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The Church of Christ

(Part I)

Revealed through the Inner Voice to Bertha Dudde in accordance with the promises of John 14:21, 26 & 16:13, 25

Lorens N. matthew242000@yahoo.com

Table of contents

Page
4 Bertha Dudde: Autobiography

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Church of Christ in its beginnings... How long did Christs doctrine remain pure?.... And how an organisation came into power?... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 7 8375 8890 The church of Christ in its beginnings. How long did Christs doctrine remain pure?....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Different denominations... Which one of them has the Truth?... The only beatifying church. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 9 10 6627 7072 5456 Different schools of thought.... Where is truth?.... The true church.... Sects.... Working of the spirit.... The only beatifying church.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Characteristic of the Church of Christ: 1. The working of the spirit.... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11 12 13 5174 6445 8651 Characteristic of the church of Christ: The working of the spirit.... Characteristic of the church of Christ.... The true church of Christ.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Characteristic of the church of Christ: 2. Spiritual Gifts... (issue of 'speaking in tongues')... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14 15 16 17 18 6551 7703 6013a 6013b 7855 Striving for spiritual gifts.... Characteristic of the church of Christ.... Gifts of the spirit. Various gifts of the spirit.... Speaking in tongues.... Warning against wrong spirit.... Divine Working of the spirit. Speaking in tongues. I. 2

19 20 21 22

7856 8641 8835

Divine working of the spirit. Speaking in tongues. II. Indication of the adversarys activity. (Speaking in tongues) About speaking in tongues.

4588 The working of the spirit. Scrutiny. Proof: Oratorical gift. Truth Error. Gods messengers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The characteristic of the true Christian: Following Jesus Christ in everything... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23 25 26 26 27 28 29 29 31 32 5547&5548 6010 4544 (5982 3920 4876 7874 (7398 7622 5772 True Christianity....

The church of Christ.... Follow Me.... Change of the true Gospel... Followers?... an excerpt) Following Jesus.... A life of love and self-denial.... Christs path to the cross.... How to follow Jesus.... Jesus Christ is the gate into the kingdom of light.) Following Jesus. Patiently bearing the cross. The church of Christ....

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Places for worshipping God... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------33 34 1083 6402 Places of worship.... Church buildings?....

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BERTHA DUDDE.

At the request of many friends Bertha Dudde wrote the following biography in 1953: I have been writing messages, received through the inner Word since June 15, 1937. In answer to the many requests of my friends I will give you a picture of my earthly life, a short explanation of what I received spiritually, and my own feelings about all this. I was born April 1, 1891, the second oldest daughter of an artist of Liegnitz in Schlesien, todays Poland I had a normally peaceful childhood, with six sisters in our parent home. I learned the cares of life at an early age. The desire to make money to help my parents made me learn the trade of a seamstress. As the financial needs of my parents continued, so the burden, and in this way I made myself useful. My parents belonged to different denominations. Father was a Protestant -Mother a Catholic. We children were brought up in the Catholic faith, but never experienced pressure or force to follow the practices of the church so that each child in later years could pursue their own chosen course. I myself was religious, but could not accept the doctrine of the Catholic system, although I respected the church. I could not represent something on the outside that my inner conscience had not accepted. So I did not continue to attend church, heard little preaching and had no knowledge of the Bible. I did not read any religious books or scientific literature and did not join any other group or religious sect. Anyone knowing the Catholic teaching knows what a conscious struggle one finds himself in when he wants to loosen himself from it. I also was not spared from this. But the question as to what is the Truth, and where it is to be found, remained. Often when I prayed the Lord's prayer I would beseech the Lord to allow me to find HIS kingdom. This prayer was answered in June 15, 1937, as I prayed quietly and waited on the inner voice. In this attitude I persisted often, for a wonderful peace came over me and thoughts which came to my heart, not my head, gave me comfort and strength. Still I did not know that these thoughts were given to me, until in a strange dream I experienced something, which later proved to be the Truth and caused me to write down these thoughts. So on a certain day as I listened inwardly a stream of words came to me, which I wrote down. This was the first message I wrote which started like this: "In the beginning was the Word, 'a TE-DEUM' to the Creafor of Heaven and Earth." Then came doubt, .did you write this by yourself? In short, I have wrestled, prayed and gone through many struggles, but again and again the words came to me like a stream, a wisdom, which made me tremble. Then GOD HIMSELF took away my doubts. HE answered me and I acknowledged HIM as our Father, in HIS Word. My faith grew, doubt diminished, and I received and wrote daily. The contents of the writings were beyond my understanding. Phrases, which I had never heard of, or read about, strange and scientific expressions and references continually came to me. Then came unheard of expressions of the Heavenly Father's Love giving refuge and providing enlightenment to all the questions of life.

The "Words" came to me in the following manner: After sincere prayer and a short period of composure I listened inwardly. Thoughts then followed coming to my mind, clearly, distinctly, and the words flowed smoothly always three or four, one after another, like writing a radio announcement or a weather report, slowly so that I could easily keep pace, writing line after line. Now, I write the words in shorthand as a dictation without having any constructive or intellectual part in it. I am in no way in a 'trance', nor do I even form the sentences, but it comes to me one word at a time, neither do I understand the context while I am writing the words down. After days, sometimes weeks, I transcribe the shorthand writings into longhand without changing or correcting a syllable. Each dictation takes about half an hour. I must stress that this could not happen forcibly or in a state of ecstasy. It all takes place simply and consciously, without any excitement or influence of my own will. I can interrupt myself at any time and finish the sentence after hours or days without reading the previous writing the dictated words continue again. My will is under no compulsion, all that I desire is to serve GOD and do what HIS Will wants me to do. I can truthfully say that I was led into this Truth, and these concepts were, in all respect foreign to me. It was only after years that I found confirmation of what I received, when I came to know the writings of Jacob Lorber. No one can imagine my joy when I discovered the literature of Jacob Lorber; "The Great Gospel of John" and the "Youth of CHRIST" Then I understood that other people were given the Word of the Lord, that GOD had spoken to HIS children at all times and that GOD will continue to do this in HIS endless Love and Mercy. I found in Lorber' s writings the same as was given to me. I often could not understand the word that came to me, but in HIS Love the Heavenly Father gave me the explanation. How wonderful are the innumerable manifestations in which the Father displays HIS exceeding great goodness. It became clear to me that my short education, due to lack of money and my lack of time to read good books or visit performances, became my advantage. I could now concentrate on my work from early morning to late at night, and each day I received that precious spiritual Word without knowing for whom I received it. It is because of my ignorance of the Bible and the Catholic doctrine that I accepted the Word from Above without resistance. In my experience an earnest Catholic or Protestant whose knowledge is rooted in dogmatic theories is too much bound to their dogma to accept and embrace Divine revelations without resistance. Still there are scientists at several faculties who earnestly discuss these Divine teachings with increasing interest. Their interest does not only concern the irrefutable explanation of the origin of matter and the possibility of its dissolution, but also the principle of the wrong teachings of different religions, systems and confessions. In the messages I received these errors are recorded and everyone is urged to give instructions concerning these doctrinal errors whenever there is an opportunity. But everyone is free to take the LORD' s Word to heart or not. But whoever understands the spirit in the Father's Word and does not act accordingly makes the distance between himself and the Father even greater. When he does not follow the warning words of Love he puts himself inevitably under the law. He will also in the same measure lack in Grace, disregarding GOD' s commandment of Love. In GOD' s Grace people are led anew to the gospel, which emphatically points out the purpose of man's being. For the merciful Love of GOD seeks to save all who still can be saved be fore the turning point comes. And it will come. The end-time of which seers and 5

prophets have proclaimed is now here. According to the revelations given to me, the LORD does not differentiate between HIS children. "Come ye all to ME" sounds HIS call and blessed is he who hears HIS call and follows HIM. GOD Loves HIS children. HE wants to make them all happy, even when they do not want to know HIM. Recorded Nov. 22, 1953 BERTHA DUDDE.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Church of Christ in its beginnings... How long did Christs doctrine remain pure?.... And how an organisation came into power?... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B.D. 8375 8.1.1963

The church of Christ in its beginnings.

My disciples received the Gospel of love from Me directly when I lived on earth, and thus they were able to carry it into the world in its pure and unadulterated form after I accomplished My act of Salvation and ascended to My kingdom of light again. And they, on their part, also kept My teaching pure and people came to know Me as their Redeemer from sin and death. They were instructed by My disciples that they would have to take the path to the cross and live a life of love in order to be able to fulfil the purpose of their earthly lives and to enter My kingdom after their deaths. My disciples were guided into truth by Me and also passed on the same truth because My spirit was able to work in them. In the beginning, therefore, people accepted My pure Gospel and also made an effort to live a life of love, and thus they, too, became spiritually alive and I was able to work in them Myself. And so My teaching remained pure for a certain period of time, My disciples passed on their teaching ministry because they recognised the spiritual state of those they appointed as their successors. Yet it did not take long before people assumed such a teaching ministry by themselves, partly due to selfish reasons, partly due to overzealousness of complying with My will but without waiting for the inner calling. And so it came to pass that this teaching ministry was eventually conferred indiscriminately.... that the inner ability, the human beings spiritual state, was no longer pertinent but that external circumstances played a part and thus increasingly endangered the pure truth as well which, however, was not noticed precisely because of the teachers unenlightened spirit. The people, however, to whom the Gospel was preached were denied the right to form their own opinion and to voice doubts about the absolute truth of what they were taught. Those who deemed themselves spiritual leaders were convinced of their mission and authority and allowed no contradiction 6

whatsoever. And those who were being taught were obliged to accept without scrutiny that everything they were offered was true. It was only possible for the truth to remain pure as long as its guardians were spiritually enlightened. Yet the number of those who were placed into positions of authority without being enlightened by My spirit soon predominated and all objections by a spiritually awakened person were dismissed. The former grew more powerful and the pure truth became interspersed with error. with ideas which had originated in peoples intellect and were endorsed by them as divine truth. And although spiritually enlightened people time and again tried to eliminate this error. My adversary succeeded in asserting himself, for his followers power was already too great and the pure truth was no longer recognised as such. This explains to you that in the course of time something entirely different established itself as the church of Christ than what was founded by Me on earth. Only this explains how an organisation came into power, why time and again divisions occurred within this organisation and why I only ever want the church founded by Me to be regarded as a spiritual edifice that includes those people who live in truth due to a life of love, which results in a living faith and the awakening of the spirit. And this church has indeed kept itself alive to this day, for time and again My spirit could pour itself out over people who made an effort to live a life of love and to fulfil My will. And so the pure truth which exposes all misguided teachings could always be imparted to them again, and every genuinely truth-seeking person will receive an explanation as to how humankind was able to fall into such confused thinking and is unwilling to free itself from it. Yet it will also be understandable to everyone that the masses will never be open to the truth but willingly accept error, and thus every individual person should try to free himself from wrong spiritual knowledge as soon as My grace offers him the pure truth, for just his sincere desire will enable him to differentiate between truth and error, and then he will also belong to the church which I founded on earth Myself. Amen

B.D. 8890 5.12.1964

How long did Christs doctrine remain pure?....

I draw those of you close to Me who want to be addressed by Me, who have questions bothering you which only I can answer for you. Many a time one question has been asked: how long did Christs doctrine remain pure and what caused it to become contaminated? And I have always taught you such that it remained pure for as long as a direct working of My spirit was possible. however, when people of unawakened spirit took the lead. people who could not be taught by Me directly, in whom My spirit simply could not work any longer, then, understandably, it had to change. The first disciples, as well as their successors, were still in close contact with Me, they were still influenced by My crucifixion, for although quite some time had passed afterwards it was nevertheless a powerful event to which My first disciples testified, so that they found numerous followers who adopted the divine doctrine of love and also endeavoured to live a life of love. who thereby accepted the faith in the divine Redeemer and also attained the awakening of their spirit. While this was the case My doctrine remained pure, their faith was alive and My first disciples were able to keep educating apostles and sending them out into the world with the task of proclaiming the Gospel of love. And every messenger was under My direct influence, he only ever passed on what the voice of the spirit within him told him, what he had to say because he was filled with the spirit of God. The dilution of My teaching did not suddenly take place either, one thing followed another as someone or other was unsuited for a ministry but appointed himself to fill it or was elected by those who were also spiritually unawakened. In due course, the initially small communities grew into larger organizations which, in turn, were answerable to someone more powerful who elevated himself to this position because he possessed knowledge which other brothers lacked, but which could not be called spiritual knowledge. Thus a structure began to appear which, in the beginning, was still managed by good people but which took on ever worldlier forms, who certainly saw their task in spreading the Gospel but simultaneously also pursued earthly objectives, for they no longer possessed the characteristic of My church.... inner enlightenment through the spirit.... so that they eventually only observed the dead letter but were no longer able to demonstrate a living faith. The church which I Myself founded on earth has not changed, even today it is still made up of those who believe in Me with a living faith and in whom My spirit can be active. whom I can therefore guide in their thoughts so that their thinking is always right and they have a living bond with Me. This church has weathered all times, it 7

survived in the midst of large organizations because its members were from all confessions and they were alive in their thoughts, determination and actions. Therefore, no time can be specified as to how long it remained pure. For time and again I say to you that I only consider those people to be members of My church who know themselves to be close to Me, who live in constant union with Me, who believe in Me and with whom I can therefore speak through the spirit. And everywhere, in all denominations, there have been people who were very close to Me, I was able to reveal Myself far and wide and guide them into profound knowledge. Yet whether they were acknowledged as true vessels for divine revelations depended upon the spiritual state of those who considered themselves leaders and who were already considerably distant from the truth. The number of My true disciples has also shrunk considerably, and even today I send them out to preach the Gospel to the nations, the Gospel of love, because only through love can people prove that they belong to Me, to My church, because then My spirit will be able to be active within them, which is the surest sign of it. But only they will acquire the kingdom of heaven, only to them can I convey the truth and reveal My plan of eternity. For far more important things are at stake than just the observance of church traditions and performances which are of no value whatsoever for the progress of the human soul. It concerns the life of the soul which it can only achieve through loving actions and a living faith. To make this known to their fellow human beings was the only task I gave to My first disciples. And I accepted everyone into My church who observed these commandments, and even today the same commandment is still valid: Love God above all else and your neighbour as yourself. Amen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Different denominations... Which one of them has the Truth?... The only beatifying church. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B.D. 6627 21.8.1956

Different schools of thought.... Where is truth?....

All spiritual disagreements could be resolved if each supporter approached Me Myself with his opinion and awaited My explanations. Then there would truly be no conflicts, then all people concerned would have to reunite because they would all simply receive the same answer from Me. The fact that so many divisions have occurred, that so many schools of thought have been formed, is certain proof that this path to Me had not been not taken, that people had only used their intellectual thought and this can never produce the same results, because My adversary can all too easily intervene and confuse the intellect where I Myself Am not called upon in order to enlighten it. A few advocates of their point of view have done this, and therefore their opinion will more likely correspond to the truth, but it is not accepted by those who have ignored Me. And thus the law, the truth, will repeatedly shine through but too little attention is given to its light and conflicts are not resolved. They will always surface because intellect is more highly rated and intellect can alter the worst distortions such that they are deemed to be wise and are then endorsed again. If you humans now considered the many different religious doctrines and schools of thought, then this itself should make you doubt the truth of what everyone supports, since there can only be one truth. Thus.... if the truth really was amongst the various schools of thought. all others would have to be wrong. But which one is true?.... Each one claims to have the truth and yet it cannot be recognised or it could not be doubted and abandoned in favour of another. Do consider this.... Do consider that the truth belongs to Me, do consider that you are My children, whom I love. Thus I 8

will not withhold the truth from you.... thus it will also have to be recognisable. Therefore, as long as you humans do not know but merely assume that you live in truth you will not possess it. However, this does not apply to those of blind faith who have never formed an opinion of what they are expected to believe, rather I address the leaders, the representatives of individual denominations or schools of thought who in turn seek to convince their followers of the truth of what they represent. I speak to those who use their intellect and come forward in order that their still undecided fellow human beings should join them. I speak to those who certainly would be mentally capable of recognising the pure truth if they let their heart speak at the same time, if they offered the spirit within themselves the opportunity to express itself but have so far refrained from doing and are thus misguided in spite of having a highly developed intellect. All these would be surprised to get the same results if they followed the right path to Him Who is truth within Himself and can and will only ever give the truth. The many denominations and different schools of thought provide alarming evidence that the working of the spirit is alien to all those in charge at the top, who do not work together because they represent conflicting opinions. And if they were to permit the working of the spirit they would soon realise that there is no need for an external organisation, that the human being has to look for the truth within himself and that everyone will recognise the truth who allows himself to be taught by his spirit, who takes the path to Me, abides by My will and listens to Me. But then he can claim the right that his faith has become certainty, and then he will also convincingly support the religious doctrines. And all those of the same spirit will also be taught the same by their spirit and thus know that pure truth can only be found in Me Myself, that it makes everyone indescribably happy who has found it and that all disagreements will be resolved when it is explained by the only One in authority to do so. Amen

B.D. 7072 23.3.1958

The true church.... Sects.... Working of the spirit....

The fact that so many schools of thought or faith exist and that people are usually admitted into them without their own will should make you humans think. The childs will does not determine the faith it is born into, and therefore it is similarly not to a persons own merit nor their own fault to be educated in a particular school of faith. And if now either one church or the other were the only beatifying., if only one or the other were right before God or pleasing to Him, then people who were born into other schools of thought could rightfully feel disadvantaged by God that the true church was withheld from them due to their birth. But it is by no means the case that a human being can come to the truth without their own effort, and again it is completely unimportant into which school of thought he was born into. Because every human being has to struggle for the light of truth himself. And it is equally certain that truth cannot be implanted through education unless the person has gathered the right foundation within himself on which the truth can take root in order to now become and to remain his possession. But this aforementioned fact should also make those people think who maintain their affiliation to a particular school of thought and deem themselves to be living in truth. It is a presumptuous idea to believe yourself to possess the privilege for the kingdom of heaven.... But many people have this presumptuous idea because all members of sects are utterly convinced they possess the exclusive truth. And yet they have mostly taken on board what they in turn were taught by those who equally fanatically deemed themselves infallible. And none of them have spent any thought on how God Himself regards those who do not belong to their school of thought. As long as a school of thought is only based on love for God and other people and Jesus Christs act of Salvation it can also produce true Christians to whom the light of truth will soon shine as well. For if Gods commandments of love are fulfilled while believing in Jesus Christ the divine Redeemer, the human being becomes active himself, and therefore he voluntarily joins the community of believers, the church which Jesus Christ Himself founded on earth. And every human being has to make this personal decision for himself, that is, the fundamental religion is the fulfilment of the commandments of love and as long as this is ignored the 9

person stands outside the church of Christ, outside of the truth, in spite of belonging to a school of faith which pretends to be the only true and beatifying one. No human being can acquire beatitude merely by belonging to a particular school of thought or through actions demanded by it.... Only truly unselfish love for other people and thereby also demonstrated love for God leads to beatitude, and this can be practised in every school of thought, which will then also lead to the knowledge of pure truth. However, as long as there are separate communities, as long as each one tries to win members for itself who have to prove their membership by accepting what they teach themselves. as long as these members freedom of thought is restricted they are mere supporters but not living Christians who can consider themselves to belong to the church of Christ. But as soon as a person becomes alive, which thus only requires the condition of a life of love, he also realises the extent of truth a school of thought can claim for itself. Then he will certainly be able to instruct his fellow human beings better than the leaders of the schools of thought but he will not be able to transfer his insight to his fellow human being, instead his fellow human being has to fulfil the same conditions which will lead to the realisation of the pure truth: He first has to become a living Christian through a life of love because this results in a strong faith, and then he will also belong to the church of Christ, which He Himself has built on the rock of faith. It should make sense to every thinking human being that God will never depend a persons beatitude on the school or community of faith he belongs to, since the simple fact that people are born into and attached to such communities without volition should make them think. provided they still have enough faith to acknowledge a God and a purpose for the human being. For atheists such thoughts are not worth discussing anyway because they dismiss every school of faith. But to those who all too eagerly support their opinion and repeatedly try to prove their truth by quoting words from the scriptures which, however, they only interpret rationally, apply the words that only love alone activates the spirit within the human being. In that case, however, the spirit will also instruct them in accordance with the truth, and therefore misguided teachings will also be highlighted from which the person has to liberate himself if he wants to be a living Christian, a follower of the true church of Christ, which does not exhibit any other outward characteristics than just the working of the divine spirit. Amen B.D. 5456 4.8.1952

The only beatifying church.

There is no only beatifying church if an organisation is meant by this. Anyone belonging to the church founded by Me on earth will become blessed, because his eternal bliss is already guaranteed by the fact that he is a member of My church, that he therefore lives in a faith which has become a living faith through love. It is not the church that ensures a persons beatitude but faith and love.... which might well be entirely missing in spite of belonging to a church supposedly founded by Me but established by people as the only beatifying church. Indeed, true members of My church can emerge from every church or school of thought as this is solely determined by faith and love, but no human being can ever belong to this church of Mine who cannot demonstrate its characteristics. the working of My spirit, which is based on faith and love. My kingdom is not of this world and although My Words were undeniably spoken to the people of this world they nevertheless had a spiritual meaning, because they were meant to help establish My spiritual kingdom, they referred to the kingdom outside of this world, which is everlasting. What I demanded of people was to guarantee their eternal life in the spiritual kingdom, My demands should in fact be fulfilled on earth but not with earthly actions in which the soul could stay detached. rather the soul has to comply with My will. Only the soul has to change itself, and if it genuinely strives to do so it will already be a member of My church, because then the person also has faith and his inner impulse for willing pursuit is My spirit, My voice, to which he will listen and strive to follow. And this working of spirit is proof of membership to My church.... which will later result in blissfulness. I brought the pure Gospel to people, I enlightened people about everything required to enter My kingdom which is not of this world. I taught them to love and thus showed them the way which leads into the kingdom of bliss, I gathered around Me all those who so far had been taught wrongly, and thus I was their preacher representing His church and wanting to give its beatifying effect to the people who listened to Him. Therefore I founded the true church while I lived on earth, and I admitted everyone into it.... Jews, Gentiles, tax collectors and sinners. and to those who believed in Me, who accepted My teaching and lived accordingly, I sent My spirit after My death, the attribute of My church, which cannot be overcome by the gates of hell. 10

But where is the working of the spirit in the church which calls itself the only beatifying church? My spirit can certainly express itself even there, as long as a connection with My church has been established first, because I alone pour out My spirit and only where the conditions are met which result in a working of My spirit. And that is where the true church of Christ can also be recognised, because no matter what is done to its people, they cannot be defeated or driven away even if hell itself takes action against them. My church is invincible because it is My work.... it is the only spiritual church which leads to beatitude. No self-righteous Christians can be found in it because they exclude themselves from the community of believers and are therefore not true followers of Christ and neither are they devout representatives of My name when they are put to the test. And this test of faith will be demanded of them, it will be demanded of all who call themselves believers, and then it will be proven who belongs to the true church, the church which I founded Myself. Then the working of My spirit will be proven as well as the strength it can give to those who come under attack for My names sake but who gladly acknowledge Me before the world when the decision is demanded. And then it will also be proven how little the church, which calls itself the only beatifying church, lives up to its promises. how all its members will leave who did not belong to My church, who then recognise its weakness but not the spiritual value of the church which was built on faith as strong as Peters. Because every one of My Words was and is to be understood spiritually and can only be understood as such when My spirit can work within a person. But then he has a living faith and he will only strive for the kingdom which is not of this world. Amen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Characteristic of the Church of Christ: 1. The working of the spirit.... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B.D. 5174 19.7.1951

Characteristic of the church of Christ: The working of the spirit....

The church of Christ is not an organisation, it is the unification of all spiritually striving people from all denominations who believe in Jesus Christ and live a life of love, for not the creed provides the evidence of their belonging to the said church but the spirit which speaks through the people who are its members. Surely you will understand that it can never ever be enough for God that a person joins this or that school of thought, either because of its name or also due to being impressed by the customs and traditions which every organisation and denomination exhibit, but that God only evaluates a persons attitude which can vary in every denomination, i.e., more or less corresponding to Gods will, more or less heeding the divine commandments. And yet, the only decisive factor as to who may count himself a member of the church of Christ is whether a life of love has awakened Gods spirit within the human being. The church of Christ is a purely spiritual organisation which makes no concessions to the world whatsoever; it is only based on a human beings spiritual life, on the conscious will to attain the spiritual goal which is the human beings task on earth. The church of Christ unites all believing, that is, inwardly convinced followers of Jesus who accept the divine teaching of love as their law of life, who acknowledge Christs act of Salvation and through conscious unity with Him know no other 11

endeavour but to develop the strength of the spirit. who thus are enlightened by the divine spirit, which will always be the evidence of belonging to His church. The church of Christ needs no other external characteristic in order to be recognised as His true church, which He Himself founded on earth, apart from the spiritual rebirth, which is verified by the expression of the divine spirit in the human being. And this, in turn, is recognisable through enlightened thinking, through the realisation of truth, through realising the purpose of the human beings life, through strong faith and its resulting extraordinary working, be it by healing the sick, by averting great earthly adversity, by the influx of the divine Word or the commanding of the elements for the benefit of other people. A power, which is of divine origin, will always emerge once the human being has achieved spiritual rebirth, and he will belong to the church of Christ, which is outside of every ecclesiastical organisation but which can number people from every denomination as its members. It is a spiritual community of profoundly devout people whose leader is Jesus Christ Himself, with whom every member must enter into heartfelt contact in order to be admitted to His church. For His church is something that is alive, it is not a dead structure which exists in the world by name yet lacks all spirit. His church is based on living faith which was brought alive through love. This is why love and faith are the first condition in order to belong to His church, why people from all denominations belong to His church, whose living faith arose from their love for God and their neighbour. All these people are being united by Jesus Christ in the church He established on earth, and He also bestows them with the gifts of the spirit depending on their maturity, ability and purpose of activity on earth for His kingdom. Wherever Gods spirit is working there stands a pillar of His church which is and will remain insurmountable for all eternity. Amen

B.D. 6445 6.1.1956

Characteristic of the church of Christ....

The working of My spirit is the characteristic of My church which I Myself founded on earth.... Time and again I must tell you that you can only recognise My church by that, that you are only members of the church of Christ when the spirit is able to work in you. when your thinking is enlightened, even if you are not called on to accomplish extraordinary things. Enlightened thinking demonstrates the strength of My spirit which, however, can only express itself when the preconditions are fulfilled.... when selfless activity of love has established the bond between the spiritual spark within you and its Father-Spirit. Then you will also be able to have a living faith, for love will have brought the faith in you alive and the spirit within you will brightly and clearly realise which teachings correspond to the truth, thus you will also uphold them with conviction towards your fellow human beings. As long as you still live in error, as long as your faith is merely a conventional faith without life, the spirit will not be active in you yet and neither will you be able to say that you belong to the church of Christ. the church which I Myself founded on earth. Alone the fact that you humans are unaware of this or, if you are told, do not want to believe it, proves that you dont belong to My church as yet; it proves that you are spiritually unenlightened, and it proves that you dont live a loving way of life, otherwise your thinking would change by itself and enable you to recognise the truth of these Words of Mine. Let Me earnestly remind you to live a life of unselfish love. For this is the first condition in order to awaken the spiritual spark in you, so that it will become active. so that it will grant you realisation of the truth. But dont adhere to external formalities, dont accept what you are told by unenlightened people, by what they, in turn, accepted from other unenlightened people and subsequently firmly endorse as truth. Acquire the truth for yourselves by asking Me for it. Dont just be content with the teaching material that is given to you but dwell 12

on it first before you accept it, and appeal to Me for help in order to recognise the truth. And providing this is your sincere will I shall truly guide your thoughts correctly, because it is My will that you shall attain the truth and I will do everything in order to convey it to you, only your free will to seriously desire the truth is necessary. I cannot approve your lethargy of thinking; I cannot praise you humans for unreservedly believing what you are being told without first forming your own opinion about it. I wont condemn you if you, despite your best intentions, dont think that you can accept something.... even if it is the truth. But I will condemn you if you accept spiritual knowledge without thinking about it, because spiritual knowledge must become a certainty in you and this is only possible if you mentally look at it from every angle and, in order to then think correctly, ask Me Myself for help. Such a request is so pleasing to Me that I will truly grant it, but how seldom does an appeal like that rise up to Me. And therefore it will also be impossible for you to attain a living faith, it will be impossible for My spirit to work in you because you dont grant it the right to express itself. And for this reason you will never be able to claim that you belong to My church which I established on earth, whose characteristic is the working of the spirit in the human being which will guide you into truth., which will also make you realise that your life is a waste of time as long as you dont live a life of love and unite yourselves with Me through love. Amen

B.D. 8651 21.10.1963

The true church of Christ.....

Anyone who belongs to My church also has to have a living faith, a faith which came alive through love and thus enables the working of the spirit in the human being, which again is only the result of love. The members of My church will only ever consist of people who are so sincerely united with Me that they feel My presence, whose faith is consequently unwavering and cannot be shaken. which stands firm like a rock against every onslaught from outside, on account of which I said to Peter Upon you I will build My church For Peters faith was strong and unwavering, even though during one hour he did not pass the test of faith, since events precipitated and shook his confidence. It was, however, more due to his intellect, which saw no way out from greatest danger, whereas his soul was pushed back and felt abandoned. Yet after this test of faith his love for Me grew ever deeper and his faith strengthened, and such faith I also expect of those who want to belong to My church. Then they will no longer fall victim to My adversary and their enemy. A member of My church will always recognise the truth and renounce all error, because My spirit works in him as an indication that he is part of the church founded by Me. And where My spirit works there can be no lack of clarity, no doubt and no confused concepts. A member of My church will be enlightened and his thoughts will be correct.... This church needs no external characteristics, it needs no organisations, because there are people in all ecclesiastical organisations with a living faith who thereby arouse the spirit within them, and they all affiliate themselves to the Church of Christ which, in truth, is a purely spiritual connection of those who unite with Me

13

through love, who do everything consciously and not as a meaningless external activity which is purely mechanically implemented. You are meant to be living Christians, always conscious of the fact that you should fulfil the purpose of your earthly life, always eagerly striving to reach your goal, and always submitting yourselves to Me so that I Myself can assume your guidance, and then you will truly reach your goal. For I Am not satisfied that you only fulfil humanly decreed commandments which you were taught during your upbringing, which are pointless and do not result in psychological maturity. As members of the church founded by Me Myself you will also always be My true successors, you will always humbly accept all suffering and hardship affecting you, because you recognise them as a test of faith which you should pass, and as a means of help to increase the maturity of your soul. For this is what the spirit within tells you, and you will also understand the reasons of what I allow to happen to you. You will live a second life next to your earthly one, a life in unity with Me, your God and Father of eternity, and this life will guarantee your perfection. Hence every person is able to attain this perfection, irrespective of the school of thought he belongs to, providing he always stays in a living relationship with Me and can thereby also be guided into truth.... which, however, always necessitates a life of love and a firm, living faith. As long as you humans are lacking both you are just dead forms on this earth which eternally cannot come alive, for your external actions will not result in inner changes which, however, are the meaning and purpose of a human beings earthly life. Join the church which I Myself founded on earth, wake up from your sleep of death, bring the spirit in you to life by doing selfless deeds of love, and you will thereby also achieve a faith so unwavering that hell will fail to shake it. And when you possess such faith you will be truly close to Me already, then you will feel My presence, then you will also regain the abilities that were yours before your apostasy from Me. You will become perfect again as you were in the beginning, and your life will be a happy one for all eternity. Amen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Characteristic of the church of Christ: 2. Spiritual Gifts... (issue of 'speaking in tongues')... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B.D. 6551 20.5.1956

Striving for spiritual gifts.... Characteristic of the church of Christ....

You should diligently endeavour to attain the gifts of the spirit, for they cannot be given to you; you will have to acquire them by preparing yourselves such that My spirit will be able to work in you. Dont think that you can receive them if you failed to do the work of improving your soul, if your nature has not sufficiently changed that it has become love. Your soul must have reached a specific degree of maturity before My spirit can work in you, and this degree of maturity requires your firm will to live entirely in keeping with My commandments on earth, it requires self-denial, selflessly helping your neighbour, a complete turning towards Me. Only then will I be able to pour out My spirit over you, and then will the human being be able to receive the gifts of the spirit for which he is particularly qualified and which will determine his future work for Me and My kingdom. All of you can partake in the gifts of the spirit, for all of you are called to diligently co-operate in the work for the 14

kingdom of God. But only a few are chosen. Only a few fulfil the conditions which is followed by the working of My spirit, only a few take the work of improving their souls so seriously that they shape themselves into a receiving vessel for My spirit, and therefore I can endow only a few with the gifts of the spirit. But anyone who is in possession of it is already blissfully happy on earth, for he knows himself to be in heartfelt contact with Me, he knows I Myself Am working in him and he will successfully work for My kingdom. However, you humans cannot prove your affiliation to the church of Christ.... to the church I Myself established on earth. in any other way but through the possession of a spiritual gift, for this is the characteristic of My church. Various gifts testify to the working of My spirit; but a seemingly extraordinary strength will always become evident, an ability will surface in the human being which he has not acquired through application or study or physical exertion but which was clearly given to him. be it, that he performs miracles, heals the sick, teaches with wisdom or has the gift of prophesy. They all prove their membership to the church of Christ by their living faith which had arisen from love and thus they are in heartfelt contact with Me Myself, so that I can work through My spirit as I consider beneficial for their and their fellow human beings salvation of soul. Hence you humans need only seriously strive to attain a living faith.... and therefore live a life of love. Then you will do whatever it takes to gain your souls degree of maturity and also become aware of My presence in you and, as a result of this awareness, also have remarkable strength at your disposal which I allocate to you such that it will be conducive to you and your vicinity. And anyone who thus has acquired an unusual gift of the spirit will also be a loyal labourer in My vineyard, for he will work with this gift in order to lead his fellow human beings into a living faith in Me in Jesus Christ.... For every person enlightened by My spirit will always testify to the divine Redeemer, because redemption through Him must have preceded before My spirit will be able to work, before the gifts of the spirit can be distributed. and because only a person redeemed by Jesus blood also has the strength to so work at improving his soul that it will attain the required degree of maturity to receive gifts of the spirit. With the help of Jesus Christ all people can and will succeed. And for that reason every spiritually-awakened person will proclaim the One Who promised His spirit. And every person who can exhibit a spiritual gift bears witness to the fact that he found salvation through Jesus Christ from the night of death, for My strength is working in him, My light shines within him, I Myself Am in him and work through My spirit. Amen

B.D. 7703 18.9.1960

Gifts of the spirit.

You will have to mention the gifts of the spirit if you want to explain the remarkable abilities which express themselves in a divine sense and which are also recognised as divine by everyone who is spiritually inclined himself. For I Myself promised these gifts to those who aspire after them and fulfil the conditions required by Me for the working of the spirit. My spirit manifests itself in various ways, always depending on the degree of the souls maturity and the task given to a person who receives a gift of the spirit. There are many different gifts. but it is always an unusual activity for which a person is gifted. an activity he could not perform as a mere human being. He needs My support for this, he has to acquire My strength, which will then take effect in a person as the gift of healing, or the gift of prophesy, or the gift of receiving the truth from Me and spreading it in My name. or, the gift of oratory inspired by Me, so that I Myself can speak through the spirit, but using the mouth of a person who has received from Me this gift in order to hear Me. And when you draw peoples attention to the different gifts I mentioned, also through the spirit, they will have to recognise that you not only possess a special ability. which admittedly could also be given to you as a talent by your Creator. but that you gained this ability through spiritual means, that it cannot be given arbitrarily to anyone who cannot show that he has fulfilled the condition to receive it. And such an ability is even less likely to 15

be gained academically. People are indeed called and could all spiritually shape themselves such that they could receive a gift of the spirit. but not all are chosen, precisely because they do not recognise their calling and therefore do not strive for spiritual gifts either. On the other hand, however, only these gifts are the evidence of a spiritually-inclined way of life, of a persons specific degree of maturity and love, because My spirit can only work in him when he has attained this degree of maturity. After all, if people never find out that everyone can gain a gift of the spirit, they will not believe the messages from above to the extent they deserve, for they cannot explain them properly and therefore doubt every unusual manifestation of the spirit. Indeed, people even go as far as to deny spiritual gifts as divine activity altogether and condemn everything unusual as being associated with Satan. And yet they thereby only give evidence of their own poverty, for where the working of My spirit can no longer be recognised there is no sign of My church either, of the church which I Myself founded on earth. My Church only exists where the working of My spirit is evident, because My spirit testifies to My presence, and because I will always be present where people sincerely strive to progress spiritually and are thus able to receive or show a gift of the spirit. And therefore it will only ever be of benefit when you mention the gifts of the spirit, when you proclaim My Gospel. when you remind people of My Words I shall pour out My spirit over all flesh, and servants and maidens shall prophesy .... Everyone of My promises will be fulfilled, and thus also this one. Hence every expression of unbelief should only ever be countered with My promise, and people should know that My working will become particularly evident during the last days, and that then everything will also come to pass as it was announced in Word and Scripture. Amen

B.D. 6013a 31.7.1954

Various gifts of the spirit....

The spirit of God manifests itself in various ways, since its working depends on a persons ability, on his spiritual maturity. and it also depends on his disposition which spiritual gift will be given to him. The receiving of a spiritual gift always presupposes that you are shaped by love, thus a voluntary total transformation of the being. Gods spirit can only flow into a suitable vessel. a vessel, which thus has been prepared for the reception of the divine ray of love through unselfish deeds of love. Anyone who has not yet achieved this transformation into love cannot expect a gift of the spirit. Consequently, the gifts of the spirit are always merely the result of a loving way of life and never arbitrarily granted gifts. They have to be endeavoured, which anyone could do but which is rarely done. The way Gods spirit takes effect depends on the task given to a person who was shadowed by Gods spirit during his earthly life, which Gods wisdom certainly recognised to be beneficial for humanity but nevertheless requires the human beings free will. God truly knows who wants to serve him and how that person shapes himself, He will therefore place him where he is able to work most effectively.... People in the last days have to be shaken up since their thinking will become completely superficial, thus they will need to be extraordinarily impressed in order to disturb their contentment. But even unusual phenomena 16

have a completely natural explanation, yet what appears to be natural to one person is inconceivable to another because he is spiritually blind. Hence these spiritually blind people will be confronted by someone with vision who can detach himself from his earthly tie and, as you might say, be lifted into the spiritual realm, and who returns from this spiritual realm to earth with a gift which cannot be gained in an earthly way. He will work with powers which enable him to achieve the seemingly impossible.... by way of the Word he will be able to heal the sick or see the future clairvoyantly, he will possess profound wisdom and thus will also be able to inform his fellow human beings. or he will know what is otherwise concealed from people. He will be able to speak foreign languages.... the working of the divine spirit will clearly manifest itself. but only in order to gain peoples souls for the spiritual kingdom, because the spirit of God only affects people spiritually and does not promote earthly interests. Hence the holder of a spiritual gift will always be a labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.... As a result of this gift he will be Gods representative on earth who wants to establish and increase His kingdom and has made it his task in life. Gods spirit will only manifest itself noticeably to other people through His willing servants, although every person can be permeated by His spirit and thus is also able to understand clearly and precisely and be qualified to pass his knowledge on to other people. Nevertheless, people only receive in accordance with their will, and a prerequisite for receiving an obvious gift of spirit is their willingness to work for God and His kingdom. For God wants to reveal Himself through people to all of humanity. God wants to be recognised in His working, hence a person has to act as an intermediary as long as God cannot approach people Himself, as long as unbelief and spiritual blindness make this utterly impossible. It follows that God reveals Himself through His spirit, which manifests itself through a human being, in order to guide people into faith, to enlighten them, to make them see the light shining from above onto people. in order to let them know the purpose of their earthly life and to illuminate the path to the goal. All spiritual gifts only serve to influence peoples souls in the divine sense. Then powers will be released in a person which clearly testify of a divine influx.... the influx of strength that originates from God. the strength of divine spirit. Amen

B.D. 6013b 1.8.1954

Speaking in tongues.... Warning against wrong spirit....

And then the human being will accomplish things which seem unnatural to other people, which far exceed a human beings natural ability.... He will know about things which are usually hidden to people, he will be able to clarify matters convincingly and comprehensibly to his fellow human beings, which a person cannot ascertain with his intellect alone. he will be able to enter regions which are inaccessible to others. He will have the strength to cure the sick, to perform miracles or even be able to see the future clairvoyantly, abilities will become evident which he never developed in himself. he will speak and also understand foreign languages when it is necessary and beneficial for other peoples spiritual development. He will be influenced by divine strength in every way.... but will generally only have one of these gifts, since the requirements vary for each spiritual gift and all requirements are rarely found in one person. But each spiritual gift has to fulfil its purpose, i.e. it has to be possible to derive a benefit from each one. The gift of healing the sick, apart from physical recovery, will undoubtedly also contribute towards the souls recovery, since people learn to believe in the power of the spirit, which is activated by the healers as well as the sick persons firm faith. Predictions of future events, too, can motivate people to change their way of life, to do penance and return to God, because these predictions only ever relate to the earthly consequences of peoples spiritually low level. Proclaiming the truth through the divine spirit also contributes towards the awakening of faith and a change of lifestyle, and again, should be regarded as 17

a purely spiritual factor of utmost importance. Only what contributes towards achieving spiritual benefit can be described as the working of the spirit, because whatever originates from God cant be anything but illuminating. It has to bring light and reveal the ambiguous, it cannot emanate even more darkness than is already amongst humanity. However, Gods spirit can also affect a person in order to remove his state of darkness, to kindle a light in the persons heart. to reveal the souls layers, so that the soul rejoices and cheers and praises its God and Father, Who bestowed it with enlightenment. This influence applies more to the soul than the persons intellect, hence the spiritual gift need not be perceptible to people, but it occasionally affects the outer person so intensely that he tries to express himself with incomprehensible words. People call this process speaking in tongues, but it always just affects the human being himself. it is a gift of the spirit which almost every spiritually awakened person can call his own but only in rare cases is it so intense that other people notice a change. For every spiritually awakened person feels the contact his soul experienced such that his soul raises itself to God praising and thanking Him, that it gives itself to Him and finds inner peace and beatitude. Then his inner ego communicates with God in thought, then he will constantly talk with God without words. Everyone should endeavour to gain this spiritual gift for themselves in order to speak to his fellow human beings on behalf of God and His kingdom, in order to accomplish the redemption work himself as His co-worker, which is blessed. But beware of the wrong spirit, because this, too, makes itself perceptible wherever it can slip in, where pride, self-satisfaction and need for recognition still prevail, thereby offering this spirit the opportunity to express itself in a manner that seems equally unusual. But instead of light it only leaves confusion and agitation. caused by conditions which are off-putting to serious fellow human beings and only result in joy and approval in those who belong to this spirit themselves. Therefore: Do not believe every spirit.... and scrutinise it by taking notice of the gleam of light, of its intensity of light. Because God is light.... what comes forth from God is light. and therefore divine gifts of spirit categorically have to leave an effect of radiant light, otherwise they are Satans works of deception, which he will particularly use during the last days with the intention of dazzling peoples eyes as well as their souls in order to plunge them into even greater darkness and render them unable to recognise the true light. Amen

B.D. 7855 20.3.1961

Divine Working of the spirit. Speaking in tongues. I.

It is My will that everything will become clear to you, that you will receive the answer to the questions you entertain and which you present to Me for a reply. For it is necessary to still correct many errors you humans received from ignorant sources and which can only be clarified through My spirit, for it will guide you into all truth. Only My spirit can give you the right answer, but My spirit must be able to express itself, which presupposes a certain degree of maturity of soul. And it is definitely a blessing for you humans if you dont reject this spirit within you, if you allow its working by shaping yourselves such that I can illuminate you with My spirit. that your indwelling spiritual spark therefore seeks contact with the Father-Spirit of eternity and instructs you, that it enlightens you, that it informs you of spiritual knowledge, that it guides you into truth. Since you still live in spiritual darkness as long as My light cannot shine in you, you urgently need light which I Myself will ignite in you if you live according to My will, if you thus work at attaining the said maturity of soul which allows for the working of My spirit in you. And now I Am asking you: What blessing do you humans derive from My working of the spirit if you merely hear the sound of unintelligible words?.... If a person goes into raptures and speaks words you cannot understand?.... Do you believe, My spirit works like that? Do you believe that you thereby become enlightened in your thinking, that you attain realisation, that truthful knowledge is imparted to you in this way?.... You call this speaking in tongues and dont know what to make of such a 18

tangle of words which are voiced by people who are controlled by evil spirits, who want to show off and deem themselves beyond being tested. Such working of the spirit is a deception by spirits. which can take possession of people whose need for admiration is still too strong, who want to stand out and send themselves into ecstasies. For that which comes from Me is light and clear, it does not spread renewed darkness amongst people. And thus, as long as you experience things which do not grant you light, not complete clarity, I Am not at work, as I Am the Light of eternity. You humans need only ever apply the yardstick as to whether and to what extent you gain light and realisation. Then you will have the clear answer to the question, who is at work. For forces will never express themselves such that it only causes confusion, and I will never want you to be plunged from one question and ambiguity into another and for this emanate My working. It is My will that there shall be light amongst people who desire the light themselves, but I also want you to turn to Me Myself and shape your hearts such that I Myself can work through My spirit in you. I do not want you to hand yourselves over to immature spirits which throw you into ever greater darkness and are able to do so because you merely want to be imbued by a spirit. but not awaken the spiritual spark in you to life through love, which will then seek contact with the eternal Father-Spirit. And this spirit will truly guide you into truth, it will speak to you clearly and comprehensibly, it will give you light, providing you seriously desire light. Amen

B.D. 7856 22.3.1961

Divine working of the spirit. Speaking in tongues. II.

You may constantly receive My love and grace, at no time ever shall your measure be small, you shall always be given according to your desire. And thus you shall also be instructed if you are uninformed, spiritual knowledge shall be conveyed to you as soon as you require it for your salvation of soul. You shall become enlightened, and this light shines forth in you through the working of My spirit, because I love you. And nothing I bestow upon you will ever increase your darkness, it will never contribute towards spreading spiritual night over you. For when the Eternal Light sends Its ray of love to you, you must be enlightened yourselves, everything must become clear to you. Dont forget this fundamental truth, then you will also always make the right judgment if this is demanded of you in regards to spiritual activity whose origin is debatable. Anything that comes from Me can only be light and only ever ignite light in you. In contrast, anything that cannot offer you light does not come from Me; instead, its source is with My adversary, whose greatest endeavour is to keep you in spiritual darkness. But now, do not raise the objection that you are incapable of making a correct judgment. For as soon as you turn to Me with the appeal for spiritual enlightenment, as soon as your request comes from the bottom of your heart and is voiced for the sake of pure truth, you may truly also rely on the fact that it will be granted to you, for every person is pleasing to Me to whom the truth is sacred, who strives for it and who turns to Me Myself, the Eternal Truth Itself. I wont leave you in spiritual darkness, and then you will always have the right 19

thoughts and brightly and clearly recognise as to whether spiritual knowledge originates from Me or My adversary. However, only a few people genuinely desire truth, consequently, much can be presented as truth to the others without recognising the error. For then they will also accept everything thoughtlessly and endorse it again to their fellow human beings as truth and thereby add ever more darkness among the human race. From My side no forceful elimination of such misguided teachings can ensue, because time and again people will be taken in by My adversarys activity and grant him access for as long as they dont seriously desire and request light from Me and because, until they do, countermeasures on My part will remain unsuccessful on account of peoples free will. And so I can only ever grant light to those who want to escape the darkness; but they will indeed be illuminated by My light of love, and they will always recognise where My adversary has intervened in order to confuse peoples thoughts. They will know that anything that is puzzling to people can never be My activity. that I Am never at work when people speak what no-one can understand. when they present themselves as being filled by the spirit of God and cannot provide their fellow human beings with any light whatsoever. Dont believe every spirit, instead, test them seriously. For My opposing spirit is working as well, especially during the time of the end, and he will cause increasingly more confusion by hiding behind My Word, behind the Book of the Fathers. He will draw you humans into error and be able to do so because you believe you know the truth and therefore dont seriously desire the truth, for which you must call upon Me for enlightenment. You believe that you can draw the truth from the Book of Books and fail to appeal to Me for the right spirit, so that you will understand this book properly, so that you wont merely read the letter without grasping the spirit concealed behind the letter. For the letter kills, only the spirit gives life. However, you can only grasp the spiritual meaning of the Word if a light has been kindled in you, if My spirit is able to work in you which enlightens you from within, so that you then will understand the meaning of the written Word. And you should always make sure as to whether you receive a very clear explanation. For only that which comes from Me gives you this clear explanation. What you cannot understand despite your best intentions, what makes you question even more, is not from Me. And you can unhesitatingly reject it as the working of My opposing spirit and need not be afraid that you will be held to account because of your rejection. For the light will always affect you beneficially, whereas the darkness will make those of you withdraw who desire light. And My spirit is not at work as long as you question, as long as you cannot see clearly, instead, it is the work of the one who fights the light, i.e. the truth, and you should keep away from him. Amen

B.D. 8641 10.10.1963

Indication of the adversarys activity. (Speaking in tongues)

You should believe that My adversary will try anything in order to overrule Me, to undermine My activity, to prevent you humans from hearing My Word which signifies light for you in the darkness. And he will always find people complying with his will; he will try to beguile them into believing that they are being of service to Me Myself, and yet they are his servants. He has already largely succeeded in confusing people by igniting deceptive lights for them, so that they believe themselves to be standing in the radiance of light, yet they are far removed from the light of truth. I cannot forcibly eliminate his activity because the human being must make his own decision as to whether he listens to him or to Me. However, as soon as he has the serious will to know the truth he will also be able to recognise it. No person would ever reject My Word from above were he in heartfelt contact with Me and desired the pure truth from Me. Yet as soon as he is indifferent or fanatically holds on to spiritual information of unknown origin, he will not be able to recognise the truth and spread his own spiritual knowledge. If he then wants absolute clarity, he must first of all be serious about it, he must appeal to Me Myself for protection from all deception by the adversary. And I will protect him and grant him light. he can be assured of that. I know what methods My adversary is using and that people are therefore in great danger of falling prey to his temptations. And yet I can only provide them with obvious help when I recognise their will to be of service to Me and the truth. Then the adversarys power will be broken. He will no longer succeed in 20

applying his artful deceptions, for then he will always be recognised as the one he is. My adversary has many opportunities to work against Me, for he presents himself in the garment of an angel of light, he does not shy away from using My name and causing immense confusion among people. The pure truth exposes his activity and everyone who knows this truth will recognise him, providing he is of good will. Therefore, you humans bear a great responsibility, because it is you who allow his working, you could just as well prevent his activity if you seriously wanted to escape his power and his influence. For I will always support this serious will by giving you strength to put it into action. It is always just a certain indifference which allows him to influence you. And if you want to liberate yourselves, then he will often use stronger methods to keep you enthralled: by trying to confound you through unusual phenomena. But then take notice: His activity will not grant you clear light; instead, it will always produce incomprehensible results whose mystic character will baffle you, thus they will seem supernatural, yet they are basically merely unpleasant deceptions from which you derive no gain whatsoever. Can you receive greater clarification than through My Word? For it is comprehensible to everyone and only requires good will in order to be felt by you as light? As soon as something is incomprehensible to you, reject it, for I, your Father of eternity, will always speak to My children such that they can understand Me, but not in a way that you become even more confused than before. Where My spirit expresses itself, there shines brightest light. where My adversarys spirit is active, you will always be drawn into profound darkness, by this alone you already know what you should make of experiences which all belong to the manifestations of the end, when My adversary will try anything in order to win people over for him. Therefore beware and dont lose yourselves to him, for as soon as you sincerely appeal for My protection you belong to Me and against Me he cannot win. Amen

B.D. 8835 2.8.1964

About speaking in tongues.

You should educate your fellow human beings in all truthfulness, and therefore you first have to receive the truth from Me. I have told you many times already that the truth will bring you enlightenment, that you will not stay in the dark, that you will be able to understand everything. And thus you are given an explanation about the various gifts of the spirit, which you can even notice yourselves in those who possess them. You will have to admit that unusual abilities exist when a person has the gift of healing the sick.... you will not be able to deny the gift of prophesy either. just as remarkable knowledge will be obvious to you too. They are all things which are unusual in people, powers are manifesting themselves in a person which are undeniably divine activities for the benefit of the souls. But you ask Me in particular about the gift of speaking in tongues. You have already received the simple explanation from Me that this gift is a special sign of a most heartfelt bond with Me, explained such that I speak through a person who talks to people of different nations and they hear him in their native tongue, so that everyone believes that he speaks to them in their own language. This gift is a most obvious sign of My working. just like the outpouring of My spirit upon My disciples. when all people present heard them speak in their mother tongue. Thus they were speaking in foreign tongues.... and not that a person speaks an incomprehensible language and then believes to be permeated by My spirit. This is a complete misinterpretation of the Scriptures which certainly speak of the blessed feeling of an inner bond with 21

Me which motivates a person to praise My Being, but it takes place in quiet prayer uttered by the tongue. and not by the mouth. I ask you in all seriousness: what point would there be in a prayer articulated with the mouth in an incomprehensible language, if it needs interpreting?.... Am I Myself not able to speak to you in a clearly intelligible way? I want to give you light. why should I use an interpreter who first has to be enlightened by My Spirit in order to be able to give you light. I Am an unambiguous and true God, and I really have no reason to offer you a muddle of words which needs to be translated by another person. Especially this portrayal of speaking in tongues encouraged people to seek this gift desperately, and thus sects arose whose members assemble as the Pentecostal community in order to acquire this gift due to wrong understanding. Whenever I speak to people I will always give them light, but I do not speak to those who express themselves confusingly and need an interpreter, who is equally incapable of spreading light. I ask you, why should I speak to you in a language you dont understand? You misunderstand the words in the Scriptures, as far as they can be regarded as My Word. for even the letter added to My Gospel contains errors. Words have been added which were (are) not My Word and even those are misinterpreted by you, and thus you cannot escape from error. But precisely these words form the basic teachings of those supposedly permeated by the spirit of Pentecost.... And they confuse people because they do not rely on the pure truth which I Myself convey to earth, in fact, they are hostile to it. They do not accept this pure teaching and this, in itself, should already be evidence for you that they have founded themselves on wrong principles. Anyone who is so convinced of their permeation by My spirit that he speaks in foreign tongues also has to be able to translate it himself in spirit and in truth, since it is not My will to confuse peoples spirit but to enlighten it. And this translation has to agree with the spiritual knowledge which I convey to earth from above, or you can reject it as error. I will give light to all of you, and you should not resist this light, for the gift of grace offered to you from above is immeasurable, and yet the error is equally enormous so that I have to be active Myself in order to help you become enlightened again.. And blessed is he who accepts the light that shines for him.... Amen

B.D. 4588 14.3.1949

The working of the spirit. Scrutiny. Proof: Oratorical gift. Truth Error. Gods messengers.
A large structure must be made to waver, and this undertaking shall be tackled by you, for which I Myself will give you the instruction as well as the strength to accomplish the work. Error has crept into all places where truth is expected to be, where people believe they know the truth, and now it is up to you to expose this error, which you would be unable to do by yourselves, by using your intellect alone, yet with My help you can do so, and therefore you shall teach in My name what I have proclaimed to you through the spirit. Each one of you shall make an effort to let My spirit speak in order to gain possession of the pure truth. And if this cannot be achieved you should pay attention to what My messengers reveal to you, who are directly instructed by Me again through the voice of the spirit. Every bearer of truth will uphold the same spiritual knowledge, that is, once the truth is conveyed to someone it will always yield the same results; the spirit, which is in contact with the Father-Spirit of eternity, will proclaim the same to everyone. Thus, the origin of different results must be investigated. That which originates from My spirit will forever remain the truth, which never changes, regardless as to how and in which form it is offered to you. The working of My spirit guarantees you purest truth, and thus you need only examine when My spirit is at work and where false prophets portray themselves as My disciples and representatives on earth. And you can easily ascertain whether the spiritual information, which claims to be true, 22

is accepted consciously or subconsciously. If I pour out My spirit, no process is being displayed for curious spectators, for I do not approach you humans such that you would even in the slightest way be forced to believe. No-one will notice anything extraordinary, unless he considers the fluent gift of oratory as something unusual, but in that case I refer to My Word Take no thought how or what ye shall speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit Then you will already have a sign that My spirit is at work in the one who thus speaks well. However, if other exceptional signs are quoted as evidence, dont believe that it is I Who manifests Himself in this way. Every now and then you might well be able to observe phenomena which point to My life on earth. if particularly devout and devoted people thereby contribute towards enlivening their fellow human beings weak faith. Yet the working of the spirit mainly refers to the transfer of My Word, because through My Word humanity shall be guided into truth and because My Word also makes My will known, the fulfilment of which results in the direct working of the spirit again. The human race certainly seeks and tentatively strives for truth, but it does not take the right path in order to find it. However, every person carries the truth within himself. Every person carries the spiritual spark within himself, which is part of Me and can impart purest truth if the person looks within and listens to the expression of the spiritual spark, to the Word, which thus comes from Me because the spiritual spark is My share for eternity. Understand, you humans, you must look within yourselves and not wait for what is brought to you from external sources! But since you no longer fulfil the conditions needed for the manifestation of the spirit, since you are no longer capable of perceiving My Word in you, hence, since you no longer come to Me, I come to you by sending you a messenger who hears the expression of his spirit, My Word, and shall inform you of it. Now it is indeed conveyed to you from outside, but as an unmistakable gift from above, which can be recognised by everyone providing he makes the effort to seriously examine it or allows himself to be guided by his inner spirit, thus does not offer resistance if My Word inwardly appeals to him. And every seriously truth-desiring person will find My Word appealing, because My strength of love takes effect in the one who strives towards Me as the eternal Truth. Thus I Myself come to meet him and draw him close to Me if I dont meet with resistance. Therefore, take notice of the working of the spirit and accept the offer of the one who, in a completely conscious state, listens to the voice of the spirit within, for you can believe his results, since he is taught by Me directly through My spirit. Beware of false prophets as they, too, mention My name and yet have no direct connection with Me, who therefore deem themselves capable of instructing their fellow human beings but have no knowledge themselves. Beware of those who receive their knowledge in a way where I Myself cannot be at work, because forces from below push in without being rejected by the recipients will. where the human being forfeits his will and his will is subsequently seized. In a conscious state they might well be of good will, nevertheless, their chosen path is wrong. Come to Me, make contact with Me in spirit, listen within and appeal to Me with all your heart for the working of My spirit. and your prayer will be granted, you will be taught in absolute truth by Me directly or through My messengers. But you will always be taught by My spirit and guided into all truth. Amen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The characteristic of the true Christian: Following Jesus Christ in everything... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B.D. 5547 & B.D. 5548 4.12.1952

True Christianity....
A faithful Christian must also live according to his belief, that is, he must follow Jesus Christ, Who exemplified to people the right kind of life on earth and thus requires faith in His act of Salvation in order to be acknowledged by Him as a Christian. The Christian doctrine must be followed from the heart, for Christ requires 23

love from people, a love which lacks self-interest and has therefore a redeeming effect, a love which is willing to make sacrifices, a love which Jesus demonstrated through His death on the cross. Thus, to be a true Christian means to shape ones inner nature into love in the belief in Jesus Christ, for the human being is incapable of this change of character without faith in Him. He can indeed believe in Him and yet not live in love. In that case, however, it is merely a conventional faith, an intellectual faith, which may well give credence to the existence of Jesus, the man, and perhaps even His crucifixion, but which has no idea about the significance of the sacrifice the made by the man Jesus on behalf of fellow human beings. For the understanding of this only comes to him when he practices love, because only then will his spirit give him the right understanding through his heart.... This is why being a Christian first means to live a life of love, then the human being will also testify to Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world. However, a person lacking unselfish love will never be a Christian, even if he declares himself as such before the world. For the concept of Christianity is not a question of believing that Jesus existed, the point is that the person lives as Jesus Christ had lived on earth in order to be able to rightfully call himself a Christian. This is why there is no true Christianity in this world anymore, despite churches and doctrines, for the spirit of Christ is missing. People are unredeemed because Jesus Christ can no longer be effective where love does not exist. And love has completely grown cold among people. Whether poor or rich, whether high or low, they all lack love, the most important aspect of Christianity. People no longer make use of Jesus act of Salvation; they stand outside the circle of those who died on behalf of Jesus Christ. They certainly see the cross because they cannot deny Jesus Christ, the man, and His crucifixion, but it has become utterly irrelevant to them, they merely speak words without meaning and strength, because only love reveals the understanding in the first place but love has died away. For such people Jesus Christ died in vain on the cross and yet they call themselves Christians. Not one of them realises the significance, not one of them makes the effort to be a true Christian, and many people contemptuously look down on those who, in their eyes, are heathens or unbelievers because they are not part of an official church or community. And all these will one day have a dreadful awakening if they depart from earth in an unredeemed state and are required to give account of their way of live, if their degree of love is so low that it emits no ray of light on entry into the kingdom of the beyond. Then they will have to look for the Redeemer of humankind first and will hardly find Him, because they will have lacked the right faith in Him and yet, without it they will never be able to become happy. Oh, if only you humans knew what you are giving away on this earth because of your half-hearted attitude towards the most important things. if only you knew how bitterly you will regret it one day. You will never be able to become blissfully happy without love. You must travel your path on earth as true Christians, you must follow Him, that is, keep His commandments, only then will your faith in Him be a living one, only then will you profess Jesus Christ before the world. You will stand up for Him and, having been redeemed by Him, also be able to provide your fellow human being with the right explanation as to the fact that and why He has to be acknowledged, as to fact that and why eternal life is not possible without the redemption through Jesus Christ and that only the right way of life in the spirit of Jesus will be valued before God and not the outwardly displayed Christianity which, in truth, is no Christianity at all. Amen (Nr. 5548, 5 December 1952) I want to provide you with an addition so that you realise how exceptionally important it is that you acknowledge Jesus, the son of man, as God and Redeemer of the human race. My love for you humans did not want you to stay in sin, isolated from Me, which caused your wretchedness. I Myself was unable to approach you since in your state your were incapable of enduring My presence or you would have perished in the fire of My love. Nevertheless, without Me it was impossible for you to be saved, and therefore I had to approach you in a concealed way, certainly influencing you with My strength of love yet in a garment which would not frighten you, from which you would not have had to escape. in a garment which was similar to your own. I had to approach you as a human being.... First, you should understand that the reason why I had to come to you was to help you. Then you will also understand why I came in a form similar to yours. Yet even this stay of My Divinity in a human being had to proceed according to law, which was certainly possible but it was unknown to you.... that My spirit of love was able to manifest itself anywhere as long as the basic requirement had been fulfilled. where love was present. Thus Jesus, the human being, offered Me the opportunity to manifest Myself in Him by living a life of love, for I can only be in My substance where love exists. Divine love wanted to help you and therefore chose a form in which it was able to take abode without contravening the law of eternity which, however, would have happened had I embodied Myself in a sinful human whose love and will were opposed to Me. Love wanted to help you and since Jesus, the human being, was full of love He accomplished that which was of help to you. He atoned for your guilt. Being a God of justice I was unable to simply write off an offence which had not been atoned for yet, but I was able to accept atonement accomplished on your behalf but only if it was carried out voluntarily and for love. This is what Jesus, the man, did and thereby became your Redeemer.... I, the eternal Love Itself, was in Him and therefore love made the said sacrifice. I Myself died for you on the cross, for I Myself was in the human being Jesus.

24

You ought to look at the act of Salvation from this point of view, then you will also understand that you can only receive salvation if you believe in Jesus Christ as the Saviour, but this requires you to comply with His teaching, to follow him, otherwise your belief is a mere play of words, for true faith will only be brought to life through love. If you want to be known as Christians then you must make an effort to live a life of love; you cannot adopt this name for yourselves if you live in complete opposition to His teaching, and His teaching requires love for God and for the next person. Thus, to be a Christian means to conduct yourselves in a Christian spirit, like the human being Jesus did on earth, to practise selfless neighbourly love and to always remember that you can only be redeemed by acknowledging Him as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. and by demonstrating this through living a life of following Jesus. Amen

B.D. 6010 28.7.1954

The church of Christ....

The congregation of Jesus Christ is made up by all believers who see in Jesus Christ their Redeemer, who believe in Him as the Son of God, Who descended to earth in order to offer the sacrifice of atonement as a human being for the whole of the human race.... and therefore want to follow Him. The church of Christ, which He Himself founded on earth, has to be understood to be all profound believers; all, who seriously strive to be active Christians; all, who are not just Christians observing formalities; all, who have a living faith and consciously place themselves under the cross of Christ. Jesus Christ must be acknowledged by the members of His church, and from this acknowledgment arises their duty to live in accordance with His teaching. thus to consciously live a life of love, as He Himself exemplified to people and requested with His call Come and follow Me. Anyone who complies with this call and acknowledges Him also belongs to the congregation which is described as the church of Christ.... This is the invisible church which nevertheless can be and indeed is represented in every denomination because there are people everywhere who believe with heartfelt love in 25

Jesus Christ, who are also absorbed by love for their fellow human beings. who can be called true Christians, because they demonstrate by their way of life their affiliation to Him, Who crowned His activity of love with His death on the cross. Hence this congregation exists wherever true Christians reside.... for they all belong in the church of Christ, and wherever two or three such Christians come together in His name He will be in the midst of them, the founder of the church of Christ, and will permeate them with His spirit. Consequently their thoughts and words will also be right and even more relevant than the word of a preacher who is as yet not a living representative of the divine doctrine of love, whose words are not yet revealing his inner life, the spirit, which is the characteristic of the members of the church of Christ. And this spirit will always express itself by plainly and clearly preaching and interpreting the Word of God.... which can also quite naturally take place in the smallest circle as a simple conversation wherever members of the church of Christ are together. For nothing of an external nature will confirm this membership except the individual persons spirit of love who strives towards Jesus Christ with a living faith in Him as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world, in Whose human shell God embodied Himself in order to redeem humanity from sin and death. Amen

B.D. 4544 18.1.1949

Follow Me....
Follow Me and the goal that has been set for you since the beginning will be reached by you on earth already. You have to make the effort to live a life of love which will bring you very close to the One Who is eternal love Himself. And if you now bear My life on earth in mind and for the sake of the act of Salvation appeal to Me for reinforcement of your will, you will also find it easy to live in love, for I will help you and constantly provide you with opportunities which enable you to live up to your will to love if you feel the urge to do so. My life on earth was only a practical application of selfless neighbourly love...
B.D. 5982 22.6.1954

26

Change of the true Gospel.... Followers?....

Yet you are still far removed from true piety as long as you do not accept your fellow human beings with love, which also demonstrates your love for Me... as long as you let your fellow human beings next to you live in utmost hardship and distress, as long as you do not attempt to help them first before you flatter yourselves with outward gestures. before you pay homage to the world through mundane pomp, through everything that you call in honour of Me. I do not want to be worshipped this way while there is still hardship crying out for Me, which you humans could certainly ease if you etched My commandments of love into your hearts. As long as I lived on earth I cared for the needy, the poor, the sick and the oppressed... You, who claim to be My followers on earth... what are you doing for these needy, poor, sick and oppressed people? As long as you can help but wont, you are not My true followers even if you call yourselves such.

... And the result was the unification of the Father, the Eternal Love, with Me, so that I could use His strength and might, His light and wisdom like My own possession. I was permeated by His spirit, by His strength and by His light. And thus everything was possible for Me since God Himself was working in Me. As a human being I demonstrated that it is not impossible to be filled by the divine spirit, that thus every human being is able to work the miracles and signs I performed, that the human being can shape himself such that he, as an image of God, can utilize all powers and thus also accomplish whatever he wants. Follow Me.... all of Gods strength is at your disposal, He does not impose any restrictions on you, He gives without measure, and you may use everything He wants to impart because He loves you. Follow Me. live a life of selfless neighbourly love and you will become perfect and be able to constantly enjoy Gods love and blessing. I speak to you as a human being, just as I walked on earth as a human being, Who equally had to attain divine strength through a life of love, and Who was also only able to accomplish the unification with the eternal Deity through love. I will show you the path which you only need to travel in order to then also recognise the truth of My Word. Let yourselves be urged by Me onto this path, dont offer Me any resistance, try to do kind-hearted deeds and your strength will increase, your will to love will be stimulated, for love itself is strength and if you practice it, whatever you give will also flow back to you again as strength. Try it and let My Words touch your hearts, let yourselves be called by Me and follow Me.... I Am the voice in the wilderness of your life. Everything around you threatens to wither away if you dont irrigate the arid area with the divine flow of love. if you dont develop all good instincts through love and increase the strength within you. Do not let My call go unheeded, take notice of it and bear in mind that I dont demand anything impossible from you, for I Myself as a human being had set an example for you as to what love and a human beings will are capable of achieving. Follow Me, and you will be and remain blissfully happy for all eternity. Amen

B.D. 3920 1.11.1946

Following Jesus.... A life of love and self-denial....

Anyone who is not as gentle and patient as Me, who does not practise his discipleship by discarding all attributes which conform to My adversary, who does not persistently strive for virtues that are the hallmark of a divine being, will hardly reach the goal of finding unification with the eternal Father Who is pure love Himself and Who can only unite with living creations which, like Him, have become love. My life on earth should serve you as an example, for as a human being I was subject to the same temptations as you because I had to take the only path which could lead a soul into perfection. Like you, I had to fight against all longings of the flesh as well as against all attributes of an ungodly being or My life could not have served you as an example if I had been born without all human flaws and able to bypass the test of My will. I had to experience the depths of earthly life, i.e. I had to have the opportunity to voluntarily refrain from the same physical sins and avoid all incentives for them. I had to fight against carnal longings and 27

thereby strengthen and prepare the soul in Me to unite with the spirit. The sinfulness in My surroundings often sorely tested My love and patience, yet I wanted to remain gentle and whole-heartedly humble without exalting Myself. And I took pity on My fellow human beings weakness for not resisting temptations, and My love intensified. I wanted to help those on the ground unable to get up by themselves.... For being human Myself I knew a persons weakness, and this knowledge increased My kindness and patience. Being human Myself I was at all times able to put Myself into the situation of a sinful persons soul even though I Myself was without sin, even though I Myself, by virtue of My will, had remained victorious over all temptations of body and soul. Yet I took the strength to do so from love, and every person practising love will also muster the strength and resolve to fight against his faults and weaknesses, and he will also be victorious, for love itself is strength. And therefore, every actively loving person will also practise all virtues which denote a divine being: he will be gentle and patient, merciful, peaceable, humble and just.... For if he meets a fellow human being with love his thoughts are loving too, and he fights all weaknesses and faults with ease. Follow Me.... live a life of love and self-denial like Me and you will release yourselves from all sinful longings, you will not become subject to sin yourselves, you will bring yourselves into line with the nature of eternal love and already find union with it on earth, and the attainment of your goal will be certain for you. Hence, like Me, you too have to take the cross upon yourselves at all times, and you should not become impatient, for if you sincerely appeal for My help I will help you carry it, and the more willingly the soul carries the cross imposed on it by the Fathers love for the sake of its full maturity, the sooner it will deliver itself from earthly longings. Follow Me and take My life on earth as an example, and you will never become subject to sin again, you will release yourselves by virtue of your determination and love, you will become free and infinitely happy beings, equipped with all divine characteristics, you will be full of light and strength in the spiritual kingdom and live blissfully happy in eternity. Amen

B.D. 4876 8.4.1950

Christs path to the cross....

Anyone who wants to follow Me will walk a lonely path, misunderstood by his fellow human beings as was My share, too, despite the love I gave to fellow people. Anyone who wants to follow Me will have to accept his cross just as I did, although My eternal love will not let anyones cross become as heavy as that of the man Jesus. He will have to carry it, yet he can ease his burden at any time if he calls upon Me for help. Then I will place the cross on My shoulders and carry it for him, and with Me everything gets easier, with Me he no longer walks on his own, I will empathise and share his suffering and joy at all times; he can always follow his earthly path in silent togetherness with Me, and therefore he will find his cross bearable and humbly submit to his destiny. I took all of humanitys suffering on My shoulders as I walked along facing crucifixion and endured unspeakable physical pain. I walked the arduous path that ended with death on the cross for everyone who wanted to follow Me one day. I suffered indescribably as a human being so that peoples suffering would be lessened. I participated in all of humanitys suffering and carried the cross on its behalf. And anyone who loved Me 28

followed Me. There were only a few, compared to the whole human race on whose behalf I died, only a few shared My pain, they suffered with Me and for Me. They, too, carried their cross because they followed Me, since their love for Me made them feel all their suffering twice as much. Yet their love was like balm on My wounds which were inflicted on Me by pitiless people; their love increased My will to suffer on behalf of humanity and to bring help to them through My crucifixion. Many followed Me on the way to the place of execution yet only few sympathized with My pain. Many people live on earth but only few are My disciples.... I died for all people on the cross but only few accept My sacrifice and make use of the attained blessings. Only few people follow Me and yet, only by following Me can they become blessed. Everyone should take his cross upon himself and remember My sacrificial walk to Golgatha, which was almost too difficult for a human being to bear and made Me fall. But the love of a person came to My aid when I had almost failed as a human being and I made the sacrifice, I emptied the cup of suffering completely. And if you humans have to suffer remember My Words Whoever wants to follow Me let him take up his cross. You should know that all suffering you humbly endure in My will is taken into account as a path to the cross which signifies redemption and liberation from all guilt for you. You should know that you are living on earth in order to release yourselves from guilt, the magnitude of which cannot be estimated by you as human beings, for which I have indeed died in order to lessen it but which every one of you also has to remove, as far as it is within your power, if you want to take part in the act of Salvation which was started by My love with My crucifixion. You humans were only given a small cross to carry because I have taken the heaviest weight from you, but you cannot remain entirely without suffering in order to keep going towards the One Who wants to help you at all times, Whom you should follow so that you will become eternally blessed.... Amen

B.D. 7874 16.4.1961

How to follow Jesus....

He is My true follower who makes an effort to live on earth as I did, who stands firm in suffering, bears it with patience and perfects himself in love, for he will mature in his soul. I can only ever advise you to follow Jesus, for the man Jesus has taken this path on earth. His life had truly been hard, yet He bore it humbly, He took up the battle against darkness, i.e., He tried to re-establish order and to enlighten people as to why they lived in spiritual darkness and what they should do to escape this darkness. He consciously walked the path of suffering and love. And He shaped Himself such that I was able to take abode in Him. And you should all walk this path and through love and sorrow try to shape yourselves such that I Myself, Who is the Eternal Love, can be present to you. You must follow Me, you must try to imitate the life I lived in the human being Jesus. And this first of all requires the will to unite yourselves with Me again. Only love can accomplish this union, and suffering purifies your soul which still harbours many immature particles. It also spiritualises the body, so that it conforms to the desires of the spirit within you, so that it matures simultaneously with the soul and the union 29

with Me can take place. This purification must come first, and for the sake of this purification you are living on earth. And as soon as you take Me as an example your life on earth will not be in vain, it will take you to the goal: complete spiritualisation and unification with Me. A human being had to become an example to you or you would always have raised the objection that you cannot follow Me because it is beyond your ability, beyond your strength. However, the path I walked on earth as a human being Myself was so arranged that every person would be able to follow Me. Nothing impossible is demanded of you, nothing is expected of you that a sinful person cannot accomplish, for I took all your weaknesses and faults into account, I identified Myself with every persons inclination and circumstances. for whatever they may be . . . if you live a life of love then you also gather the strength which lets you accomplish even the most difficult task. You will grow above yourselves, for you receive the strength from Me, just as I, thanks to the love within Myself, also had the strength at My disposal which enabled Me to be victorious in the battle against darkness, in the battle against all temptations by My adversary and against all cravings of the flesh. Love is strength, and therefore I first had to preach love and live a life of love Myself in order to set you the right example of the way of life which leads you out of the abyss towards the pinnacle, that liberates you from the adversary. For love is the only weapon to which he succumbs. You have to follow Me if you want to become free from his control.... And neither can suffering be avoided if your soul is to become bright and clear which, in its human incarnation, is still full of impurities because it is still in the domain of the one who changed his nature to the opposite, who thus can be called evil in the true sense of the word and to whose nature you conformed when you deserted Me and followed him into the abyss of your own free will. Admittedly, due to their process through the creations the tiny particles of soul have become much purer when they united again as the soul of a human being, but many impurities will still have to be removed, which can only ever be accomplished by love and suffering. The forgiveness of your guilt of sin will indeed be guaranteed as soon as you acknowledge Me in Jesus Christ and appeal for forgiveness of it. And that means that on your departure from this world you will find the gate to the kingdom of light open to you.
B.D. 7398 26.8.1959

Jesus Christ is the gate into the kingdom of light.

Every person who has found Jesus Christ, who has a living relationship with him, who is a truly active Christian and not a Christian who merely observes formalities, will enter through the gate of light. This is why the thought of being united with Jesus Christ makes every person happy, because then he will be assured of the kingdom of light, he will not need to fear death and the time awaiting him in the afterlife. But a heartfelt bond is meant by this, a bond which makes the person realise that he belongs to those who Jesus Christ died for on the cross. And this bond can always be found where a person lives a life of love and thereby already takes the path of following Jesus. This person will be spiritually brightly enlightened through love, the significance of the act of Salvation will be known to him, he will recognise Jesus mission on earth correctly and will therefore also want to partake of the act of mercy which Jesus, the human being, accomplished on earth as the shell of the eternal divine Spirit.. For anyone who knows about this immense work of redemption and its reasons cannot do anything but commit himself wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ and closely adhere to him for time and eternity. However, it requires enlightenment through the spirit, it requires a life of love which makes this enlightenment possible in the first place, and it requires the will to live on earth according to its purpose and goal. it requires the resolve for good, which always initiates the connection with God in Jesus Christ. Yet a person can consider himself fortunate if he feels this heartfelt love for Jesus Christ, if he has joined Him with all his heart and professes Him to people until he dies. for he will enter the kingdom which Jesus Christ Himself opened to him through His crucifixion. The living bond with Him presupposes profound faith, and such faith presupposes love again. a life of selfless neighbourly love, which faith awakens to life and provides the human being with certainty where he had previously still questioned and doubted. Anyone who can call such faith his own can truly already consider himself privileged on earth; he is like a rock, and the true church of Christ is built on such faith, that is, only someone in possession of such firm faith that came alive through love belongs to the church which was founded by Jesus. But then a person having attained this depth of faith will already be in a state of bliss, for nothing on earth will frighten him anymore because he will be aware of being embraced by the One Who had died for him on the cross and he will feel sheltered in His arms. Even death will not frighten him anymore; he will merely discard his external shell and enter a different kingdom, a kingdom of light and bliss, which is the fate of every person who has a living faith in Jesus Christ. Amen

But the intensity of light that will then shine upon you is very different. And you will be extremely happy if your soul can be completely permeated, if the light is not obstructed by any impurities which still have to be dissolved. And because you can already achieve on earth that your soul will be bright and translucent at the time of its passing away from earth you shall also humbly and patiently endure all suffering on earth. you always ought to bear in mind that it is only beneficial for the maturity of your soul, you should not try to evade all affliction and always pray Father, Thy will be done. For I know why I let you walk the path of suffering and why I spoke the Words Follow Me. If you always try to imagine that I have walked the path before you, 30

which has been so much harder and more sorrowful than yours, then for love of Me you should accept everything I send or allow to happen to you, for that is the light cross you have to bear in your earthly life, which only ever benefits your soul. Amen

B.D. 7622 15.6.1960

Following Jesus. Patiently bearing the cross.

You demonstrate that you follow Me when you patiently accept the suffering which My love places upon you so that your souls will mature. Always remember that I requested you to follow Me with the Words . let him take up his cross and follow Me. I certainly want to help you carry your cross but you should not try to throw it away completely, you should always consider that you can remove many impurities from your soul if you patiently carry your cross. I will always give you the strength for it if you ask Me, for I Am always close to you if you live in My discipleship on earth. And you dont have much time left. Therefore you will have to endure increased suffering because I want to help you attain a degree of light while you are still on earth which will enable you to enter into beatitude when your end has come. But always remain in contact with Me through loving activity, prayer and constant thinking of Me, for then I will always be able to be close to you and you can safely follow your path even if you have to carry a small cross. However, a steady life in carefree tranquillity 31

would not be beneficial for you unless you were so extraordinarily lovingly active that your souls process of maturing would be successfully accomplished. But you are all still too half-hearted in your kind-hearted actions and therefore gain too little for your soul, and thus the suffering must contribute towards your purification process. And always remember the terrible suffering I have taken upon Myself on your behalf. You yourselves would have had to endure this suffering on account of your guilt of sin and you would have been incapable of doing so. This is why I accepted the guilt on your behalf and suffered indescribably because I love you and wanted to endure the suffering on your behalf. Then your cross will seem small to you, you will gladly carry it because you want to follow Me, and you will safely enter through the gate into the kingdom of light because I pave the way and open the gate for you so that you will be blissfully happy. Accept your cross, that is, patiently and for love of Me carry all suffering which burdens you, but which is needed for your maturity of soul, for one day the soul may take pleasure in the light, one day the cross it had to carry will seem an easy one. Let Me walk by your side, then I will help you carry and you will not feel the burden so much. And I Am with every person who calls upon Me in thought, I only wait for this call because I cannot take effect in you against your will despite My love for you. But I will never leave you alone and even the cross placed upon you is proof of My presence, because I thereby gently admonish you to follow Me, Who took all of humanitys suffering upon My shoulders and walked the path to the cross with it. Therefore be patient, no matter what weighs you down, My love will strengthen you, My love will relieve you from the cross when the time is right. Amen

B.D. 5772 18.9.1953

The church of Christ....

Anyone who professes to belong to the church of Christ shall also live like a Christian, otherwise he is no credit to it. When, in time, belief in Jesus Christ is professed then the true followers of His church will become obvious, for the strength of faith, which is necessary for the avowal of His name, can only be gained through living a way of life by His example, a life of discipleship to Jesus, and he, therefore, is a member of the church founded by Jesus Christ. However, many people will pay lip service, they, too, will belong to churches which claim to have been founded by Jesus. If they live according to divine will by fulfilling His divine commandments of love then their strength of faith will be strong as well and they will stand firm during the final battle of faith and profess His name before the world.. But there will only be a few of them, only people who live a life of love will be able to muster this strength of resistance against worldly powers who plan to eliminate everything that is associated with a belief in Jesus Christ, the divine Redeemer. And only then will the human 32

being prove that he is a Christian, only then will he be able to consider himself a member of the church founded by Jesus Christ, which subsequently will also profess Jesus Christ before God, the Father, as He predicted.... The church of Christ no longer numbers many followers, and the more love grows cold amongst people the smaller the flock of true Christians will become, because love must definitely be practiced in order for people to be regarded as true Christians and to provide a fellow human being with a shining example of the true church on earth, which does not require any official affiliation with a denomination but only a life according to the divine commandments, which first of all call for love, but which then will also exhibit the certain characteristic that demonstrates the founder of the church. the working of the spirit in all members. The church of Christ is not an externally recognisable building, it is only the union of profoundly believing people who are in most intimate contact with the founder of the church, with Jesus Christ, and thus are also enlightened, guided and permeated by His spirit and are also truly able to work remarkably with the spiritual strength. Strong faith and profound love prove the affiliation with the church of Christ and only its followers will survive the final battle of faith, because they will fight with Jesus Christ Himself and will, therefore, also be victorious over the one who opposes Christ, over Gods adversary and his vassals.... For Jesus Christ will appear in power and glory on the last day and fetch His small congregation to Himself into the kingdom of peace, but He will place his adversary into chains and with him all those who are enslaved by him. Amen

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Places for worshipping God... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B.D. 1083 5.9.1939

Places of worship....

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The buildings you humans created as permanent places for the worship of God hardly correspond to the Lords will since thereby the actual worship of God within the human beings heart has been reduced to a minimum; far more importance is attached to external appearances in houses specially built for this purpose than to the internal contact of a person with the Heavenly Father. Yet this alone must be the foundation of all worship of God. Every action accompanied by a display of splendour lacks profound inwardness, and understandably so, since in so doing the human being is too involved with all earthly matter as to be able to form a simple and intimate bond with the Father in heaven. Where a visual representation intends to motivate something of a spiritual nature there is always the danger that everything visible will be observed and the spiritual aspect neglected. The earthly child can, in fact, only attain inner calm, inner spiritualisation, when all visual things and those which affect the senses are completely excluded. Every person has to make an incredible effort and be constantly on guard that earthly longings and earthly thoughts will not gain the upper hand, for to the same degree as they increase the will for the spirit recedes, and then it will be extremely difficult to establish an innermost spiritual contact. Therefore it is understandable that also all ceremonies, all rites, which effectively intend to illustrate to people something of a spiritual nature are especially suited to externalise a person or make him become superficial. If the human being aims to spiritualise himself of his own accord he will understand how persistently he has to fight against all external influences.... how he must time and again try to disregard everything that goes on around him in order to be able to completely entrust himself to the state of pure spirituality. And all this is not possible in a place where so many people congregate and where rites are regularly performed which require a persons complete attention but which, on the other hand, divert his attention away from that which alone is important before God. The human being should not entertain the thought that it will count as a sin if he does not comply with these ceremonies. The Lord only acknowledges the depth of faith, the degree of love and the earthly childs absolute submission to its Father. and anyone who endeavours to do so need not fear the Fathers Judgment either. he will conduct himself as it pleases the Father and he will look for the core in everything but not for the outer shell. The Lord takes no notice of the perfectly devised procedures which are nevertheless purely externally conducted but do not touch the core of the matter, because the internalisation of the soul requires a continuous connecting-oneself with the divine Lord and Saviour. And the designated times for the worship of God do not suffice in the slightest to achieve maturity of soul. Instead, the earthly child has to show God the Lord his love, veneration and his gratitude every hour of the day and constantly strive for spiritual deliverance. And specified ceremonies are truly not suitable for this, for they are more likely to make the human soul indifferent and even leave it in the mistaken belief that it has complied with divine will. And this is, in view of the spiritual standstill or regression, extraordinarily regrettable, since the human being should make use of every hour in order to work at improving himself and his soul for the purpose of attaining perfection. Amen

B.D. 6402 15.11.1955

Church buildings?....
It does not correspond to My will that ostentatious and splendid buildings get erected for Me at a time when it is particularly important for people to look within themselves and not towards things which still belong to the world and which do not encourage striving for My kingdom with its magnificence and glory. Everything that captivates your eyes or appeals to your senses prevents you from introspection, from the contemplation of your inner self, which is so essential for you because the end is not far. Time and again I have to remind you that My kingdom is not of this world. Why do you think that you must honour Me with magnificent buildings, why do you always externalise everything instead of working on improving your souls more eagerly?. You 34

humans still dont understand that I cannot be found where you want to place Me. You all have the means to let Me be present within you. You have the place within yourselves where I want to be. I Am as close to each one of you as you would like Me to be, and each one of you has the power to draw Me to himself by simply fulfilling My only request of shaping his heart into love. For whoever remains in love remains in Me and I in him. Only love guarantees you My presence. but I can never be where you look for Me if your heart is not burning with love. And therefore it is foolish for you to want to build houses for Me which serve no other purpose than to periodically assemble people who live according to wrong concepts. Those who want to speak to Me can do so in their hearts and wherever they are.... they truly need no assembly halls which so appeal to the eye that they make all deep reflection impossible. Wherever My Word is imparted to you, wherever you can hear sermons which your heart longs for, that is where I Am and that is where I Myself speak through the proclaimer of My Word to people who want to listen Me. To hear My Word is the only important thing for you humans who are so close to the end and yet still so infinitely far away from Me. Only what is suitable to awaken the soul from its sleep meets My approval and My blessing. But how can your soul awaken to life through external events, through worldly pomp and splendour, through constant feasts for your eyes and ears. through everything that affects a persons external senses but cannot give life to the soul. It can only wake up and heal through love, and thus love must take precedence over all other things.... Love must be preached and practised, and you will always have the opportunity for that. A soul which receives the kind of love that inspires reciprocated love can find God much sooner. Do good to your neighbour, ease his burden, try to help in every possible way.... care for and give to your fellow human being what he spiritually and earthly is in need of. but dont erect dead structures whose production does not comply with My will, especially since the physical hardship on earth is so great that it would be far more pleasing to Me if you would lessen this adversity. What good do you think you are doing to Me? All the riches in the world belong to Me, but they urgently need to be released from My adversarys bondage. You, however, banish them even more firmly, you want to erect buildings which shall last forever, and you believe that thereby you honour Me? If My love had no mercy with this unredeemed spiritual substance as well, its suffering would be inconceivably prolonged by peoples will who have so far failed to grasp the meaning of life but who deem themselves their fellow human beings spiritual leaders. You are close to the end and therefore My Words sound particularly admonishing and warningly, since you, who support or recommend this, contribute towards the fact that countless souls continue their sleep of death from which they can only be aroused by My living Word which teaches love. Love shall be preached and practised. and you all know where activity of love is necessary, for you see hardship and misery all around you which first has to be remedied before I can bless your actions. Amen

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