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Chapter 1
Up to now, God has always spoken to our people by means of special agents,
each with their own way of putting things. But recently God has spoken to us
by means of a human personality, someone so close to God as to share
responsibility for everything, including the physical universe. This person
is like a picture of God thrown in big lights on a screen, or a life-like
sculpture, and speaks the words the world needs to stay in existence. I am
talking about someone who gave the world a new beginning, free from the
faults of the past, who is now part of everything we understand when we use
the word God; someone who is much more significant than God’s other agents
and plays a much bigger part in the scheme of things.
God never said to any other agent, “You’re my child; from now on I’m your
parent.” Or, “We’re like mother and daughter or father and son!” Introducing
this new wonder to the world, God says, “All my agents will realize they’re
outclassed!” God describes the other agents as ‘wind’ and ‘fire’. But this
is what is said about God’s own likeness,
‘Like God you last forever,
Your New World just and fair;
You love all good and loathe the bad-
God’s happy choice for heir!’
And this,
‘You stuck the world together,
Space is your work of art;
You will remain forever,
The day things come apart;
Like clothes no more in fashion,
You put them by and change,
But you stay in position,
Never out of range.’
Which one of God’s agents got this invitation from God- “Sit down beside me
and together we’ll put the world right.” ?
God’s agents are only helpers, sent out on God’s business to get people
ready for life to the full.
Chapter 2
So we need to keep aware of this new way God is speaking to us, otherwise we
will lose all sense of direction. People always get into trouble when they
refuse to listen to what God’s agents tell them. If we take no notice of
this new venture on our behalf, we’re asking for big trouble. The Leader
announced a fresh start for the world. Those who got the message passed it
on to us. God has backed up their report by being active in events, helping
us to do amazing things and discover new talents from God’s Spirit. God
hasn’t put any special class of people in charge of the New Word we’re
talking about. Somewhere in the old books this is made clear:
‘Why care so much for common folk?
They’re only human and no more.
You’ve given them such spectacular powers-
Control of land and sea and air!’
God’s plan is for humankind to be in charge of everything, without
exception. But obviously God’s plan hasn’t worked yet. This is where Jesus
comes in. During his brief lifetime, Jesus was on the same level as every
other human being. But now he has the highest position in God’s order of
things. That’s because he was willing to die a special death as part of
God’s plan to benefit everyone.
(10) Everything that exists is God’s idea and has no point without God. What
happened in Jesus falls in line perfectly with God’s long-term plan. In
order to produce a large family living the ideal life, there had first to be
one to make the grade, and that could only come about through pain and
hardship. God is the inventor of the prototype and all the models that
conform to it. That’s why Jesus is happy to accept us as his brothers and
sisters. These words from the old song sound like Jesus talking to God,
‘I’ll pass it on to the family-
The news of what you’ve done for me.’
God’s speakers remind us of Jesus when they say things like,
‘God gets my vote every time!’
and,
‘I’m for you,
And my children too!’
Children from the same family have genes in common. Jesus shared our genes.
When he died, he struck out from our common bloodline those negative things
that lead to our death. Anxiety about death inhibits personal growth. Jesus
freed us from that. It’s obvious Jesus didn’t come to help super-human
people, but people who have someone like Abraham, an ordinary human, as
their ancestor. This is an important point. Jesus had to be like us, his
brothers and sisters, in every way. Only then could he be our representative
to God, someone who understands why we are like we are. He is best placed to
get rid of those things that stand between us and God. Because he has come
through so much trouble himself, he can help those who are going through it
now.
Chapter 3
So my friends, God has given us a job to do! If you think about Jesus,
you’ll know how to go about it. Jesus is the Company Director, the vital
link between us and God. Jesus was loyal to the one who gave him his
position, just as Moses before him was loyal in the same firm. But someone
who sets a company up has a higher status than someone who just works for
the company. That’s why Jesus has a higher status than Moses. Of course,
there has to be someone in overall charge, and that’s God. God has final
responsibility for everything. Moses was a loyal employee and anticipated
God’s future instructions. But Jesus, God’s Chosen, was loyal as a family
partner in the firm. We too have a stake in the firm if we have the courage
of our convictions. God’s Spirit is saying something to us in the words of
the old song:
Today, if you hear,
Don’t plug up your ear;
You did, once and more,
In desert days before.
Though helped for generations,
You people tried my patience.
I swore to every one,
“You’ll miss out on the fun!”
Watch your feelings carefully, friends. Make sure they’re not taking you
away from God, who is alive to all that’s going on. Help one another day by
day not to get in a rut or be sidetracked. Keep thinking about that word
‘today’ in the song. We’re business partners of God’s Chosen, but only
provided we have the same confidence in the firm at the end as when we
joined! When the song condemns those who were deaf in olden times, who do
you think it refers to? It must have been God’s former partners from Egypt.
Moses was in charge of them. After forty years, God was fed up to the teeth
with them. Because of the things they did wrong, they never got out of the
desert alive.
Chapter 4
The holiday God promised is
still on offer. Make sure you don't miss it! We've had the same good offer
as others before us. They didn't take it up because they didn't think it
genuine. The holiday is for those who've accepted the offer. Think again
about God's words.
"I swore to every one,
You'll miss out on the fun."
According to the old books, God
had a holiday after making the world. The old books also say that some
people aren't going to have a holiday. The holiday is now an option again,
despite the fact that some didn't take it up in the past. God has set a new
deadline for the offer to be accepted. That deadline is "TODAY." Listen to
the words of the old song, believed to be by David. They were written a long
time after the first holiday offer had been turned down.
"If you hear God's voice
today,
Don't lock your hearts away!"
We must not confuse all this
with the entry of the Jews into the Promised Land under Joshua. That was no
holiday! God's latest promise of a holiday comes from after that time. That
holiday is still on offer for God's people. It will be like God's own
holiday, a well-earned break after a period of hard work. Let's make sure of
it. Let's not miss out by being suspicious of the offer, like the people in
times past.
When God speaks, things happen.
God's words are like a surgeon's knife, cutting deep to the root of what's
going on inside us. God knows all our thoughts and feelings. Nothing can be
hidden from God. Everything that exists is completely open to God's
inspection. It's to God we'll have to answer.
(14) Jesus, God's Likeness, is
our go-between between this world and the world beyond time and space. So
let's hold on to our trust in him. We have someone to represent us who can
sympathize with our weaknesses. He has been through everything we have been
through, without doing anything wrong. So let's boldly get close to God and
experience God's love first hand. We will be accepted in spite of our
faults, and get all the help we need.
Chapter 5
The people who act as links between this world and God are human like the
rest of us. They deal with things to do with God; they are in charge of
religious ceremonies; they arrange forms of worship for those who want to
express sorrow for their wrongdoings. They can be kind to people who don’t
know what they’re doing and who make mistakes, because they too have their
weak spots. That’s why they have to say sorry to God for their own faults as
well as for the people they represent. This is a responsible task and no-one
can just take it on. You have to be asked by God, just like Ron, the brother
of Moses. It was the same with Jesus. He didn’t appoint himself to high
office. God appointed him by saying, “You’re my child; from now on I’m your
parent.” God also said that Jesus would always be a go-between, like the one
called ‘Righteous Ruler’ in Jerusalem in older times.
When Jesus lived here in a human body, he raised his voice in anguish and
shed tears when he asked for God’s help. He knew he was talking to someone
who could rescue him from death. He was heard because of his humble
attitude. Although he was God’s child, he went through the hard school of
suffering and learnt to give way to another’s wishes. When he had completed
his lessons, he was able to give full life and health to those willing to
let him show the way. God gave him the role of ‘Righteous Ruler’.
Jesus is the link between this world and God.
There is much more to be said about this. It’s not easy to understand, and
you are slow learners. By now you ought to be passing on the message to
other people. But you still need someone to help you grasp the simplest
ideas from God. You are still feeding at the breast and not ready for
solids. Milk is for babies. Babies can’t know what is right or wrong. Solids
are for those who are learning to cope in the adult world and getting to
know how to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong.
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