Teetotalism

I'm considering teetotalism. Complete abstinence from all alcoholic beverages. Maybe I did wrong in rejecting that alternative before. Sometimes one needs less to get drunk and that's why I can't just resolve not to get drunk ever again. What would life be like as a teetotaler? Would my social life get poorer? Would life be more exciting or perhaps less exciting? What would teetotalism require from me spiritually speaking? - Let's find out. I'm not going to drink a single drop of alcohol for a month and then get back to it. I just love to experiment like this. I shall now have a drink and thereafter none for a month.

Upon the Fourth-day of the First month, 1650

"Upon the Fourth-day of the First month, 1650,
I felt the power of the word spread over all the world in praise.

Praise, honor, and glory be to the Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of peace, Lord of joy!
Your countenance makes my heart glad.
Lord of glory, Lord of mercy, Lord of strength,
Lord of life, and of power over death,
and Lord of lords, and King of kings!
In the world there are lords many,
but to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things: to whom be all glory, who is worthy!
In the world are many lords, and many gods,
and the earth makes lords, coveting after riches,
and oppressing the creatures;
and so, the covetous mind getting to itself, lords it above others.
This nature of lordly pride is head, until subdued by the power of God:
for everyone, in that state, strives to be above another;
few will strive to be the lowest.
Oh, that everyone would strive to put down, in themselves, mastery and honor,
so that the Lord of heaven and earth might be exalted! "

George Fox

Source: The Missing Cross to Purity, <http://www.hallvworthington.com/Letters/gfsection1.html >23.02.2017.

To all you, my dear friends,

To all you, my dear friends,
who have tasted of the immediate, working power of the Lord,
and find an alteration in your minds,
and see from where virtue comes,
and strength, that renews the inward man, and refreshes you; which draws you in love to forsake the world,
and that which has form and beauty in it to the eye of the world;
and has turned your minds within,
who see your houses foul, and corruptions strong, and the way narrow and straight, which leads to life eternal;
to you all I say, wait upon God in that which is pure.
Though you see little, and know little, and have little,
and see your emptiness, and see your nakedness, and barrenness,
and unfruitfulness, and see the hardness of your hearts,
and your own unworthiness; it is the light, that discovers all this,
and the love of God to you,
and it is that which is present, but the dark understanding cannot comprehend it.
So, wait upon God in that which is pure, in your measure,
and stand still in it everyone, to see your Savior,
to make you free from that which the light discovers in you to be evil. For the voice of the bridegroom is heard in our land;
and Christ has come among the prisoners,
to visit them in the prison houses;
they all have hopes of release and free pardon,
and to come out freely, for the debt is paid; wait for the manifestation of it,
and he who comes out of prison shall reign.
So, meet together all you who fear the Lord God,
and think upon his name,
his mercies endure forever;
his mercies are in temptations and troubles,
his mercies are in afflictions, in reproaches, and in scorns.
Therefore rejoice, you simple ones, who love simplicity,
and meet and wait together to receive strength and wisdom from the Lord God;
and in departing from sin and evil,
you will be able to speak to the praise of the Lord.
And meeting and waiting in his power, which you have received,
in it all to improve your measure that God has given you;
for you never improve your measure,
so long as you rely upon any visible thing without you;
but when you come alone to wait upon God,
everyone shall have a reward according to your deserts,
and everyone your penny, who are called into the vineyard to labor.
Therefore be faithful to God, and mind that which is committed to you,
as faithful servants, laboring in love; some threshing, and some ploughing, and some to keep the sheep.
He who can receive this let him.
And all watch over one another in the spirit of God.
So God Almighty bless, guide, and prosper you unto his kingdom, where there is no tribulation.
When your minds run into anything outwardly, without the power,
it covers and veils the pure in you.

George Fox

Source: A Collection of Many Select Epistles to Friends of That Ancient Eminent and Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, George Fox, <http://www.hallvworthington.com/Letters/gfsection1.html>23.02.2017.

Purify your Souls

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:22-23

The Inward Judge - A Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

The soul itself its awful witness is.
Say not in evil doing, 'No one sees,'
And so offend the conscious One within,
Whose ear can hear the silences of sin.

Ere they find voice, whose eyes unsleeping see
The secret motions of iniquity.
Nor in thy folly say, 'I am alone.'
For, seated in thy heart, as on a throne,
The ancient Judge and Witness liveth still,
To note thy act and thought; and as thy ill
Or good goes from thee, far beyond thy reach,
The solemn Doomsman's seal is set on each.                         

Neither Thieves nor Drunkards

No one is perfect, we all need God's mercy."Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Corinthians 6:10 - 12

Alcohol and Tobacco

A quote from Faith an Practice, Advices and Queries 40: " In view of the harm done by the use of alcohol, tobacco and other habit-forming drugs, consider whether you should limit your use of them or refrain from using them altogether. Remember that any use of alcohol or drugs may impair judgment and put both the user and others in danger."

Didn't Go to Church

Today I did not go to church mainly because I can't wear my hat in church. Quakers of olden times would go to church with their hats on and take the punishment for it since it was punishable. If I were to go to church with my hat on it would cause some mild annoyance but people would probably quietly tolerate my deviance from the norm. Nobody would get upset and start complaining out loud I think and thus I wouldn't get a chance to explain why I was wearing my hat. Not that I would have any great explanation besides "it's God's will that I wear my hat" or "it's tradition". What if I may never enter a church again because of this? If I insist on keeping my hat on it will make my spiritual life poorer, but it feels so right. Something to ponder while wearing my hat in my private little "meeting" for worship. It's not a meeting since I'm not meeting anyone, but at least I'm taking the time and making the effort to bring clarity to this matter.

The more I think about it the more absurd the dilemma seems.Don't I know when to wear a hat? Shouldn't an adult know when to wear a hat and when not to? When I'm visiting a church I'm visiting someone else's church, not my own since I don't belong to any church. When visiting someone else's holy Place it's respectful to remove one's hat according to custom. If I visited a mosque then I would remove my shoes, in a synagogue I might wear a hat and so on. It's about respect for someone else's beliefs not about expression of one's own beliefs. I will not wear my hat inside a church, but when in doubt I will keep my hat on following Quaker principles.

God is Love

"We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." 1 John 4:6 - 9

Children of Light

"Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
1 Thess. 5:5-6
Walk as children of Light.
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:8 - 11
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:5 - 7 

Quakers and Hats 2

I have been wearing my hat all day and I feel slightly stupid for wearing it indoors. Nobody has reacted in any way to me wearing my hat so society is a bit more open-minded than I had expected. I'm thinking about quitting this experiment out of sheer embarrasment, it's embarrasing to walk around indoors with one's hat on. Spiritually it feels quite alright though.

On Quakers and Hats

I'm presently wearing my hat even if I'm indoors. Why is this? -  It's because of a certain Quaker tradition namely that of plain dress. It is a Quaker tradition that one should not adapt oneself to the ever-changing fashions of the world but rather dress plainly and modestly. Covering one's head is important, just as important as not wearing any jewelry. It's a part of the Testimony of simplicity. Early Quakers believed that it was important to avoid fanciness in manner, dress, speech, and possessions, since such things distract one from waiting on God’s personal guidance. They also tend to cause a person to focus on themselves more than on his fellow human beings, in violation of Jesus’ teachings.

“But personal pride ends not in nobility of blood; it leads folks to a fond value of their persons, be they noble or ignoble; especially if they have any pretence to shape or beauty. It is admirable to see how much it is possible for some to be taken with themselves, as if nothing else deserved their regard, or the good opinion of others. It would abate their folly if they could find in their hearts to spare but half the time to think of God and their latter end, which they most prodigally spend in washing, perfuming, painting, patching, attiring, and dressing. In these things they are precise, and very artificial; and for cost they spare not. But that which aggravates the evil is that the pride of one might comfortably supply the need of ten. Gross impiety that it is, that a nation's pride should not be spared to a nation's poor! But what is this for at last? Only to be admired, to have reverence, draw love, and command the eyes and affections of beholders. And so fantastic are they in it, as hardly to be pleased too. Nothing is good, or fine, or fashionable enough for them: the sun itself, the blessing of heaven, and comfort of the earth, must not shine upon them, lest it tan them; nor the wind blow, for fear it should disorder them. O impious nicety! Yet while they value themselves above all else, they make themselves the vassals of their own pride; worshipping their shape, feature, or complexion, whichsoever is their excellency.”

— William Penn, No Cross No Crown <http://www.gospeltruth.net/Penn/nocrossnocrownch11.htm> 17.02.2017.

Simplicity to Quakers has generally meant a reference to material possessions. Quakers have often limited their possessions to what they need to live their lives rather than accumulating luxuries. The testimony is not just about the nature of one's material possessions, but rather also about one's attitude towards these material goods.  Traditionally, wearing plain dress was an answer to a number of Quakers' concerns. Expensive styles were, and are, used to show social inequality and make statements about wealth. Only a select few could afford new expensive adornments, which could then be used to exacerbate differences between people based on class, where people in fancy clothing would not want to be seen socializing with others dressed poorly. This was part of the inspiration for the Quaker testimony of equality. In addition, the frequent buying of expensive new styles and discarding what had recently been bought, was considered wasteful and self-seeking, where Quakers instead aimed to focus on simplicity and the important things in life. Notably, Quakers did not consider it right to judge people based on their material possessions, but this could not be achieved in a society which placed an emphasis on keeping up to date with inconsequential but expensive new trends.

As fashions changed over time, the Quaker ideal of plain dress stood out against contemporary clothing styles. As a result, the traditional forms of this practice were dropped by most Quakers. Today, it is more likely that Quakers will try to put their faith into action by dressing in a plain version of current fashions. They may also try to buy only the clothing they need, and pay more for fairly traded clothing that has been made ethically. For me this means that I buy most of my clothes from second hand shops and flea markets. I save money and the producer who most likely didn’t produce the clothes in an ethical manner doesn’t get any money from me and thus I can avoid sponsoring unethically made clothes. I also wear  my hat indoors. It's an experiment and the experiences of having one's hat on indoors will be noted. I can imagine that people will see it as mildly rude and unusual but I will probably avoid causing any outright anger.

Sources:

Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_of_Simplicity> 17.02.2017.

William Penn, No Cross No Crown, <http://www.gospeltruth.net/Penn/nocrossnocrownch11.htm>17.02.2017.

Not the Forms but the Power

I have been reading James Nayler's letter "To You that are Called by the Name of Baptists or the Baptized People."

It has been written “And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”(John 1:33) John was called to baptize with water but Jesus was called to baptize with holy Spirit. This was a calling they had from God, not a ritual to be blindly imitated by their followers. This baptism was the form, the ritual people had to go through in order to start a new spiritual life.

James Nayler wrote “But what power or manifest token have you baptizers that do but imitate them who had the Holy Ghost and the power; is not that wanting? and doth not accompany your baptism, and so it is but as a bell without a clapper, and dead as a body without a spirit, and so a form without power.” It is  a ritual that doesn’t guarantee change in a person’s heart, a form without power to change the person being baptized. Rather the baptism in the Holy Ghost can change a person from having lived in sin to living in love towards humankind. James Nayler writes” You baptized people that imitate Philip, that preached to the church^, When did the Spirit bid you go, as it did him?” A baptism without a calling from God is useless, powerless. It’s but an imitation of the real thing.  “You that imitate the apostles' way of baptizing with water but cannot give the Holy Ghost? Where have any of you sold your possessions? and laid the price down at the apostles' feet as the baptized people did in Acts 4, and suffer none to want but have all things common, as they had? Acts 4:31-32 to the end.”

A baptism in water must be followed by a holy life, something James Nayler saw was lacking among the Baptists. Paul had a different calling; to bring people to be baptized by the Holy Ghost and fire.  “And Paul, who was a minister of Christ and preached the gospel, did bring many into this baptism, and he was not sent to baptize with water, but to preach the gospel, and all the churches which he preached unto came to witness Christ's baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire, by one Spirit, into one body, and was baptized into Christ, who was the head of the body (Rom 6:3), and by this baptism we are thus washed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit; but your imitated baptism of water we deny, who live in your filthiness of flesh and spirit, whose minds and consciences are defiled; but the baptism of Christ we own, which purifies our consciences from dead works and keeps our minds undefiled, "by the washing of generation, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Tit. 3:5).” Don’t bother about baptism, but rather live a holy life with a undefiled conscience pure from dead works and empty rituals.

Source: To You that are Called by the Name of Baptists or the Baptized People <http://www.qhpress.org/texts/nayler/baptists.html> 17.2.2017

My heart did leap for joy

"Now, after I had received that opening from the Lord, that to be bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not sufficient to fit a man to be a minister of Christ, I regarded the priests less, and looked more after the Dissenting people. Among them I saw there was some tenderness; and many of them came afterwards to be convinced, for they had some openings.
But as I had forsaken the priests, so I left the separate preachers also, and those esteemed the most experienced people; for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my condition. When all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh, then, I heard a voice which said, "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition"; and when I heard it, my heart did leap for joy."

Journal of George Fox chapter I, Street Corner Society <http://www.strecorsoc.org/gfox/ch01.html> 16.02.2017.

Virtue Ethics

I don't believe in rule ethics or consequentalist ethics. I believe in virtue ethics. Here is a link that explains virtue ethics: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/

Not in order to be seen

When one does a good deed one cannot do it in order to be seen doing good. Neither can one do it in order to be admired, imitated or praised. One must do good because it's the right thing to do and out of love for one's fellow human beings or animals if they are the object of the good deed.  One should do one's good deeds in secret if possible.

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. "Matthew 6:1 - 6.

James Nayler's Deathbed Testimony

This is the famous deathbed testimony of James Nayler, who died in 1660. Nayler had, in 1656, been found guilty of blasphemy and suffered cruel tortures, including, along with other severe punishments, receiving brutal scourgings, having his tongue bored through with a hot iron, and having the letter "B" for blasphemy branded on his forehead.

"There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things, in hope to enjoy its own in the end. Its hope is to outlive all wrath and contention, and to weary out all exaltation and cruelty, or whatever is of a nature contrary to itself. It sees to the end of all temptations. As it bears no evil in itself, so it conceives none in thought to any other. If it be betrayed, it bears it, for its ground and spring is the mercies and forgiveness of God. Its crown is meekness, its life is everlasting love unfeigned; it takes its kingdom with entreaty and not with contention, and keeps it by lowliness of mind. In God alone it can rejoice, though none else regard it, or can own its life. It is conceived in sorrow, and brought forth without any to pity it; nor doth it murmur at grief and oppression. It never rejoiceth but through sufferings; for with the world's joy it is murdered. I found it alone, being forsaken. I have fellowship therein with them who lived in dens and desolate places of the earth, who through death obtained this resurrection and eternal holy life.

Thou wast with me when I fled from the face of mine enemies: then didst Thou warn me in the night: Thou carriedst me in Thy power into the hiding-place Thou hadst prepared for me: there Thou coveredst me with Thy Hand that in time Thou mightst bring me forth a rock before all the world. When I was weak Thou stayedst me with Thy Hand, that in Thy time Thou mightst present me to the world in Thy strength in which I stand, and cannot be moved. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Let this be written for those that come after. Praise the Lord."

Source: Street Corner Society<http://www.strecorsoc.org/docs/naylor.html> 14.2.2017. 

Matthew 7:1 - 5

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Matthew 7:1 - 5

Forgiveness - A Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

My heart was heavy, for its trust had been
Abused, its kindness answered with foul wrong;
So, turning gloomily from my fellow-men,
One summer Sabbath day I strolled among
The green mounds of the village burial-place;
Where, pondering how all human love and hate
Find one sad level; and how, soon or late,
Wronged and wrongdoer, each with meekened face,
And cold hands folded over a still heart,
Pass the green threshold of our common grave,
Whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart,
Awed for myself, and pitying my race,
Our common sorrow, like a mighty wave,
Swept all my pride away, and trembling I forgave!                         

Regarding Food

Today I didn't go to church instead I stayed at home. I decided to have silent meeting for worship all by myself so I sat down with my Bible and my Faith and Practice and waited for inspiration, for God to speak to me. In my mind I kept returning to a certain passage in the Bible which I'm now going to share with you.

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well." Acts 15:28 - 29.

Hast thou abstained from blood? From meat offered to idols and from things strangled?

The Didache

The Didache sums up what it claims is the Lord's teaching to the heathen by the twelve apostles. It's an ancient document written  between year 50 and 120 in the early days of the church.

I was reading the Didache some weeks ago and There are a few things about it that are worth noting. For the first of all early Christians lived according to the instructions given in the sermon on the mount. " Now, the teaching of these words is this: "Bless those that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For what credit is it to you if you love those that love you? Do not even the heathen do the same?" But, for your part, "love those that hate you," and you will have no enemy." They lived according to the instructions given by Jesus in the Gospels which must be why these teachings were preserved for future generations. 

The ethics in the Didache is a combination of rule ethics, consequentialist ethics and virtue ethics. It counsels the reader to not be "proud, for pride leads to murder, nor jealous, nor contentious, nor passionate, for from all these murders are engendered."One should, in other words avoid vices because of their consequences. One should not be passionate for passions lead to murder as it explains and murder is unethical. The rules that the Didache gives are for example: "Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery"; thou shalt not commit sodomy; thou shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use magic; thou shalt not use philtres; thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit infanticide; "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods"; No explanation is given as to why one should not for example procure abortion. Any definition for sodomy isn't given. The reader was expected to know what is meant by "sodomy". An explanation would be necessary for our modern context, but apparently the writer saw no reason to explain this. One should not have certain vices for vices lead to sinful actions and there are several vices that are mentioned and several sinful actions that are prohibited according to the Didache. The vices one should avoid are lustfulness, double-mindedness, double tonguedness, covetousness, hypocrisy, pride, jealousy and several others. They lead to murders, thefts, adultery, blasphemies and many more actions. Some things would require an explanation. Why does pride lead to murder? Why does stubbornness lead to blasphemy? It doesn't follow.

A second thing worth noting is that these early Christians prayed three times per day and they didn't say just any prayer but the Lord's prayer. "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, as in Heaven so also upon earth; give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into trial, but deliver us from the Evil One, for thine is the power and the glory for ever." They fasted two days per week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. I made the experiment for a couple of weeks and fasted on Wednesday and Friday. The results were mixed. I didn't feel more blessed, just hungrier than before. I would perhaps have benefitted from it if I would have fasted for a  longer period of time than just one day a time. I tried saying the Lord's prayer three times per day but it was difficult to remember to pray three times a day and even more difficult to do it wholeheartedly meaning every word of the prayer. It requires some discipline to live like the early Christians.

The Didache is published online at http://thedidache.com/ feel free to explore.

The Gospel of John chapter 4:5 - 30

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

I went to church, or steeple house if you prefer, and the priest gave a sermon based on this text John 4:5 – 30 Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar. It is an interesting passage because it sorts out the relationship between the Jews, the Samaritans and Jesus’ disciples. The priest noted that Jesus shouldn’t have been talking to this woman if he would have followed the norms of the time. Jews and Samaritans were not really on speaking terms and for a stranger to talk to a woman was not considered very proper. But Jesus talked to her. Jesus talked to her because to him Jews and Samaritans were equals the priest explained. I was very pleased with this sermon. Before God we are indeed all equals, men and women, Jews and Samaritans, priests and laity.  We don’t need a priesthood to mediate between God and humankind or a temple in Jerusalem or on mount Gerizim for “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

The priesthood of all believers

The universal priesthood is a foundational concept of Protestantism and within Quakerism it is the norm that all can minister during silent worship and all can thus function as priests and freely preach the Gospel.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9

We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. People are not divided into secular and spiritual people. We are all spiritual and we can all minister and preach the Gospel, it is not a privilege but rather a responsibility and what better way to preach than through living a holy life in order that people can learn from our example rather than just our words. Judge the tree by its fruits as it's written:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. “Matt 7:15 - 18