SEEK & SHARE THE SATIFYING SUBSTANCE OF DAILY DEMONSTRATING YOUR DIVINITY
Applications ideas for us to follow to make MODERN-DAY DEMONSTRATIONS of the Christ power!
Let God Expressed Meekly/Mightily in you sparkle brightly with insights from Cobbey Crisler & others as found in The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Substance”
for March 13, 2022
(Cobbey’s insights are shared with the blessing of Janet Crisler janetcrisler7@gmail.com)
by Warren Huff, CedarS Executive Director Emeritus, warren@cedarscamps.org
The resilient, God-reliant character of Daniel and his friends is a fun thread that has run through the last several week’s Bible Lessons. This thread continues this week with God’s complete fiery furnace protection and next week with Daniel’s perceiving the king’s unknown dream and interpreting it.
Below are links to a couple of classic Sentinel Article that give more of a deep dive into Daniel’s demonstrations and their meaning for us today. For applications from the fiery furnace, click on: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1l0r4wxcjva?s=copylink
[Excerpts from] an ARTICLE in the DECEMBER 3, 1979 ISSUE
The form of the fourth
ELIZABETH GLASS BARLOW
“Who wouldn’t be thrilled by the biblical account of the three Hebrews and their experience in “the burning fiery furnace”! Because they are allied to the one God and refuse to worship the king’s golden image, they are thrown into the furnace, bound. This was surely the way to punish and be rid of them! Later the king sees them unbound and walking through the flames, free. And with them another—a fourth. The Bible tells us, “The form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”1
“His experience of seeing this form changes the king’s concept of government and power. The presence of the Christ—what can’t it do! The king must have seen this Christ presence, made visible to him as “the form of the fourth,” enfolding, protecting, and freeing those who live at one with God. Christly consciousness forever exhibits man’s true identity as the expression of God’s being.
“The concept of form permeates much of present-day thinking. What shape is the economy taking, and how can we cope? What pattern is molding our government, basing our morals, setting up standards for health? … Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, points to this realm: “Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being.”2 And she explains, “Correct material belief by spiritual understanding, and Spirit will form you anew.”3
“We are not left, then, in a state of puzzlement, speculating on how to manage. Mind not only forms but informs us. With this guidance each of us can say: “I refuse to forget who I am—Mind’s individual expression. I refuse to remember what I am not—a struggling, frustrated mortal.” Positioned thus, we do not fiddle around or experiment with the vague conjectures of bumbling mortal theories regarding identity. Rather, we let the inspired action of the Christ provide positive outline and focus for the unfolding of our concepts.
“Focus is a valuable thing to cultivate, and it is related to form. So often our thoughts seem to be scattered, to gallop off in all directions. They need to be effectively corralled, disciplined, and brought back to specific definition…”
For the full ARTICLE CLICK: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1l0r4wxcjva?s=copylink
Here’s another classic article on using yje principles Daniel did in our own times.
]Excepts from an EDITORIAL from the JUNE 28, 1947 ISSUE
“O man greatly beloved”
- Ivimy Gwalter
“When Daniel was prostrated with despair, the Bible tells us, an angel came to him bearing the message (Dan. 10:19), “O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.” Today the Christ, Truth, as revealed in Christian Science is heralding the same message to a perplexed and war-weary world.
Daniel was of the tribe of Judah, which had been carried away captive into Babylon. The world was seething with unrest; one captivity followed close upon another. Nowhere was there security or peace. Through it all the figure of Daniel stands out as a tower of strength. His unswerving obedience to God made him a pattern of righteousness and wisdom. Through this obedience he gained favor with his captors and rose to a position of authority in the land. He witnessed the power of God deliver his three friends from the fiery furnace; he himself was delivered from the lions. He saw the magicians confuted and error proved powerless. Yet there came a day when the mesmerism of discouragement, weariness, loneliness, and apprehension well-nigh overwhelmed him. He fasted for three weeks, but finally fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground. Nowhere in this dream of error did there seem a ray of light. And then the angel roused him. He rose to his knees; then he stood upright in the fullness of that promise, “O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.”
This picture of ancient times is not very different from the troublous picture of the world today. The adage that history repeats itself is obvious when…”
| FOR THE FULL, INSPIRING ARTICLE CLICK: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/187xwp6z2fq?s=e |
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TUNE-IN to YOUR DIVINE RIGHTS as the ONLY REAL MAN GOD COULD EVER BEGET
Cobbey Crisler on John 1:12-14/citation B16
“John 1:12 … The receptive, the ones who are willing, the ones who are tuned in, hear. “As many as receive him” there is a qualification. “To them gave he,” here are the results, “To them gave he,” and “power” is not the correct translation here. It is not the Greek word “dynamis” which our word “dynamo” comes from, which mostly means power. It’s “exousia” which means more authority or right, that man is equipped with the authority and rights to “become the sons of God.”…
“John 1:13 Therefore to clarify for his readers what he means by “sons of God” and the receptivity that gives us the authority and right to become that “on earth as in heaven,” so to speak, we find that he takes apart the various theories of man’s origin, discounts every one of them, and relates man to God directly.
“Which were born, not of blood” theoretical origin Number one. Interestingly enough, that word is not in the singular in the original Greek, it is in the plural. “Which were born, not of bloods.” Which says that you can take that apart somewhat. The blending of the sexes, or the races, all that have to do with bloods. Here, the roots aren’t there. Not for the sons of God, you will not find the roots in blood.
“The Second theoretical origin. “Nor of the will of the flesh,” that birth comes because mankind can’t help it. There is a built-in lust.
“Or, theoretical origin Number three, “Nor of the will of man,” that are willing, the human will itself being a creator, like “Gee, I wish I could have children.” Or now, because women were considered unfulfilled in their stereotyped role if they did not give birth, especially to a boy. So, the will of man had much to do with it because theology was wrapped up into it.
“He adds that it’s “not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Don’t go through channels.
Right after he says this he talks about “this Word.” Remember the thought stemming from a Principle, and the utterance of this Word that what we just said is supported by divine thought stemming from the Mind of God as a Principle of creation. Again, does it tie in with Genesis 1? Are we suddenly seeing that when in Genesis 1, which we know the author has in mind here in this chapter (Genesis 1:26), man is declared categorically to be in the image and likeness of God? The author here saying that image and likeness is not “composed of blood, nor) can it be identified as having emerged because of a fleshly or carnal desire, or from human will, directly from God.” Don’t go bumping along on a detour to get to God. There’s a theology that certainly clears out a good number of obstructions, if it’s valid, if it’s something we can use, and not pie-in-the-sky metaphysically speaking.
“To show that it isn’t pie-in-the-sky, John 1:14 introduces the word “made flesh,” lived, illustrated, exemplified; it’s been done, it’s not just theory. The thought has been uttered in human experience, in life. Human life itself has seen this Word fulfilled. Was he the vanguard, the way shower?
He is called in Verse 14, almost in contradiction to what I’m saying, that he was “the only begotten of the Father.” That seems fairly exclusive, doesn’t it? Since it would also contradict Verse 12 where it refers to “sons of God,” it just must be something in the translation we’re missing, the intent. You can’t have sons of God and have one son being the only begotten. That would be mixed-up theology right in the beginning of a book that we are saying is extremely clear and close to Jesus’ own thought.
“So what have we got? The Greek word “mono genes” doesn’t mean “only begotten.” If it has any meaning that we can express in English, it could be “unique,” in the sense that he was representing the original man as a model. In other words, the only real man that God could ever beget.”
“The Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
KNOW the TRUTH to FREE the BEST YOU from being FOOLED & KILLED (slow or fast) by LIES!
Cobbey Crisler on John 8:32 (citation B17)
“John 8:32. Here is the recipe for freedom, “It’s the truth itself that makes you free.”
It is the fact that makes you free. In John 8:44, the devil is defined as a liar and also a murderer from the beginning. If you analyze that again, the devil has one of two purposes when it enters into the thoughts and lives of man. It is either to deceive or to murder or kill us or others. That’s the motive prompting the thought, critical or otherwise. Remember, judging righteous judgment eliminates most criticisms, and not judging according to appearance. It [the lying “fake news” that proclaims the reality and power of matter] either murders or kills our neighbor or ourselves, OR its purpose is to deceive—one or the other.”
“Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
[Warren’s P.S.] Greek word meanings elevate what Jesus means by “Know the truth”:
“Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32 (citation B17)
Know in Greek is ginosko and means:
- to distinguish what is real from what is not
- to perceive, understand, discern, distinguish
- to perceive with the mind
- to have a clear perception of truth
truth in Greek is aletheia and means:
- what is real and factual and actual, not counterfeit
- no error, no lie, no falsity, no variance
So, to “KNOW THE TRUTH” means knowing, or being conscious of, what is already true!
Ruth E. Huff, my mother and the Founder of CedarS Camps, loved her eight years of conducting CedarS tours of Mary Baker Eddy’s homes with the supported of Longyear Foundation. One of her favorite take-aways from what she learned on these tours was a recollection recorded in Elizabeth Earl Jones Reminiscences: “Mary Baker Eddy was once asked by a reporter, what is a Christian Science treatment? After a few moments of deep thought she answered:
“Treatment is the absolute acknowledgment of the ever presence of infinite perfection!”
My mom, Ruth E. Huff, so loved working with this mindset that she shared it with CedarS staff and families in the form of cards printed with the highlighted definition above.
1st connected BONUS: Everyone will be blessed who takes the time to listen to a Sentinel Watch (made especially for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). This edition is an interview with Sallie Letterlough, an African-American who, as a civil rights activist, took part in the 1963 “March on Washington” later became a Christian Scientist. Awesome insights are shared by her as well as by Tony Lobl on Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech.
Sallie gives magnificent examples of effectively applying in her life the non-violent principles of “…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32/cit. B17) Sallie also gives some great Sunday School teaching and Reading Room attending ideas and examples of the priceless value of being present with an understanding of divine Love and holding onto that no matter what. To hear for yourself and share with others, click on this link: https://sentinel.christianscience.com/sentinel-audio/sentinel-watch/the-path-to-discovering-our-divine-rights
Another connected, audio link BONUS: Ken Cooper poem “God is our Freedom” on YouTube is also based on this “recipe for freedom” in this week’s Bible Lesson as a single sentence in citation B17.
Cobbey Crisler on citation B17/ Luke 13:11-17:
“A woman with spinal difficulty is in a synagogue. Notice that Luke doesn’t say she has an infirmity. Luke, who is reputed to have been a physician, doesn’t even diagnose it as an infirmity but as a ‘spirit of infirmity,’ a sense of infirmity, a concept, a spirit, a thought. ‘She was bowed together. She couldn’t lift up herself.’
Verse 12. Jesus comes and announces to womanhood something that could be applicable in many ways, not just this one time. ‘Woman, you are free from thine infirmity.’ Verse 13. ‘She’s made straight and glorifies God.’
Verse 14. Incredible, ‘the ruler of the synagogue’ in which this grand healing and correction in thought occurred ‘answered with indignation’.
Jesus’ explanation about the cause of disease is Verse 16. No longer should there be any room in Christian thought that disease stems from God or is God’s will when Jesus attributes it directly to anything that would oppose God.
Only what would oppose God could impose something on man that God Himself never created in His whole man.
Is this a new theology? Satan and disease linked, and not God as the cause of loss, or pain, or sickness?
Because if it is, Jesus defines Satan as a liar in John (8:44). Satan has bound this woman with an infirmity that has her bent over, and has accomplished this for 18 years (Luke 13:16). And Satan is ‘a liar and the father of it.’ Satan’s works must be lies as well. If they are, they can be corrected mentally, by a full recognition of what is true. Notice that Satan does the binding. Jesus said (John 8:32), ‘Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’
It’s a contest between the truth and the lie about God and His theology, about man, about woman, about children and about disease. If Satan is a liar, he will never change his character. Our idea of God may have gone haywire, but God has never moved.”
“The Gospels, Volume Three, Luke the Researcher,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
DEMONSTRATE HEALING AT A DISTANCE LIKE JESUS DID
IN THE POWER-PACKED FEELING LOVE’S EVER-PRESENCE.
Cobbey on Jesus healing paralysis remotely (Matthew 8:5-13/cit. B22):
(Verse 5) “The second healing in this chapter is the centurion’s servant. This is a healing of palsy. Palsy is paralysis. This healing occurs over a distance. It’s almost as if Jesus were saying to the physical scientists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, “Alright, gentlemen, you say in your list of things that represent action-at-a-distance, there can be light, magnetism, sound, and electricity.”
“Recognize that prayer is also action-at-a-distance and can out-distance all on your list. You do not have to be present physically to heal the sick. God is present with the one in need of healing as he is present with the one who is the channel for the healing or transparency.
“You don’t have to move physically to heal spiritually. This is a tremendous breakthrough in a concept for healing which can occur even today, when it is considered that one must be at the bedside of a patient in order to accomplish anything. Jesus did not do that in every case. Remote healings required receptivity in the thought of those with whom he was dealing.
“Here we have a centurion, who was not even a Jew. He is a Roman, a noncom officer in a sense over a hundred men. That’s why he’s called a centurion. He has enough concept of authority to say, “All you have to do, Jesus, if you’re good at what you’re doing, and a professional, just say, ‘Give the order,’ and those orders will be obeyed. That’s what happens in my profession,” he said.
(Verse 10) “Jesus makes the comment that he has not “found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” One wonders if he would find that kind of faith today?
(Verse 13). “He says “to the centurion, as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” We get a better view of it in the gospel of John [4:46-53], if it’s the same incident which it undoubtedly is, where the nobleman’s son is healed. The nobleman goes back home to check.
It’s a day’s travel. He’s half way there and his servants have come to meet him. His servants say; “Everything’s fine.” The nobleman said, “What time?” And the servant said, “The seventh hour.” So, the nobleman asked about the time and it was the same hour that Jesus had said, “Go thy way. Thy son liveth.”
“It’s a day’s travel for the centurion. He’s halfway home and his servant have come to meet him. … The healing got to the centurion’s home before the centurion got there. Which shows what is possible and how primitive we are in exercising the spiritual forces available to us. It may turn out that Jesus is the most important scientist in the history of the world in the sense of demonstrating his theory and proving it.”
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, A Tax Collector’s Report,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
[Warren’s application idea for YOU and all you love: Please join us on the first Sunday of each month for CedarS Hymn Sings! Here we celebrate the ever-presence of divine Love and the healing power of prayer-at-a-distance!” This breakthrough principle of the healing power of childlike thought that is receptive to remote prayer is on full display at CedarS monthly Hymn Sings at 7pm (Central Time) on the first Sunday of each month. These 30-minute global gatherings could be thought of as “Prayer Sings,” since hymns are really healing prayers set to music.]
