Sunday Message for May 28, 2023

PENTECOST SUNDAY

Today is Pentecost Sunday. It says in (Acts 2:1-4)
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.^a

PENTECOST, METAPHYSICALLY
Pentecost for the Israelites was a great feast on the 'day of the first fruits.' It was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. The first Pentecost after Jesus' ascension was the time of the first recorded coming of the Holy Spirit baptism upon His disciples and immediate followers, men and women alike.

According to Charles Fillmore's Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, "The metaphysical meaning of the "day of Pentecost" is that in the unfoldment of the spiritual mind there are periods when the ideas that we have meditated on, and accepted as true, spring forth into consciousness, becoming living realities in our life instead of mere mental concepts. In this awakening we get the fruits of the ideas that we have planted in our mind; we have escaped from darkness and have entered into light."^b

When we allow God to run the show and fill our minds with true ideas about God and man. We should then gather our thoughts to one point or "place."^c (Acts 2:1) says, "they were all together in one place." That point or place is: "I AM THAT I AM," or "I am that which I conceive myself to be in Spirit."

If we truly desire that 'Holy Spirit experience', and if we have even faith the size of a mustard seed, there will be an inrush of spiritual force from the higher realms of consciousness that will fill our whole body. (Acts 2:2) says, "there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house."^d

"They were all together in one place" means the concentration of all the faculties and activities of mind and body in acknowledgment and praise of Spirit. The result of this concentration is that the conscious mind and the perfect Christ mind blend and there is a descent of spiritual energies into the body--"it filled the entire house."

(Acts 2:5-15) The crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?... In our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "... Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose."^e

"The crowd gathered and was bewildered." When we pray and meditate, we are often lifted in consciousness until we feel Spirit within us pressing for expression. Our conscious, reasoning mind doesn't understand what is taking place, but our faith (Peter) lets us know that all is well and that the new experience is the activity of Spirit in body consciousness.

Christian experience shows that a habit of praying and giving thanks to God daily will lead to a state of exhilaration similar to that produced by wine. On the day of Pentecost, the spiritually exhilarated disciples were thought to be "filled with new wine." This stimulant of Spirit builds up the mind and the body instead of tearing them down, however, and each day adds some new joy.

If you can imagine this happening within yourself, the result of this outpouring of Spirit is that the disciples (or the faculties of your mind) receive new power to express Truth (or "speak in other languages"). Your mind will go forth throughout your body proclaiming the salvation of God through Christ, until your whole being is renewed and regenerated.

"The day of Pentecost" signifies a gathering of spiritual powers for the purpose of harvesting the first fruits of Spirit; and a dedicating of these new forces of Spirit to unselfish service in the vineyard of the Lord.

Spirit always manifests according to the measure of our faith and trust. When our people (thoughts) are gathered in the upper chamber (a place of high spiritual understanding) and are unified in thought and purpose (prayer), the way of the Lord is made straight. We receive the gift of gifts--the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

THE OMNIPOTENCE OF PRAYER
Charles Fillmore wrote in The Revealing Word, "The day of Pentecost" the apostles were in the upper room of the mind, which is a spiritual state of mind, and had been praying for ten days with one accord for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit as given by Jesus."^f But it wasn't just the eleven disciples, there were 120 people there praying. This attitude of many minds forms a mental magnet and brings about results in flashes of light and spiritual illumination. Religious revivals have demonstrated this at times. Which is a topic that we explored in last week's class.

Jesus told us to ask for what we want and to be persistent. We know that God has already provided every good thing for us, but it is through our word that it is manifest into the physical world.

If our minds are clogged with doubt, lethargy, or fear, we have to open the way by persistent knocking and asking. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Pray without ceasing^g, (Romans 12:12) persevere in prayer.^h

(Luke 18:1-5) Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'"ⁱ

Jesus shows us the power of affirmative prayer and repeated silent demands by the case of the widow lacking worldly protection and power. To the widow's persistence even the ungodly judge succumbs. The unceasing prayer of faith is commanded in the Scriptures in various places.

Many people think that a great amount of faith is necessary to get really great results. But Jesus taught differently. (Luke 17:5-6) The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."^j

The mustard is among the smallest of seeds, and the comparison shows us what a tiny bit of real faith is necessary to manifest material things.

(Acts 16:25-26) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.^k

Paul and Silas in the Roman jail prayed and sang until their bonds fell off, the doors flew open, and they walked out, both free men. On the day of Pentecost, the followers of Jesus prayed and sang until the ethers were so accelerated that tongues of fire flashed from the bodies of the worshipers, and they were miraculously quickened in mental ability.

Prayer liberates the energies pent up in mind and body. Those who pray a lot create a spiritual aura that eventually envelops the whole body. The bands of light painted by artists around the heads of saints are not imaginary; they actually exist and are visible to some. Actually, we have people in our audience who can see auras.

The Scriptures testify in Luke 9:29 that when Jesus was praying "the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white."^l After Moses had been praying on the mountain his face shone so brightly that the people could not look on it, and he had to wear a veil. (Exodus 34:30) When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.^m

So prayer is obviously dynamic and stirs up the spiritual ethers that are within all substance. Prayer is related directly to the creative laws of God, and when man adjusts his mind and body in harmony with those laws, his prayers will always be effective and far-reaching. Understanding is essential in righteous prayer. Spirit is omnipresent, but the individual consciousness gives it a local habitation and a name.

In the 6th chapter of Matthew, in giving His disciples directions for prayer, Jesus called attention to the God center in man in these words, "But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." He also told them not to use vain repetitions, "For your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

HOLY SPIRIT FULFILLS THE LAW
It is the Spirit of wholeness that quickens and heals us. The Spirit of wholeness is called the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. In classical mythology it is called Hygeia. Modern medical people refer to it as the restorative power of nature. It has many names, and they all identify it as a universal urge toward perfection in man and the universe.

The Holy Spirit, to Christians, implies the whole Spirit of God in action. Jehovah, or Yahweh, is the feminine and the masculine aspects of God. In the New Testament Christ stands for Jehovah. Jesus talked a great deal about the Holy Spirit; that it would bear witness of Him, come with Him, and help Him to the end of the age.

Holy Spirit is the love of Jehovah taking care of the human family, and love is always feminine. Love is the great harmonizer and healer, and whoever calls upon God as Holy Spirit for healing is calling upon the divine love.

The Holy Spirit is sympathetic, comforting, loving, forgiving, and instantly healing.

(Psalms 103:3)
Who forgives all your iniquity,
   Who heals all your diseases.ⁿ

Don't be afraid to call on the Holy Spirit, our Mother-God, who has all the compassion and healing power of the Father at her command. The promises of the power of Spirit to transform man from a mortal to an immortal state are producing a large number of spiritual-minded persons in the world today.

In order to establish and perpetuate the new order of life that is being poured into earth's mental atmosphere from on high it is absolutely essential that a people be prepared who can make use of the finer forces of the mind. The great initial outpouring of Spirit took place at the Pentecostal baptism more than nineteen centuries ago. The few who received this primal baptism are the seed from which has sprung a multitude. The trillions of cells forming the body of Jesus swim in omnipresence awaiting our appropriation. They are the living, quickening seeds of new life.

Our human family has lost contact with the Spirit of truth, and our only salvation is through a soul strong enough to re-establish the connection. Jesus Christ released the electric atoms in His body and formed a conduit in the ether through which divine life is again flowing to the inhabitants of this planet. Without this purified life substance, we would be unable to receive life or any message direct from God.

In John 14:16 Jesus said, And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.^o Again, in John 16:14 He makes His identity with the Spirit of truth stronger, He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.^p

Through the Spirit of truth God moves the whole creation; hence any man may constantly increase his understanding of the source and relation of all things by claiming his unity with the Spirit of truth.

We want to have the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, being baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit. And we will all get to that point eventually. So, apply yourself to pray daily, be persistent, and use that mustard seed of faith that you possess. And you will receive the gift of gifts--the baptism of the Holy Spirit.