Discussing the 1st phase outlined in Acts (chapters 19-23)
Our willingness is expressed through our acts of study, prayer, etc.
Throughout all this activity, the Holy Spirit is loosening the knots of our attachments, false ideas, beliefs, etc.
It is not our “work” so much as it is our willingness that allows this loosening to take place.
The question came up, as it does many times, “What started this whole thing?” “How did I create such a mess?”
And, of course our answer goes back to the moment when from “a tiny mad idea” we asked the question, “I wonder what it would e like to be separate?” We are still living in that ancient moment.
I think the point here is not to try to understand all that, but to recognize that today we are drawn to the Truth. We want the Peace of God, we want the experience of wholeness. We are willing to experience the Truth of who we are----the One Son of God.
What about when we “see” disease, physical imperfection? What do we do with that?
We were reminded of an incident in Jesus life (from the Old New Testament John 9: 1-12, and summarized in NTI John 9 (1-12)[the rest of this chapter in NTI speaks of “spiritual blindness.”]
The man born blind. “Who has sinned, this man or his parents….” Jesus replied, “His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents sins. He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him.” Put into the language of NTI, there is no focus on sin, but Jesus’ ability to see Oneness, no disease, no imperfection, just Oneness and Wholeness.
Now how do we practically apply that? Suppose we see someone we perceive as sick, what do we do with that? Well, we could pray that we are able to see them/him/her as whole, but
1) we are still looking at them and ourselves as separate and
- we are still seeing the other(and sometimes ourselves) as “something wrong.”
There are two prayers from Acts that offer corrections for this kind of thinking.
Acts 1( 7-10) Therefore, pray in this way: Father, I do not know what is best for me now, in this time and this place, that I may be led back to You. Because I cannot see the path I am ready to walk, take my hand and send me your Voice to guide me. 1I shall go where it asks me to go, and I shall do as it asks me to do in joy and peace and certainty. P. 216
Acts 4(10-14) Oh Father, I come to you now in humility and gratitude. I am humble, because I realize that I do not know how to see. I cannot see the Holy Spirit’ s plan, and so I do not know what I look upon. But I also come in gratitude, because I trust that the Holy Spirit does know, and the plan is safe with Him as the overseer of all things. Amen.. p221-2
Introducing the 2nd phase: Loosening continues, but now in a more conscious way. We become aware of the the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, etc. which have reinforced illusion, and we become aware we have a choice of what we think, hold onto, etc.
