfolding]]. This new teacher will be forever [[unfolding]] to the [[truth]]-seeking [[believer]] that which was so [[divinely]] folded up in the [[person]] and [[nature]] of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Man Son of Man]. |
| − | 194:3.9 The [[manifestations]] [[associated]] with the [[bestowal]] of the " new teacher, " and the [[reception]] of [[the apostles]]' [[preaching]] by the men of various [[races]] and [[nations]] gathered together at [[Jerusalem]], indicate the [[universality]] of the [[religion]] of [[Jesus]]. The [[gospel]] of [[the kingdom]] was to be identified with no particular [[race]], [[culture]], or [[language]]. This day of [ | + | 194:3.9 The [[manifestations]] [[associated]] with the [[bestowal]] of the " new teacher, " and the [[reception]] of [[the apostles]]' [[preaching]] by the men of various [[races]] and [[nations]] gathered together at [[Jerusalem]], indicate the [[universality]] of the [[religion]] of [[Jesus]]. The [[gospel]] of [[the kingdom]] was to be identified with no particular [[race]], [[culture]], or [[language]]. This day of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] [[witnessed]] the great [[effort]] of the spirit to [[liberate]] the [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] from its inherited [[Jewish]] [[Limitation|fetters]]. Even after this [[demonstration]] of pouring out the spirit upon all [[flesh]], [[the apostles]] at first endeavored to impose the requirements of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism Judaism] upon their [[converts]]. Even [[Paul, the Apostle|Paul]] had trouble with his [[Jerusalem]] brethren because he refused to subject the [[gentiles]] to these [[Jewish]] [[practices]]. No [[revealed]] [[religion]] can spread to all the world when it makes the serious mistake of becoming permeated with some [[national]] [[culture]] or [[associated]] with [[established]] [[racial]], [[social]], or [[economic]] [[practices]]. |
| − | 194:3.10 The [[bestowal]] of the [[Spirit of Truth]] was independent of all [[forms]], [[ceremonies]], [[sacred]] places, and special [[behavior]] by those who [[received]] the fullness of its [[manifestation]]. When the spirit came upon those assembled in the [ | + | 194:3.10 The [[bestowal]] of the [[Spirit of Truth]] was independent of all [[forms]], [[ceremonies]], [[sacred]] places, and special [[behavior]] by those who [[received]] the fullness of its [[manifestation]]. When the spirit came upon those assembled in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle upper chamber], they were simply sitting there, having just been [[engaged]] in [[silent]] [[prayer]]. The spirit was [[bestowed]] in the [[Rural|country]] as well as in the [[city]]. It was not [[necessary]] for [[the apostles]] to go apart to a [[lonely]] place for years of [[solitary]] [[meditation]] in order to [[receive]] the spirit. For all time, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penecost Pentecost] disassociates the [[idea]] of [[spiritual]] [[experience]] from the notion of especially favorable [[environments]]. |
| − | 194:3.11 [ | + | 194:3.11 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], with its [[spiritual]] [[endowment]], was [[designed]] forever to loose the [[religion]] of [[the Master]] from all dependence upon [[physical]] [[force]]; the teachers of this new [[religion]] are now equipped with [[spiritual]] [[weapons]]. They are to go out to [[conquer]] the world with unfailing [[forgiveness]], matchless [[good]] will, and abounding [[love]]. They are equipped to overcome [[evil]] with [[good]], to vanquish [[hate]] by [[love]], to destroy [[fear]] with a [[courageous]] and living [[faith]] in [[truth]]. [[Jesus]] had already taught his [[followers]] that his [[religion]] was never [[passive]]; always were his [[disciples]] to be [[active]] and [[positive]] in their [[ministry]] of [[mercy]] and in their [[manifestations]] of [[love]]. No longer did these [[believers]] look upon [[Yahweh]] as " the Lord of Hosts. " They now regarded the [[eternal]] [[Deity]] as the " God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. "[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=1st_Letter_of_Peter#1st_Letter_of_Peter.2C_I] They made that [[progress]], at least, even if they did in some [[measure]] fail fully to grasp the [[truth]] that [[God]] is also the spiritual [[Father]] of every [[individual]]. |
| − | 194:3.12 [ | + | 194:3.12 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] [[endowed]] [[mortal]] man with the [[power]] to [[forgive]] [[personal]] [[injuries]], to keep sweet in the midst of the gravest injustice, to remain unmoved in the face of appalling [[danger]], and to [[challenge]] the [[evils]] of [[hate]] and [[anger]] by the fearless [[acts]] of [[love]] and [[forbearance]]. [[Urantia]] has passed through the ravages of great and destructive [[wars]] in its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_history history]. All [[participants]] in these terrible [[struggles]] met with [[defeat]]. There was but one [[victor]]; there was only one who came out of these embittered [[struggles]] with an enhanced [[reputation]]—that was [[Jesus]] of [[Nazareth]] and his [[gospel]] of overcoming [[evil]] with [[good]]. The [[secret]] of a better [[civilization]] is bound up in the Master's teachings of the brotherhood of man, the [[good]] will of [[love]] and [[mutual]] [[trust]]. |
| − | 194:3.13 Up to [ | + | 194:3.13 Up to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], [[religion]] had [[revealed]] only man seeking for [[God]]; since [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], man is still searching for [[God]], but there shines out over the world the [[spectacle]] of [[God]] also seeking for man and sending [[Thought Adjuster|his spirit]] to dwell within him when he has found him. |
| − | 194:3.14 Before the teachings of [[Jesus]] which culminated in [ | + | 194:3.14 Before the teachings of [[Jesus]] which culminated in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], [[women]] had little or no spiritual standing in the [[tenets]] of the older [[religions]]. After [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], in the brotherhood of [[the kingdom]] woman stood before [[God]] on an [[equality]] with man. Among the one hundred and twenty who [[received]] this special [[visitation]] of the spirit were many of the [[women]] [[disciples]], and they [[shared]] these [[blessings]] equally with the men believers. No longer can man [[presume]] to [[monopolize]] the [[ministry]] of [[religious]] service. The [[Pharisee]] might go on thanking [[God]] that he was " not born a [[woman]], a [[leper]], or a [[gentile]], " but among the [[followers]] of [[Jesus]] woman has been forever set [[free]] from all [[religious]] [[Segregation|discriminations]] based on [[Gender|sex]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] obliterated all [[religious]] [[discrimination]] founded on [[racial]] distinction, cultural [[differences]], social [[caste]], or [[Gender|sex]] [[prejudice]]. No [[wonder]] these [[believers]] in the new religion would cry out, " Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. "[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=2nd_Letter_of_Paul_to_the_Corinthians#2nd_Letter_of_Paul_to_the_Corinthians.2C_III] |
| − | 194:3.15 Both the [[mother]] and [[brother]] of [[Jesus]] were present among the one hundred and twenty [[believers]], and as members of this common [[group]] of [[disciples]], they also received the outpoured spirit. They received no more of the [[good]] [[gift]] than did their fellows. No special gift was [[bestowed]] upon the [[members]] of [[Jesus]]' earthly [[family]]. [ | + | 194:3.15 Both the [[mother]] and [[brother]] of [[Jesus]] were present among the one hundred and twenty [[believers]], and as members of this common [[group]] of [[disciples]], they also received the outpoured spirit. They received no more of the [[good]] [[gift]] than did their fellows. No special gift was [[bestowed]] upon the [[members]] of [[Jesus]]' earthly [[family]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] marked the end of special [[priesthoods]] and all [[belief]] in [[sacred]] [[families]]. |
| − | 194:3.16 Before [ | + | 194:3.16 Before [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] [[the apostles]] had given up much for [[Jesus]]. They had [[sacrificed]] their [[homes]], [[families]], [[friends]], [[Things|worldly goods]], and positions. At [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] they gave themselves to [[God]], and [[the Father]] and [[Creator Son|the Son]] responded by giving themselves to man—sending their spirits to live within men. This [[experience]] of losing [[self]] and finding the [[spirit]] was not one of [[emotion]]; it was an [[act]] of [[intelligent]] [[self]]-[[surrender]] and unreserved [[consecration]]. |
| − | 194:3.17 [ | + | 194:3.17 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] was the call to [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_141#141:5._SPIRITUAL_UNITY spiritual unity] among [[gospel]] [[believers]]. When [[Spirit of Truth|the spirit]] descended on the [[disciples]] at [[Jerusalem]], the same thing happened in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amman Philadelphia], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria Alexandria], and at all other places where true [[believers]] dwelt. It was [[literally]] true that " there was but one [[heart]] and [[soul]] among [[the multitude]] of the [[believers]]. "[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Ezekiel#Chapter_11] The [[religion]] of [[Jesus]] is the most powerful unifying [[influence]] the world has ever known. |
| − | 194:3.18 [ | + | 194:3.18 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost] was designed to lessen the [[self-assertiveness]] of [[individuals]], [[groups]], [[nations]], and [[races]]. It is this spirit of [[self-assertiveness]] which so increases in [[tension]] that it [[periodically]] breaks loose in destructive [[wars]]. [[Mankind]] can be [[unified]] only by the [[spiritual]] approach, and the [[Spirit of Truth]] is a world [[influence]] which is [[universal]]. |
| − | 194:3.19 The coming of the [[Spirit of Truth]] [[purifies]] the [[human]] [[heart]] and leads the [[recipient]] to [[formulate]] a life [[purpose]] single to the [[Doing the will of God|will of God]] and the [[welfare]] of men. The [[material]] [[spirit]] of [[selfishness]] has been swallowed up in this new spiritual [[bestowal]] of [[selflessness]]. [ | + | 194:3.19 The coming of the [[Spirit of Truth]] [[purifies]] the [[human]] [[heart]] and leads the [[recipient]] to [[formulate]] a life [[purpose]] single to the [[Doing the will of God|will of God]] and the [[welfare]] of men. The [[material]] [[spirit]] of [[selfishness]] has been swallowed up in this new spiritual [[bestowal]] of [[selflessness]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], then and now, [[signifies]] that the [[Jesus]] of [[history]] has become the [[divine Son]] of living [[experience]]. The [[joy]] of this outpoured spirit, when it is [[consciously]] [[experienced]] in human life, is a tonic for [[health]], a [[stimulus]] for [[mind]], and an unfailing [[energy]] for the [[soul]]. |
| − | 194:3.20 [[Prayer]] did not bring the spirit on the day of [ | + | 194:3.20 [[Prayer]] did not bring the spirit on the day of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost Pentecost], but it did have much to do with determining the [[capacity]] of [[receptivity]] which characterized the [[individual]] [[believers]]. [[Prayer]] does not move the [[divine]] [[heart]] to liberality of [[bestowal]], but it does so often dig out larger and deeper [[channels]] wherein the [[divine]] [[bestowals]] may [[flow]] to the [[hearts]] and [[souls]] of those who thus remember to [[maintain]] unbroken [[communion]] with their [[Creator|Maker]] through [[sincere]] [[prayer]] and true [[worship]]. |
| − | <center>[ | + | <center>[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_194 Go to Paper 194]</center> |
| − | <center>[ | + | <center>[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Urantia_Text_-_Contents Go to Table of Contents]</center> |
[[Category:Paper 194 - The Bestowal of the Spirit of Truth]] | [[Category:Paper 194 - The Bestowal of the Spirit of Truth]] | ||
| + | [[Category: Spirit of Truth]] | ||
Latest revision as of 22:56, 12 December 2020
194:3.1 Many queer and strange teachings became associated with the early narratives of the day of Pentecost. In subsequent times the events of this day, on which the Spirit of Truth, the new teacher, came to dwell with mankind, have become confused with the foolish outbreaks of rampant emotionalism. The chief mission of this outpoured spirit of the Father and the Son is to teach men about the truths of the Father's love and the Son's mercy. These are the truths of divinity which men can comprehend more fully than all the other divine traits of character. The Spirit of Truth is concerned primarily with the revelation of the Father's spirit nature and the Son's moral character. The Creator Son, in the flesh, revealed God to men; the Spirit of Truth, in the heart, reveals the Creator Son to men. When man yields the " fruits of the spirit " in his life, he is simply showing forth the traits which the Master manifested in his own earthly life. When Jesus was on earth, he lived his life as one personality—Jesus of Nazareth. As the indwelling spirit of the " new teacher, " the Master has, since Pentecost, been able to live his life anew in the experience of every truth-taught believer.
194:3.2 Many things which happen in the course of a human life are hard to understand, difficult to reconcile with the idea that this is a universe in which truth prevails and in which righteousness triumphs. It so often appears that slander, lies, dishonesty, and unrighteousness—sin—prevail. Does faith, after all, triumph over evil, sin, and iniquity? It does. And the life and death of Jesus are the eternal proof that the truth of goodness and the faith of the spirit-led creature will always be vindicated. They taunted Jesus on the cross, saying, " Let us see if God will come and deliver him. " It looked dark on that day of the crucifixion, but it was gloriously bright on the resurrection morning; it was still brighter and more joyous on the day of Pentecost. The religions of pessimistic despair seek to obtain release from the burdens of life; they crave extinction in endless slumber and rest. These are the religions of primitive fear and dread. The religion of Jesus is a new gospel of faith to be proclaimed to struggling humanity. This new religion is founded on faith, hope, and love.
194:3.3 To Jesus, mortal life had dealt its hardest, cruelest, and bitterest blows; and this man met these ministrations of despair with faith, courage, and the unswerving determination to do his Father's will. Jesus met life in all its terrible reality and mastered it—even in death. He did not use religion as a release from life. The religion of Jesus does not seek to escape this life in order to enjoy the waiting bliss of another existence. The religion of Jesus provides the joy and peace of another and spiritual existence to enhance and ennoble the life which men now live in the flesh.
194:3.4 If religion is an opiate to the people, it is not the religion of Jesus. On the cross he refused to drink the deadening drug, and his spirit, poured out upon all flesh, is a mighty world influence which leads man upward and urges him onward. The spiritual forward urge is the most powerful driving force present in this world; the truth-learning believer is the one progressive and aggressive soul on earth.
194:3.5 On the day of Pentecost the religion of Jesus broke all national restrictions and racial fetters. It is forever true, " Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. "[1] On this day the Spirit of Truth became the personal gift from the Master to every mortal. This spirit was bestowed for the purpose of qualifying believers more effectively to preach the gospel of the kingdom, but they mistook the experience of receiving the outpoured spirit for a part of the new gospel which they were unconsciously formulating.
194:3.6 Do not overlook the fact that the Spirit of Truth was bestowed upon all sincere believers; this gift of the spirit did not come only to the apostles. The one hundred and twenty men and women assembled in the upper chamber all received the new teacher, as did all the honest of heart throughout the whole world. This new teacher was bestowed upon mankind, and every soul received him in accordance with the love for truth and the capacity to grasp and comprehend spiritual realities. At last, true religion is delivered from the custody of priests and all sacred classes and finds its real manifestation in the individual souls of men.
194:3.7 The religion of Jesus fosters the highest type of human civilization in that it creates the highest type of spiritual personality and proclaims the sacredness of that person.
194:3.8 The coming of the Spirit of Truth on Pentecost made possible a religion which is neither radical nor conservative; it is neither the old nor the new; it is to be dominated neither by the old nor the young. The fact of Jesus' earthly life provides a fixed point for the anchor of time, while the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth provides for the everlasting expansion and endless growth of the religion which he lived and the gospel which he proclaimed. The spirit guides into all truth; he is the teacher of an expanding and always-growing religion of endless progress and divine unfolding. This new teacher will be forever unfolding to the truth-seeking believer that which was so divinely folded up in the person and nature of the Son of Man.
194:3.9 The manifestations associated with the bestowal of the " new teacher, " and the reception of the apostles' preaching by the men of various races and nations gathered together at Jerusalem, indicate the universality of the religion of Jesus. The gospel of the kingdom was to be identified with no particular race, culture, or language. This day of Pentecost witnessed the great effort of the spirit to liberate the religion of Jesus from its inherited Jewish fetters. Even after this demonstration of pouring out the spirit upon all flesh, the apostles at first endeavored to impose the requirements of Judaism upon their converts. Even Paul had trouble with his Jerusalem brethren because he refused to subject the gentiles to these Jewish practices. No revealed religion can spread to all the world when it makes the serious mistake of becoming permeated with some national culture or associated with established racial, social, or economic practices.
194:3.10 The bestowal of the Spirit of Truth was independent of all forms, ceremonies, sacred places, and special behavior by those who received the fullness of its manifestation. When the spirit came upon those assembled in the upper chamber, they were simply sitting there, having just been engaged in silent prayer. The spirit was bestowed in the country as well as in the city. It was not necessary for the apostles to go apart to a lonely place for years of solitary meditation in order to receive the spirit. For all time, Pentecost disassociates the idea of spiritual experience from the notion of especially favorable environments.
194:3.11 Pentecost, with its spiritual endowment, was designed forever to loose the religion of the Master from all dependence upon physical force; the teachers of this new religion are now equipped with spiritual weapons. They are to go out to conquer the world with unfailing forgiveness, matchless good will, and abounding love. They are equipped to overcome evil with good, to vanquish hate by love, to destroy fear with a courageous and living faith in truth. Jesus had already taught his followers that his religion was never passive; always were his disciples to be active and positive in their ministry of mercy and in their manifestations of love. No longer did these believers look upon Yahweh as " the Lord of Hosts. " They now regarded the eternal Deity as the " God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. "[2] They made that progress, at least, even if they did in some measure fail fully to grasp the truth that God is also the spiritual Father of every individual.
194:3.12 Pentecost endowed mortal man with the power to forgive personal injuries, to keep sweet in the midst of the gravest injustice, to remain unmoved in the face of appalling danger, and to challenge the evils of hate and anger by the fearless acts of love and forbearance. Urantia has passed through the ravages of great and destructive wars in its history. All participants in these terrible struggles met with defeat. There was but one victor; there was only one who came out of these embittered struggles with an enhanced reputation—that was Jesus of Nazareth and his gospel of overcoming evil with good. The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master's teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust.
194:3.13 Up to Pentecost, religion had revealed only man seeking for God; since Pentecost, man is still searching for God, but there shines out over the world the spectacle of God also seeking for man and sending his spirit to dwell within him when he has found him.
194:3.14 Before the teachings of Jesus which culminated in Pentecost, women had little or no spiritual standing in the tenets of the older religions. After Pentecost, in the brotherhood of the kingdom woman stood before God on an equality with man. Among the one hundred and twenty who received this special visitation of the spirit were many of the women disciples, and they shared these blessings equally with the men believers. No longer can man presume to monopolize the ministry of religious service. The Pharisee might go on thanking God that he was " not born a woman, a leper, or a gentile, " but among the followers of Jesus woman has been forever set free from all religious discriminations based on sex. Pentecost obliterated all religious discrimination founded on racial distinction, cultural differences, social caste, or sex prejudice. No wonder these believers in the new religion would cry out, " Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. "[3]
194:3.15 Both the mother and brother of Jesus were present among the one hundred and twenty believers, and as members of this common group of disciples, they also received the outpoured spirit. They received no more of the good gift than did their fellows. No special gift was bestowed upon the members of Jesus' earthly family. Pentecost marked the end of special priesthoods and all belief in sacred families.
194:3.16 Before Pentecost the apostles had given up much for Jesus. They had sacrificed their homes, families, friends, worldly goods, and positions. At Pentecost they gave themselves to God, and the Father and the Son responded by giving themselves to man—sending their spirits to live within men. This experience of losing self and finding the spirit was not one of emotion; it was an act of intelligent self-surrender and unreserved consecration.
194:3.17 Pentecost was the call to spiritual unity among gospel believers. When the spirit descended on the disciples at Jerusalem, the same thing happened in Philadelphia, Alexandria, and at all other places where true believers dwelt. It was literally true that " there was but one heart and soul among the multitude of the believers. "[4] The religion of Jesus is the most powerful unifying influence the world has ever known.
194:3.18 Pentecost was designed to lessen the self-assertiveness of individuals, groups, nations, and races. It is this spirit of self-assertiveness which so increases in tension that it periodically breaks loose in destructive wars. Mankind can be unified only by the spiritual approach, and the Spirit of Truth is a world influence which is universal.
194:3.19 The coming of the Spirit of Truth purifies the human heart and leads the recipient to formulate a life purpose single to the will of God and the welfare of men. The material spirit of selfishness has been swallowed up in this new spiritual bestowal of selflessness. Pentecost, then and now, signifies that the Jesus of history has become the divine Son of living experience. The joy of this outpoured spirit, when it is consciously experienced in human life, is a tonic for health, a stimulus for mind, and an unfailing energy for the soul.
194:3.20 Prayer did not bring the spirit on the day of Pentecost, but it did have much to do with determining the capacity of receptivity which characterized the individual believers. Prayer does not move the divine heart to liberality of bestowal, but it does so often dig out larger and deeper channels wherein the divine bestowals may flow to the hearts and souls of those who thus remember to maintain unbroken communion with their Maker through sincere prayer and true worship.
