FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE
leaving the Bible Institute, Philadelphia, PA
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This beautiful Message stresses the vast importance of recognizing GOD'S Actual Presence daily and hourly and getting rid of the old doctrine which has been taught and preached for centuries that GOD is absent from the children of men and that HE rules and reigns in a Kingdom far beyond the sun, moon and stars.
In this present world dilemma the Presence of GOD is sorely needed by every nation, language, tongue and people, and vainly their prayers are sent to an imaginary GOD in an imaginary heaven. But oh, how glorious it is to realize that GOD Almighty is on earth among men in a beautiful Holy Body and millions and millions have been made cognizant of this great news and glad tidings. Millions are daily being lifted from lacks, wants and limitations; their bodies healed; their minds cleansed; their souls renewed, by calling on the Precious Holy Name of FATHER DIVINE, the Redeemer and the Savior of the universe!
Men and women of the political, social, religious, industrial, professional and all other worlds of expression are coming from far and near, telling of the marvelous things that have been accomplished for them, simply by calling on that Holy Name -- rejoicing as they declare to the world at large that they have found GOD Almighty! Thus it was on this occasion that as usual a large number of visiting friends were present and accepted of the invitation extended them to speak. Several of their speeches are transcribed herein for your benefit and enjoyment.
Thank YOU, FATHER Dear!
(The foregoing statements are those of the transcriber, after which is recorded the song sung by the audience just before FATHER arose to speak.)
'I know the LORD has come, I know the LORD has come. Glory, Glory Hallelujah! I know the LORD has come!'
(FATHER speaks as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! That little composition is much in harmony and in keeping with the Mission of Jesus of nineteen hundred years ago. Nineteen hundred years it has been a living reality to those who can perceive it and sincerely believe it. Aren't you glad!
It is written:
'They shall call His Name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD with us!'
That was the Mission of the coming of CHRIST in the Person of Jesus: to bring
into the realization of the children of men GOD'S Actual Presence, so that they
might realize GOD is no longer in that imaginary heaven according to the suppositions
of men, but GOD Himself is with them.
Now this is not strange. Because of the Mission of CHRIST you should not feel as though it is strange in this Gospel country and Bible land, for you have been taught from your early existence, GOD is Ever Present, but not so distinctly and so vividly as the teaching of the present day, bearing witness to GOD'S Presence with and without a Person.
Then I say, when you sing those assertions, you have the witness in yourself. If you sing it sincerely, if you sing it in all sincerity GOD has truly come to you for what said Malachi concerning the mystery?
'The LORD Whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His Temple!'
That recognition, that realization would solve every problem; it would adjust
matters satisfactorily for you if you could but know once and forever, GOD is
actually Present!
I retrace your thoughts back, those of you who have heard and know ME, to one of My original Compositions as a motto for your consideration, in keeping with that particular quotation:
'The Spirit of the Consciousness of the Presence of GOD is the Source of all supply and it will satisfy every Good Desire!'
As the light shines more and more and you observe the Truth concerning the mystery
by what you are presently experiencing, you can say with ME, ". . . it is
the SOURCE of all supply; it can, it will and it actually does satisfy every
Good Desire!"
As the light dispels darkness, even so GOD'S Presence dispels and eradicates undesirable conditions. For this cause it is essential to keep GOD in consciousness according to the Scripture in the fulfillment of that prediction, and have your religious conviction according to the standard of that particular composition.
The LORD has truly come and is with men and always has been but they did not know it. But since calling your attention to the original composition and prediction of the coming of CHRIST:
'They shall call His Name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD with us!'
If the preachers of the Gospel and representatives of the cloth could have, and
would have taught this simple Truth since nineteen hundred years ago, GOD would
have been REAL among you! GOD would not have placed by preaching and by teaching,
some place in the sky geographically, neither far away from the children of men,
and would not have given the "other fellow" a chance to come in. But
because men teach the absence of GOD and preach the absence of GOD and not the
Presence of GOD, the absence of GOD has been made real to the children of men,
for GOD hides His Face from them. They live in misery, they live in sin, they
live in disappointment and they live in failure because they disrecognize GOD'S
Actual Presence to adjust matters satisfactorily for them.
But this Truth to you is real! It is real according to your conviction because you realize and have seen the actual demonstration of GOD'S Actual Presence in evidence in your experience, therefore, it is a reality; it is made Real, Tangible and Practical, for the Word has been made FLESH and dwells among you and you are convinced in reality GOD has been made Tangible and Practical!
To the average religious person GOD is not more than a supposition, but to those of you whose minds have been lifted, GOD to you is a REALITY and you recognize GOD'S Presence even if you do not see HIM. By believing it so vividly, GOD was obliged to materialize it and reproduce it and Personify it so that you might realize the Truth concerning the mystery!
The earth was real even though void, but to the conscious mentality that is, it would not have been real to the conscious mentality of men when that consciousness would have come, had it not been made material; tangibilated, materialized and personified!
I would not be real as a Person to you if you did not know the Truth concerning the mystery, if I had not brought this Message and explained it so explicitly.
The earth was mentally and spiritually real in GOD'S Recognition and Realization, but in the conscious mentality that was to come the earth would not have been real to them, because it was essential for GOD to materialize the earth and cause the earth to be Tangible as matter, as something that could be discerned and made a reality, because the conscious mentality does not observe realities saving as they are tangibilated, materialized and consciously realized.
But oh, how glorious it was to observe the mystery in the making yea, in the creation, making ready, in a way of speaking, for the making of the things that were very desirable. GOD said,
'Let dry land appear!'
It seems like I AM obliged to take you back to the beginning of the creation
to bring GOD into your conscious recognition and into your realization, for the
children of men do not realize GOD unless you bring them back where HE was in
the beginning, as in your personal religious experience. Many times a good many
of you are obliged to go back to Conviction's Wharf. Aren't you glad! When I
take you back down there where your dungeons shook, why, then you are getting
right for the making of the contact with your religious career and travel on
from there to here. Aren't you glad! Going back to Conviction's Wharf in your
religious and spiritual infancy, when your dungeons shook and your chains fell
off in the old-fashioned way of getting religion!
There was a great spiritual awakening in the original system of the common custom of getting converted, as being termed getting religion. A great change in those days took place and you felt good. It was something more than mortal to command and you actually felt as though it was a mighty Hand that had reached low and lifted you; a good many of you felt it. It was a Supernatural Touch according to your conviction and according to the original and former teaching of the religion under which you had been christened. Aren't you glad!
But that is the mystery; because under whatsoever religious conviction or religious creed you are christened, you speak mentally and spiritually after that respective religious conviction, and you get an answer to your sincere prayer according to that birth under which you have been mentally and spiritually born, to that degree. Therefore, it is a blessing to observe the mystery. But bringing you into a more perfect manner of expression, it is a glorious privilege to realize GOD is actually Present; GOD is no longer merely a supposition.
You have imagined many things. Those things you once imagined were not real in reality, saving as they were made tangible and practical and you left that world of imagination in consideration and brought it into your conscious religious conviction by the realization of something better in evidence in your experience. GOD healed your physical body. GOD clothed you and fed you when you were hungry. Then it was bringing that religious conviction into a more recognized state of consciousness where you could realize GOD was not merely surmised, GOD was not just a supposition but a Living Reality!
So, live in this Recognition and lo, I will be with you; and as you think, so will it be, for
'According to your faith so be it unto thee!'
I did not arise at this instance to speak at length, I merely arose especially
to give our visiting friends a chance to speak. I delight in meeting and having
visiting friends of those who are Christians and those who are non-Christians
to participate in these meetings. You are welcome to come if you care to come,
and you are welcome to speak and sing and be led by the Spirit within if you
are so led to do it. Therefore, those of our visiting friends as ministers of
the Gospel, teachers and preachers of religion and professors and teachers and
lecturers of social service and other works of righteousness, you are welcome
to speak. Anything you wish to say as giving cooperative information such as
you have according to your conviction, you are welcome to speak; but do not feel
as though you must necessarily speak according to ours. You are welcome to be
governed by your highest intuition and we should be governed by ours.
Let this Spirit and this Mind be in you that was also in CHRIST JESUS, and the development and the unfoldment of that particular Mind of which I AM now speaking will eventually be brought to fruition within you as well as in others, for it is written,
'Be ye therefore perfect even as your FATHER which is in heaven is perfect!'
It is your privilege to do it. Now I need not say more at this particular instance,
but I AM refraining from speaking to give our visiting friends a chance to speak.
If they desire an introduction according to custom, we are pleased to introduce
you whensoever you give us the necessary information. I thank you.
(As a card was passed up to FATHER, our loving Savior arose again to say:)
PEACE EVERYONE! We have with us the Reverend Doctor Griffin. If Doctor Griffin would like to have a word to say he is welcome to come forward to the platform and speak, if he is led to do so. I thank you.
(At this instance Reverend Griffin, Assistant Pastor of the Umbria Baptist Church, came forward and spoke as follows:)
Beloved: It is a wonderful pleasure for me to have the privilege for the first time, meeting FATHER DIVINE, at which time I was seeing HIM in New York on the street and I was not able to get close by HIM because HE was in a parade. The greatest of all was when I heard such Gospel that HE was preaching. There is no other Gospel under the sun that can stop it! That is the onlyest Gospel there was in the world! Any time the Truth is told it is Gospel. It is really surprising to me for some things that HE did say, because you hear things that are not actually the truth, but when I came and heard it for my own self, then I can witness that as preaching the Gospel.
HE is worth every word that can be said about HIM! I could have sat and listened to HIM for all night; and I believe HE preaches the same Gospel I preach. I tell the people that they must be born again. They must be born again!
I could say more but I am so filled from the very, very fine way I was introduced to you until I hardly know what to say; but I wish it would be that I could come back some other time and explain myself to you just the way I do feel.
I know, this thing -- you know, religion, you can't tell it all at once anyway. It takes some time to tell it. But I can say I want to live so GOD can use me at all times; and when we live so righteous that GOD can use us, then you can never lose anything!
If I should speak no more ever in your presence, you love FATHER DIVINE! I believe myself, HE is wonderful; I always longed to see HIM Personally. Many miracles have been done by your FATHER DIVINE; many miracles have been done, and whether you know it or not, but the majority of the world is trying to get what HE got. No longer than today, I don't know why, I did not know I was going to be here tonight. There was a "w---" gentleman talking to me. He said to me, he said, "What do you think of FATHER DIVINE?" What do I think of FATHER DIVINE? I said, "Well, I think HE is about the wonderfullest Man' that ever was." He said, "I think so myself." He said, "If the whole world could get what HE has," he said, "what would the world be?" He said, "It would be a heaven right here, wouldn't it?" And so he said it is so strange until I put my hand on my head and I said, "I believe you are right." And on and on we talked.
And tonight my main reason for being down in this vicinity is because there is a quartette I used to sing with in Norfolk, Virginia, that happened to be at the Tindley's Temple, and I came down to hear them sing. I used to broadcast with them over station WTAR, and by getting here I saw this car and I knew I had seen this car in the parade in New York. I said, "Oh, my Lord, the One that I have been wanting to see here a long time is here now and I will go over." And I thank you for this little space you have allowed me to speak. I could say more. May GOD bless you and may you ever pray that I may be blessed too, that HE can get the glory out of my life and that I may ever be the man GOD wants to use in this glorious day. I thank you!
(As Reverend Griffin concluded, FATHER arose to speak again as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! Here we all are, in the Unity of the Spirit, of Mind, of Aim and of Purpose to contagionize others with this which we are now experiencing, for we are going on!
If any of our other visiting friends in our midst desire to have a word to say, you are welcome to do so. Do not feel obligated to speak as we speak, neither as the last speaker, Doctor Griffin, but feel free to speak according to your own religious conviction. If it happens to be Mine, it is all right; if it does not happen to be Mine, why, it is all right too. Paul said:
'Let every man be persuaded by his own opinion.'
I say in this modern age:
'Let each person be governed by his highest intuition and move volitionally. Be conscientious and sincere and he will bring forth the CHRIST within to fruition that will give him the victory!'
Remember, Paul said on one occasion:
'The Law of the Spirit of Life that was in CHRIST JESUS has made me free from the law of sin and death.'
The same Law will free you because it is impersonal. Aren't you glad! To each
and everybody it is applicable. You can apply it to your life. By bringing your
body into subjection it will give you the selfsame emancipation that Paul was
speaking of when he said:
The Law of the Spirit of Life in CHRIST JESUS has made me free from the law of sin and death!'
Now, I say, be governed by your highest intuition and be not ashamed of the Gospel
of CHRIST! Some people are ashamed to speak, only in their own congregations,
but I rejoice and much appreciate the last speaker because he is not ashamed
of the Gospel of CHRIST. I believe he realizes this is a Power because this shall
sweep the universe. It shall envelop the world, and all nations, languages, tongues
and people shall eventually be universal believers! I mean, and I believe the
same thing just like you and I believe in the Actual Presence of GOD, that shall
satisfy every good desire! I thank you.
(At this point another gentleman arose volitionally to speak as follows:)
Peace: I want to say that I traveled from coast to coast, and since I have been here I have tried to get up and speak in some of FATHER'S places. Now I want to say here that I see that FATHER DIVINE is the onliest Real GOD there is. You can say what you want to say. I have been right there in Youngstown, Ohio, in the Baptist Church, and they charge you ten cents when you go inside the church and then watch over you while you go out. But this is no gambling den. There is no gambling den in FATHER'S place, but every church you go to, it is a gambling den!
I do believe that FATHER DIVINE is GOD Almighty. I don't understand very much but as far as I can see, HE is GOD. I believe HE is GOD and I am going to follow HIM!
(It was after this speech that FATHER arose to speak once more as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! This is not a systematized and an organized class meeting as we usually have in our Methodist Churches, but I move, I speak volitionally to endorse the last speaker; and at times we move volitionally in the actuated words of expression, doing just what others may do by custom, but when the Spirit does it, it is just the same as if it was done by custom.
Class leaders lead the class and instruct the speakers. I have arisen to endorse the speaker in his religious conviction, in his determination to live the Life and keep the Faith and do that which is Just and Right in the act of serving GOD according to his own religious conviction.
If there are any other visiting friends desire to have a word to say you are welcome to do so. If you contact ME harmoniously the reaction of the harmonious touch will bring you your desired results. I thank you.
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