Via Christa: Via Christa Life: Sermons: Edna Lister’s Sermons. 1964

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Edna Lister’s Sermons, 1964

The Word, a Magic Wand
The Sword, a Scepter of Power
Life, a Glorious Splendor
Love in Action
Love and Wisdom
Judgment and Mercy
Responsibility and Respect

Loveliness and Beauty
The Good Shepherd
Dividing the Inheritance
The Ten Lepers
The Great Supper
What are Angels?
What is a Messiah?

The Word, a Magic Wand
Edna Lister outline, February 7, 1964, Tacoma, WA. 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 3:13-19.

The Word, Your Magic Wand
Edna Lister outline, April 12, 1964, Cleveland, OH. 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 3:13-19.

The Word, Your Magic Wand
Edna Lister sermon transcript, April 12, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Lotus Landis, Irene White, Virginia Whitehead, scribes. 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians 3:13-19.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”–1 Corinthians 13.
“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”–Ephesians 3:13-19.
Today, when you passed through the doorway of this room, you stepped into the golden silence. Christ, as the blood of the Lamb, represents the three emanations of Light—Wisdom, Love, and the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”–John 1:1. Love is the Word’s magic motivating power—without love nothing can move into action. A word carries a vibration of energy, but without love, it can never go far. Your magic word is comprehension, which is also your magic wand.
The Word is a vibration. You can fumble, deny God but you can pray and instantly ascend in consciousness to become as perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect, at your particular level. You pray from the grade you occupy right now. Waste no time feeling guilty. Say, “Here I am, Father. I am a good stinker. Please send enough Power through me to go forth and heal.”
Early in their ministry, the disciples and devoted followers held morning services, which were the only private lessons they had. They preached sermons that were exhortations on law and the greatness of Jesus’ teachings. They held their public meetings in the afternoon because many people had far to travel. Everyone wanted to know about Jesus, the greatness of the Power that flowed through him, the miracles he performed, the laws he taught, and how they should live. But they were tired; instead of being a lesson for them, it was usually entertainment. Ninety percent of sermons today are entertainment.
A sermon is supposed to arouse you, to be exciting. Sermons are exhortations to live according to the greatness of the laws Jesus taught. God has forever sent forth His Power to encourage people to ascend, but emotion or intellect too often takes charge. That’s how sermons became entertainment. A sermon is meant to awaken, to arouse your desire to seek, not to be intellectually entertaining. Sermons should be lessons, a resume of what heaven is like. They should awaken your curiosity, excitement, brain cells and make you think about something beyond this flesh.
You always need academic education, because it’s the first way in which you open your brain cells. You have forty-four soul faculties but usually limp through life using only four. A jack of all trades is high in the course of ascension because he has awakened so many faculties. Such curious souls will teach in the inner College of Ascension because they are so eager to learn and to feed that soul-hunger in others. You must be curious about living, about life, about God and religion. You must study these sermons, which were Jesus’ classes. You must be excited, curious about everything and apply your academic training practically or you accomplish nothing.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”–1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
This chapter divides into three outstanding sections devoted to love. The first three verses all deal with the love as it applies to speech, knowledge and giving. Pride in the little self makes you boast and transforms you into sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. Love is selfless. You are sounding brass if you know that you know. Your love is then a love of the self.
“Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”–1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This passage teaches what you must discard to have love at your fingertips. These four verses (four is the number representing service) list fifteen things that love cannot be. Give God all fifteen and say, “Let them be consumed. Let them be burned in the lake of fire.” Giving is an expression of the love vibration. You give just what you are or what you are not. Agree and adjust. It frustrates your enemy when you agree with him. Adjusting is keeping up appearances, which saves more souls than the name of Jesus the Christ. This is one of the greatest laws of life.
“Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”–1 Corinthians 13:8-13.
Love never fails. You always send forth a vibration, even if it is a “blah” nothing. Love succeeds and returns to you according to the degree you have sent love forth. How great is your love? Next you learn to give up childish things. Too many blame their parents or background for what they are or do now. This is just a way to escape responsibility. People often run their lives based on what their parents did, but repeating an old family pattern does not awaken new brain cells. What you did last year has nothing to do with what you can do this year.
This entire chapter is a chart for daily living and deals with perfecting your outer expression. The first three verses relate to pride of speech. The next four verses are devoted to knowledge. Verses eight through thirteen tell exactly what to do to move from the fate line to the Path of Destiny, the Via Christa. What does the magic word mean for you? This is the thirteenth chapter whose thirteenth verse explains love. Thirteen is the number that represents the Via Christa. One represents the individual standing upright. Two symbolizes agreeing with God and adjusting to your fellow man. Three represents perfected outer expression. Four, five, six and seven, added, equal twenty-two, which creates a path of completion and perfected outer expression.

“You can be as perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Pray yourself up in consciousness when you feel unworthy. You are becoming perfect when you pray from the grade you are in then. You may deny God like Peter did, but declare that you are as perfect as you can be. Declare, “Send the vibration through me now” to help someone, to be perfect, and, you pass to a higher degree. You can be as perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.
The twenty-second Yetzirah Path is like returning to college to earn a Master’s Degree. Then you ascend in consciousness to the thirty-third degree and begin a new cycle for your Doctorate. You may fall into another mess, but you will be at a higher level.
“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”–Ephesians 3:13-19.
Comprehension of what God’s laws mean in relation to you gives you your magic wand. Comprehension is your magic wand. Apply to your life what you comprehend of the laws of wisdom. You obey a law only when you comprehend the purpose behind it. For example, the law of forgiveness requires you to forgive another seventy times seven. You must give the forgiveness you would in turn get. Many say, “I am not strong enough.” Let your magic wand be backed by the magic Word of love.
Comprehension involves responsibility. When you understand your relationship to God, you understand your relationship to humanity. Do not think, “Why should I do it all?” The limitless Power of God from above is the only strength you have. You can do anything, if you lay your fears on the altarbefore God. God cannot enter your mind with a scrub brush—you must do the scrubbing to return to Him. It’s up to you to use your magic word of love. Paul declared that God and Christ are one “for whom the whole family of heaven and earth are named.” This is the spirit of the inner man, the spirit of energy and comprehension. The fullness of God is success. Success is not what you think you know, but what you comprehend.
What are the length, breadth, depth and height of love? The worldly measurements will pass away when earth reenters Sagittarius and Jesus returns. An atomic explosion of etheric Light will set earth in its proper orbit in Sagittarius as gently as a feather. The recent earthquake in Alaska was the release of Power that opened the way for earth to shift. The land in Washington State rose and fell one to two inches for two hours, though the land returned to its original position. God used the destruction to remove something of evil from the world.
God releases Power through the Elect during Holy Week, bringing miracles. Saturday night following Good Friday, the Gates of Light open and shafts of Light illumine everyone who has ever prayed. God releases Power through those who can take its fullness until Easter noon. This Power, diluted to meet different grades of consciousness, is moving over and through you for healing. Pray for the possibilities of God to possess you. What God gives, He cannot take away. Perfection must manifest.
We are going home. You may choose how you go. You can suffer your way back or lay your fears on the altar and choose to be a son or daughter of God, joyously or fight every step of the way. Do not blame anyone or anything for any reason. Everyone is good where he is. All your ills come from having your nose in other people’s business. Gird up your loins, face God in love and do your own work. The Power that is moving earth into Sagittarius can shift you and hold you, too.
Use your magic word and magic wand. How are you applying them? What is the depth of your love? Start anew with love and curiosity, leaving guilt behind. “Ye are gods and it doth not yet appear what ye shall be.” You must comprehend your own brain equipment. Enfolded in the brain is more power than in Niagara Falls. Cease holding onto the limitations. When you expand upward, nothing limits your God-given Power and abilities.

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The Sword, a Scepter of Power
Edna Lister outline, April 19, 1964. Cleveland, OH. Matthew 10:27-39, Ephesians 6:17.

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The Sword, a Scepter of Power
Edna Lister transcript., April 19, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Edna Bender, Ruth Johnson, Virginia Whitehead, scribes. Matthew 10:27-39, Ephesians 6:17.

“What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”–Matthew 10:27-39.
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”–Ephesians 6:17.
The tenth chapter of Matthew is ambiguous though vitalizing. Read the ninth chapter first, which records that the disciples had already seen Jesus perform so many great miracles. He had just called Matthew. They had come from healing the woman with an issue of blood, and the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter.
We have a record of Jesus’ work but the disciples were with him night and day, and had received countless hours of special instruction from him. He had given them “power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manners of sickness and all manners of disease.” He empowered them with his own powers, enfolded them in and expanded them with Power. They had grown into a state of expectancy.
Jesus knew each person’s history at a glance and made a just appraisal of all who contacted him. The gift of making a just appraisal opens only by developing complete universal compassion with no possibility of misuse of Power.
Jesus knew each disciple’s potentialities, how far they were from making a just appraisal of others and achieving their own potential. A good teacher of God’s law works to awaken, to bring forth and develop a student’s potential. This is ascension, the unfolding of potentialities. Generally people use only four and occasionally five of their forty-four potential faculties.
Jesus is the greatest teacher of ascension the earth has ever had. He knew he had only a short time to train the twelve and wean them, to make them independent, to see them holding to the Light. As long as you give Light, you keep it going.
He stood with the disciples after the miracles and knew their pitchers were full. They had taken in all the law they could hold and had to go out to apply it. He had to let them try their wings. They had reached a point where they were tired of hearing their teacher’s voice. Every student in the world eventually tires of hearing his teacher’s voice.
If you let go of the Light, you become like an old dried-out sponge. Unless you use what you have, your sponge dries out. He showed them their sponges must be dripping wet to apply truth. He called them to him, prepared them to express law, and sent them forth with an armor of Light. This chapter was their briefing. It covers everything they would meet as they went out.
You cannot unfold the Bible properly without considering personality. God speaks as personality, through personality, to personality. God is both principle and personality and you must worship Him as both to remain balanced; they go hand-in-hand.
Jesus knew he was dealing with personalities. This chapter deals with personality, the twelve disciples, and their relationship to the world. “When ye come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return unto you.”–Matthew 10:12-13.
“Blessed are all who dwell herein” is a salutation and a blessing. “Let your peace return unto you.” No one can take back a blessing, which is a gift of love, but you can let your peace return to you from above so that you have no difficulty forgetting the past. Never declare that you have misplaced your love.
“Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”–Matthew 10:14. Be not concerned because of their refusal. Leave without condemning, blaming or carrying their negative words with you. As Longfellow wrote, “Let the dead past bury its dead!”–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life. Shake off the negative vibration to lift it, and like smoke it disappears. If, when giving a treatment, you feel the pain going up your arms, lift your arms high or run cold water over your wrists.
The feet symbolize understanding. Keep yours clean and do not let what a “house or city” did affect you past the door or city limits. Let love be with them but forget the past. This chapter is full of big laws, eternal laws of life. As St. Paul said: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”–Philippians 3:13-14.
Every day is a new beginning in your high calling of God under Jesus the Christ. Matthew makes four points in the tenth chapter: Do not have any fear, preach and witness, do not deny, and let go of your relatives. Fear is where the self is. Love is where God is. “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.”–Matthew 10:26. God is greater than all that is outside.
Jesus assured the disciples that if they obeyed law, no one could hide anything from them. He was comforting them after his strong warnings in the first part of the chapter. You can obey laws, but to make a just appraisal you must know the principles behind them. To make a just appraisal, you must apply Light from above to the situation.
Jesus prepared them to skim their cooking pots of jelly. What kind of scummy froth would cover their jelly? Self. It cannot remain covered because God is greater than the scum of self. God is greater than all the darkness coming up from earth. “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.”–Matthew 10:27. He had told them to hold their tongues, but to speak when they must and not to push themselves into anyone’s business. You are offensive when you stick your nose where it does not belong. Yet a time may come when you must witness the truth. You may offend, but cover the offense with love enough. Let your peace return to you. Do not fear anyone on the outside, but be afraid of letting your soul be killed. Fear nothing on the outside, just what rises from within. Never curse God or life because your jelly formed scum or did not gel.
“Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”–Matthew 10:26-28. Jesus was telling them that the Power of God that was sending them forth is greater than anything earthly they could meet, if they let their own peace return to them. Pay no attention to the outside. Just be sure you do not have your nose in anyone’s business.
He gave them a great privilege. The disciples may have asked, “Lord, what about the mysteries?” He said that everything would be revealed under law at the right time when the person is ready. When the time is right, you may give the secret teachings you have received in “darkness,” but be sure to ascend into the Light before you speak. Each interprets a lesson according to his personality type and level of comprehension. If Jesus could have done some editing, some verses would sound very differently.
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”–Matthew 10:32-33. When you confess Jesus as the Emperor of Heaven, it releases Power through you according to your grade, your degree and kind. He opens the record, enters your name is as having taken a new initiation and registers your grade.
Jesus must sign your graduation certificate before more Power can be released according to your new grade. When he acknowledges you before the Father, it is like graduation. To deny means the opposite of accepting and holding fast to law. If you deny the law, you do not accept or hold to the law within the test. Then the Master cannot sign your certificate for passing an initiation. He says, Not yet.” Once you have declared that you accept, you are responsible not to misuse the new Power coming through you in thought, word or deed. You are responsible not speak idle words or words you do not mean. Your Guards remind you not to use no idle words. When you are strong enough to pass the initiation, you are turned loose with your Guards to face the test. If you do not pass, the Master says, “Let her go awhile yet. I cannot sign the certificate for this high initiation.” He saves you by denying you acceptance when you are unable to hold.
When you accept and witness the truth, he says, “Yes, you are ready.” Your Guards lead you along the new path. You are measured with a rod of Power. The Master does not demand actions of you beyond your ability if you are not strong enough to hold the initiation. He holds you according to your ability at that time. He stands before the great Court of Law and if you must be slowed for your own good, he does it. Heaven holds many kingdoms, councils and courts where you can now go. You enter the courts of the Almighty according to your faith. Heaven is a place and a state of consciousness. No matter where your substance is, it will always be in a place. Even if you deny, you cannot escape. You are part of the whole forever, and must be enfolded in Light. However, you must give up possessive holding and do what you are called to do.
The eleventh commandment is to “suffer fools gladly.” This chapter covers every human relationship—father, mother, son, daughters-in-law. Jesus taught us to give up possessiveness and blame in our relationships. He did not set law aside but added to it. He taught minding your own business: “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Do everything without offense. Agree with God and adjust to man, abstain from all appearance of evil, and love fulfills the law.
Osiris and Isis brought the law of the soul’s immortality. God is all that is and is everywhere evenly present and available right now. The teachings of immortality degenerated until the Egyptians worshiped animals. Zoroaster taught worship of Light in Persia, which degenerated into worship of the sun. Buddha taught the sacrifice of material possessions in India, which degenerated into the begging bowl.
The sword has been a weapon of defense through the ages. It’s time we see its significance in its proper place. You may defend truth, but if you use the sword to defend self or to satisfy the self, you are not defending truth. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”–Hebrews 4:12. The true sword is double-edged, representing the dual aspects of God as Love and Wisdom, and its hilt is Selflessness. The flaming sword, shining with Light, a fire that consumes and burns, is the source of healing. It represents soul illumination, love that consumes, and the wisdom of the Almighty as given to Solomon.
Why would an angel with a flaming sword bar the gate to the Garden of Eden? Because you cannot live in the past. You must let your own peace return to you, and to do so, you must look forward. Live today, always in the now. You are on an ascending escalator. You cannot live in the past or your soul shrivels and you dry up. No one can live in the past; God Himself cannot turn back time, for all the powers within the universe are geared to push everything forward, including you when you try to live in the past. You must live this moment. God stations an angel with a flaming sword at every gate and at the door to every lost paradise. You may feel that time has passed you by, that you have lost time through disappoints, broken dreams and advancing age. And truth be told, the aging process consists of this. Where are your dreams? In a locker somewhere? In the basement? God takes every lost dream, every unfulfilled desire and moves them forward in time when you give up trying to live in the past. Everything you have ever wanted to be or to do is waiting for you now.
It is never too late, only too soon. Shake the dust off your feet. Let your peace of God and greater understanding return to you. Stand in the Light, going forward in glory. The Power is greater to express and accomplish. Have the forward look. Take the dollar sign off your dreams. Live in the ever-present now!
Father, we have ascended, and we know that every single word we have ever asked of Thee stands, that every person we have ever brought to Thee stands in the Light. Every day the clock moves forward. We know that You raise your ideals, dreams, and glories for us. Every day the Power is greater to go forth to achieve and to accomplish. We are so grateful that we can come to You today with clean hands and a pure heart. As we go forth, we ascend and praise Thy holy name.”

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Life, a Glorious Splendor
Edna Lister outline, April 26, 1964, Cleveland, OH. John 11:20-44, Psalm 24:7-10.<
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”–Psalm 24:7-10. Glory means to praise and to honor. Splendor means a magnificent brilliant, a brilliant light. Jesus had received word that Lazarus was ill and said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
“Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.”–John 11:5-6. Instead of going to Lazarus, Jesus remained where he was for two more days, then announced that he was going to Judea. Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.”–John 11:11. The disciples questioned the decision because the temple leadership had so recently tried to stone him. He told them to walk in the Light. They did not understand that he spoke figuratively of Lazarus sleeping, so he said, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.”–John 11:14-15.
Mary and Martha were distinctly different types. Mary used expensive lamp oil to light the evenings for conversation. She sat at Jesus’ feet and listened, absorbing all he said. Martha listened on the fly, and gained a smattering through the bits she heard while working. Yet when Jesus arrived at their home in Bethany, Mary was a mess of tears and weakness, while Martha was the strong and reliable one. Mary sat to be comforted by the neighbors and friends because she had lost her brother. Martha was strong and saw to the details of caring for the many visitors.
Martha represented the higher rational soul, the Mother principle of protection for the weak. She was always the worker, offering a brisk selfless love while doing what must be done. Mary represented the little self’s type of love, personal and possessive, for me and mine. Martha spoke secretly to Mary saying, “Jesus calls you.” The higher Oversoul and ways call the self up in consciousness. Both sisters said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died.” But Martha declared him the Christ in full faith, knowing he could do anything right now. Mary blamed Jesus, saying he was too late. Yet it is never too late, only too soon. When Mary knelt at his feet and wept, he “groaned in the spirit” and was troubled, then asked where they had laid him. “Jesus wept.”–John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. He wept because he was groaning in spirit again. To be the Messiah, Jesus had to suffer, personally, every experience that a man could have.
Imagine the full picture. So many people were gathered near Lazarus’ tomb, all the mourners, friends, neighbors, the curious and Jesus’ followers with the disciples. Jesus was responsible for all these people. They, too, had to pass their initiations or they would forget the laws he had given them. His compassion for their suffering was boundless. He groaned in spirit because he had deliberately delayed to prove great laws to them, to impress them. He put his beloved ones, especially Mary, through one of the hardest initiations and they were not coming through. Through these events, Jesus proved that he did not snoop. He knew that Lazarus was dead. He did not ask where the tomb was, but where they had put Lazarus to rest.
“Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me. And I knew that Thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent me.”–John 11:41-42. Knowing that he had put his beloved ones in a tight place, he thanked God and prayed aloud so that all could hear. He prayed that the Father would let him cover all the debts the people involved had created. He cried, “Lazarus, come forth” in a loud voice, and he came forth. “Loose him, and let him go.”
Would it have been better just to have healed Lazarus’ illness instead of this spectacular “Come forth”? He heard the crowd’s comments. Had he done right to put their faith through such a test? If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.–John 11:40. “Lazarus, come forth” is still your glory. It has lasted and shall last for centuries to come.
Metaphysically, to resurrect the old is not enough. You must “Loose him, and let him go.” You must be loosed from past bondage to the subconscious mind. For example, when you perform an exorcism, you must follow it with the declaration, “Let go,” to the little self.
Once resurrected from self, you can permit the self no more blame or weakness, no more bondage. Once you are called forth, even your curses are cleared away. Everyone has a past filled with swearing and curses, which are anything that is now a blessing. Anyone who curses God or our Lord Jesus names them more often than you do. No harm comes to the world or God on the misuse of these names. The names of God and Jesus the Christ can do no evil. Their names lift, no matter who uses them. Each who curses creates a debt to pay, but the greater debt accrues to the intolerant one who blames and curses the one misusing the name. He who curses falls at the Master’s feet immediately on passing to the other side. The intolerant one is too heavy to ascend, and needs the treatment to “Come forth.”
What are splendor and glory? Splendor is glory, brilliant Light and illumination. Glory is honor and praise. Hear me! “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of glory.”–Psalm 24:7-10. Glory is an ecstasy, a magnificent rapture of soul. When engulfed with glory, you are too full to hold it without rejoicing.

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Life, a Glorious Splendor
Edna Lister transcript, April 26, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Margaret Pratt Doan, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. John 11:20-44, Psalm 24:7-10.

In Bible study, you can never segregate just a few verses and hope to understand the whole. You need to understand what occurred in the passages preceding and following the portion you are currently studying. The preceding chapter, John 10, is one of the greatest descriptions in the Gospels of Jesus’ mission on earth. His enemies had again tried to stone him for blasphemy. He had healed a blind man on the Sabbath and said, “I and my Father are one.” This was just too much for them. Caiaphas the high priest and others of the Sanhedrin were seeking to destroy him.
When Jesus first heard of Lazarus’ illness, he said, “This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” This unites all Jesus’ miracles and shows that he was preparing himself for the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. Jesus had to live through and suffer all that a man could, the full gamut of human emotion and experience, so that the world might truly believe. He had to prove that resurrection and ascension are possible.
Jesus deliberately delayed for two days in going to his beloved three, Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Just as Jesus had felt a little reluctance in changing the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, so did he hesitate in raising Lazarus. His disciples thought it was because of the threats of violence made against him in Judea. He stood in the Light during those two days of delay. He knew the cross would be the next step and this is how he prepared himself. You can do anything when you stand in the Light twenty-four hours a day.
Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus was asleep and that he was going to awaken him. The disciples thought this meant “rest in sleep.” It clearly states that Jesus already knew Lazarus was dead and he told them so plainly. Then Jesus said, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.” Thomas, the disciple known through history as the one who doubted, said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” They had no idea of Jesus’ true intent to raise Lazarus from the dead. He said all this to build his followers and disciples’ faith and to set the stage for the miracle. To this day, the raising of Lazarus builds your faith.
Martha, Mary and Lazarus were sisters and a brother. Jesus was very close to this family during his ministry. They were good friends as well as his followers and he spent much time with them. Mary was converted first and loved Jesus greatly but she was never sure of herself. She always needed special attention. “Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.”–John 11:20. Most verses mention Mary before Martha but Martha is mentioned first here. She went to meet Jesus as soon as she heard he was coming. Martha, the strong one, usually did all the work while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened. Martha got her truth “on the fly” while she worked and took care of the details. Mary, when it came down to brass tacks, listened and did little.
John 11:2 says that Mary once anointed Jesus with oil and wiped his feet with her hair, a courtesy Jesus’ host had ignored. Mary paid attention to detail in this instance but Martha applied truth through attention to detail constantly, so she courteously went to greet Jesus when she heard he was coming. Mary remained inside and sat and wept with the Jews, being comforted and perhaps enjoying it. It also could be that Mary was keeping the Jews occupied because of the danger to Jesus.
“Then said Martha to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”–John 11:21-27. Martha had complete faith when she declared him the Christ.
“And when she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.”–John 11:28-31. Martha called Mary outside “secretly” and told her that Jesus had called for her, knowing this would rouse Mary from her depression. The Jews all followed her to Jesus.
“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying, unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto; him, Lord, come and see.”–John 11:32-34. Mary then knelt at Jesus’ feet, weeping and said, “If you had been here, he would not have died.” Where Martha had faith, Mary pouted and blamed, thinking, “If Jesus loved us, why did he let this happen?” God pays no attention to your pouting. The only thing you get from it is a debt for the time you spend doing it. Martha calling to Mary symbolizes the Oversoul calling to the little self to come up.
Jesus said to Martha and Mary, “Thy brother shall rise again. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” At their reaction, Jesus “groaned in the spirit” and wept. Jesus was troubled. He asked, “Where have ye laid him?” This is proof that Jesus minded his own business; he never snooped. He did not call on his great soul vision to see where they had laid him. You do not ask God to do those things you can do for yourself. Never in his ministry did Jesus lower his high vision or divert the Power to cover mundane things.
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” Jesus wept that the doubts and blame of the subconscious had taken over in his loved ones. He loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus personally. His friends asked why he had let this happen. Mary was hurt and thought he did not love them. Had he come before Lazarus’ death he would have pleased them but Jesus chose to do what would glorify God and always be remembered. He knew his textbook had to be strong enough to fortify his disciples and followers and great enough to last two thousand years. Everything he said and did has meaning at many levels. Years later, Jesus engineered and supervised the writing of the Gospels from above.
“Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.”–John 11:36-40.
Jesus put his loved ones through a great initiation and they came out limping. This is why he “groaned in spirit,” wondering if all those who watched would really see. He knew it was essential that they all truly comprehend the significance what he was doing. He had raised others from the dead but never before had there been such a crowd of witnesses. He heard the doubts of the crowd and their criticism as he went to the grave. Even Martha said, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.”
Jesus knew this miracle would bring the wrath of the Sanhedrin on his head and that his crucifixion was close. This was the beginning of his travail, which lasted through Gethsemane and ended on Calvary. Jesus knew the Power he released must be great enough to hold his disciples and followers in faith through all that would come.
“Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”–John 11:41-42. With this prayer, Jesus wiped out their doubts, curses and blame. You can wipe out curses and debts of blame through high prayer. Anyone who curses in the name of Jesus Christ or uses his name in vain creates an anchor to God that will eventually bring him home.
When a man uses the name of God or Jesus in vain, he is caught up in spirit before a Council at death of the body. The curse is wiped out when he kneels at Jesus’ feet. Yet, though he did not know, he must still pay the debt on earth for all who heard his curses. Never judge or blame another for his idle words. The intolerant one who judges, saying, “You are doing it wrong,” pays the greatest debt. It is impossible for the name of God to do wrong, no matter who speaks it.
“When he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”–John 11:43. Jesus called upon the Power, breathed deeply and cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” The Power did the work under the principles of Light, color, tone, number and name. You can speak the Word to breathe a soul back into the body. The declaration inflates the mental body the atoms, and a shaft of life sparks draws the soul back to the physical body. History is filled with accounts of persons being revived after being declared dead.
“He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go.”–John 11:44. Martha had said that her brother’s body would stink because he had been dead four days, but there was no decay or stench when the tomb was opened. Lazarus was dead by the world’s standards. He had left his body and was escorted to a temple on the inner where his body was held on the fifth breath for four days. Jesus knew that Lazarus was awaiting the call to return. Though Lazarus was bound hand and foot, yet his grave clothes were white and unstained.
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”–Psalm 24:7-10.
Jesus is the king of glory come to do the “greater works” and to teach us how to also. The greater works are under the principle of expansion encompassed in glory, the Shekinah glory and the splendor of the Light. Glory includes honor and praise. Splendor is joy, wisdom, love, illumination, comprehension and brilliant Light. You must express this joy. Do you know how to praise God? Read Psalm 24. Reach for the stars so Power can move through, possess and cleanse you. Let the king of glory enter, the Lord, mighty in battle. Be a militant Christian, strong in holding your high place so you cannot be pushed off by the self or the other fellow. Possess every foot of ground on which you stand that your little self is lifted, eradicated by your Oversoul.
When the door of the crown of the head opens, the gates swing wide. These are the gates to the ten cities that man must rule within himself. The Oversoul says, “Lazarus, come forth!” to the little self. Joy opens the gates of your eyes and ears to let Power move in and possess you. The glory of the Supreme gives you Power to stand. Be zealous! All the Power you need comes through from the Source, from thrones, from the River of Life. Let Love move in to fill you that you may fulfill the law.
The joy of love, the splendor and glory of God possesses you as beauty, and is yours for the simple step of accepting it. The whole of the glory of the Lord moves through when you open your gates. Then, through you, His glory fills the earth as splendor.

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Love in Action
Edna Lister outline, August 4, 1964, Tacoma, WA. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13.

In the past, ministers gave sermons expounding on the laws to be obeyed. In the present, sermons have become entertainment. To enter the future, ministers must intrigue and entice their audiences into the desire to know.
Charity is love in action. The first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13 deal with pride in self and self-indulgence: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”–1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
The second set of five verses examines what we are and what we must become: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”–1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
The third set of five verses tells us what we must do: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”–1 Corinthians 13:9-13. Thirteen is the number of the Via Christa, the Way of the Christ. The thirteenth verse “And now abide faith, hope, love; these three; but the greatest of these is love,” describes the Via Christa as our way of life. Love is the magic word: I love.
The only way to truly comprehend these last five verses is to view them in the light of “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.”–John 13:32. What you think yourself will never be accurate unless you give up “me” to become one with the Light. The difficulty arises when you want to escape responsibility; you go up and down in consciousness.
Millions of unborn miracles are yours for the asking and for the giving up of self, becoming Light’s instrument. You are always giving and doing. What returns to you? The answer tells you what you are really giving and doing. When you give up self and reach up for light, life always and forever returns to you in abundance. You must stand before the blockage, the barrier, the wall and use your open sesame: Love.

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Love and Wisdom
Edna Lister outline, October 4, 1964, Cleveland, OH. 1 Kings 3:2-14, 1 John 4:14-21, Proverbs 4:1-13.

“Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”–1 Kings 3:2-14.
“We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.”–1 John 4:14-21.
“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”–Proverbs 4:1-13.
Solomon had just been crowned king. The Israelites had no temple yet, so they still used the altars their ancestors had built atop the high places. “Solomon loved the Lord.” When you love God enough, you strive to please Him. It was not enough for Solomon simply to walk in the statutes David had recorded. He needed to do something special, so he went to the high place at Gibeon, where he made one thousand burnt offerings.
As a result, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked, “What shall I give thee?” Solomon humbly asked for understanding to judge rightly. The Lord, pleased, gave him the wisdom and added riches and honors. Yet Solomon had to earn the “long life” through obedience to the Lord’s statutes. For, to be understanding, you must balance your love with wisdom. Love alone is overly soft, but wisdom alone is too harsh. Solomon’s wisdom balanced his love for true understanding.
Solomon returned to Jerusalem, and the two harlots asked him for a decision about whose child the infant was. Wisely, he asked for a sword to divide the child, knowing the real mother would give her baby up to save its life—and she did. Solomon had judged wisely. Love gives you the boldness you require to stand because the loving approach embodies nonresistance. Nonresistance is perfect poise, which enables you to move instantly in a balancing direction.
“Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.”–Proverbs 4:5-8.
Your personal “burnt offerings” grant you access to the principle of nonresistance, which is the balance of love and wisdom. A thousand burnt offerings open the thousand-petaled lotus to extend its antennae up to divine Mind. Each petal is rooted in its own section of your brain surface, as in a receiving set. The petals serve as a host of receiver antennae, constantly reading the broadcasts of Mind in the River of Life.
You can tune in on the wisdom station and receive the broadcasts of logic, reason, discernment, discrimination, and discretion. These faculties are the application of wisdom. Proverbs 4:1-13 lists the rewards for seeking wisdom and understanding. Love and wisdom, in perfect balance, create compassion, which is understanding. This confers the boldness it takes to stand steadfastly on principle while knowing the truth.
Your burnt offerings are bits of the little self. You must die daily from self to the soul, or die of self. You must sacrifice self and its opinions and prejudices to open the soul’s lotus petals. You may not make demands or expect more of another than he is able to give. No one can give when he has nothing to give. Surrender of self is the process of surrendering to God to be possessed by His Power, as its servant.
When you ascend in consciousness to the world of spiritual illumination, you necessarily leave behind the lesser mental concentration. To balance love and wisdom means to move into the realms of thrones and crowns. When the Elect live as the children of Light, they dwell under the protection of the principle and laws of nonresistance.
“We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.”–1 John 4:14-21.

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Love and Wisdom
Edna Lister transcript, October 4, 1964. Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. 1 Kings 3:2-14, 1 John 4:14-21, Proverbs 4:1-13.

“Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”–1 Kings 3:2-14.
“We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”–1 John 4:14-21.
“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”–Proverbs 4:1-13.
King David’s reign was marked by political disruptions, and he had Solomon crowned while he was still alive to watch him. David and Solomon had definite contact with the Source. No temple had been built in Jerusalem, just altars. Solomon went to the altar at Gibeon and made a thousand burnt offerings because he wanted to be sure he had no buried taints to dilute his hearing, and to hear God’s answer clearly. He touched the gamut of the emotional life in the thousand burnt offerings.
Solomon asked the Lord, “Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad.” What good is it to have all wisdom but no understanding heart to know how to apply wisdom? With an understanding heart you comprehend what you think you know.
Solomon’s speech pleased the Lord. The title, Lord, here refers to the Councils who had charge of Solomon. God spoke to him in a Voice that came from Source: “Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment. Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart” under the Love principle, “so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”–1 Kings 3:11-14.
God created us in His image and likeness and gave us a means of instantaneous contact with the Source on one deep breath. You can have no life without breath. Where there is breath, there is life. Every time you breathe, you inhale life and Light.
God created us with a great computer mind, which we activate on the breath, and it transforms atoms into energy in the brain. If you breathe from the River of Life and declare, “This is good,” Light flows through every atom of your being. You take from the River of Life just what your body can use, so the divine Breath of Life must be diluted, or most humans would destroy themselves. Deep breathing inflates the atoms of the mental body. God sent you here with the power to contact the Source for one thousand days of lifting and transforming self. When you make a thousand burnt offerings, you can breathe up and from the Source, pure and undiluted.
God gave Solomon understanding to go with what he knew. The Mother principle in those days was secondary, the Father principle was primary. Through Solomon’s understanding, which is an expression of love, the Mother principle became primary. Solomon combined mother love with his application of wisdom. For example, to the two mothers who claimed one child, Solomon said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” The child’s real mother said, “O my Lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.”
Understanding and compassion are names for other facets of love. A perfect balance of love and wisdom operates in your life as the law of nonresistance, the most powerful law in the universe. Stand and say, “This is way it has to be,” and you stand like a rock of nonresistance as the world swirls around. High tides may rush over you, but the low tides always follow. When you take a stand, it must be selfless, nothing for the self but complete surrender to be the servant of Power. You stand before law without taints. When enough of God’s creator instruments become perfect for Power to use, we will save the world.
You stand on principle and wait upon the Lord, but never in your way. You may not command or demand of another. You can get only what a person has to give. If he has only criticism, hatred and resentment, he will give it to you. It is all he has. Stand the rock of faith as the power of nonresistance. You get back your just reward; you receive what you have earned. “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.” Do not let instruction leave you; remember it.

“You get back your just reward;
you receive what you have earned.”

The crown of glory is ascension. Allow no insulating air space between you and your crown of glory. A breeze between you and your crown means you have slipped. Love, love, love! To balance love with wisdom is most important. You can see what the other person means, even when he bothers you. No one wants to be forced into the kingdom of heaven. If he enjoys mud puddles, he enjoys wandering up and down beside still waters in self-satisfied peace, not in beauty, glory, or soul ecstasy. Sadly, many ministers do this.
Ascend to spiritual surrender as you make your thousand burnt offerings. If you have nine hundred perfect days but slip on the nine-hundred and first day, you must do it all again. Yet no matter your score of perfect days, you have gained that much strength and opened new lotus petals. Every burnt offering of lifted soul taints extends another lotus petal antenna to Source.
Your body is not the sum of you, but it registers what you are. The high breath descends from the spiritual to the mental to the emotional life. The law of nonresistance and a thousand burnt offerings allow Light to break through your bondage. Thinking makes the declaration. Imagination makes the pictures.
A thousand burnt offerings take care of “little me,” until you are set to gain understanding through the balance of love and wisdom. Stand in the immovable place, where nothing can touch you. When the tidal wave comes, lift it—the tide always goes out, leaving you free.
Nonresistance is a direct stimulus of the creative impulse itself, a balance between love and wisdom. You must become a perfect instrument for Power to use, and you may not have your own way to make someone else conform. Love balanced with wisdom says, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”–John 12:32.

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Judgment and Mercy
Edna Lister outline, October 11, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Matthew 12:38-50.

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Judgment and Mercy
Edna Lister transcript, October 11, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. Matthew 12:38-50.

“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”–Matthew 12:38-50.
The scribes and the Pharisees in this story wanted proof from Jesus, and said, “Master, give us a sign.” Jesus spoke of Jonah and the whale, saying that a greater prophet than Jonas and Solomon was among them. Then he spoke of the unclean spirit, which being cast out, later returned with seven more of his own unclean kind. As he finished, someone told him that his mothers and brothers were outside waiting for him. Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Gesturing to his disciples, he claimed them all as his family—mother, sisters, and brothers.
These verses in Matthew contain several heterogeneous ideas. The books of the Old and New Testaments are paragraphed, but these verses are run together as a single topic. The temple’s hierarchy of administrators had been trying to get Jesus, to gather evidence of law-breaking to convict him. As strict religious conservatives, they were rigid, but Jesus was not. He added the spirit of the law to the letter, while his opponents held fast to their mental block to interpretation.
One outstanding part of Jesus’ mission was that he trained twelve ignorant men in psychiatry and spirituality, all in three and a half years. No one else had or has ever done this. The records of the New Testament hold the answers to all psychiatric problems. His disciples were able to answer questions, and cover every frailty. The bear-baiting reporters of today are just like the scribes and Pharisees who hounded Jesus. Earlier in this chapter of Matthew, Jesus had strongly reprimanded the Pharisees for accusing him of serving Beelzebub.
“Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”–Matthew 12:25-28.
When Jesus taught publicly, he had to speak to the uneducated masses as well as to his disciples. Later he would instruct the twelve alone. As Jesus spoke to people, he also wanted to whet his disciples’ curiosity so they would ask him questions later. Each of the twelve dealt with the mystical part of religion, which are are mystical in content and symbolic in statements. You must go beyond the letter of the law to seek Scripture’s full meaning.
Jesus used Jonah, the men of Nineveh, and Solomon as symbols. Every time he mentioned Jonas and Solomon he said and “a greater than Jonas is here.” Jonah was a disciple whom God had sent to convert His people in Nineveh. Jonah ran away, but the ship he was in was overtaken by a storm. The sailors drew lots, and when Jonah proved to be the guilty party, they threw him overboard. Jesus’ whopper of spending three days and nights in the belly of a whale made Jonas a hero and the crowd listened to him.
Jesus told the tale as an allegory to explain how Jonah represents lifting fear, and bearing witness. Solomon represents wisdom and the ascension of the son of man. A greater man than Jonah—Jesus was referring to himself—represents the descended creator, the Son of God, who taught his disciples about desires, thinking and imagination, the three great phases of life, and revealed their relationships.
The men of Nineveh were also like today’s reporters. Some are calling the world to judgment on good things, like those who call us to God in public life. The well-known evangelists, who teach the message of Jesus, are men from Nineveh, too. Jesus spoke of reincarnation to the twelve, showing them they had been such men at one time. We wanted them to see the relationship between past and present, and to know that they had lived before.
The Queen of the South represents the Mothering Love of God expressing itself on earth in all perfection. The queen of Sheba and Solomon came together to exchange views. The queen of Sheba represents love, and the vital center at the sacrum plexus. Desire, as love, moves up and mates with will, as Solomon’s wisdom. The queen also represents the pituitary gland and intuition. Solomon symbolizes the pineal body and illumination.
Jesus was talking about man’s life and expression using desire, will, love and wisdom as tools of creation. When he spoke of evil spirits, he knew it would interest the crowd. Everyone would understand possession, which people in those days knew were real, not merely delusions. Jesus was teaching them that you can create your own possessing entity as well as be plagued by one from the outside. In this story, the possessed man was so glad to be rid of the evil spirit that he boasted of his healing, but put nothing in its now empty space. The possessing entity wandered around loose—peculiar or weird people can be possessed of such an entity, but this cannot happen when you praise and love God enough. Modern education teaching that these entities and similar negative expressions of self are best treated with shock therapy and drugs is just brain-washing.
When Mary and his brothers came to see him, Jesus denied them as family, named his disciples and followers as his family, and established universal brotherhood. Mercy is a comprehending quality of compassion that reaches out to one who does not necessarily deserve it. Jesus’ teaching deliberately ran counter to the priests of the synagogues who had no mercy.
From the cross, Jesus proclaimed “Woman, behold thy son”—John—and opened a new era of enlightened protection of women, not possession of them as chattel goods. Possession is an idea, but not a good idea. Ideas can possess a mind to the point of obsession. Fathers often possess their sons and dictate to them—mothers too often possess their sons and daughters.
Do not allow anyone or anything to possess you. Good judgment teaches you not to possess. Dispossess yourself of other people and dispossess them of you. Jesus, in apparently repudiating his mother and brothers, was showing that he freed them. He was merciful. He did not possess them. The quality of mercy is a quality of compassion. The men of Nineveh had sat in judgment before and were reincarnated again. Good, bad and indifferent and they have incarnated again now.
We have had God and government, including the sons of the Father of Lies, but we need God as government. Let us declare now that we shall elect a man who is obedient to God under law. Prepare the way for whoever is elected to become a servant of God. Fill the President’s chair with great Light and with the quality of mercy daily. You are a queen of South as love, a Solomon as wisdom expressing the life of God. Declare that all those who are elected to office are sons and daughters of God, and only the divine fire can move into them. Love fills the soul triumphant!

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Responsibility and Respect
Edna Lister outline, October 18, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Acts 27:20-30.

“And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship.”–Acts 27:20-30.
Porcius Festus, the procurator of Judea from about AD 59 to 62, tried to persuade Paul to go to Jerusalem for trial, after he had been accused of many false and unproven charges. Paul, a Roman citizen, demanded an appeal to the courts in Rome, as was his right. Later, while Paul was awaiting transport to Rome, King Agrippa and his queen, Bernice visited Caesarea and heard Paul’s case. Agrippa made this judgment: “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.”–Acts 26:28-32.
Julius, the centurion in charge of Paul’s transport to Rome, granted Paul freedom to visit with his friends in Sidon. Finally, Paul was put on a ship bound for Rome, but the autumn season of dangerous storms had begun.
Paul warned them, but the centurion listened to the ship’s captain instead. Then Paul warned them a second time. “I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”–Acts 27:22-24. The storm became so violent that they feared running aground on rocks, so “they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.” The four anchors are faith, love, steadfast faith and compassion.
They caught some of the sailors letting down a boat under the guise of casting an anchor. Paul warned them again, saying that they must remain aboard or they all would be lost. The ship ran aground—”The forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hind part was broken with the violence of the waves.”–Acts 27:41. The stern (the hind part) represents the world. The forepart symbolizes the soul’s ascension. It also represents how self covers up its own taints and avoids responsibility.
Responsibility is the only attitude that will allow your own to come to you. It is the magnetic attraction that calls to you what is yours, and is the only way you can earn your rewards. Every power of the universe goes into action when you assume personal responsibility. Let’s analyze this matter of what your responsibility really is. Your own good is ready to fold its wings and settle beside you, as a new position, a raise, a new home, etc. To turn down something that is really yours to do is irresponsible. Then your own good flies off, flapping its wings, but with nowhere to go.
Responsibility does not mean that you must invite strangers into your home, or to cast your anchor out into the world. Responsibility includes wisdom in the reckoning. Responsibility does cast four anchors out into the world: Your faith, your standing firm, your love enough, and your compassion anchors you as a living ensample, an expression of God’s love in the world. The men were not allowed to leave the ship, which was gripped in the teeth of the storm. This represents escaping your own taints, covering up your self, trying to make it appear that you are already perfect.
No one ever assumes responsibility unless he first has respect for God, life and law. If you hold life and law cheaply, you have little or no responsibility. Misuse of law and life shows a lack of respect for God. The story continues, revealing that everyone escaped as Paul had promised. Some swam, some clung to boards and parts of the ship. This illustrates that any path is good if you can see that life and Light are ahead. No one else is allowed to stand in your Light.
What world sees is the weight of your anchors. If you misuse your faith, your standing firm, your love enough, or your compassion, they heavily anchor you to earth. If you lift up the world, you ascend. Show your respect for God by keeping your attention focused on Him, as Paul did. Your faith must be a living ensample to stand in strength, unmoved and untouched. You need love enough and respect for God and law. Then your compassion will let everyone escape the storm and wreck. “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar.” You need your promises fulfilled as your rewards, your crowns.
Paul’s history is a story of outstanding strength in responsibility. Your kind of responsibility, your way of handing it—lugubrious duty or joyous responsibility, which is irresistible under universal law—determines your rewards.

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Responsibility and Respect
Edna Lister transcript, October 18, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. Acts 27:20-30.

“And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship.”–Acts 27:20-30.
Paul, on the ship, in a storm, said to the captain and crew, “You should have listen to me when I told you not to set sail.” The he told them to cheer up because he had seen an angel in the night, who had promised “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” Paul said he believed the angel, but they would be shipwrecked. Paul had a voice of thunder, and knew how to make his words cut deep. He didn’t tickle his audience with a feather. He lanced and cleaned out their sores of disbelief. Paul gave God a wholehearted and undeviating response of obedience. Formerly, he had hated and persecuted Christians. When he fell blind on the road to Damascus, he heard the voice of the Lord, and obeyed, giving himself completely to God after that.
The temple rulers wanted to take Paul’s life as they had Jesus’, but could not get at him. He was a Roman citizen and demanded to be taken to Rome to be tried there. If he had not, the Jews would have killed him. Personal responsibility is first all-important step you take under the law of nonresistance. For example, Moses was told that he would own all land he stood on. The other side of the coin was that he had to defend it. So Christians must stand and defend their principles today.
Paul converted Julius, the centurion who guarded him, to Christianity. This gave him more than two years of extended time to convert more Romans. The boat stopped at Crete, where they lingered so long Paul warned of storms at sea, but they left anyway. In the face of tempestuous wind, Paul’s prophecy came true, and the sailors sure of a shipwreck. After fourteen days Paul came out of retreat and reminded them that he had warned them to stay in the safe harbor.
“But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.”–Acts 27:21-26.
You must assume responsibility to live right according to the laws of good health—diet, rest, and exercise. Paul took responsibility for each man on the ship. He got them to eat, then they threw cargo and ballast overboard to lighten the ship. All the people on your ship are yours to declare saved, but do you really believe your declarations will work? You must. The only right you have is to pray for the other fellow to become enlightened and take the right path for him, not the path you choose for him.
Taking responsibility is the only way you can set the universal powers to put you in the right place at the right time. Then all powers of the universe will work together to give you your own good. If you assume responsibility on Sunday but slide down the pole on Wednesday, you slacken your lines of Light and responsibility to lukewarmness. Responsibility also includes discernment, discrimination, discretion, and understanding. The four anchors are four outstanding expressions of your love-as-faith, which is the comprehension of knowing God is always there, and love, strength, compassion.
What is the quality of your love? How big is it? Compassion does not permit you to push anyone off your ship. This does not mean you must bring the unwashed into your home, or to give to in to a negative person. Say, “I shall consider this.” Do not flat-out refuse him, but use your head and delay your response past the heat of the moment.
Foursquare faith, love, strength, and compassion represents common sense, fluidity, and the malleability of water. Your fire enthuses, and air feeds his imagination to see the miracle at hand, manifest on earth. You bring all these elements, this foursquare foundation into all your decisions. The law of nonresistance requires that you do not resist, but you must be cautious and balanced in your approach.
Anyone who accepts his personal responsibility earns the respect of others. You need to respect life, law, God, and His Power over all. If you respect all life, you must respect your own life. When you have gone as far as you can under your own steam, stop and rest up in the Light. Others will respect you for it. Be neither a jelly fish nor overly aggressive, but know that the law of responsibility gives you the strength to stand steadfastly. Responsibility shines the Light that moves on the face of the waters of chaos. The law of nonresistance works when you accept responsibility, but the line of demarcation here is not to be spineless about it.
Stand on the four squares of love, compassion, faith, and strength. You may have perfect respect for God yet still have taints underneath. Your prayers can be so lukewarm that you couldn’t cook dinner on their low heat. Pray fervently. Do not blame God if your prayers go unanswered. Yesterday’s good performance does not count as today’s score.
Just as a camel cannot go through a needle’s eye, you must remove your humps of opinion and prejudice before you can pass the Gates of Light. Everyone entertains opinions and prejudices unconsciously. Yet you must respect not only the life of God, man and outer law, but your own life and care for your body. Your physical equipment is as much a part of God as your soul. If you live according to earth’s laws, too much rest collapses the atoms. You need more life. Live life foursquare, and breathe deeply.
Your responsibility includes being a magnet of God’s love and glory. Being grimly responsible—”I’ll do it if it kills me”—shorn of all but duty, is lukewarm and inadequate. Jesus said, “Ask in my name,” and you must respect this gift. Your responsibility must have wings of joy. Fill your attitude toward your responsibilities with joy. When you assume responsibility in joy, you invoke the strength of the Almighty. So, plant your feet and stand in the strength of Almighty God. Surrender self to be the servant of all the Power. Dedicate your service to God on the foundation of the His strength.
Those on Paul’s ship were saved in different ways, which implies that each soul on your lines of Light must find salvation his own way. Yet even when you rightfully refuse outer responsibility for someone, you must still assume spiritual responsibility for him. Paul spent two years in Rome before being tried. “You shall be brought before Caesar” represents the Source of power and all good, the Source that answers prayers.

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Loveliness and Beauty
Edna Lister outline, October 25, 1964, Cleveland, OH. 2 Peter 3.

“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”–2 Peter 3.
Peter was the strongest and most aggressive of the disciples. He was a natural leader and became their spokesman. He was the first to make the great confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”–Matthew 16:16. He became Christianity’s chief personage and preached the first sermon.
Jesus founded his church upon “rock,” which is what Peter’s name means. Petros is one rock, and petra is a rocky mass. Peter was always God-conscious, and never forgot his mission. You are supposed to become as a little child to enter the kingdom. As a child never forgets a promise, so you must remember your mission.
Peter could have written this Epistle for us today, since he describes an exact sample of what we find in the world. He starts by saying that he desires to stir up our pure minds to remember that three types of unbelievers have always followed the congregation of the faithful.
First, the scoffers have been with us since the beginning and will remain with us to the end. Second, we have always had to deal with those who are willingly ignorant, those who do not want to remember, but to argue. Finally, the unlearned and unstable have always wrested the truth of Scripture apart, “to their own destruction.”
Peter makes his first appeal to our “pure minds,” which is the Christed “I AM” consciousness of Oversoul. The world calls this conscience. When you live by the Oversoul’s faculties of honor, loyalty and integrity, you preserve the pure mind of a little child.
The scoffers want to forget the truth and their promises, but a little child never forgets. Your pure mind holds you to your promises, even when things are getting worse. The unlearned lack the mental facility to even consider being personally responsible. The willfully ignorant wish no reminder of their responsibility. The wicked and unstable work to twist and distort the truth, deflecting it from themselves. Guilt urges them to pervert law to meet their own desires—thus create their own destruction.
In the prehistoric past, evil had gotten out of hand on earth. In the “rebellion in the skies,” our solar system was thrown from its course, floods swept the earth, destroying civilizations that various cultures have called Lemuria and Atlantis. Truth backs the flood story of Noah’s day. According to the narrative in Genesis, chapters six through nine, God ended the flood promising that He would never again destroy the earth by water, but by fire in the last judgment. So, perdition is pictured as a lake of fire in which identity is absorbed, killing the soul. The life sparks are thus purified, lifted and raised in vibration to be used in a new form. All old forms of hatred are so consumed.
“One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”–2 Peter 3:8. God does not reckon time on a human scale. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering.”–2 Peter 3:9. Peter reminds us, not so subtly, that the Father is not like humanity, forgetting promises that are difficult to keep.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”–2 Peter 3:10. Your every test and trial form the temptations that follow great spiritual illumination. What manner of persons ought you to be? Atomic and hydrogen bombs melt the elements with fervent heat. Atomic radiation fills the world and people fear it. Yet you may declare that this is the prophetic fulfillment of the Lord coming with lightning to set the earth afire. The “great noise” describes breaking the sound barrier.
“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”–2 Peter 3:13. Peter recalls the promise of a new heaven and a new earth in the thirteenth verse, thirteen being the number of the Christ. Let nothing steal your faith, honor, loyalty or integrity as you await the coming of the Lord. Continue looking for a new heaven and a new earth in consciousness before they arrive in fact.
As you look for and hasten to the coming of the day of God, remember to love enough. Great souls, not embodied, hover over earth to lift the evil and darkness from it. Their vigilance and lifting, combined with ours, leaves no chance that evil could win over our pure minds.
Let the graciousness and the loveliness, the tenderness and the mercy, the compassion and the love, the beauty and the glory of the Light of our Lord Jesus Christ abide within you and move through all your affairs.

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Loveliness and Beauty
Edna Lister transcript, October 25, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Irene White, scribe. 2 Peter 3.

“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”–2 Peter 3.
We are part of an invincible, unconquerable army of the faithful, marching back to God. No one ever has or ever can conquer God. The world is under a strong delusion about what greatness is. Darkness never can win, but will last only as long as God permits it, long enough to bring all His sons and daughters to repentance and to return home.
Peter was strong, enthusiastic, a quick thinker and actor who spoke his mind regardless of whether people would like him for it. Though untrained, he became the spokesman for the group. He was the first preacher, who gave the first honest-to-God sermon, first to publicly confess to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ.” Peter is Petros in Greek, and the root, petra, means rock. Peter was the rock of faith upon which Jesus founded the church that he intended would lead to Christos consciousness.
Peter was not above the other disciples, but the first among equals, an innate leader from the Aries Division, the first house of the Wheel of Ezekiel. After his Crucifixion, the Master had materialized bread and fish for his disciples on the beach. He lifted the debts of Peter’s three denials by asking him, “Lovest thou me,” three times. Immediately afterward, Peter stuck his nose in Jesus’ business and the Master told him, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Forever after, Peter minded his own business and acted as a leader should.
Peter makes several important points in his second Letter: He wishes to stir up their pure minds to remember, lawbreakers and scoffers will come in the last days, some souls are willingly ignorant, but the unlearned and unstable souls will tear the truth to pieces rather than to obey law. Your pure mind is your Oversoul conscience, the part of you that lives in honor and integrity, calls truth to remembrance. This pure mind is what Jesus meant when he said that unless you become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom. Remembrance is to recall God’s promises. World conditions such as war and economics have led many people to forget His promises and instead listen to those who are willingly ignorant. God answers the challenge, no matter how blind the world can be.
Beware being led into the errors of the wicked. Any soul who lends himself to lies or to darkness, is inverting the wisdom of God. The United States is the modern equivalent to the Promised Land of the Hebrew children. The unlearned and unstable wrest the law and scriptures to their own destruction. To wrest means to twist, to distort, to pervert law to suit your own desires. Darkness, yours and the world’s, must be lifted and remade into Light. The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night, and all works that are less than perfect will be burned up and the end of the world will come.
The world came into being when the sons of Belial, the lawless souls, attempted to wrest our entire solar system from its place in the Milky Way and to establish it as separate from God’s control. The world includes the earth because it encompasses an immense area extending beyond our solar system within a magnetic wall, through which only what God ordains can pass. At the end of the world, atomic radiation will fill the space inside the magnetic wall as Light.
At a time when Aries rises in the east, which symbolizes Light arising, an explosion of Light will return earth to its orbit in the Sagittarius division. Jesus Christ will be enthroned at its cusp with Capricorn—on the throne of Judah there. Evil will be shattered and consumed with the elements of Creation—earth, water, air, and fire. All those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Messiah, and God as the Almighty One, shall emerge unscathed and come to no harm.
Earth will not be destroyed, only the world of appearancea will end. We shall start over again, joined in brotherhood under God the Father. No one who loves God will be left out. The preparation for the Return is always underway behind the scenes, protected and overseen by angelic hosts. Look for the new heaven and earth, and declare the darkness is lifted. “Lord lead me, save me. Hold me immovable, understanding that nothing of the world can get through this barrier of Light You have placed around me. Let Thy Light move through all mankind.”

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The Good Shepherd
Edna Lister outline, November 1, 1964, Cleveland, OH. John 10:1-20, Revelation 3:20.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?”–John 10:1-20.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”–Revelation 3:20.
Both Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist were born during the reign of Augustus Caesar 1 and came to adulthood during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. 2 Jesus had traveled over the then-known world before he began his official ministry. He was thirty-one years old when John baptized him in the fifteenth year of Tiberius’ rule, 29 AD, the same year Pontius Pilate became governor of Judea.

1 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, the first Roman emperor, 27 B.C. to A.D. 14.

2 Augustus Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, Roman emperor, A.D. 14 to A.D. 37.

Jesus had always walked with God. He well knew that the Power flowing through him must always be used for others, never for himself. Whenever he spent time apart from his disciples, he went before high councils on the inner, maintaining his God-consciousness. When Jesus departed for the wilderness after John baptized him, James and John searched for him the entire forty days. Yet Jesus remained in retirement until Herod betrayed and killed his cousin, the Baptist.
His time in the wilderness was a period of great decisions. He began selecting who he would make his disciples. He chose between being announced as the Messiah the Jews awaited, or to remain unknown and be despised as a nobody. He chose the latter course, to train his twelve disciples to carry on his work of founding the New Jerusalem. If he had not chosen the Via Christa, the Way of Christ, we could not conquer the remainder of evil active in the world now.
Jesus decided that he would surrender to be the servant of all Power and prove that he could bear full responsibility to live as the Son of man, without favors, not calling on the Father’s legions. He faced terrific temptations. He could have worked spectacular public miracles that would have caused men to fear and be in awe of him and the Father. That would have attracted more people to follow him, he chose instead the way of sacrifice and small miracles. This was enough to crucify him.
His mission for God, whom he portrayed as the Father, always excited him. He portrayed himself as the Good Shepherd, and training his disciples remained the most important thing to him. Three Christed teachings stand out as important to us today—I am the door of the sheep. My sheep know my voice. I lay down my life for the sheep.
A good shepherd provides his flock with protection, shelter and food. He could not outright tell them who he was because of his choices, decisions and vows. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.–John 10:24. They themselves had to choose once and stand on that choice.
I am the door of the sheep. The door is the only legal way of entry. The porter opens the door to the shepherd, who says, I stand at the door and knock. To steal into the sheepfold is the use of force. You must earn the right to enter. The door is closed for protection and opened for freedom. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and know him. Your sheep include your thoughts first, all your creations and everything you touch with desire or covet. This is why you must name your creations good. Today’s naming calls yesterday’s sheep home.
Do you recognize your own sheep, or do you repudiate them as little black crows when they return to you? They are yours whether you claim or disown them, saying, This is now mine. I do not deserve this. Everything I name as mine, I must recall and lift into Light. You may not bury your sheep to be rid of the responsibility!
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.–John 10:11. I lay down my life for the sheep.–John 10:15. To lay down your life for the sheep is to assume total responsibility. You must spend time in the fold, which is a gestating period of growth in which you wait upon the Lord in the high place of consciousness.
Finally, the time comes to lead the sheep out to return them to the Father. The sheep include your ideas, which you voice as the spoken Word. Hold the sheep in your arms of love and compassion. Broadcast a message of love and expansion. Fill the apparently vacant space with the love-substance to bring your sheep into physical being.
To lay down your life for the sheep means you cast aside and place on an altar your opinions about, prejudice against and blame for people, ideas and situations. Lay down your old life for the new, and open the door to Christ.

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The Good Shepherd
Edna Lister transcript, November 1, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, Virginia Whitehead, scribes. John 10:1-20, Revelation 3:20.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?–John 10:1-20.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.–Revelation 3:20.
The tenth chapter of John’s Gospel contains three distinctly separate uses of the terms, sheep, sheepfold and a flock. To understand the mystery and importance of this, we must examine Jesus’ background historically.
Both Jesus and his cousin John, who became the Baptist, were born during the reign of Augustus Caesar 1 and reached adulthood during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 2 who had succeeded Augustus Caesar. According to some sources, John baptized Jesus in the fourteenth year of Augustus’ reign, although others suggest that the baptism took place in the fifteenth year, 29 A.D., the same year that Pontius Pilate became governor in Judea.

1 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, the first Roman emperor, 27 B.C. to A.D. 14.

2 Augustus Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, Roman emperor, A.D. 14 to A.D. 37.

After John baptized him publicly, the Holy Spirit descended, Jesus entered the wilderness hills, and experienced the three temptations. He remained in retirement until John had finished his outer work. In the wilderness, Jesus was required to choose his future course in life, which the Father would allow him to do. He could live his life publicly as the Son of man, train twelve disciples and found a new way in religion, or he could proclaim he was the Messiah, call the populace follow him, create a revolution and become the king of the Jews. 3 Since his birth, sixty-five men had already proclaimed themselves Messiah, and were crucified.

3 Robert Graves, in his historical novel King Jesus (1946), presents the Hasmonean King Antigonus as the father of Mary the mother of Jesus, i.e., the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ. Graves claimed to have proof supporting this association but never published it.

Jesus renounced his royalty on earth, vowed that he would live as a Son of man and never call upon the Father’s Legions to aid or save him. He chose to call himself the Son of man publicly, and only his disciples and a few close followers knew or recognized his true identity. He kept his vows, though in Gethsemane he did say, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?–Matthew 26:53. He also said, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.–Matthew 26:39.
Great crowds always followed Jesus, and he taught thousands, young and old. In John 9 and 10, certain of the temple elite plotted to trap him into publicly stating that he was the Messiah so the Sanhedrin could arrest him, try him, and have the Romans crucify him. Their propagandists were always questioning him before the crowds, seeking any excuse.
In teaching the Parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus repeated the story three times, and mentioned three outstanding factors: First, I am the door of the sheep.…I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.–John 10:7,9.
Second, I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.–John 10:14.
Third, I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.–John 10:17-18.
Jesus said that whoever did not enter through the door of the sheepfold is a thief and a robber. Thieves and robbers represent those who worked against Jesus, influencing people against him. The Jesus said that he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.–John 10:3. Jesus knew each soul’s name and number. Your sheep represent your emotions and thoughts, which can keep you in bondage if you let them.
Opening the door begins with man’s aspiration, and the first breath of divine inspiration that comes to him. As awareness increases, it becomes intuition and illumination. The doorkeeper is the inspiration that leads you to the high place in consciousness. You must learn to lead your sick little black sheep into the open for cleansing after a winter in the unclean sheepfold. The doorkeeper is also your spiritual insight, illumination, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, and the Light uncovering the dark places.
When Jesus spoke as the Lamb of God in the Book of the Revelation, he said, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me.–Revelation 3:20. This refers to the opening of the door of the higher creative center, at the crown of your head, to understand his truth.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.–John 10:7. This is as plain a statement of Jesus’ Messiahship as he could make it. The mystery was for those who had ears to hear. The sheep he was referring to were their souls.
But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care for the sheep.–John 10:12-13. The hireling first refers to the gradual growth of the soul from the creature to the son of man stage. When you pray and breathe deeply, the higher breath enters the door in the crown—the foramen, the soft spot on a baby’s head—where the Spirit enters.
When you awaken in the morning and feel far from God, you did not lift yesterday’s events the night before. While you were out, the appetitive soul took over, fears and doubts entered, and you awakened with emotional heaviness. Before going to sleep, declare that you will awaken light, healthy and inspired. Thus, you keep the door of the crown open.
Jesus often talked about sheep. In one sense, the sheep are your thoughts, light and dark, black, black-faced, or white. Everything you desire, covet or create are your sheep. They know that you’ve named them with your own soul’s rate of vibration. You label things good or bad, and your words come home to roost. In another sense, the sheep refer to people, to their souls. Three times Jesus’ admonished Peter to feed my sheep, who are the gullible ones who follow the thieves and robbers who then steal their identities.
Hirelings are also the many kings, dictators, and rulers throughout history who have misled their sheep. Jesus said to his antagonists, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.–John 10:25-27. They did not have ears to hear him. Each of us knows his own sheep. They carry that vibration which is harmonious with yours. You also know disharmony.
Jesus said, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.–John 10:11. This declaration was true, literally and mystically. He gave his life to lift the vibration of the planet in three ways—by lifting individuals, lifting groups of people, and lifting the world vibration. He was the great ensample of Christos love and compassion.
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.–John 10:7-9. Through ascended consciousness, you are free to reach the glory of God.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.–John 10:14-18.
To lay down your life means to recognize and lift opinions, prejudice, blame, arrogance, and pride. Many souls literally die for these traits and taints. Few accept the law on the mundane level, and even when they do, they do not always obey the law. For example, one root of blame is having an exaggerated good opinion of yourself. Failing to care for your body properly also breaks the law, even if you are letter-perfect in all other aspects. To lay down your life means to lay down every negative trait, retaining only the virtues.
To take up your life means to be responsible for keeping the vows you make. You must take responsibility for your life, and idle words are the principal habit to change. Assume responsibility for the words you speak. Idle words carry a negative vibration and your sheep believe every word you speak. You cannot excuse yourself by saying, I didn’t mean it!
Every combination of words has a meaning and a vibration, which you are responsible for misusing as slang, sarcasm, and curses. Take up your cross of responsibility and stop using idle words. Reach out with love and gather in the black sheep you have raised. Idle words are the curse of many good people who wonder why God has not answered their prayers. Follow an idle word with a dozen good words immediately!
At the last, his detractors gathered around him and said, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.–John 10:24-30.
The Power has gone forth ten millionfold since August 10, and much has come to light regarding political chicanery. Do not hate dishonest politicians, but have compassion. They should not be in Washington. To cleanse the government’s Augean stables, you must first cleanse yourself of opinions, prejudices and blame. God has not yet cleaned up the world because the good people are lukewarm and indifferent.
The evil ones are the hirelings who are afraid of the truth. They try to choke the good by misleading the gullible public, just as they did in Jesus’ time. We must cleanse the very atmosphere of this. Jesus’ words are true right here, right now. In a cleansed atmosphere, his words will impress the hearts and minds of all men everywhere.
You can help—take blame for what others say around you, to lift it and cleanse the world. As the River of Life moves through you, it cleanses you and all those on your lines of Light and responsibility, if you declare it so. Power is always available, so you can speak the word and know you this wisdom is yours whenever you ask.
How high into the Light can you extend your vision? How great can God become for you and as you? How magnificent is His forgiveness, bringing you back into the fold to be one with Him! Ascend in consciousness to Jesus the Christed of God and see him as the porter who opens your door to the crown! See him as your star of destiny!

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Dividing the Inheritance
Edna Lister outline; November 8, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Hebrews 1, 2:1-8.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.–Hebrews 2:1-8.
The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews opens with a recapitulation of the first chapter of the Gospel of John. He paints such a marvelous word-picture of Jesus, perfect in expression. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.–Hebrews 1:1.
Christ is the brightness of the Father’s glory, the express image of His person. God upholds all things by the Word of His Power, Christ. When he had purged our sins, he opened the Gates of Light and ascended to the Father.
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?–Hebrews 1:2. This passage is a paean of praise, exalting the Father.
The last verse of this chapter, Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?–Hebrews 1:14, includes all souls as joint heirs to the kingdom of heaven.
An inheritance is a gift that you have not earned. Your heavenly inheritance is so great that you never need more than the interest from the trust fund. You cannot overdraw your account. God has equally divided this inheritance among everyone. Yet, as with many earthly inheritances, you must observe certain restrictions and meet specific requirements. If you fail to obey certain laws, you break the trust fund.
The stocks and bonds in your inherited trust fund include the soul virtues and attributes, such as love, compassion, joy, steadfastness, surrender, obedience, wisdom, honor, loyalty, integrity, substance and power. This limitless capital awaits you when you meet the first requirement, to stand ready to accept.
Afterward, you may write as many cashier’s checks as you like, for giving is the only action that increases your share of interest. As you give, you add to and multiply your abilities. The key to increase is to declare everything that comes to you is now good, after its degree and kind. When you do not apply law correctly, you subtract funds from your share of interest. You subtract from the wrong column unless you debit the account called Self.
Aging consists of the years you have subtracted from your youth and strength when your love diminished. You may permit no deductions of self, such as fear, doubts, opinions or prejudice. God may send you a case, a person for whom you may speak the Word of Power. You do, but too often your declaration limps or fails. This is a sure sign that your cashier’s checks have not been large enough or frequent enough to keep your rate of return flowing. From creature to creator, your inheritance is as great as you can think it to be. Yet, you must keep it circulating or the vault door slowly closes.
You can always treat for yourself and others by putting people and situations on cloud continents of Light for healing. Speak the Word in joy for healing. Let the Power do the work while you move on in service. Early each evening, stretch and make your body into an eagle with outspread wings, ready to soar above earth’s problems. Involve your creative faculties of imagination, thinking and desire to resolve mental, emotional and physical problems. Hold onto the soaring eagle image. Reach for the stars and God will reach down to you. God makes His ministers a flame of fire. Take His hand and feel the explosion of Light. Walk in a new body vehicle.
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.–Hebrews 2:6-8, Psalm 8:4. The glory of God is an ecstasy, an indescribable rapture of soul. The explosion of Light creates an updraft in the instant you reach for it. Light lifts you and you soar.

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Dividing the Inheritance
Edna Lister transcript, November 8, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. Hebrews 1, Hebrews 2:1-8.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation–Hebrews 1.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.–Hebrews 2:1-8.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.–Hebrews 1:1-4. The first chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews is a paean of praise. In fourteen verses, Paul tells us everything important about Jesus’ life. Today’s little intellectual minds have so belittled eternal truth that they think they can equal Paul, who served as a scribe to Glory. In writing this, Paul sums the first chapter of the Gospel of John, and completely acknowledges the Master’s inheritance, place and abilities. The Son is not a mere reflection but the express image of God as a person, and here is irrefutable proof of God as both principle and personality.
The equipment in your golden bowl, your head, contains everything you need as a creator god, and is part of your divine inheritance. Jesus upholds all things by the word of his power, and you are joint heirs with him in everything. Before the incarnation, Jesus knew that if he came here, he must proclaim us his joint heirs, and the Father approved his choice. Do you hold your world together by his Word of Power?
Paul erred when he said that Jesus had purged our sins as though that cleansing would extend forward through all time. Jesus paid the spiritual debts up to his time, but not the future debts man would incur. Yet earth would have been destroyed then had Jesus not paid for the sins already accrued. Earth is in same shape now, and the Elect, those who love enough, who are Christ’s heirs, shall save it in the same way, by making sacrifice. Jesus returned to sit at the right hand of God, yet he still walks earth.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.–Hebrews 1:5-7. These verses reveal the interrelationship and chronological order among God’s Firstbegotten Son, His angels, and His ministers of fiery flame. Angels are messengers and instruments of God’s will, having none of their own. We, the Elect, who are Chosen because we choose to serve, are His ministers of flame.
Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?–Hebrews 1:8-14.
Paul has perfectly described our inheritance in and with the Firstbegotten Son, Jesus Christ. An inheritance is a gift you have not worked to earn. The inheritance you share with the Firstbegotten Son consists of virtues such as love, honor, integrity, loyalty, obedience, all potential attributes and capabilities. Unless you invest the principal of an earthly trust fund inheritance wisely, your interest shrinks. God’s principal is All That Is, so His interest is eternally increasing through the addition of His Creation’s experiences, which He counts as all gain. Your investments are love, joy and all good. Your interest grows or shrinks according to your words and attitudes. For example, I woke up happy, but after Mary called with bad news, I felt so depressed.
Every soul must relearn mystical math to understand God’s accounting system. All souls have an unlimited trust fund of Light to draw upon, and you are privileged to draw on your Light account for those who come to you for help. You earn divine interest on your investment when you share your joy and love with others. If you answer the phone with the idea of This is a chance to share God’s life and glory, no caller will talk too long or waste your time, but will hang up filled with Light.
When you are with God, letting Him use you, sharing the inheritance with others is not division but multiplication—and you can multiply yourself a million times. Which do you believe in—addition, added salaries, etc., or subtraction?—I am weaker today than yesterday. The years are lessening my strength. Circulating only love and joy, the soul’s currency, is the key to expanded principal and interest on your inheritance. Otherwise, you are only passing counterfeit bills of sympathy, depression and blame.
Plan how you can draw the next sight draft 1 on your trust fund as you reach for the phone. Put the people in your life on green clouds of Light for their mental expansion—you can envision thousands of these clouds. Call down the fires of heaven to subtract their frailties. Declare, Let them have more wisdom, love and joy. This keeps your world alive. Put all the stumblebums on clouds to get them out of your way.

1 A sight draft is a bill of exchange which is payable when it is presented.

Reach for the stars as you awaken in the morning. As you reach up, God reaches down, creating an updraft and a divine explosion. A sight draft on God’s full Power will lift your wings and you can soar. Reach for stars every hour to renew your lifting updraft.
Paul quotes Job, who asked, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.–Hebrews 2:6-8 This passage describes our first divine inheritance. God made us a little lower than the angels, but crowned us with glory and set us over His Creation. Dominion over Creation includes all new ideas—for example, your prayers, envisioning and declarations can help to change an evil person to choose the good until he walks as a creator god. Thus, the works of Your hands take on the glory of the image of God.
Since God has made material reality, the truth of appearances, subject to us—or under our feet—you can stand on the principle of nonresistance in the face of any cross-vibration and say, I think you are wonderful. Declare, I am living in the perfect place, in the most wonderful age of earth. God is cleansing earth through me and all the Elect. Accept whatever comes as pure Light, and surrender to universal nonresistance. He left nothing that is not put under him. You can stand and conquer anything under the love of God providing you invest wisely and seek ways to use your sight drafts.
God makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, so believe that you can be such a minister. First declare, I accept my inheritance. Then believe and desire to be set afire to witness for God. If you do not reach for the lifting updraft how can you be set afire?
Just a hundred people doing this could change a city within a month. Every time you reach for stars, an explosion can take place. Go about your business, knowing all is good, and declare it so. God’s heirs must keep declaring everyone good, so go forth increasing your sight drafts on His love and life and glory.

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The Ten Lepers
Edna Lister outline, November 15, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 17:11-19.

When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.–Matthew 8:1-4.
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.–Luke 17:11-19.
To thoroughly understand these two stories, about the one leper and the ten lepers, we must adopt the historical view of Jesus as a teacher who was training his disciples. Then we must consider the material he had to work with, the disciples and the people who heard him, their education and experience. The Gospel writers included so few details in their works. Yet Jesus’ days with them must have been so full of action and experiences.
The day before the stories recorded here, Jesus and the twelve, plus many others—Jews, Gentiles and a few Samaritans—who followed him everywhere, had finished a journey. They had reached the home of a Pharisee who loved Jesus and believed him to be the awaited Messiah. He had invited about twenty people to break their fast with Jesus, whose disciples had not been invited. Among those invited, mostly Pharisees, some were convinced that he was the Messiah, but others were enemies, who were more determined than ever to catch him in lies. Several were lawyers who followed him solely to gather evidence to convict him before the Sanhedrin, the supreme court in Jerusalem.
When Jesus, who was the guest of honor, arrived, most of the men were already seated to dine. The Pharisees were sticklers about observing the law. They washed their hands before meals and between courses. Having washed as he entered the house, Jesus went to the table and was seated at the left hand of his host. A hostile Pharisee had the place of honor at his host’s right hand. Jesus’ enemies began to deride him and sneer openly. Jesus had hoped they had come to hear more truth, instead they treated him to laughter and sneers. Finally, he told them that they were whited sepulchers who did not care how dirty they were inside so long as they appeared to be clean. Finally, he left without eating.
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.–Luke 17:11-19.
The next day, on their way to Jerusalem, they passed through a village at the border of Samaria. Someone always went ahead of them to prepare the village for Jesus’ arrival. Ten lepers met them, crying for help from afar. Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, spoke for all the disciples, wanting Jesus to pass them by without stopping because one of the men was a Samaritan.
The Samaritans were an ethnic mix of Jewish and pagan ancestors. They worshiped Jehovah, but accepted only the first five books of the Moses, and worshipped on Mount Gerazim instead of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The disciples had been taught to despise the Samaritans’ religion as corrupted. Jesus pointed out that the despised Samaritans and the Galileans accepted him and his message, but the righteous Jews did not. An ancient tradition holds that Jesus said, This Samaritan may even have more faith and gratitude than all the others. Simon Zelotes said, If you cleanse them, you will soon find out.
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.–Luke 17:20-22. Legend says that the twelve all hung their heads in silence at this proof. Thus, Jesus trained his disciples in law.
In the story of the one leper, Jesus said, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.–Matthew 8:4. He ordered the healed leper to tell no one about his miracle except the priest because talking about your miracles invites a challenge from the world. If your faith falters to weakness, the illness can return.
However, in the story of the ten lepers, the Jews who were healed took their miracles for granted. Only the Samaritan was so filled with gratitude that he wanted to tell Jesus how thankful he was, and to worship him. To withhold praise for a miracle impoverishes both God’s healing agent and receiver in the miracle event. Failure to praise is a tiny retrogression, as is any desire to be praised as the instrument for a miracle.
Everyone has passed heavy initiations since August 10, not always 100 percent. Councils have granted man a passing mark on credit, to be earned later. Ordinarily, you should have to take the initiation again, yet if your desire is fervent enough, Council may grant the gift of being allowed to answer questions on exactly those issues you failed before.
Twelfth Night, January 12, opens a period of soul inventory in which you prepare for making your sacrifices of self during Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Lent marks a period of personal temptation in the wilderness of self. Today we face three temptations in the wilderness. The first temptation, to misuse substance, comes with the choice to misuse your own soul substance. For example, you too often use idle words, but the worst is when you demand a result from prayer without the legalizing word, let.
The temptation to misuse mower arrives when you may choose the use of force, which is your will, not God’s. Never tempt the Lord by putting off or fearing personal responsibility. Most people follow the little me up and down in consciousness—keep your nose out of your own business after you decide to let God’s Power do the work.
The third temptation is the misuse of mind, for instance, especially when you think or say, I’m no good. I can’t do it. I’ll never make it. You think and say such things when you deeply desire credits for the self. Most people worship self mainly, thinking of I, me, my, and mine. Misuse of Mind is a challenge to use force, self saying to soul, Come and get me. See if you can take charge.
Praise will help you to weather your tests, trials by fire and temptations, including the final one of What’s the use! Praise is your only protection. All skin diseases indicate a lack of protection. Praise is the only way you can last one day longer than any storm, so praise God as you stand, comprehend and conquer.

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The Ten Lepers
Edna Lister transcript, November 15, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White. Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 17:11-19.

“When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.–Matthew 8:1-4.
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.–Luke 17:11-19.
Jesus healed as he went. The Samaritan returned to praise God in gratitude, but the other nine did not. To understand the tale of the ten lepers, we must go back in history to a time of legends, and walk with Jesus. In doing so, you will reap a great reward.
You are the best God has today, but those unlettered men had something rare and beautiful, a natural unselfish consciousness that we have lost. Somehow, this glorious patina of the good gets rubbed off through your contacts with the world. The disciples were intent upon Jesus, having ceased to worry about what the world or their families thought. They took their stand, planted their feet foursquare, and followed him. Jesus was their world.
The crowds that followed Jesus were mainly common people, some Pharisees, and Gentiles. Usually, one or two Samaritans would slip in, whom the Levites and Pharisees would not tolerate for their religious practices, considering them to be low caste pagans or outcast Jews. The day before the lepers’ episode, Jesus and his disciples had returned from a journey and stopped at the home of Nathanael, a Pharisee, who invited about twenty other Pharisees whom he wanted to meet Jesus, his guest of honor, hoping they would be converted to his message of truth and love. When Jesus arrived, they were already seated at the table. The most exalted Pharisee was seated at Nathanael’s right.
Jesus had washing his hands at the door, but sat down without washing his hands at the table. Jewish law required them to do so before eating, so they whispered and sneered, because Jesus failed to keep the Law in their eyes. Several Pharisees followed Jesus as spies of the Sanhedrin, trying to gather evidence against him. Jesus told them of their delinquencies, saying they obeyed the letter of the law while they broke its spirit of intent. When he finished speaking, Jesus left without eating and returned to his disciples, who had not been invited. He told them what had happened, and shared with them the illumination on Law that he had given the Pharisees.
The next day they went on to another town, where the usual crowd met them. As Jesus came to a town, someone always went ahead and told the people, so a great crowd was usually waiting to hear him. Ten lepers, who were standing far off, asked for mercy and healing. The disciples had just received great truth. They were fuzzy-minded, just as you often are after hearing a new truth. The Master said he would go to the lepers.
Simon the Zealot said, Lord, you have no time for them. Why, there’s even a Samaritan among them! The Jews despised Samaritans. Jesus asked, How do you know the Samaritan would not have greater gratitude in his heart than the Jews? Jesus was always the teacher, first to the crowd, then to his disciples. He often included extra special points of law that he explained to the disciples later. He had taken them as diamonds in the rough to train them, and knew he had only three years to teach them what they would need to know, to be, and to do. Simon the Zealot said, If you heal them, you’ll soon find out.
Today, the Elect and everyone else is working on same kinds of opinions and prejudices. You can tune in now to the episodes in Jesus’ life in the universal records and see this for yourself. Jesus told the lepers to show themselves to the temple priests, who would verify their healing. The Samaritan came dashing back to kneel at the Master’s feet to praise God that Jesus had healed and included him as a human. Jesus asked, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.–Luke 17:17-19. The disciples all hung their heads in shame.
The Power always flowed through Jesus. Matthew tells the story of the single leper, who approached Jesus, asking for healing. To him Jesus said, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.–Matthew 8:4. Telling others about a miracle can wither a faith that is not yet deeply rooted. Be sure that when you tell of a miracle, it is to praise God, not build up your own ego.
Praise, which is the keynote of any miracle, was the secret of the Samaritan leper’s healing and cleansing. Paul said that we must believe to see. If you withhold legitimate praise, you enslave the other fellow, and could regress. You tear off a chunk of your own soul substance, throw it down and walk on it. Failure to praise dries up the milk of human kindness and the living water of Spirit. If you praise a person to increase his ability to praise, it increases yours, adds to your soul substance, and lines your aura with a protective coating.
We all go through set initiatory periods during the year. If you are working on blame but ask, How can he do that to me?—you do not pass your initiation in full. If you earn only 60 percent credits, you wait for the next set of initiations to make up the deficit.
Compare your current performance with your past during the Twelfth Night soul inventory. On Ash Wednesday you begin to make the sacrifices of taints that keep your soul from expanding. If you succeed in totally giving up what hinders you, the Councils of Law grant you amnesty, and you receive double credits for your initiatory work between October 20 and January 12.
You work with the Three Temptations all year — specifically tests, and trials by fire on the misuse of Substance, Power and of Mind. Idle words misuse your soul substance. Any words you must apologize for when you dare to blame, criticize, or say, She knows better than to do that, are idle words. Every word molds invisible substance. Leave out I can’t and I won’t, which challenge darkness. You must eat your words, so make them sweet. Quickly say instead, This is good.
You misuse power when you begin to let the little self dictate to you, It won’t make any difference. You get a swelled head by believing the Power is yours to use. You may not do things to be seen of men. You must know the difference between a sight draft on Power and forcible demands. Pour Light and glory out upon and through them. Let Power use you. Instead of demanding, Why doesn’t someone else do this? declare, Father, I’ll lift him high on a cloud and You send the Power through them. Not I but the Father does the work.
A time may come when you must declare, Let the Power come through now. This is the high time, so please let this come forth now. Now and let eliminate the demand from a declaration. Put your problem on a cloud altar, keep your nose out of it, leave it there, and do not take it back. Praise God, thanking Him for His Power and His miracle. Hold perfect faith in God, and do not let the little self dictate. Every thought uses or misuses divine Mind. You are always being tested on I-me-my-mine. The little me self hovers around the solar plexus, dragging I down to the throat vital center, where I, I, I is a misuse of Mind.
When I declare, Not I but Power does work, I call the name of God upon myself. When I mate desire with will, it becomes Christed I AM consciousness, which is pure in Spirit. Idle words, such as, I am dead tired mean you need reminding that God cannot be tired; God cannot die. Those are the small temptations to see how well you have come through tests and trials by fire.
Satan had the right to approach the throne to petition God. Jesus had to be tempted by Satan, who swore to repent if Christ won. Every time you misuse Substance, Power, and Mind, you challenge yourself and God. As you pass these temptations, your idle words grab you by the throat. Stand as Job did, saying, Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.–Job 13:15.
Praise is the key to everything good. Your Guards always put an extra sphere of Light around your aura to protect you and your declarations, but you can pierce it by thinking dark worldly thoughts. By praising God, you can weather any storm one more day until the storm has passed. Having done all, stand and praise God one day longer than darkness can last. Surround evildoers with an aura of praise and glory, and know that Power permeates them to balance and heal them into wholeness in the Light.

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The Great Supper
Edna Lister sermon outline, November 22, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Luke 14:15-24.

When one of them that sat at meat with [Jesus] heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.–Luke 14:15-24.
The Pharisees, a powerful religious and political sect, constantly watched Jesus and his followers, observing every moment of his ministry. Long before Jesus rose to prominence, the Pharisees had built a fence around the Law to protect it and themselves. Their name, Pharisee, is from a root meaning set apart, separated, and they considered all other Jews—the secular Sadducees and the common people, for example, to be wrong and as great sinners.
The Pharisees believed in the strictest interpretation of the Law, and were rigid in their observation of ritual and law, believing that to do less was anathema. They based their practices on three points—they were strict in tithing to the temple, they scrupulously observed the laws of purification, and strictly avoided associating with those outside their sect. They added so many more customs to the original laws of purification given through Moses that their traditions weighed the same as the law. In the race to purity, they regarded as unclean anyone who did not do as they did, for example, washing their hands not only before but between dinner courses.
Jesus had often spoken critically about the Pharisees and their customs. He called them a self-righteous generation, wearing long robes and long faces, noting that they delighted in having the best seats at all feasts. He said they laid heavy burdens on other men’s shoulders, but never lifted a finger to help them with their burdens. He noted how they built elaborate tombs as monuments for the prophets their own forefathers had persecuted and killed. He called their teachers whited sepulchers, outwardly beautiful, but filled with spiritual uncleanness within.
Jesus taught the Parable of the Great Supper as a culmination of many other of his parables and allegories. This is the only parable that he refused to explain to his disciples later. In private, he told them to interpret it for themselves, which places this parable in the category of an initiation for everyone. Each soul’s degree of personal growth is unique; no one else can interpret perfectly for another.
A great supper, a banquet, takes time and money to prepare. The master of the feast sent his servants to advise the invited guests that the feast was ready. Only then did the guests refuse to come. They all made excuses. One had purchased a new property, another had bought five yokes of oxen, and still another had just married.
The guest who had purchased a farm represents possession of material goods. Their outer pride in their wealth upholds many people who live for the show, the appearance. Yet Jesus warned us about this—Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.–Matthew 6:19-21. Too often people let their possessions own them, no soul can afford. Instead, be possessed by God; let life fill and use you.
The guest who had purchased five yokes of oxen proves that you can never escape your responsibilities in life. Five is the number that symbolizes freedom of choice under law. The oxen, strong, stubborn and immovable from their goal, represent Power doing the work, steadily digging a straight furrow, a clear-cut path. You are free from worry and concern only when you let the five yokes of oxen pull your load.
You fall into danger whenever you hide in a corner to use your tiny thimbleful of knowledge of law. Unless you fully accept your responsibilities in life, your faith in God as law remains only a mental exercise. Some souls have to do everything by themselves, saying, Oh, no, I don’t need your help, really. I just have to do this by myself. They want all the credit and will snatch it if they see it slipping away.
Eventually they do prove the law for themselves this way. They refuse to use the little wisdom they have until they completely understand why they need to. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.–Matthew 25:29. When you increase your use of the little you have, the more you will let the Power do the work. Thus, the proof comes, because law proves itself to the faithful.
The guest who had just married represents adding something new to the old for emotional pleasure, which will not work unless you first fulfill your obligations and responsibilities. You see examples of this in people who say, Oh, I’ve already read about that. I’ve already heard someone speak on that topic. Others say, I have everything I need. I don’t want anything new. If I take the new, I might lose what I have. They are so concerned with the self that they have no time for God.
What have you spread on the table for your great supper? Is the feast ready for your guests? Are you prepared to entertain Love, Wisdom, Faith, Vision, Compassion, Tolerance and Understanding? Have your formerly invited guests — Pride, Arrogance, Opinion, Prejudice, Intolerance, Criticism, Unrighteous Judgment, Greed, Revenge, Fear and Doubt been too busy to attend your high feast of the soul?
Have you then invited Obedience, Awareness, Humility, Acceptance, Endurance and Strength from the byways and hedges? They sometimes attend in rags, muddy garments, or appear starved and naked. Have you fed them all at your great supper? Have you loved them with compassion? Have you declared that your first bidden guests may never return to feast at your high table? This is soul’s freedom from the world dash; never having to deal with the selfish guests again.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?–2 Corinthians 6:14. You must balance your five pairs of oxen perfectly between yes and no, each with all four feet planted firmly on principle. To choose, you must apply logic, reason, discernment, discrimination and discretion as half of your five yokes of oxen. On the negative side, you may choose rebellion, willfulness, rejection, repudiation and stubbornness. On the positive side of the scales lie all the soul virtues.
When you answer answer life’s demands from the self’s mental and emotional taints, you say no to God and soul freedom. One answer, and only one answer covers the positive side of life—surrender the self to God so your Oversoul can take charge. Then and only then can illumination light the way to the answers you seek.

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The Great Supper
Edna Lister transcript; November 22, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes. Luke 14:15-24.

1 Dropsy is an old-fashioned term for generalized edema, swelling, most often associated with cardiac failure.

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.–Luke 14:7-11. Whenever the scribes and lawyers, the Sadducees and Pharisees came to hear him, Jesus often spoke about pride, arrogance and intolerance, the sins of the wealthy upper classes. He did so now, as he was entering the home of a wealthy man with other guests.
Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.–Luke 14:12-15. I have often wondered whether the tone of this man’s voice was self-righteous as he made his proclamation. It may have been since Jesus immediately taught the Parable of the Great Supper:
When one of them that sat at meat with [Jesus] heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.–Luke 14:15-24.
A man decided to host a great supper, a feast of thanksgiving, and put a great deal of effort into the preparations, but everyone he had invited declined his invitation. He then invited the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. The whole parable was designed to swat at these wealthy men’s pride. Jesus did not explain this parable to his disciples later as he did with other teaching stories, but told them to interpret it for themselves. That moves the Great Supper parable from the ordinary class of teachings, which the disciples and even the uneducated could understand, into the soul class of initiation on the pride, intolerance and arrogance that so often accompany wealth and privilege.
Jesus mentioned three different excuses the invited guests gave the host. Three is commonly an initiatory number, as well as being a symbol of creativity. Jesus meant to teach them something important about what they were creating with their lives and choices. The first guest’s excuse was, I bought some land, and must see to it. The next excuse was, I bought five yoke of oxen and must go and test them. The last excuse was, I just got married. Land symbolizes what stands forever as a basis to start from, a place to stand on as you create. Why did this man use land as an excuse not to go to the feast? He did not lay up his treasure on earth, but in it. This man had put his treasure in the wrong place. His land possessed him. Lay up your treasures in heaven—do not let things possess you. Use everything to the glory of God, yes, and enjoy everything day by day. Don’t miss what is beautiful in life for housework, mowing the lawn, washing windows, etc.
The next guest had bought five yoke of oxen and wanted to try them to see how well they worked together. A yoke holds two oxen, which yoked together, create a balanced pair, one leads, the other follows. Oxen are phlegmatic; they just plod along. Yoked together, they are invincible, but you have to prove them to see whether they work together the right way. Guide them to cut a groove and they plod straight down that line almost by themselves. Five pair of oxen equals ten animals, the number that symbolizes something that exists physically. Whatever your oxen are, you must prove them, which means that you must submit to initiation to test them.
Five is the number that represents higher law and soul freedom. In this case, Jesus is using the two fives to represent five soul virtues and their corresponding soul taints, such as obedience and rebellion, willingness and willfulness, acceptance and repudiation, humility and arrogance, flexibility and stubbornness. Unless you let the virtues lead you, the five taints will take you off track and may destroy your life.
Be firmly balanced. You have to be able to say no. For example, be firm with self when you know that what self wants is wrong, even if others call you called selfish for refusing. Ask yourself, Will this work out for the good of everyone concerned? Lift the self and ask, Am I ready to assume the obligation for the past, present and future effects of this choice? Sometimes you must choose yes, sometimes no, for every low pole has its high pole of virtue.
For example, when called to handle some situation that tests what you feel comfortable doing, you could answer in the negative saying, I don’t know enough to handle this. A positive response would be to say, I will use what I have. Don’t miss the feast because you think that you have to do everything alone. Choose which side you are on, the static number or Jesus’ side of increase. You don’t have to hide your lack of strength when you have Christ’s. Never miss the glories of the day or the feast.
The final excuse was, “I just got married,” which may symbolize your desire for personal emotional pleasures, or adding something new to your life, such as an illumination or an idea. Never let your desire for personal pleasure keep you from the joy of moving up to God consciousness in consecration, surrender, and devotion. Sharing the good is always a special occasion, one you wish to share with others in joy, so you prepare a great supper.
Your soul qualities work together in much the same way, but the Great Supper symbolizes the high mysteries of the soul, not the world. The virtues of love, wisdom, compassion, surrender, and illumination are the courses of Great Supper, which you can prepare for everyone in your life. You set your table with beauty, with everything that fills you with illumination, but is your great supper ready for the world?
In initiatory work, we know that the egocentric I, the little me, invites the wrong guests—rebellion and pride, prejudice, doubts, fears, and disobedience—the hangers-on you collected as you made mistakes in learning how to do it right. Have these familiar guests ever refused to come? You may think the people who misuse you are enemies, but really are your greatest initiators. They tell you where you fail, but also cause you to search your soul, which is good.
The one key word to pass this initiation is “surrender”— I surrender self in sacrifice, to be the servant of all the Power.” You will have no answers to your questions until you come to this. “I stand in Light as I obey. Lord, let Thy illumination take charge of my life as I add awareness and acceptance to my table. Move in and possess me.” You will never find your answers out in world or through your emotional life because emotions blind you to the truth. Only through ascension of consciousness into the Shekinah glory can you stand in Light of God.
You have to transmute your taints into virtues as you prepare your Great Supper. After the rude guests’ refusal, you seek in the byways and invite muddy humility, which is strength, and all the other neglected virtues, tattered and torn. Never again do you allow those who refused your invitation to enter your house, your consciousness. Once you purify the willfulness, stubbornness, pride, arrogance, and hatred, and turn them to the opposite pole, they become virtues. Reject the darkness. Become the law of purity, pure of heart, mind and purpose.
You will have to plant your feet like the oxen when you say no, not cruelly but positively. Here the positive virtue of stubbornness acts as steadfastness of purpose. Surrender to become possessed of the Power of God. Open your soul’s eyes to see the answers just above this mental level. You must take this initiation to uncover any remaining arrogance. The Master, if he were here, would tell you to go home and work this out for yourself. Prepare a table laden with all virtues and potentialities of God.

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What Are Angels?
Edna Lister outline, December 6, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Matthew 24:5-12, 21-31.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:21-31.
This chapter of the Gospel of Matthew deals with the “last days,” the Armageddon, which will return our planet and solar system to its rightful orbit. Before that can happen, we must deal with the last days, the end of times and false Christs.
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.–Matthew 24:5-12.
The whole world awaits the second coming of Christ: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”–Matthew 24:21-30.
The word “carcase” is now spelled carcass. Scavengers, vermin, and birds of prey feed on the carcasses of other dead animals. Human scavengers gather to feed on the evil in gossip, congregating in one place because darkness calls to darkness.
Jesus prophesied that the sun would darken, the moon would give no light, and stars would fall. Some of these prophecies have come to pass and some remain to be fulfilled. Yet, all shall see Son of man. The need for angelic work becomes ever greater, and God calls you to do it.
As Jesus and disciples journeyed from Jericho to Bethany, they discussed the relationship of children with the kingdom of heaven. Thus, Jesus led them directly to the question of the ministry of angels, and were they the guardians of children.
“The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.”–Acts 23:8. Everyone knew that the Sadducees did not believe in angels, an afterlife or the resurrection of the dead, but the Pharisees did. Caiaphas, the high priest at that time, was a Sadducee.
It is quite likely that one of the disciples asked how, in light of the conflict in beliefs between the two sects, they should teach about angels as heavenly ministers. Jesus explained to them all about the orders of angels. Angelic hosts are a separate order of created beings who are entirely different from the orders of earth-born creations. They function as a distinct group with a heavenly communion or from a universal degree of intelligence. Angels are not the same as the sons of God. Nor are they the glorified souls of humans who have ascended through the Father’s mansions of which Jesus spoke.
God creates angels directly, and they do not reproduce themselves. They are akin to us in a spiritual sense only. Man ascends through and among this order in initiations, but never becomes an angel. Angels are immortal unless they become overly involved with man.
Angels are God’s loyal servants, the messengers of heaven, not omniscient or omnipotent, but loyal, pure and holy. When your spiritual eyes are open, you shall behold the angels of God ascending and descending, just as Jesus told Nathaniel.
As messengers, they carry word between the higher and lower worlds, where man cannot see or hear spiritually. Jesus referred to these other worlds when he said, “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”–John 10:16.
Do not think of angels as spies reporting to Councils, but as guardians who rejoice over one lost sinner saved. Angels also work as pure heavenly guides during transition from life to death of the body, and meet souls who leave earth through sudden death. “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”–Psalm 91:11-12.
As you ascend in consciousness, you move through three stages from childlikeness or childishness, into maturity with wisdom taking charge. In the first stage, you hear people say, “I’ll forgive him, but he’d better not do it again.” This is the pout stage, in which you have a chip on your shoulder, expect and demand of others, listen to false prophets, and submit to being pushed around by your own emotional jags.
In the second stage, you may say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Self is still offended, still self-seeking and self-exalting, but recognizes God as the one with authority to forgive, which is to give love for the offense. However, you are still charging a debt of blame. In the third stage, you say, “Father, forgive me, lest I cause my brother to stumble.” This is the degree of forgiveness through Christed compassion.
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”–Matthew 24:30. As you ascend through the angelic realms, you add compassion through mourning. Rejoicing is the keynote. Then you “shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with great Power and great glory.”
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”–Matthew 24:31. As Terrah is raised up into glory, the angels shall sound their trumpets, gathering all souls to their rightful place in their ascended bodies.

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What Is a Messiah?
Edna Lister outline; December 13, 1964, Cleveland, OH. John 4:1-26.

“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples), he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”–John 4:1-26.
In the previous chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus had turned over the tables of the money changers, who were doing business in the temple. Then the Jews asked for a sign for his authority. He gave them a peculiar answer—“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.”–John 2:19-22.
Jesus used this opportunity as a lesson for his disciples. He explained that he was speaking of his body, knowing that they would remember this after he was risen from dead. Jesus had already told them that a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God.
At the well in Sychar, Jesus went on to tell the woman about the water of life. “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”–John 2:10. He gave her the gift of living water, a well springing up as high as everlasting life. Joy is the fountain of youth, open to those who can see the kingdom of God.
Jesus then proceeded to tell her about her five husbands. “The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” John 2:19-20.
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”–John 4:24-26.
You must worship God in spirit and in truth, for God is Light as Spirit, Substance, Power and Mind. This is Jesus’ first acknowledgment that he is the messiah, and he told this to a woman.
What is a messiah? The early Jewish idea, their concept of the messiah was as a promised deliverer of the Jewish people to free them from bondage and slavery. The Jews of Judea knew that the kingdom of heaven, meaning a pure religious state, would come when the messiah came. Further, he would rule all nations as God rules in heaven.
John the Baptist knew that he was the herald of the messiah. John thought at one time that he was the Elijah, returned as prophesied by Malachi. John preached destruction, the dreadful day of the Lord, unless Israel turned to the new Messiah. John was heroic but tactless as a preacher. He attracted throngs to hear about, to watch for and see the messiah.
Many Zealots, including Judas, that Jesus would announce himself as king of the Jews and take over as ruler over of all earth. The people names all holy persons as prophets, but a messiah must also be a heavenly prince, a descended creator god. They entertained many ideas about the expected messiah who must combine being the servant of the Lord with a threefold office, as prophet, priest and king.
When Jesus refused to be king, he failed them. When someone is so ready for an explosion, the hatred leaves them vulnerable. Once the hatred has exploded, it leaves an empty place to fill, and God always moves in. The worse the hatred, the greater the space of vulnerability. God hooks man through man’s hate.
So, what is a messiah? A messiah is the promised deliverer, the liberator of the oppressed, an anointed one. A messiah carries a message of inspiration and hope. Unless one carries a messianic message, one cannot be a messiah. Yet the messianic message of love and forgiveness in our faces shines as the glory, rapture, beauty and ecstasy of God before the world.

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What Is a Messiah?
Edna Lister transcript, December 13, 1964, Cleveland, OH. Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, Virginia Whitehead, scribes. John 4:1-26.
“When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples), he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”–John 4:1-26.
This text from the Gospel of John reveals some of Jesus’ personal teachings to his disciples. If our planet is to be lifted up, we must lift the evil first. We are going to be lifted up; all shall be saved, but we won’t be flapping our wings right away. We shall have to work more and more. God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and God does not retire. Retirement means a lessening of vibration, dying out at the top.
You must apply Jesus’ words to your life. Jesus was always training his disciples, although they often did not understand at the time. Much of what he said publicly was for the disciples only. For instance, when Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers, he said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The disciples were always on a spot because of Jesus’ boldness. They could not understand this until after his Crucifixion and Resurrection.
When Jesus spoke to the woman of Samaria, his disciples were away buying food. He must have enjoyed an hour of being alone and relaxing at the well. When he told the Samaritan woman about living water, the “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life,” he was giving her a spiritual identity with God. Living water deals with the Holy Spirit and soul ascension, which creates a well of life within you that establishes your identity with God.
“Living water” is the Holy Spirit that fills your atoms with life, transforms it into energy. You are conscious of the well of life within only if you are conscious of your breathing. Your body and brain, which takes care of the physical, transform Light from the Source into energy on your breath.
You breathe this spiritual breath, the pure life of God, every time you take a deep breath. The more shallowly you breathe, the more atoms collapse. Collapsed atoms cause pain, so you experience pain, illness, old age and death. You cannot have any life unless you breathe deeply. Do not let the atoms die, but get busy and breathe. It’s a matter of choice how alive you want to be.
Jesus gave the woman at the well her Godlike identity, relieved her of her guilt complex, and covered the gamut of living in his talk with her. As Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” You worship divine personality with devotion, and principle with obedience.
Jesus then told the Samaritan woman that he was the messiah. A prophet is different from a messiah. A prophet is a teacher. A messiah is a liberator, someone who also speaks as a prophet. Any good person can become a prophet, but a messiah must also be a prophet, priest and king.
Jesus was a prince of the House of David on both sides of his lineage. Prophecies had said that the messiah would be royal, and some people thought he would declare himself king of the Jews.
Judas Iscariot was a rich young man-about-town who had kept Mary Magdalene in an apartment. When he talked of Jesus to the Magdalene, she met Jesus, fell in love with him, gave up all and followed him. Judas, a Zealot, had told everyone that Jesus was an earthly king. He expecting him to take the throne of Herod, and the crown. Judas was bitterly disappointed in Jesus. Left with an unwanted crown in his hands, he lost prestige with his friends, and his love for Jesus turned to hate.
God uses hatred as a hook to catch His creator sons and daughters. When a person hates, and expresses that hatred, a creative flame of glory descends the spine and hooks into the base of the spine. This flame permeates the body and finally the soul moves up and turns to God. God did not make hatred, but uses it as He works all things together for good. God is creative, so He uses their hatred to bring His children back, for sooner or later, each soul must turn to God.
Use the Christed messianic message and let Power use you for God’s honor and glory. You cannot all be messiahs right now, but you can ascend to reach a point where you have the messianic message. Anyone can bring his vision forth if he has burning desire. The world never sees your real being. What you see of others with physical eyes is only one third; two thirds of humanity is submerged, invisible, like an iceberg.
God is both principle and personality. God as Light contains all Power, Substance, and Mind. Light becomes energy. The physical body is made of the one Light by the one God. Every cell will dance with joy, if you so desire. The spiritual breath is pure Light, which you breathe with every conscious high breath. Each time you breathe deeply, it reacts physically.
You become that which you desire. Imagination, thinking and desires are your three creative tools. You are each a messiah-in-the-making as you ascend and draw nearer to the Light. Inhale more Light and accept it as yours. Let Power move in and possess you. The will of God for you is all perfection. The Father wants His sons and daughters walking in Light and knowing they are going home.
You can, as Jesus did, embody this well of living water, which is your identity with the Source, for the world. Let the River of Life of God become this well of living water within you. Try on the strength and glory of God for size.
First you must transform your darkness into Light by declarations of surrender of self and ascension. You may speak no idle words that later come home to roost. Search for new, positive ways to say things. Declare, “I am ready to be used.” That is the secret—not just an eye or a toe, but you must surrender your whole body and soul to be the servant of God.
You have under-visioned your goals, not over-visioned them. It’s never too late, just too soon, so be joyous. Know that you are part of Source, and that the Master’s every promise is true, which is the pearl of great price. What self are you ready to sell to possess it?

Top ↑

Edna Miriam Lister
1884 – 1971
The original Christian Pioneering Mystic,
Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.

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A Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,–act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;–

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

References

Sight draft.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).

The Oxford English Dictionary, Compact Edition, 2 vols. Oxford University Press, 1971.

Copyright 2018-2025 by Linda Mihalic, The Society of the Universal Living Christ. All titles published under "The Via Christa" are copyright protected. All Rights Reserved. You may not modify, publish, transmit, transfer or sell, reproduce, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit any of the content, in whole or in part. No part of any book or paper herein may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from The Via Christa. Created July 2, 2018; modified July 16, 2025.

Edna Lister’s Sermons, 1964

“You can be as perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

“You get back your just reward; you receive what you have earned.”

1 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, the first Roman emperor, 27 B.C. to A.D. 14.

2 Augustus Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, Roman emperor, A.D. 14 to A.D. 37.

1 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, the first Roman emperor, 27 B.C. to A.D. 14.

2 Augustus Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, Roman emperor, A.D. 14 to A.D. 37.

3 Robert Graves, in his historical novel King Jesus (1946), presents the Hasmonean King Antigonus as the father of Mary the mother of Jesus, i.e., the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ. Graves claimed to have proof supporting this association but never published it.

1 A sight draft is a bill of exchange which is payable when it is presented.

1 Dropsy is an old-fashioned term for generalized edema, swelling, most often associated with cardiac failure.

“You get back your just reward;
you receive what you have earned.”