Learn How to Live Like an Immortal by “Walking your Talk”.
Metaphysical Application Ideas for “Mortals and Immortals”
-the Christian Science Bible Lesson for study from November 8-14, 2010
A brief “Met” foreshadowing by Warren Huff, Warren Huff, Editor of CedarS weekly “Mets” & PSST
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers in word”: (B6)
This section shows us how we can “take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life” (S&H 497:3); and like Enoch, can “walk with God” by seeing beyond “the evidence before (the) material senses” to be “guided into the demonstration of life eternal.” (B4, B5, S4) Let's strive this week to be more like the believer Enoch–less swayed by appearances and more pure in heart–so we too can really see God (GT) and can see all others and ourselves as His/Her Divine Image And Likeness. (DIAL)
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers … in conversation”: (B6)
This section shows us how we can, like the ultimate believer Jesus, have encouraging conversations with our Nicodemus-like friends-with those who seek us out-maybe in secret-because they notice our unique goodness. We can, like Jesus, help them acknowledge that they too have come “from above” so that, even here and now, they too can “see the kingdom of God.” (the dominion of immortality, as in the GT). Here are some Cobbey Crisler's insights on this verse: “John 3:3, Jesus makes this comment, ‘unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' You know how popular that particular verse has become in our century. Yet it's based on a misapprehension of the original word. We really don't find John using the Greek word ‘anothen' here in the sense of ‘again.' It can suggest the idea of ‘again'. But John uses it more in these terms, “from above.” ‘Anothen' means ‘from above.' Now look at that statement that Jesus is making, ‘Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom, or dominion, of God.' This is a theological breakthrough that's incalculable. You can't see the kingdom, which, by the way, he told us was not only within, but here, right here. It wasn't a future far off thing. ‘But to see it one must be born from above.' This is a definition of nativity that sounds totally impractical for us as human beings, and yet it's apparently something that Jesus based his whole theology upon. And he got the results from the concept that man is born from above. We ran into that in the first chapter of John, Verses 12 and 13, when he said, ‘We all, if we will receive it, have the authority to become the sons of God.' [According to B2, “the correlative scripture”, “Behold, now are we the sons–or in nearly all other translations–children of God.” 1 John 3:2] But to be God's son[or child] means you've got to cut the animal connection, those links or roots in ‘blood, will of the flesh, and will of man'.[John 1:13] Sever those links.” [Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple. Click here to download a pdf order form for CDs from The Daycroft School Foundation.]
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers … in charity”: (B6)
This section shows us how we can, like our role-model believer Jesus, be moved with compassion (charity or love) to go about freely sharing the good that we have freely received with those who seem to be “scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd” (B14) –and especially with our own Christian Science Sunday School students (past, present and future). Thank you for being as charitable as you can in year-end giving focused to bless your Sunday School kids and the camp(s), school(s) and other organizations you know to be “nurseries of character … strongly garrisoned with virtue” (S&H 235:10) that help parents to “train up a child in the way he should go”. (B11, Prov. 22:6) Parents, counselors and teachers: there is nothing more effective than your “24-7” role-model training with God's commandments “in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (B12, Deut. 6:6, 7)
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers … in spirit”: (B6)
This section shows us how we, like many role-model seniors, can maintain our spirit of “vigor, freshness, and promise.” (S17, S&H 246:23) In citation S18 Mrs. Eddy illustrates an object lesson of the “Perpetual youth” that comes from taking “no cognizance of passing time nor thought of … growing old.” (S&H 245:22)
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers … in faith”: (B6)
This section shows us how we can, like the blind man who was healed, have our faithful obedience rewarded by persistently following Christ's command to seek our divine heredity of being born “from above”. Being a child of God outlaws all birth defects caused either by having a supposed sinful, mortal nature or by any genetic flaws of human parents. (“either this man hath sinned” or “his parents had sinned” in B19, John 9:1-7). Cobbey Crisler gives us a great link to last week's lesson to shake off all the dust of Adam's heritage: “”John 9:7 ‘The man goes to the pool of Siloam. He can't see his way there. He's got mud all over his face. He doesn't go seeing. He comes seeing.' He comes only after he has washed off that symbolic making or formation of man out of the dust. In a way, it might even give us a greater hint on what the true meaning of baptism is, the immersion on Spirit, nativity, and washing off every trace of the dust man.” [Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple. Click here to download a pdf order form for CDs from The Daycroft School Foundation.]
How to walk like an immortal “example of the believers … in purity”: (B6, S26, S28)
This section shows us how we, like our Way-shower, can be so pure in heart-so solidly convinced of Life–that we never see death. 5th section citations B20 and S21 about beholding perfection lead us to see how at Nain Jesus was able to raise the widow's son from death. (B23, Luke 7:11-16) Jesus violated Jewish purity laws by touching the coffin (Verse 14) and violated common sense in addressing a man presumed to be dead: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.” By this resurrection and his own, Jesus proved death to be an illusion that violates the purity and perfection “of celestial being which demonstrates Life in Christ, Life's spiritual ideal.” (S26, S&H 337:16)
Thanks to a recent matching funds offer, if CedarS can raise significant (but reachable) tax-deductible gifts in the remainder of 2010 and in January 2011, we will realize our 50-year-dream of having a lake on site that is large enough for many campers to enjoy watersports at the same time! We would need to start the well-engineered earthwork in the coming weeks in order to have Stage 1 of the lake built in time to catch Spring rains before our 50th anniversary Jubilee Summer to which all Cedars alumni and supporters are warmly invited!]
To complete CedarS campsite — solely designed to encourage spiritual growth — this body of water will be shaped and positioned as the “Mediterranean S(k)ea” and will set in proper context CedarS present Bible Lands Park as well as ever-expanding versions of it. With the addition of the Mediterranean, Bible study at CedarS (and in our freely-shared online and emailed “Mets”) will become even more alive with lessons for “campers” of all ages. Biblical applications for today will continue to be emphasized in actual (or video) visits to our present 500 ft. long scale model of Israel called Bible Lands Park (BLP). BLP includes many biblical teaching tools like: 80 granite-marked scriptural sites; a 40'x100' tent or “Tabernacle in the wilderness”; a 500-ft. “Time(line) Travelers' Trail” that climbs 100 ft. vertically from our “Before-Abraham Spring” to our “Artifacts-Excavating Cave”; as well as life-lesson games like our “Drop-the-Past” Tire Traversal and our “Eyes-on-the-Prize Balance Beam”. With the addition of the “Mediterranean S(k)ea” we will be able to hike or boat to the relative locations of scores of future sites on and in the Mediterranean while learning their lessons in boldness, hospitality and much more as taught by Paul and other apostles as they spread Christianity across most of their known world. Stay tuned for progress toward and lessons from Antioch, Ephesus, Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, Rome, Alexandria, … as well as from Paul's ship-wreck island of Malta (Melita), and other island hops to Cyprus, Crete, Patmos, … We will freely share details and results as you freely support this divine idea coming to full fruition! Please join us in praying Mrs. Eddy's “New Year Gift to the Big Children”: “In the way Thou hast, — Be it slow or fast, Up to Thee.” Misc. 400:23]
[ONLINE GIVING: Thanks in advance for clicking here to use a credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover card) or a virtual check to make monthly and one-time donations to CedarS' “Mediterranean S(k)ea”, Bible Lands, Camperships, “Maintenance Musts”, “Mets”, Unrestricted, or Endowment Funds as you specify.
Your support is always tax-deductible and welcomed–but during the economic downturn, your generous, unrestricted gifts have been and continue to be especially needed and appreciated!
To support CedarS work you can make a charitable donation to our 501C-3 tax-exempt, charitable organization in many wonderful ways.
Enjoy! Warren Huff, Executive Director director@cedarscamps.org]