Another Quaker Blog

I have found another Quaker blog at http://aquakerstew.blogspot.fi/
 It seems really promising at first glance especially the article "The Early Quaker Movement: Pauline Christianity Revived" is very interesting. A quote:

"Spiritual Death and New Birth

“May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14) “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The apostle Paul describes the cross as the transformative power of God which, through an inward and spiritual process of crucifixion and resurrection, could put to death the evil and darkness in each human heart and give birth to a new life in harmony with God, with other human beings and with the rest of creation. Early Friends interpreted their life-changing convincement experiences in these terms. What Jesus had been through in the flesh in the old covenant, all people could now experience inwardly, and spiritually in the new covenant. In this sense, the early Quaker movement was very much a ‘born-again’ movement."

Spiritually dry

I'm having something of a dry period spiritually speaking. I have nothing to say to the world about spiritual things at the moment. I have been reading Fox's letters and they don't speak to me like they used to. Secular things are constantly demanding my attention and I must concentrate on them for some time. I'll be back tomorrow hopefully I will regain my inspiration during my worship.

On Prayer

I went to church yesterday. The priest gave a sermon on prayer, the role and importance of prayer in a Christian's life. I want to talk about prayer too. I have a story to tell you about prayer and answers to prayer. I hope I remember it correctly:

Once upon a time there was a girl whose mother was sick with cancer. I prayed for the mother that she would become well again. While praying I saw in my imagination a tree that was blooming and in my imagination I heard a voice that said the mother would die. I prayed even harder and the vision repeated itself. I was deeply troubled by this since I sincerely wished the mother would be well again. I confessed this to a friend and told her about the voice and we concluded that I would not tell the girl since I may just be imagining things. Besides: Nobody wants to bring such news to anyone. It just happened that the very same spring when the trees were blooming the girl’s mother died. Prayer is communion with God. The answer to our prayers may be negative. God is not Santa Claus giving gifts to good children. God heals some sick people and others God doesn’t heal.

That would be all for today.

Deeds not Creeds

"The peace testimony is about deeds not creeds; not a form of words but a way of living. It is the cumulative lived witness of generations of Quakers… The peace testimony is not about being nice to people and living so that everyone likes us. It will remain a stumbling block and will itself cause conflict and disagreement. The peace testimony is a tough demand that we should not automatically accept the categories, definitions and priorities of the world. We look to the Spirit, rather than to prescriptive hypothetical statements. The peace testimony, today, is seen in what we do, severally and together, with our lives. We pray for the involvement of the Spirit with us, that we may work for a more just world. We need to train to wage peace."
London Yearly Meeting, 1993

Source: Quaker Faith and Practice <http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/chapter/24/>11.03.2017.

Don't Conform

George Fox writes:
"If you hearken to the light in you,
it will not allow you to conform to the evil ways,
customs, fashions, delights, and vanities of the world; but lead you to purity, to holiness, to uprightness, even up to the Lord.
Dear hearts, listen to it, to be guided by it.
For if you love the light, you love Christ;
if you hate that, you hate Christ.
Therefore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ consider it;
and the Lord open your understandings to know him."

Don't conform to the ways of the world, but rather follow the inner Light. Don't be fashionable, be rather honest.

Source: 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>10.03.2017.

Christ is within you

George Fox writes:
"But keep within.
And when they shall say, 'lo here,' or 'lo there is Christ,'
go not forth; for Christ is within you.
And they are seducers and antichrists,
who draw your minds out from the teaching within you.
For the measure is within,
and the light of God is within,
and the pearl is within you, which is hid;
and the word of God is within you,
and you are the temples of God;
and God has said, he will dwell in you, and walk in you.
And then what need do you have to go to the idols' temples without you?
The true church (the saints) is in God;"

The Bible says: Christ is within you. It is written "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love," Ephesians 3:16 - 17. and "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Corinthians 13:5. The Bible teaches thus that Christ is within us Christians, He dwells in our hearts by faith. The measure of Grace is within. It's written "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Ephesians 4:7. Christ is the Light of God and the Light of God is within. "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."John 1:7 - 9 The kingdom of God is within us. "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21 it is like a pearl of great price "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Matthew 13: 45 - 46 We are the temples of God. It is written "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16 Christ is within us, He is the light that "[...] shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." John 1:5. And what to do with this light? - "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men [...]"Matthew 5: 15 - 16.

Source: 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>09.03.2017.

Bow Down to Nothing but the Lord God!

George Fox writes:
"Babes in Christ, born again of the immortal seed, in it wait,
my life is with you in perfect unity;
bow down to nothing but the Lord God.
Satan would have had Christ to have bowed down, but he would not;
the same seed now, the same birth born in you now,
which is the same today, yesterday, and forever.
The tempter will come to you;
and if you look forth, and hearken to his words, and let them in,
then you bow down under him, and worship him.
But I say unto you, and charge you in the presence of the Lord,
mind the pure seed of God in you,
and the mighty power of God will cherish you up to the Lord God above all temptations,
not to bow down to anything;
but feeding upon the immortal food,
you will feel yourselves supported, and carried over him by your Father and your God,
who is over all, blessed forever!
Who is the virtue of all creatures,
the wisdom of all things;
all holy praises be unto the holy, glorious Lord God forever!"

Bow down to nothing but the Lord God!

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> 07.03.2017.