Respect and World Peace
RESPECT AND WORLD PEACE
M: What is the overriding most important issue on the hearts of mankind as seen in the newspaper headlines? What is the single most important issue that you see repeated again and again?
L: Biggest problems have been with elected officials.
M: Which is political power. What is the use of political power?
L: It depends on who is using it and where it will fit in the picture. It controls nations.
M: The purpose of political power is to arrive at peace. Officials are supposed to be the keepers of the peace. Is this not what "police" means? The keeper of the peace? Is there not a judge in your land that is called a justice of the peace? The sole purpose of government is to keep the peace. Both internal and external.
You are having problems with government, you are having problems with peace. There is no peace. There is crime, corruption, unfairness, legalism. There are many things that are wrong. They are all breaches of the peace.
If the purpose of the church is to help guide society or build a society that can exist in peace, would this not be a valid mission statement and vision? Would it not be desirable to many who do not feel that peace here (points to his heart) or in their life? We would suggest to you that you examine this closely.
Peace is essential. It is the existence of heaven. We are not speaking of boredom and lack of movement. We are speaking of freedom. You cannot have freedom until you are at peace. We are speaking of the freedom to be and do who you really are and not be harmed or hampered because of this.
It is important to remember that God has created each of you unique. Each of you different from the other (even identical twins have differences). He has put you here for you to find the treasure, which is your sameness, without destroying your uniqueness! It is a puzzle. It is important. Within one genetic family, you will find divergences. They can be on one or a combination of any levels, dealing with the physical form of the body (the way it looks on the outside), the way it works on the inside, the way the mind uses logic and reasoning, the way emotional structures are built, and even belief in God. You can have two family members belonging to exactly the same church with exactly the same history and training, yet with entirely different belief systems.
In order to bring all of this chaos into peace requires a special ingredient: RESPECT. Is this not missing from your culture and your time period? Has it not been there in the past? Not that it was perfect in the past, mind you. There have been two world wars in recent history. Where there is respect, there generally is peace also. We are talking about honor and respect, not enforced respect as in a dictatorship. This is a semblance of peace because of fear of being harmed or being different or getting noticed.
RESPECT
In the church, you need to set into motion ways of respecting, giving honor and respect. It has been said that God is not a respecter of persons. However, when a person has done a good work and a good thing, does God not acknowledge this with a response? The word has been mis-chosen. God does not favor one above another. But God does honor, respect, and gift those who have been giving. In your church, make it so.
There must be ways of public recognition and terms of honor and respect. There are societies and churches that exist where every member is called "brother" or "sister." There are those that have "reverend" before their names or "honorable." This is not meant to put someone on a pedestal. It is meant to distinguish this person who has been giving, giving, giving, of talents, time, money, items, who knows what combinations of this. They have been giving! In return, respect is important.
You are not honoring the difference, you are honoring the sameness. A person cannot truly give (a gift is without strings) unless he perceives the sameness in the one he is giving to. In a way, he is giving to himself. This is always true. A church should set up a structure whereby there is recognition and honor. If each person is honored for what he or she brings to give and share, the inclination remains to give more. A church cannot be built without giving. Charity must come in before charity can go out.
We would have you therefore designate your church officers in a certain manner of your choosing. Not anything pretentious. Something that puts people on notice that this one is giving. If they wish to thank the church for a benefit and they don't know which individual to go to, this one over here who is "brother" so and so, most likely he has had something to do with the charity. The receiver will give his thanks to him.
HONOR
If there is honor and respect, there will not be breaches of ethics. They will not be considered. In the counseling environment where there is a person who has been harmed, who is very vulnerable and hurting, who has begun to feel good for the first time in a long time, and transfers emotion of thankfulness onto the counselor . . . if that counselor is being called "brother" or "sister," they will think twice before they allow their emotions to override all of the professional cautions against personal contact with that individual or involvement at other inappropriate levels.
You notice we are saying "brother" and "sister" instead of "father" and "mother." It has been said not to call anyone your father except God. That would apply equally well to mother. God is the sum of both and more. To call someone brother or sister puts them on your equal level, shoulder to shoulder. Yet it is a term of respect. It is up to you to decide this. We find it to be important.
God is a member of your group. You must never forget this. God is in all positions of authority in the church. He is one of the followers as well as the mentor, the protector and also the challenger because he will bring the challenges to you where he sees that you are weak that you might be strong.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We do not presume to limit anyone by telling them their gift. This is done by some who come into churches today to receive anointings and a blessing, and they are given a gift which may be far afield from where their heart lies. We do not presume to do that. What we do presume to do is to challenge, to offer something sacred. Something a little bit out of reach. Do you know the carrot and the donkey? Not that we are anything important, mind you. What is important is the donkey's movement, not the carrot. When the donkey finally catches the carrot, it is only a carrot. The fact that he has climbed mountains to reach it, that is what is important. We will be letting you know when it is our time to speak. This time it is the most proper way because speaking in advance which answers specific questions is impressive, and gets one's attention.
GIFTS OF HEALING
My advice is that you make wholeness your focus, not healing. Healing presumes something is wrong. Healing attracts those who do not wish to be "fixed" but wish to remain dependent, they do not wish to change. This goes for any form of healing whether it be counseling, medical doctors, or any such thing as this.
We propose to give to you instead the method and process of divine change. Change requires spirit. It requires bravery and audacity, breaking patterns. We are asking you to break patterns. You must do it first. Respect and breaking patterns that are restrictive. That is all we ask. That is the basis and backbone of community.
RELY ON YOUR INTUITION
Divine change means that God has ordained that this change take place. God makes the plans and you take the steps to get where He points. All you must do is follow the inclinations in your own heart, your emotions and intuitive nature will lead you to the best that you can do. Notice that I do not point to your logical mind, but your intuition. Your logic is what drives you in life as a member of the community that you live in, even when you are rebelling against it! Your true God-created nature is what is in your heart. Live by it and you cannot go wrong. Any time that you think you lack what is needed to do this, you have brothers and sisters in Spirit that are willing to help. Trust in God, then in yourself with all of the help and encouragement that He will send you. I am one of these and you may count upon me to be there.
