God Discovered Jesus MeetUp Week 1 "Kingdom Play"
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The Jesus MeetUp | Kingdom Play | Week No. 1
Players and observers.
When watching a sporting event we can observe that there are those who are on the field of play in actual engagement of the sport, or there are those on the sidelines. Those who are actionably and directly involved in the game are declared to be “in play”. Those in the audience are just observers. The players will often-times be assessed by umpires, led by coaches, assisted by trainers, medical professionals and even sometimes documented by journalists, photographers or camera crews who record everything that happens. The observers are not necessarily supported by anyone because they are just sitting on the sidelines watching the game for personal entertainment, judging who they think will win and likely consuming snacks and beverages for their own pleasure. When the game is over, they leave and go home. For the players, when the game is over, they go back into the locker room to discuss things past, present and plan for winning future games.
Motivations
Players in the game have personal motivation/intentions for why they want to play and win. Usually their motivation is personal: fame, friendship, internal challenge, love of the game or fulfilling some other goal. Players always have reasons for why they are involved in their chosen sport. The by-standers who come to watch the game are there for personal reasons also. Usually, these reasons are for their own entertainment as something fun to do or maybe to support a loved one who is playing in the game.
Those who are “in play” receive help in the hopes that as players they will win the game.
Whether we recognize it or not, we are involved in a spiritual conflict here in our world.
Long ago a rebel named Lucifer, for personal reasons, chose to enter into direct conflict with
53:1.3 Lucifer is now the fallen and deposed Sovereign of Satania. Self-contemplation is most disastrous, even to the exalted personalities of the celestial world. Of Lucifer it was said: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your brightness.” Your olden prophet saw his sad estate when he wrote: “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cast down, you who dared to confuse the worlds!”
When this ancient spiritual rebellion began everyone in our local universe needed to choose a side.
And all beings did choose. This conflict was terrible and deadly! The consequences of the rebellion spread to many planets and including our world. So, here we are in Earth/Urantia still embroiled in a war involving Lucifer, Satan, our deposed planetary prince, Caligastia and their fellow minions against all others who stand for our Paradise Father who IS truth, beauty and goodness.
We have choices to make also. There is no middle ground in this spiritual conflict.
Players and observers.
When learning about our spiritual place in this world we can choose to become engaged “players” who get involved in serving our Paradise Father and His group, OR we can choose to merely sit on the sidelines and remain safe and comfortable as just “observers”. We can choose to be in “kingdom play” or not. If we choose to be in play for the kingdom of God then certain things happen for us.
Our seraphic friends take notice and ...
...watch carefully how committed we are. If they find confirmation from our indwelling fragment of our Paradise Father living in our souls and He agrees that we are sincere then the dedicated child of God who has now chosen to serve wholeheartedly is assigned a Guardian of Destiny, which is a very, very special angelic group. A Guardian of Destiny begins to assist this true-of-heart servant of God in ways uncommon. They employ uncommon encouragement, unique forms of support, and even subtle communication. And when certain material/physical needs arise, these angels serve to help their lowly mortals continue in service for our Master.
This does not mean that we will not still have problems, challenges and/or even sufferings.
And some day our lives in the flesh will stop after our bodies have run their course, but in the meanwhile, when we are genuinely in “kingdom play” we are helped along the way. On the other hand, the dearly loved bystander who has chosen to serve themselves rather than to serve God is placed within a group of about a thousand with one seraphim only. Although the hope of an entire universe longs for their service to our Paradise Father there is not much seraphic support in this situation as the human is still committed to themselves mainly, pursuing their own interests and not in loyal service for the Father - YET!
Everything is our choice = free will.
Motivations
The dedicated mortal in kingdom play develops, over time, 1. a spiritual insight as they attain their indwelling Paradise Father, 2. greater levels of joy when serving their fellows, 3. an intensified desire to be with God, and 4. a satisfying “thinking with God”. They become more loving, unselfish and grow into a stronger Jesus-follower and truth-proclaimer. This kind of internal spiritual growth happens by natural and normal means from God and Jesus who dwell within their own hearts and minds
100:2.8 After such spiritual attainment, whether secured by gradual growth or specific crisis, there occurs a new orientation of personality as well as the development of a new standard of values. Such spirit-born individuals are so re-motivated in life that they can calmly stand by while their fondest ambitions perish and their keenest hopes crash; they positively know that such catastrophes are but the redirecting cataclysms which wreck one's temporal creations preliminary to the rearing of the more noble and enduring realities of a new and more sublime level of universe attainment.
Life is oftentimes hard and we can use all the help we can get!
We must always remind ourselves that our real goals are spiritual ones and not merely physical/material immediate desires if we want to move closer to God. And, when we do make this our primary motivation many invisible, loving and spiritually powerful Personalities stand at the ready to assist us in our daily living, not only as individuals but also in a collective way in our troubled world.
92:0.5 The co-ordinate functioning of these three divine ministrations is quite sufficient to initiate and prosecute the growth of evolutionary religion. These influences are later augmented by Thought Adjusters, seraphim, and the Spirit of Truth, all of which accelerate the rate of religious development. These agencies have long functioned on Urantia, and they will continue here as long as this planet remains an inhabited sphere. Much of the potential of these divine agencies has never yet had opportunity for expression; much will be revealed in the ages to come as mortal religion ascends, level by level, toward the supernal heights of morontia value and spirit truth.
What seems apparent is not necessarily what is actually transpiring within you as a son of God.
113:4.5 While there is apparently no communication between the indwelling Adjusters and the encompassing seraphim, they always seem to work in perfect harmony and exquisite accord. The guardians are most active at those times when the Adjusters are least active, but their ministry is in some manner strangely correlated. Such superb co-operation could hardly be either accidental or incidental.
So, your seraphim are working in tandem with your indwelling Thought Adjuster.
Somehow They are in communication. We know that angels cannot read our thoughts but our indwelling Thought Adjuster can and DO know what we are thinking, feeling, considering and then doing. Know that you are always lovingly watched and cared for by this amazing team working together for your good. And, this happens ESPECIALLY when you have made the BIG DECISION to do your Father’s will and continue serving as being in “kingdom play”.
Have you wondered if God cares about your problems? Here is your answer.
110:1.3 Although the divine indwellers are chiefly concerned with your spiritual preparation for the next stage of the never-ending existence, they are also deeply interested in your temporal welfare and in your real achievements on earth. They are delighted to contribute to your health, happiness, and true prosperity. They are not indifferent to your success in all matters of planetary advancement which are not inimical to your future life of eternal progress.
God is watching you from within hoping that your choices will be of the highest spiritual order.
100:1.4 Adjusters are interested in, and concerned with, your daily doings and the manifold details of your life just to the extent that these are influential in the determination of your significant temporal choices and vital spiritual decisions and, hence, are factors in the solution of your problem of soul survival and eternal progress. The Adjuster, while passive regarding purely temporal welfare, is divinely active concerning all the affairs of your eternal future.
It seems that the wisest and most beneficial free will choices that we should be making are those that we know are significant and vital in spiritual terms, and that means we are to be looking for ways to lovingly serve our fellows. In serving our fellows with the best of spiritual intentions we are thereby actively setting our own eternal trajectory for our personal spiritual careers on the right path with the best growth possible. Here again: Kingdom Play!
What kind of life do you want to live?
What is most important to you? Yourself – or Jesus?
How do we learn how to achieve this life as Kingdom Players?
It all begins with our own personal free will choices and then following through
knowing God and angels are helping.
Do you want to be involved in something bigger than yourself? Do you want to be a part of things that matter to the entire universe and that are dependent upon YOUR work/activities? Then pursue YOUR action in the spiritual contest/conflict in our troubled world where YOU may become the spiritual lighthouse for those who walk in darkness as you share Jesus’ True Religion with your fellows.
To our thinking, this is the ONLY way to live.
To Kingdom Play for our Paradise Father in our world ~ Marin DeJohn
Questions to discuss:
1. What do you think is required in order to be in “kingdom play”? Why?
2. What benefits might you experience if you entered into “kingdom play”? Why?
3. What happens for those who choose not to serve God as kingdom players? Why?
Now is a good time to say as a loving group The Lord’s Prayer all together. Please turn these sheets back in to your leader. Write down any questions you may have and give them to your leader. If you have access to the Group Questions online Please ask them online so future students can benefit from your discovering minds. Feel free to write down a prayer request and give it to your leader.
Next week we will discuss You Are Loved By God Week No. 2
When men search for God, they are searching for everything. When they find God, they have found everything. The search for God is the unstinted bestowal of love attended by amazing discoveries of new and greater love to be bestowed.