THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS
Lesson One. Luke 13.
Unity Interpretation of
Changing the Mind and Growing Upward
CHARLES and CORA FILLMORE
January 15, 1942
CHARLES FILLMORE: OPENING SONGS
We will sing no. 20 — "TRUE-HEARTED, WHOLE-HEARTED"
1. True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful and loyal
Kings of our lives, by Thy grace we will be;
Under the standard exalted and royal,
Strong in thy strength, we will work now for Thee.
CHORUS:
Peal out the watchword! Silence us never!
Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free.
Peal out the watchword! Royal forever.
King of our life, by Thy grace we will be.
2. True-hearted, whole-hearted, fullest allegiance
Yield henceforth to our glorious king.
Valiant endeavor and loving obedience,
freely and joyously now would we bring. Amen.
Charles Fillmore: We will all join in the Lord's Prayer (In unison)
CORA FILLMORE: MEDITATION:
Again our subject is "THE MYSTERIES OF THE FOUR GOSPELS".
As we delve into the great truths back of the Four Gospels, and begin to study universal laws of the universe, we discover there is a [unreadable], uplifting, healing power brooding over all creation, and especially over man, buoying Him away from sin, sickness and death, and leading him into the path of spiritual life.
Our lesson today is based on the 13th chapter of Luke, 1 to 9 (Luke 13:1-9). In the Bible we read:
13:1Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 13:2And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things? 13:3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. 13:4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem? 13:5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
13:6And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? 13:8And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:13:9and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.
This scripture reveals the grand necessity for a constant endeavor on our part toward the upward trend of life. The Father of life demands that we bring forth the fruit of spirit. If we don't bring forth the fruit of spirit we are cut down. That's the law. As it is in horticulture, be it is among men. The same law operative in our orchards and gardens is also operative in the garden of God. But in this scripture a very important point is brought forth in regard to sin.
There were some persons who told Jesus of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. The word "Galileans" we know means "illumined thoughts active in the life consciousness" — illumined thoughts that sought to elevate, that exalted the Christ. These thoughts evidently had fallen from grace and were working in sense consciousness and were slain.
Now in here those evidently present enlarged on this point that those slain were greater than those not slain. But Jesus said here, Were these Galileans sinners above all these because they suffered these things? I tell you now except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish.
Then of course he referred to these on whom the tower of Siloam fell — They were no greater then the others. But they must all repent, turn toward the light. The real point is this one thing: sin is not the great issue in life. The point is TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN and LAY HOLD OF THE LAWS OF REGENERATE LIFE. That's the great point in our lesson today.
So we don't make such a bugaboo of sin. But we know it is cast back of us; facing toward the light, it is a dead issue in our lives.
Now we go into the silence: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY. ALL THINGS ARE MADE NEW. Take the thought:
"I IN THEE, THOU IN ME."
Together please (repeat).
In conclusion we say, "WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE HONEST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATSOVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATSOVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT, THINK ON THOSE THINGS. (Phil. 4:8)" Amen.
LESSON: CHARLES FILLMORE:
The lessen today is very mystical and yet it is very simple. In this lesson, Jesus teaches that there is no discrimination between the different degrees of sin. I am going to read the text, or part of it, again, calling your attention to this teaching that if we are a sinner in one degree, we are a sinner in all. That is a pretty tough proposition, because we have always discriminated against our degrees of sin. We thought that there were great sinners and small sinners. But in this lesson, Jesus teaches, or tells us that we are all in cahoots together. Let's read this again.
Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with the sacrifice, were sinners above all. the Galileans because they suffered these things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.
But Jesus didn't leave the subject without any recourse, without any salvation. He spoke a parable; and this was the parable:
13:6... A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? 13:8And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:13:9and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.
Here we have salvation, or a way out. Now it seems quite unjust if we regard the human family us separate individuals living their own personal lives irrespective of others. But when you understand the human family to be a unity in the One Mind, you might say mentally breathing the same mental atmosphere and all related to that one Mind in degree, we can at once perceive, that teaching is founded on truth. That each one in the whole human family is related. That if one in the whole Human family sins, we are all subject to that sinning mind. We are all sinners if one sins. Now that is the teaching of Christianity.
Paul tells us that sin came into the world through one man and one man can save us from that sin. We are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. So with death: death came into the world through Adam, and [unreadable] saved from death through the regeneration of Jesus Christ. Now this is a teaching that connects us directly with the thought-atmosphere. We must have a way out through the cultivation of a higher realm of consciousness than this of the human family and this taught in the parable of the fig tree that bore no fruit and the owner was minded to cut it down. But a higher state of consciousness came in, the vine dresser, and it said, "Well, let us cultivate it. Let us fertilize it. Let us see if we can't grow something on that little tree, let it bring forth fruit.
Now these two states of mind, the owner of the fig tree and the vine dresser, are really one individual. It is the individual who comes to himself, who begins to see the condition of his mind and he decides to do something about it, and in this development of his natural spiritual capacity, he spiritualises this mind. The fig tree of course is the individual mind and it should be progressive. It should be going forward constantly into higher states of consciousness. But what holds us back? Well, this limitation, this failure to measure up to the standard of the divine idea, this divine Man. Now if we don't progress, if we don't go forward, the teaching is that we shall be cut down. But there is always a remedy and that remedy is through study, looking into the real condition, into the real character of man, and finding out what our possibilities are, and to — well — really think about it; give our attention to this matter of what man is, what his destiny is, where he came from, where he is going, and how to get on — how to get on faster.
We, in our Unity study, say that we can get on faster by our development, our disciplining our minds. We have to think upon those things. So Paul in that fourth chapter of Philippians gives the key. He says: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsover things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, think on those things." If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think about that virtue. Think about how to praise yourself. Nor do we in our study of ourselves as sinners — should we study ourselves as sinners? We say, What you look upon, think about in you, you become. "As thou thinkest, so thou beest." That's true in a measure. If you think about yourself as an irredeemable sinner, who can't be saved from sin ... Good-bye!
But thinking about yourself as one who can, through his innate spiritual activity, connect himself with the great universe, get out of all these inhibitions, you can come into a new state of consciousness through thinking about it in meditation. We have to heal the sin.
Now this question of sin is one that budens some persons, but as you know it is merely a — well — a narrow groove in the great development of the spiritual mind, and that you can grow yourself out of it by right thought, it doesn't amount to very much — just a missing of the mark, it isn't something that you have to bear with tears, agony, blood and sweat and all that. It is a shortening of our innate spiritual ability. The way to get out of that is to take it up and think along lines that are in direct opposition.
Paul gives the key here: "If there be any virtue if there be any praise" ... that virtue means anything good in it, if there is anything worth saving, worth considering, think about it. How should you think? Well, think about some elevated state of mind. Think about it in a way that will lift it out of inhibition, out of its negative state. We think truth, we think of the virtue of things, we like to have a good report, but how do we think? Are we thinking about truth on the intellectual plane? In other words, I would like to associate with people not constantly lying. I would like to associate with people who tell the truth. You all would like that. But there is a higher aspect for that. What is it? What's true about Spirit? What's true about God? Think about God being the true life, about what God truly is, and that — you find — that requires some metaphysical thought. That is what these lessons are. To get us down into the depths of our own Being to be true to the Spirit. Think about the truth of God.
Now the truth about God as we all know, is that God is not personal; that God is Spirit; and that that Spirit as all the time around us, we touch it all the time. But do we think about it? Do we praise it? Do we connect with the Spirit of God that belongs to us? That's what this teaching is, that will free us from sin, shortcomings and sins, and teach us to measure up to divine standards — And we want to be honest.
Well, [you may say,] "I am honest. I pay my debts." How much farther do you carry your honesty? Are you honest with God? In the sight of God, do you tell the truth always? Or do you discriminate in this matter of Truth and honesty? You say, "Oh, well of course, I tell little white lies sometimes. I don't tell big lies." Some people think a big liar goes over better than a little one; that the big lie goes farther than the little lie, if you put it over in the right way. Now that is something that is taught by teachers of Truth: if you tell a little lie, you are a sinner just as much as you would be if you told a big one. The teaching here is, as you see, you tell a little lie, a small one, you open the way into this great realm of lies.
Now we are surrounded by an atmosphere in which all lies that were ever told in all creation by the human family — well — they are written there, written on what we call the astral light. And one little lie will open the way in your mind to tell a bigger one and you go on telling lies if you don't out it off. And you will go on telling lies too like Hitler; just a tremendous liar to stir the whole world — one man stirring up the whole world — to stir our minds to such capacity and move all of us to war! Show the power. So be careful what you do, because you may be responsible for doing a great work in a negative way.
Now turn it around and do it in a good way. Be honest and true in every way. We are told a chain is measured by its weakest link. That's the teaching here, that one little thing in our consciousness will open up in us the capacity for all things, — all the big errors or all the big sins of all the world. Now this is a hard teaching. It seems hard but it is a good teaching because it is under the law. A law that works the other way. Supposing that we are true and honest and upright, just, pure, loving and do things to the best of our ability! What is the result? You stand for all good. You tap this great reservoir of Christ truth and you are in reality all doing good, opening the way for good to come into your minds, the minds of man, and you are thus cultivating and you are fertilizing and you are giving to this great productive fruit of the human man a new impetus, a new state of being, as we said, under divine law.
Now the lesson of course is that we shall take our daily word and I would say, we are here at Unity, that's the great object of the School, to call the whole conscious attention to this fact that man has the innate ability, through the activity of his mind, to develop the innate spiritual ability, to cultivate the truth, justice, purity, love and bring in a good report. Always speak of the good as the real, and you develop it — we develop it in ourselves — and let our light shine until it becomes a universal truth.
Now as I say here, as Paul tells us, "If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things." Don't let the lies drift around you and by you without giving attention to these things. When we hear about the untruths, about the dishonesty in the world, the injustice, the impurity and all that, how should we handle the situation? Think that these things are not true. They don't exist in reality; that they are now falling away like the water that passes over the ditch (passes under the bridge) and of course that is a form of denial. That's a form of withdrawal of your thought, your fear thoughts, from these things. This fearing things! We are afraid that we or some of our family might fall in these negative conditions and there is where we fall down. Now through your fear of disease, fear of sin, you open the way — you go down by it.
Be positive. Be sure of the rhythm in your own mind. Say the affirmation, the declaration: "Thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto you." So we must praise this thing instead of condemning. We know the truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness are in the world, are true, and they are dominating in the minds of all people everywhere. This way we'll fulfill the law. This way we demonstrate over all negations that come into our lives and into the lives of those we love and those with whom we associate. You, for example, are you living true to your religion, demonstrating this truth? If so, you are fulfilling the law, and you are escaping from this disaster, from this penalty, which Jesus said would follow everyone of us.
If we don't repent we shall likewise perish. We don't like to think about that, but it is so true. We don't like to think about that chance, but it so taught. And we see it is possible for us to follow. Whereas if lies enter into things, good can fall away through negation. We can get down into the depths and it is almost impossible to come out of them. We don't like to think about this as an impossibility for the good to demonstrate in our lives. But it is shown from our past experience only the good is true.
MARGARET HARNDEN: OFFERTORY:
It is an opportunity for me and a blessing today for me to serve at these meetings. So let us recognize this, and with this thought in mind let us bless our offering, re-consecrating our effort, our time and our substance to the Father, who withholds nothing. Let us bless our offering with the usual blessing: DIVINE LOVE THROUGH ME BLESSES AND MULTIPLIES THIS OFFERING. Let us release our offerings generously, joyously, that they may go forth to accomplish the purpose for which [they are] sent. In the name of Him who gave all we too give Thee thanks. BLESSING OFFERING: Father, we thank Thee for this generous outpouring of Thy substance, knowing the givers and receivers are blessed in Thy Name.
HEALING POOL
CHARLES: We will take up the healing. In our healing today it will be through the forgiveness, the forgiving love of the Lord Jesus Christ. In His Name we are speaking the healing word and that healing word is forgiveness, the forgiving of sin, "IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." "Your sins are forgiven. You are made whole." (Repeat). Let's all think about that a moment. Just be still while these names are being read. Feel that presence, the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, which Jesus of Nazareth emphasizes. Shall you declare it. Shall you consider Him brought to your consciousness.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. You are made whole.
We will speak that word for those who are asking for our help. We are here as a great healing group, who understand the law, and are able to demonstrate. But we have great help from the realization Jesus Christ is with us: "LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE AGE." We are seeing ourselves spiritually, and in the Name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven and you are made whole. We speak this word aloud (repeat). Now we are asking the Spirit for the realization of that. Speak it again: (repeat). We will speak that for you, all who are present: (repeat). Realize it. Now you speak it for us: (Repeat). Now let us speak it for ourselves. Now we are in the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is in this consciousness speaking in that Super-mind in us, pouring out this forgiving love upon us.
Now think for friends who are absent, who would like help and healing. Think about them. Speak the statement aloud for them.
Now there are other people; remember we are speaking in the Name of Jesus, and his healing, forgiving power is ours. Speak the word again. Please: (Repeat).
CORA: Let us realize that for all of us, as our sins and thoughts and words of lack are [unreadable] out and we are filled with the prosperity consciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Showers of blessings shall be poured out upon us. And let us declare for those with whom we have relations of any kind, business relations. "BUSINESS IS GOOD." Hold that thought: "BUSINESS IS GOOD FOR ME. BUSINESS IS GOOD FOR YOU. WHEN YOU ARE IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." We are realizing that we are in the presence of that Good Father. Let us rise please and close with the
DOXOLOGY
"Praise God that good is everywhere.
Praise to the love we all may share,
The life that thrills in you and me.
Praise to the truth that sets us free."
BENEDICTION: If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things, and God's praise shall be upon you. Amen.
Transcribed by Mark Hicks on August 24, 2016.
