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Christ Is Present |
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As a Friend who identifies himself with the ministry of early Quakers, I embrace the Quakerism articulated by John Wilbur, who strove to maintain simplicity, ideologically speaking. In unity with first generation Friends, Wilbur proclaimed that indeed Christ is present in the midst of His people, relating to us as a living being who differentiates in our hearts right from wrong. In other words, He crushes the power of the evil one within us. Yes, Christ has come and is here not only to teach His people themselves, but to encourage us to live in God’s righteousness. God loves us so much that He sent His beloved Son to teach us to love each other as God loves His creation, which includes us humans. Small wonder that Christ serves as the everlasting prophet who reveals God’s instructions for us to follow and implement. Early Friends also recognized that this same Jesus functions as our loving Shepherd, who consoles us in His everlasting love, which empowers us to love and forgive even our own hurts. Yet because Friends recognized that they were a spiritually poor people in desperate need of the Holy Spirit, they knew that they needed to wait on the Lord as a faithful community, not only to accept God’s everlasting Spirit, but also to obey His commands outwardly. Early Friends, as a result, became witnesses in Truth. They inspired their friends to strive for peace and justice in addition to establishing schools for youngsters. But Friends acknowledge their aspiration for the love and power of God. Small wonder they often met in silence. That is why Wilburites, such as myself, strongly urge other Friends, other humans in fact, to wait on the Lord, recognizing that the Living Christ is active in our hearts, and will continue His activity, so long as we are willing to hear that profound prophetic voice. This enables us to understand that we must not seek quick solutions for the various problems that trouble us. To the contrary, like early proponents of our loving theology, we need to seek God’s intervention consistently with a willingness to reject our intellect and be guided by the Lord. But God’s message of hope and love is not for us alone; the Lord requires us to spread the Gospel by encouraging our Friends and neighbors to open themselves to Jesus’ enduring peace that is a gift for humankind.
- Arthur Berk |