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The Shorter Writings of Arthur Berk |
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On the Nature of Meeting for Worship Early Friends in their description of worship either used the term waiting worship or silence before the Lord. They did not refer to their encounter with God or Christ as unprogrammed meeting or meditation which are 19th century terms. Rather Fox and other Christ-centered Quakers, because they were truly connected to Jesus, understood that in worship, they depended on God for inspiration, if not for enlightenment. These Friends were cognizant of the palpable fact that the Lord, when He spoke, was speaking to all people, not just isolated individuals. Small wonder God expected our friends to listen to Truth and, perhaps more important, to obey Him in all ways. This does not mean that early Friends, before they indulged in waiting worship, did not have expectations of what God was about to proclaim. But because Fox and other first generation Friends loved the Lord so assiduously, they were able to overcome their expectations and submit to Jesus' admonitions, understanding that He and He alone is Lord of our lives. To the contrary, when Friends refer to unprogrammed worship, more often than not they are implying that they are in control, determining their own visions, not being concerned whether they are in unity with God or not. In other words, they are indulging in group meditation. In true worship God speaks and we listen. And we in our waiting are open to God's directives because we are in the love and power of Jesus, our Savior. May we pray that God gathers us in Jesus's caring prophetic love. 10-31-2006 Before we gather for worship in the name of blessed Jesus, individuals must empty ourselves from our own visions, our own desires and come to the gathering prepared to listen. Listening to God's promptings. At worship, we need to realize that we, in God's power, are meeting with fellow believers who adore Jesus. Naturally we expect Jesus to reveal His Father's instructions for the people of God. Occasionally the Holy Spirit inspires an individual to minister vocally revealing Jesus' goals. We, in turn, must be so unified that we can understand the heavenly message. We may not be particularly fond of the minister but we need to pray as Jesus' body to receive that message inwardly realizing the ministry is from our Holy Father. Then when we terminate the gathering, we become cognizant that Jesus' love permeates the body and we thus are prepared to serve the Lord wherever He leads us. We belong to Him and not ourselves. May our worship bring us closer to God. 05-16-2007 |
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Spreading the Good News While the apostles mourned the departure of their Lord in the upper room, Jesus revealed himself to the crowd at Pentecost, revealing and speaking the same truths in different languages. His adherents understood His Lordship. Likewise when Paul oppressed Christians, Jesus confronted the great apostle demanding to know why Paul was persecuting his and our Savior. Paul then understood his disobedience and, as a result, began enunciating Christ's Gospel to gentiles as well as Jews. . . Small wonder Christ inculcated His kindness, His special knowledge and His need for Friends to spread the good news. They were in Jesus life. He would implore us today to open ourselves to Him. Then, and only then, could He heal us spiritually and physically. Let us proclaim His everlasting gospel of hope and truth in His glorious Name. 11-22-2006 |
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Christ and the Bible Although conservative friends love and respect the Bible, they believe and know that the spirit of Christ Jesus is our prime source of revelation. We do assert, along with Robert Barclay that inspiration that is at variance with scripture must be rejected. Yes we unify ourselves with Fox's assertion that Christ has come to teach His people himself. This contradicts the Gurneyites and other evangelicals who believe that the Bible rather than Jesus is the word of God which John 1 declares. Small wonder these pastoral Friends rejected Christ the Light of God and centered themselves on written declarations. Early Friends to the contrary waited on the Lord for the necessary spiritual knowledge with which to evangelize. Then they traveled to many countries with the true message of faith and hope. Today we can and will revive our connections with Christ by opening ourselves to His everlasting inward teaching. And we must live in such inspirational teaching. 12-20-2006 |
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Christ and Scripture Jesus gives us the power to love inwardly even if we are not conversant with the outward words of our Lord. Jesus' recorded ministry admonishes us to love each other. Both Jesus' inspiration and specific instructions are required if we are to become God's people. Likewise Jesus imbues us with need to care. Yet in Mathew 25 He delineates the specific assignments for His followers. To put it succinctly we need the power of the gospel and the outward commands of our living Lord to be His true Friends. 01-12-2007 In one of Fox's last epistles, he writes with accuracy and compassion "and he that reads the scriptures of truth, and understands them, he must have Christ Jesus in him. . ." In other words, Jesus supplies us with the power to understand the meaning of the sacred writings. It is through Christ, we understand that God liberated the Hebrew people from Egyptian oppression. But Christ delineates that the covenant people rebelled against God's authority and, as a result, did not reach the promised land. But when Christ guided His people to the upper room, His people were able to listen and obey like Stephen did. Christ's spirit enables us to understand Stephen's declaration to his oppressors. Christ certainly opened the Biblical Truths for George Fox and his contemporaries. May He do the same for us needy people. 07-08-2007 |
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God and Scripture On page 24 of The Great Mystery, volume 3 Fox writes, "The spirit was not in the scriptures, but was in them that gave them forth. And the spirit which gave forth the scriptures, and which was in the saints opens the scripture again, and leads into all truth." In other words, when we Obey God, He delineates the true meaning of Biblical assertions. Our understanding, therefore, increases in our loyalty to Jesus' admonitions. Yes, we need God's help in interpreting His words. . . Fox's example, Jesus blesses "the poor in spirit." He is reminding us of our natural emptiness and spiritual poverty. Small wonder early Friends recognized that Jesus afforded them the spiritual power to respond to the witness of God in our souls. We are a poor people in need of the Lord who gives us an inward anointing thru which we can discern His written words. May we read scripture in that Spirit. 02-01-2007 |
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Friends and History Some members of OYM meetings have not understood my need to emphasize my concern for elucidating an accurate account and lessons to be learned from our history. That is why I delineate the theology of Fox's prophesies. Even though his writings are from the Seventeenth Century, they speak to us today, particularly about our relationship with Christ Jesus. One of his early openings was that there is one, even Christ Jesus who could, and did, speak to his condition. He was admonishing his friends to expect Jesus to speak to them in their gatherings and in their homes. Fox emphasized that Jesus was always present to instruct His People, to console them, and when necessary, to elder them. In God's grace our beloved Lord gathered His people to listen, and more important, to obey His heavenly voice. Fox, as well as other early Friends, expostulated Jesus's commands in their ministry in addition to their writings. This same Christ Jesus revealed the hidden mysteries of scripture to our ancient Friends therefore encouraging us to wait on the Lord for Biblical understanding. In that way Fox understood that when he fed the hungry, ministered to the sick and visited those imprisoned, he was in obedience to our Lord, Christ Jesus. Indeed, Christ was the author of our beloved Bible. Fox and his companions were not satisfied with merely being enriched in Christ's goodness but were moved to promulgate that God encouraged them to spread the good news of God loving his people, all of humanity. Friends, as a result, visited many continents in this compelling prophetic vision. Today, we too can receive the everlasting gospel of Truth. We can open ourselves to God in the same manner as our first fellow believers. Yes, we have much to learn from these courageous Christians. Above all, as a people we can wait on the Lord together in the same spirit and openness as George Fox and his companions in Truth. 03-19-2007 |
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Gospel Ministers Long before I knew Ohio Yearly Meeting ministers, I met Lewis Benson who moved me to embrace the complete ministry of Christ in the manner of George Fox. Thru Lewis's efforts, I discerned that Jesus is our heavenly prophet who is teaching us. He also encouraged me to seek community with other believers. Dan Berrigan also taught me an aspect of Jesus's peace ministry by revealing that peace workers needed to learn that indeed the lamb (Christ Jesus) overcomes the beast. Dan's gospel work included ministering to the sick even when he was expected to attend meetings. Today Ohio Yearly Meeting gospel ministers outside the Ohio area are introducing seekers to the Kingdom of our Lord. May we do likewise. 08-22-2007 |
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Early Friends' Prophetic Mission First Generation Quakers in listening to Christ discerned that their worship was not limited to a particular gathering but concerned itself with the social and spiritual condition of the people. Small wonder the Lord directed them to change political policies of the then English government. That is why early Friends ministers urged the government to wait on the Lord before enacting legislation. The legislators needed to be responsive to God's vision, and not their own limited understanding. No wonder Friends in addition to demanding that prison accommodations be improved, advocated, in Christ's name, that the secular authorities limit the length of prison time. Early Quakers also urged the magistrates to construct facilities to house homeless families and sick people "crying for help." Fox in a letter to the rulers demanded in the name of our living Lord that the authorities eliminate this suffering. In other words, Quakers in their obedience to our Savior, implored the English government to follow the Lord and remember His compassion for the oppressed. Friends were not concerned with political correctness but being responsive to our gracious Lord. Our Friends because they humbled themselves in the Lord's presence could hear God's voice advocating for "the least among us" and answered that divine urging in the spirit of the Crucified One. Small wonder God gathered these Christian souls in the body of Christ. 04-18-2007 |
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Elwood Dean's Ministry In the Nineteenth Century, Elwood Dean not only labored with Ohio Friends but preached the gospel to the Orthodox as well as those who separated themselves from Christ. He reminded Friends that first generation Quakers, Fox included, surrendered to Jesus and recognized that He was - and still is - our true foundation whom we need to honor and obey Elwood reminds us that we need to wait on the Lord for direction in the love of the gospel. That is why this minister encouraged Friends not only to discern the needs of our brothers and sister in Christ but assist them when they seemed to endure suffering. To put it succinctly. he was a true minister who served the Lord. 08-30-2007 |
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Welcoming God Are we ready to welcome God as our loving ruler who, as the living Christ, our teacher within, delineates His righteousness into our craving hearts? Are we ready to welcome God as our living Shepherd who provides the kindness enabling us to witness His Caring? Are we prepared to invite God as our King who overcomes the evil within? And above all, will we accept the righteous one into our hearts who was crucified and is now at the right hand of our creator? Since sincere Christians desire to serve the same Lord who loves us, we meet, together, in silence to hear our beloved Jesus speak to bring His Everlasting peace into our souls. Because we are gathered by the Holy One, He gives us the patience to wait on Him and then we do receive loving care as well as guidance, not just for the individual but for the faithful community. This is different from secular struggles where we attempt to provide answers for the concerns that trouble us. There are individuals involved in these concerns who do pray - and pray ardently, for the right solutions. And we do appreciate their efforts. Often, however, those with the political acumen succeed. In God's heavenly Kingdom, we become cognizant that the Lord possesses the love and wisdom to overcome human indifference. That is why we need to obey Jesus to become peaceful and extend economic help to the unfortunate among us. And in meeting Jesus we begin to understand that all races and ethnic groups are potential members of His beloved Kingdom. Small wonder we do welcome God into our lives. 06-11-2007 |
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Love and Obedience One of the most misunderstood words we humans employ is the term love. Even those who claim to be Christians often are blind to the various misconceptions surrounding that most precious word. Yes, love is the true word of God as manifested in Jesus. Often, however, we feel that love implies that we are entitled to receive all benefits and all pleasure that exists. Unfortunately, we ignore our obligations to other in pursuit of our own often misguided vision of happiness. This is because we ignore and often reject God's attempts to reach us in His true love that enables His servants to witness to other humans. But in our own power - much as we would think otherwise - we cannot either receive or give love. That is why it is essential that we wait on the Lord, expecting to obey Him in all ways, regardless of our comfort or lack of it. In the state of obedience, we learn that Our Lord, Christ Jesus is, among other offices, our heavenly prophet, our everlasting King as well as our heavenly Rock who sends His all embracing love into our souls. Then we feel a real connection to the Lord as individuals and as a corporate body. As a result of waiting on Christ, we are often moved to encourage our friends to receive the gift of love from the Lord. To put it succinctly, through our obedience to God, we become imbued in His precious gift. 05-18-2007 |
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Meeting Jesus In unity with the disciple John, Fox declared that the same Jesus who proclaimed love and Truth to the first century Christians has come and is present to teach His people Himself in the power of love. John in the last chapter of the Book of Revelation pleads with the Lord "come, Lord Jesus, come. And indeed He has come. John recognizes that Jesus has sent the heavenly Jerusalem into our midst, the heavenly spirit, in other words that differs from the earthly Jerusalem. This spirit is landless, devoid of outer buildings. More important this power, Christ Himself fills us in God's anointing. No wonder we are not required to defend earthly kingdoms, including the so-called holy land. Property is not holy; God's living presence is. That presence pervades us in Jesus' love and righteousness. The apostle John recognized that illumination and pleaded with His Master to perpetually send His precious and enduring love. Likewise Fox praised Jesus' inward grace and he too pleaded the necessity for all humans to welcome Jesus into our hearts. Yes, Fox proclaimed the message that our Master is present not only to love us but in addition to rule us in His Everlasting gentleness. May we continue to obey Him in His most gracious presence. Then, in the manner of the apostle John and George Fox, we will never stop praying for Jesus "to come." 06-06-07 |
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Paul's Letter to the Colossians In this most telling letter, the apostle Paul writes, "And whatever you do in in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17) We need to wait on the Lord, in other words, to receive instruction as well as inspiration in the power of the Living Christ before we act - no matter what the act may involve. Then we will know and feel His presence within us. That is why George Fox and other first generation Friends implored their fellow humans to seek and receive that awesome power from above. Early Friends did not hide that all inspiring love but, to the contrary, preached the necessity of waiting on Jesus - to be empowered in His name. Paul was aware of the utter importance of obeying God and Christ in the holy spirit. God ordered Friends to do likewise. May we respond to His calling in Jesus endearing name and, most important, follow Him wherever He leads us. Yes, the Lord is waiting on His people. May we be pervaded in His name with all our loving hearts. 09-20-2007 |
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God does not dwell in temples made with human hands Like Paul and Stephen, George Fox heard God's declaration that He does not dwell in temples constructed by our outward hands. Rather, the Lord ministers to us where we happen to be located at the moment. But he dwells in our hearts and souls, gathering us to discern His expectations for His people. Jesus, Fox's example, rendered His Sermon on the Mount (not in a temple). Likewise Jesus rendered His admonition to His disciples that they must love each other as He loves them. It is a love that not only consoles but challenges us to Live obedient lives. In short God does gather His flock to hear His commands whether we happen to be in meeting houses or on our farms. Yes, the Lord relates to us wherever we happen to be, individually or gathered in His name. 09-25-2007 |
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God's Worship Often, upon entering meeting for worship, we are in God's grace. Unfortunately, that is not entirely true much as we wish it were so. We come to worship dressed in our worldly clothes concerned with our cares and desires. In that condition, it is difficult to hear God, let alone obey our Master. But Jesus is a loving savior who cares about the welfare of His people. That is why, in worship He silences our aspirations and opens our hearts to God's inspiration and instructions. Then we are able to hear inwardly the voice of God and understand what He requires from us. In short God provides His peace and thus we become obedient servants. No wonder we can leave the worship of Jesus in peace that overcomes inner violence. No wonder we become true Friends after such a gathering. 10-2007 |
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Preaching the Light of Christ When first generation Quakers in Christ preached the Gospel at meeting for worship, their concern was to bring people - all people - to Jesus's ministry so they would - inwardly speaking - hear and eventually do the work of the Lord. Their ministry, in other words, was intended to introduce Jesus to their listeners for Him to prevail. Is it any wonder then that Friends frequently cited scripture in their various verbal offerings. When the prophets as well as the disciples, along with the disciples preached in the Lord, they were not only hearing but expressing God's everlasting words along with His instructions to His people who embraced Him. The apostle John, as a result of his listening revealed "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. . ." (John 1-1) To put it in slightly different words, John, thru God's revelation, understood that Christ is indeed God's word who teaches us, consoles us in addition to ruling us, if we are an obedient people This same Christ still teaches today when we open our hearts to His grace. For that reason, we do not need hirelings to speak to us. Christ reveals His words in silent waiting and chooses the minister to express His utterings when He requires vocal ministry He ministers to individuals on other occasions also. Let us always be prepared to receive His Word. 11-20-2007 |
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Visiting Among Friends When we visit meetings to which we do not belong, although they may be Conservative ones, God requires us to be in the Spirit of His beloved Son, our everlasting Savior, even when we do not offer vocal ministry. When other Friends observe that love and power, they are encouraged to wait on the Lord for proper guidance. Therefore, even if we are visitors, God gathers us with our Friends in the body of Christ to feel the Lord's presence in addition to hearing the Lord inwardly proclaiming Truth which speaks to our condition. If we are faithful in our visitation, God instructs us in discerning the spiritual needs of the meeting in addition to encouraging us to pray for the goals of the gathering, whether our prayer is vocal or silent. We can also minister to the needs of members of the meeting, if our help seems vital. But Friends, we need to be in the Lord's power in rendering that ministry. Otherwise our well-intentioned advice may be trivial. Above all, the meetings we frequent are also seeking and often finding Jesus in our midst. Let us treat them as fellow believers who seek the Lord. Yes, we must visit in the power of God. 11-28-2007 |
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Jesus's Light Overcomes Darkness First Generation Friends gathered to wait on the Lord to receive the Light of our Savior which overcomes the darkness of Satan. Our Friends indulged in much intense prayer to receive and eventually live in the light of Christ. As a result of their faithfulness, these true sons and daughters of God baked bread for the needy and indulged in fair business practices. Because first generation Friends lived in the Light of Christ, they could not indulge in violence because Christ overcame their destructive tendencies. In darkness we tend to follow our own inclinations regardless of the baneful consequences. But to continue living in the life of Christ that eliminates darkness we not only need to wait on the Lord but indulge in intense prayer much as George Fox did. Yes, Jesus's Light overcomes Satan's darkness. 12-11-2007 |
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Christian Preaching We assume so easily that Christian preaching just involves enunciating a Gospel ideology, and that is important to do, but that is just part of God’s mission for us as adherents to Christ’s way. Rather, we must demonstrate what Christianity, particularly Quaker Conservative Christianity means in this beleaguered world of ours. First of all, we need to begin relating to people as if they are open to God’s vision. That’s why in conversations with other humans, we must assume that they have the same divine connections. And thus, when we speak to them, we have to be aware of their natural openness to Christ. In preaching, we do witness in His name. For example, because of our openness to God, we will not work in places that produce armaments, including nuclear ones, and when asked why we won’t work at places that produce those weapons, we can say we are motivated by God’s vision for His people. And because of that vision, we will not indulge in propagating war hysteria. To the contrary, we believe in the teachings of the prophets and of Jesus to lay down our armaments and even subject ourselves to possible physical abuse. That is preaching in the best sense. Preaching has several dimensions. One of them is helping to feed the downtrodden, either through our own efforts or helping others do that Gospel work. That is why we cannot separate preaching from witnessing, because they are really one and the same, as long as we are being directed by the divine force. Remember that Jesus is the inspiration for our preaching and actions, and they have be unified in His presence. 01-05-2008 Most of us, myself included, when we are in the power that recognizes the calling to preach the gospel, emphasize the verbal aspects of preaching. When we feel moved and led to convince people to accept and recognize that Christ Jesus is our head. God requires us to obey Him in all aspects of our faith - faith in the power of God. And we do need to encourage our Friends and neighbors to submit themselves to the Lord's will which is far superior to our own. But before we attempt to elucidate Jesus's commands to others, God requires us to live in the order that the gospel proclaims. Most important, the Lord requires us to recognize the power of the gospel in our own lives. This means that we must silence ourselves and wait for Jesus to reveal His Truth within us. When we receive Christ inwardly, we begin to love each other and relate to our neighbors, even though they have not surrendered to God. We gather in waiting worship together to listen to and obey Jesus corporately. Then, as a community, we are members of God's Kingdom. Yet preaching the everlasting Gospel is often not just verbalization. For example, when we are in the magnificent power of the Lord, He may direct us to help feed the economically impoverished individuals in our area witnessing to the benevolent love of our Savior. In that ministry, we are preaching the good news of Christ's presence. Likewise when in Christ's love, we encourage our friends and neighbors to reject militarism because Jesus calls on us to be peacemakers, we are listening to and obeying our precious Lord. We are thus exposing our friends and neighbors to the Gospel. And we are witnessing to our obedience of the Gospel. Above all though, let God choose the medium through which we preach the Gospel. The Lord is cognizant of our talents and if we listen, He will direct us in our ministry of preaching. Let us wait on Him for clarification in our submission to God's will. 12-15-2008 |
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The Word In His declaration of the true Gospel, the apostle John declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1 Revised Standard Version)
Further on, the apostle declares with
much eloquence, "the true light that enlightens every man (woman)
was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world
was made thru him, yet the world knew him not. (John 1, 9-11) Because our Lord loves us so dearly, He inwardly urges us to repent and forgive. Through this enlightenment, we comprehend our wrongs along with the dire need to correct them. That is why the Lord not only reproves us for disobedience but enlightens us with the inner strength to correct our errors, no matter what they may be. Jesus, the true Word, in addition, affords us the courage to trust in His enlightenment to such an extent that friendships once threatened can be restored in His holy name. And God can even move us as a faith community to repent and forgive, when we open ourselves, as a community of faith to His Word. Let us remember that Jesus the Word is always with us whenever we acknowledge His presence among us as a Christian body. He also communicates with us when as individuals we seek this powerful Word. 02-05-2008 |
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The People of God We are a people of the Lord when as a community, we wait on our glorious God for inspiration as well as instruction seeking to listen and obey our heavenly Father in all ways. Yes, we strive for His Lordship in reverent humility. But before we can claim to be a people of the Most High, individually it is imperative for us to develop a relationship with Him in the power of His everlasting Son who was with God when our Heavenly Father created this world, His world. This means as obedient individuals we need to wait on His power and accept the revelations He affords us, including His endearing love for each individual, regardless of race or class. Then our Lord gathers His obedient sheep and sends the Holy Ghost inwardly to reveal God's everlasting Truth that overcomes all error. We learn in this magnificent relationship that God's knowledge is far superior to our own, so superior that we must not question our Lord. To the contrary, He teaches us the utter necessity to reject Ranterism, which is proclamations we make when we ignore God's direction and assume we are knowledgeable without Jesus's presence. That is why we need to recognize our poverty and submit to the Lord's wisdom. As a result of this obedience, we become a people of God in His all-powerful Love. Thru this aforementioned obedience, we will be able to work for peace and justice-but in the Lord's power, not our own. And we will rejoice in God's enduring peace. That joy will enable us to respond to the needs of the sick and disabled among us. We will be aware of His compassion, small wonder, in the love of Christ, as a People of God, it is imperative for us to reveal the everlasting gospel, to other individuals for them to become a people of God, joining us in His beloved Kingdom. 02-22-2008 |
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Friends and Their Families In unity with George Fox and other first generation Quakers, Conservative Friends encouraged their family members as well as their servants to worship with the families to wait on Christ for guidance to live in the power and love of our gracious Lord. In that way, the true gospel was revealed. George Fox, in his ministry, often proclaimed that we need to encourage our relatives and employees to worship with us to hear Christ speaking in the midst of His people. Because early Friend knew that the gospel message was not for just Quakers but all people, they arranged periods of worship where Friends and their extended families waited on the Lord together to hear and obey the inner voice of God. And that was the reason Conservative Friends in addition to attending meeting for worship also scheduled family gatherings to discern their in their relationship with each other. Today we need to encourage families to meet in the Lord together in faithfulness, sometimes encouraging other individuals to join them in worship to spread the good news. 03-26-2008 |
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Spiritual Baptism Because First Century Quakers surrendered to the Lord in worship, God revealed the necessity for these servants of our living Lord to receive the true baptism that eliminates inward sinfulness. Our Friends heard the revelation that before they could do God's work, Christ needed to baptize them in His love and power. For that to happen for us, God requires His faithful servants to open themselves up to the Lord's spirit. Then He will, as we have experienced, abrogate our desire to render evil, even when we think that we are justified in displaying hostility. Once Jesus eliminates evil from our souls, we can wait to hear God's expectations for us with the power to render good service in faithfulness. But let us remember that Jesus continues to baptize us as long as we remain obedient to God's will. In other words, we need to be open to Jesus' power consistently to be loyal in our heavenly Father's Kingdom. Yes, Jesus continues to feed us inwardly so long as we are willing to understand His goodness. Yes, Jesus continues to Baptize us in His everlasting spirit. 04-05-2008 |
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Vocal Ministry in Meeting Let us remember that when the Lord moves us to minister in Meeting for Worship after waiting on the Lord in silence, we must not utter our own words which express ideas. Rather we in worship need to respond to Jesus' urgings, His prophetic words. Small wonder we must be in relationship to Him before we attempt to utter what we believe are His instructions. Often when we enter Meeting for Worship, worldly or personal matters dominate our personal agendas, much to our regret. Small wonder during the first minutes of worship, we need to be silent to quiet our aspirations. Then, as a result, Jesus' enthralling presence overcomes our resistance. At that moment in worship, we realize that we are a community gathered in the Lord's power. Even though we know that in submitting to the living Christ, we are not necessarily moved to minister in meeting for worship. To the contrary, in our silent waiting, we are supporting others who are given messages to utter in the name of the Lord. If God does not afford us the outward words to speak, we should not be disappointed. That would be a human reaction. Instead we are grateful that God chose devoted Christians to reveal His inspiration as well as His instructions. Once we accept God's Kingdom in worship, God will instruct us when and with what words to minister vocal ministry. When we are in this divine love, others will recognize that what we utter is from the Lord which is for all His lambs. And we will be prepared to serve Him because we were willing to listen to that small voice in our midst. 04-07-2008 |
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Servanthood Throughout the scriptures of Truth, God preaches the utter necessity for His followers to serve each other in the love and power He so graciously provides. By listening to His inner-voice we can relate to the needs of our fellow humans provided that we are in the state of obedience. Jesus certainly understood His power of servanthood. In the Gospel of Luke 4:18-19, the beloved Son of God declares, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. . ." Because Jesus as God's servant is cognizant of our poverty, He reveals Gospel Truth in us, enabling His followers to reveal His revelations. This Jesus expurgates our oppression, moving us to relate to others as an emancipated people with the love and power to feed the hungry and bring joy to those experiencing sadness. Thru our obedience to Jesus, we are serving God and each other. Let us invite Jesus to continue ministering to us in His prophetic role as Servant. 05-08-2008 |
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Jesus Overcomes In the Book of Genesis, the scriptural writer in the love of Christ reveals that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head. And this is what we are witnessing today provided that we are in the power of Christ Jesus. At times we have experienced Satan's unwelcome intrusions in our hearts, much to our displeasure. But God has afforded us the power of waiting, provided that we, inwardly speaking, acknowledge the Lordship of His beloved Son, our Savior. In this period of waiting, Jesus first reveals the influence of the Evil One in our souls and then overcomes that baneful influence and enlightens us in His all-embracing love. Nonetheless, we must continue to abide in this heavenly gift, if we wish to partake in His blessed Kingdom, which is everlasting. When we recognize God's kindness in His forgiveness of our weakness, we become more devout in the Lord, enabling us to truly witness to His goodness. As a result of our repentance and the ensuing obedience we become the true body of our blessed Lord. 05-17-2008 |
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Witnessing in the Name of Jesus When George Fox was imprisoned early on in his ministry, the English secular authorities offered him an army commission that would have released this minister from prison. Instead, Fox listened to the lovely inner voice of our everlasting Savior declaring "that he was living in the virtue and power which takes away the occasion of war." This is why early Friends refused to participate in violent activity; they listened to Jesus and disarmed themselves. They truly turned their swords into plowshares and became peacemakers in the Lord. Small wonder Friends who strive for world peace are reluctant to participate in movements that may oppose some outward wars but contain individuals who have not heard Jesus' call "to turn the other cheek." We are not saying that such people are insincere because they do desire the end of outward violent conflicts. But they have not heard Jesus' message about loving your enemies. On the other hand, Jesus implores us to reconcile with our adversaries to such an extent that we would plead with our enemies to begin waiting on Christ to hear and obey His call for universal peace. Small wonder early Friends preached Jesus' Gospel to all people. Once Jesus is heard, then we would disarm and learn to reconcile in prayer to all people. We have learned that preaching the Gospel is the most important aspect of peacemaking. Jesus' peace does overcome the world. And God will prevail. 05-29-2008 |
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Obeying God Christians in their witness to the Holy One proclaim that they are required to obey God and not man. That is why Peter rejected the demands of secular rulers that he not listen and obey the living Christ as his Lord and Savior. This does not mean that God will not require us to obey authorities on occasion. Because as the apostle Peter declared that God thru our obedience that they may learn to understand the rulership of our savior. Peter writes in his first epistle to the Church, "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. "For this is commendable if because of conscience toward God, one endures grief suffering wrongfully." 1 Peter 2 (19-20) Through our willingness to suffer as a result of our obedience to God, Jesus delineates that wrongful oppression is contrary to the Father's will. The disobedient learn through our love for God that peace - God's peace - is the way of salvation. In that way we do preach the gospel. 08-27-2008 |
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Our Beloved Savior Friends who open themselves to Jesus' love and guidance recognize that He is our everlasting Prophet, our inward Bishop, our Shepherd as well as our enabler. Let us thank God for sending His only begotten Son into our presence where we can hear and obey Him. Jesus as everlasting prophet reveals His Father's Truth, enabling His flock to discern righteousness. This Prophet is our everlasting teacher, the Word of God. Jesus as the Bishop of our souls eliminates our sinfulness, thereby encouraging His flock to seek and find purity. Jesus as Shepherd provides eternal love when we wait on Him. This love encourages us to sooth the hurts of our fellow humans for which we are grateful. And as our enabler, Jesus affords us the power to live in obedience as well as love. Let us receive Jesus's goodness in worship. 09-12-2008 |
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Christ and the Synoptic Gospels George Fox and other early Friends did indeed embrace the writings of Mark, Mathew as well as Luke. They often quoted from these scriptures emphasizing Jesus's love and commands for His people. These Friends did relate to the Bible thru listening to Christ in our midst, As George Fox elaborated in his doctrinal writings, we do need to read and understand the synoptic gospels. He declares, "And again, Christ saith, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." (Mathew 5:44, Luke 6:27) When we are reading these scriptures Christ is teaching us to love and obey, despite difficulties. Yes, we need to hear Jesus and adore His scribes. Early Friends understood the light. May we do the same. 09-22-2008 |
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God Reveals Thru the inspiration of the Almighty, Christ as revealed to depend on God for true knowledge as well as for inspiration in the manner of Early Friends who depended on the Lord for true revelation. That is why early Friends gathered in worship together. They knew they were poor souls who depended on God for spiritual knowledge. Through God's beloved Son they were able to differentiate God's goodness from Satan's evil and live productive lives that inspired other individuals. Conservative Friends still realize that God continues to reveal Himself to those who wait on Him. Small wonder we meet in Worship together to seek God's wisdom. In that wisdom, we are loving and peaceful not because we are naturally good but because we accept God's Truth as far superior to our own. That is why we pray and open ourselves to God's revelations. We recognize our dependency on the Lord. May we continue to accept His revelations as a body as well as individual Christians. The Lord indeed loves us. 10-28-2008 |
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True Quakerism Overcomes Calvinist Fallacy John Calvin, along with other protestant theologians, claims that our all-loving God prepared just few individuals for a heavenly existence. Others of His Children, according to the Calvinists, will be consigned to Satan's abode, despite all their efforts to live righteously. This is contrary to Jesus' mission to preach the gospel of faith and hope to all individuals, women as well as men. Because Jesus was concerned with the welfare of all people, He sent His apostles to preach the message of hope and faith to all individuals, Jews as well as gentiles. Early Quakers discerned Jesus' ministry with enthusiasm. They proclaimed the salient fact that our Lord and Savior is filling us with His enduring grace which enables us to love all people, animals also. The Lord provides a bountiful existence to those who abide in this grace which is offered to all people. That is why Quakers encourage their Friends to Accept God's everlasting light. In this light, we gather to hear and obey our gracious Lord, inviting all humans to join us. Yes, we are in God's grace, when we become servants of God. Christ then prevails and rules us with divine love. 11-07-2008 |
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Responding to the Queries Some Friends feel that the queries are directed to the individuals rather than the corporate body. No wonder some feel that we must answer them as individuals and not necessarily by the various monthly meetings. That is why many Friends seek answers just for themselves and do not expect the monthly meeting to provide searching responses in the power of the Lord. To the contrary Friends such as George Fox and Francis Howgill inasmuch as they were listening to the inner voice of Christ Jesus understood that the queries are God's challenges to the Monthly, Quarterly as well as the Yearly Meeting to be faithful to the Lord's calling. Small wonder God expects truthful answers from the corporate body deliberating on the Queries. For example the Ohio Yearly Meeting query on alcoholism requires abstention and not moderation. Therefore a meeting whose minority of members indulge in moderate drinking, must report to the Lord that even though the majority of members maintain the testimony on alcoholism, that there are some who indulge moderately. But if the meeting expects to be faithful, the community in responding to our gracious Lord must promise to minister to the delinquent members fulfilling God's expectation for His community. Likewise our first query asks whether our meeting maintains "waiting spiritual worship and a free gospel ministry?" Hopefully all meetings should be able to respond favorably pleasing God and His beloved Son. Yet the Lord expects truthfulness. In answering that query, if there are occasions when a meeting is not relating to God's commands, the Lord requires us to be more diligent in our obedience. Undoubtedly we would need guidance from Christ in perfecting our relationship to God. Actually by acknowledging our shortcomings to God in our Query answers, He will be cognizant of the fact that we are striving to become obedient servants of the Lord and the Lord will encourage us to augment our dependence on the Holy One. He will, in turn, encourage us in our faithfulness. Let us praise the Lord. 01-06-2009 |
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Reliance on the Lord In an early paper of George Fox, he calls on the rich and powerful to repent for the harm they committed. Yet Fox understood, as we must, that in our own power, our efforts of repentance would be futile, no matter how sincere we may appear. If we have committed acts of sin which of course are contrary to the Lord, we did so in a state of disobedience. Small wonder in our attempts to display true righteousness, we need to acknowledge Jesus' presence. Because He, and He alone can and does eliminate our capacity to commit evil either as individuals or as a body of true believers striving to live in the divine power. But because we feel that we committed sin, does not make us sinful in the eyes of our heavenly Father. Rather, as individuals we must wait on the Lord, for Him to judge whether we have committed harmful acts or not that have hurt Friends in Christ. Equally important, we should not be fearful about asking God whether our thoughts are contrary to His insights. To put it succinctly Jesus' judgments are much more profound than our own. But if we feel the call to repent, we should invite other Friends from the meeting to worship with us inquiring whether God expects us to repent or not. When we wait in God's power of silence with our Friends, He will communicate the need to repent to individuals we might have treated unjustly. Remember Christ loves all. We are His servants when we accept responsibility. Then we grow in the love God provides. Remember He exhorts us to love one another as He loves us. In that love, we grow spiritually and are able to act as the body of Christ. Yet we need to forgive each other to hear His divine voice. May we become proclaimers of Truth in our reliance on the Lord. 08-27-2009 |
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God's Forgiveness While individuals were mocking Jesus in addition to violating Him with severe physical violence, He pleaded with his Heavenly Father, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Jesus understood at the time that until God brought his Son to His rightful place next to Him, people were unable to relate to God directly. It is Jesus who mediates between God and ourselves, one of His many functions as Lord of our lives. Because Jesus was - and is today - cognizant of His Father's propensity to forgive even those who have been sinful, He was moved to pray to God for the disobedient who strove to execute our loving Lord. But God resurrected Jesus affording Him the love and power of Christ, the anointed Savior. Because Jesus during His earthly visitation, understood so clearly that God was - and is - a forgiving God, Jesus taught His disciples that they too must learn to forgive their adversaries, regardless of race or class. That is why our loving Lord imparted to His followers that they needed to love their enemies even turning the other cheek in confrontational situations. This Jesus even preached the necessity for His covenant people to reconcile with their oppressors to become true Peacemakers in Christ's everlasting power. Yes Jesus' function as peacemaker is everlasting - so everlasting that when some of His followers demanded that He should plead with God to inflict fire on the Samaritans for disobedience, Jesus rebuked His Disciples with the reminder that our Lord came among them to save the world, including His enemies. Jesus is a savior, not a destroyer. That is why Jesus has afforded us with the grace to forgive. And when we receive light, God requires us to share this power with other humans. But we are sent to preach the necessity for our hearers to "wait on the Lord" and become members of a Kingdom that is prepared to forgive in the light of Christ.
- Arthur Berk |
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Reflections on Worship at Yearly Meeting Never have I attended worship at any Yearly Meeting where the spirit of Christ prevailed to such an extent as He permeated our worship at our Seventh Month session during times we waited on the Lord. Because we were submissive to Jesus' guidance, Friends who ministered vocally when the Lord moved them to minister. Small wonder that we were gathered in His Spirit. Friends welcomed Christ's presence in their silent waiting recognizing that God was the light which pervaded our worship sessions. We, in turn, listened to that profound voice in the knowledge that our gracious Lord is head of the gathered Church. He was truly present. Since we were cognizant of the ways He serves us - and He will continue to serve us, as long as we are obedient - we recognized His Kingship. We understood that we needed to wait in Christian silence to hear Him directing our lives not only as a gathered body but as individual members of the blessed Kingdom. When we are silent in worship sessions, as we were during Yearly Meeting, Christ communicates His power in our hearts, a power which speaks of His divine love. In that awesome power, we heard his prophetic utterances impressing us with the necessity of performing His love to those who have not yet opened themselves to His Holy Spirit. Yes we heard our Lord admonishing His people to share God's love to individuals who are willing to listen. Because God knows that we are in desperate need of His all-embracing love, Jesus, our guiding Shepherd, embraced us in His everlasting love when we waited on His presence. This Spirit continued feeding us because, during the worship, we recognized that we are a poor people who crave for the Shepherd's caring. Because God prevailed, often we were moved to pray in Jesus' grace during worship. We prayed for the power to love one another as Jesus loves us. We prayed to God for ways to extend help to the poor and sick of our members in Christ. Above all, we realized that we are in relationship to God when we submit to His rule in our prayers. Yes, our worship during Yearly Meeting moved us to become instruments of the Lord in obedience to His Gospel. Let us praise the Lord for His work among us.
- Arthur Berk |
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The Prodigal Son In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus speaks about the lost sheep returning to the everlasting Father who communicates constantly with those who have left Him; they abandon the Father because they desired independence. In the parable of the prodigal son, one of the sons desires his economic freedom from the father to live in his own domain, then through his own mistakes, he loses his capital and seeks help from a farmer. But his labors are in vain. God, however, never abandoned this rebellious son, ministering to his beloved inwardly. As a result of God’s efforts, the son repents and begs his Father to forgive him. Since God is a forgiving Lord, He welcomes His son returning to the Kingdom as this same God invites all who have abandoned Him to repent. In other words, God affords us the magnificent opportunity of embracing our everlasting King. The other son, however, expresses jealousy because God forgave his brother. Yet the Lord reminds the recalcitrant brother that the Lord has been nurturing him on a consistent level and he should welcome his brother’s return to the spiritual Kingdom with gratitude. Let us remember that Jesus invites His followers who abandoned God’s directives to once again seek our Lord’s love. In that way we do return to Jesus’ government. Friends we may be tempted to reject God but He will find us if we are willing to live in His community.
- Arthur Berk |
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Relating to Ohio Christian Friends Those of us who do not live near an OYM Meeting but wish to relate fully to that meeting are challenged by our gracious Lord to live and work in the power of Jesus. And indeed this is a challenge to be faithful as well as loving. I do try to comply with our theological understanding as much as possible. We affiliates should feel compelled to relate to an OYM meeting as often as we can. That is why it is essential that we are willing to share our vision in Christ with a particular Conservative meeting. Most important, it is imperative to expostulate our unity in seeking and obeying Jesus. Small wonder affiliates must share how we obey the Lord in unity with a particular OYM meeting. Even though we are geographically separate, we should be moved to worship by telephone or e-mail with Friends who are members. We need to trust that the Lord will respond most graciously, even if the duration of our contact is limited. Yet I feel it is so important to visit the OYM Meeting when they wait on the Lord for His love and guidance. Because we are a gathered body when we recognize God's power as the body of Christ, we have the wonderful opportunity of hearing what God instructs us. Once we hear the Lord as one unit, we understand His inward human commands. One of these commands is to read the Bible together and share His light when He moves us to do so. This activity precipitates true unity inasmuch as we are hearing and sharing God's words with our dear and faithful Friends. As a result of relating to OYM Friends, we are able to understand God's gifts more astutely when we return to our geographic places of residence. This voice enables us to relate to individuals who have not opened themselves to Christ. And in that power of Christ, we are able to resist the wordings that do not represent Jesus. There is always the question of whether we should witness with local Quakers who have not opened their doors to Jesus' guidance. First of all, I would stress that we need to pray - pray most sincerely - to receive God's calling if the Lord encourages us to explore the witness, we need to determine whether anti-Christian groups are involved in these activities. If not, Christ would enable us, through His light, to discern whether that witness augments His Kingdom. Then we can determine the effectiveness of this witness by surrendering to Truth. If there are others living in our community who desire to worship in His name, we should encourage these folks to arrange worship sessions where we will have the freedom and power to worship the Lord in Truth, even if the numbers seem infinitesimal. Because of our willingness to obey, others will experience the essential love of Christ. But we need to be patient with these new Friends of our Lord. This means that we Christ centered Friends should not pressure newcomers to establish monthly meetings immediately before they are schooled in the Love we feel. Rather we should encourage potential Friends to continue seeking Christ when they can avail themselves of that opportunity - and they will grow spiritually in His name. But once Jesus' Friendship prevails in their midst, then they could contemplate becoming part of Jesus' Church. I would urge such a group to affiliate with a Christ oriented Monthly Meeting where they can discern the functions of a gathered meeting in addition, in the waiting period, they would be gifted by experienced Conservative Friends in their quest for Jesus' holy spirit. At the proper time God will create the conditions for such a group to establish a monthly meeting with our Lord's blessings.
- Arthur Berk |
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