| Answer
from Jesus:
Few people think
to ask this question, because they assume that I grew up as a Jew and
then became a Christian. Yet, this is not the case.
In reality, I did not see myself as belonging to any formal or outer
religion. I was, and I still am, a follower of the universal religion
of God, and I belong to the living, inner church of God.
I am not thereby saying that there is anything wrong with outer religions
or outer churches. Not every human being is ready to follow the inner
path. Therefore, many people need an outer organization that can gradually
lead them to discover the inner mysteries of God. Yet, God’s intention
behind inspiring an outer religion is that people will use it only as
a stepping stone. The outer religion and its doctrines must never become
a mental prison that encages your mind. In other words, an outer religion
is meant to help you discover the true inner religion.
The true inner religion is a universal religion. To understand this,
you must realize that in heaven there simply are no divisions. You can
only ascend to heaven when you realize that everything and everyone
is created from God’s substance. Through this realization, you
clearly see that everything originated from the same source. Therefore,
individual differences are not seen as the source of division and conflict.
In heaven, we are all one.
The divisions found on earth did not come from God. They came
from the carnal mind and its relativity and sense of separation. The
carnal mind cannot see unity behind diversity. Therefore, to the carnal
mind differences must inevitably lead to division and conflict. To the
carnal mind, differences are also the source of a value judgment. In
other words, the carnal mind always seeks to determine that one person
is better than another person or that one church is better than another
church.
Because of people’s identification with the carnal mind, people
have a desire to define one church as being the only true church. From
God’s viewpoint, this is a completely false and unnecessary desire.
In reality, a true church is the church that leads people to discover
the inner path of Christhood. In reality, many of the churches found
on earth have qualified as true churches. Unfortunately, some of them
only qualified in their early stages, and they were later perverted
and used in the eternal human power struggle. Nevertheless, it is essential
for you to realize that the idea of one true church simply did not come
from God.
There are no Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Buddhists, Muslims or Taoists
in heaven. In heaven, you find only sons and daughters of God, because
once you are here it really doesn’t matter which path you followed
to get here. Once you step through the straight and narrow gate, you
leave all the outer human divisions behind. Or perhaps I should say
that before you can step through the narrow gate, you must voluntarily
leave all human divisions behind.
I am a Christian mystic
For the past 2,000 years, some people have had the courage to go beyond
the doctrines defined by the orthodox church. These people have often
been labeled as the Christian mystics. If I were to put a label on myself,
I would use the term mystic. I was a student of the mysteries of God.
I am still a student of the mysteries of God.
I desire you to know that while I was in physical embodiment, I did
indeed study and apply several different religions. You might recall
that the scriptures do not say anything about what I did between the
age of 12 and 30. I disappeared from the scriptures, and the reason
is that I disappeared from Galilee. I went on a pilgrimage that took
me far away from my birthplace. I went to Egypt, and I went to the
Far East. In both places I studied and applied the mystical religions
found there.
In fact, there are historical records that document my travels to the
East. I traveled to Persia, India, Tibet and Kashmir. Wherever I went,
I studied and practiced the local religion. However, true to my personality
and mission, I did not follow the orthodox religion. I followed and
applied the inner mystical version of the outer religion.
In several places, I began to preach the same universal truth that I
later preached in Galilee. In some places, the orthodox priests would
eventually attempt to silence me, and in several cases I had to flee
for my life.
India has a longstanding tradition for housing spiritual teachers or
Gurus. During my travels in that country, I did indeed meet a spiritual
teacher who briefly served as my personal Guru. He was part of an ancient
tradition and lineage that stretches back untold millennia. This tradition
originated with God, and it is meant to be the outpicturing on earth
of a process that takes place in heaven. That process is the Guru-chela
relationship.
When a new soul is created, it is not simply left to its own devices.
It is offered a gradual path that will lead it towards greater spiritual
understanding and maturity. As part of that path, a soul is offered
a personal teacher or Guru. Every soul has a personal Guru. Every human
being on earth has a personal Guru in the form of a spiritual teacher
who resides in the spiritual world. Some people also meet an embodied
spiritual teacher who serves as their personal Guru on earth. However,
many people do not need an outer Guru; they need to discover their inner,
spiritual Guru.
India is one of the few places on earth where the physical extension
of the Guru-chela relationship has been preserved. Yet, the idea of
a spiritual teacher who teaches a number of students is a universal
principle that reaches all the way back to God.
I am part of that universal lineage. I serve as a personal Guru for
millions of souls on this planet. There are other Gurus, and therefore
not every soul on this planet is my personal student or chela.
Nevertheless, every human being is my disciple in the sense that they
are meant to walk the path to personal Christhood, a path that I came
to represent for all people on earth.
I also hold a spiritual office as the representative of the universal
Christ for all people on earth. Therefore, all human beings, no matter
what outer religion they belong to, must pass through my sacred Heart
in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The point I want to get across is that I see myself as belonging to
a universal, inner religion. I have no desire to tell you which outer
religion you should or should not follow. However, I do have a desire
to help you recognize the inner religion behind all outer religions.
I also want you to understand that to follow me you do not have to be
a member of an outer Christian church. Being my disciple, even being
my personal chela, is not an outer thing. I have disciples from every
religion on earth. Strange as it may sound, I have many disciples who
do not belong to any outer religion. I even have a few disciples who
consider themselves to be atheists. Unfortunately, most of these disciples
find it difficult to rise above a certain level of spiritual understanding.
I hope you will open your mind and heart to the idea of a universal,
inner religion. If you will do so, you will discover that inner path.
If you have the courage to follow that path, you will realize that religion
is meant to be a personal walk with God. Religion is a path of self
discovery. Ultimately, that path will lead you to the discovery of your
true self, the self that is God individualized.
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Copyright
© 2003 by Kim Michaels |
