The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the region of Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 166 -
The Lord gives rules of conduct for the faithful.
But you all should remember: when you are gathered in My name - like before in the garden of the institution - then I also will always be active in your midst, with you and in you, just like before in the garden.
2
The one who will listen to you, will also listen to Me, and I will be merciful to him. And a sick person, who will adhere to Me, will improve when you will lay your hands upon him in My name.
3
The one who will accept you, will also accept Me in you. And therefore, I will forgive his sins and bless him for this time and for eternity. But the one who will not accept you, will also not accept Me, and his sins will remain in his soul, and My mercy will be far away from him.
4
When you will go to someone in My name, and he listens carefully to you, and believes also what you tell him about Me, but after accepting My teaching he does not say to you from his heart: 'Stay with me, dear friends, and eat together with me', then do not stay there. For I will also be scanty with My blessing to the one who is scanty with you, while you were not scanty with My Word which is of the greatest value for the life of his soul. Because faith in Me becomes alive and active by the works of love.
5
The one who will love you for the sake of My name, will also love Me, and I will love him in return, and My blessing will from then on be over him. However, the one who will hate and persecute you, will also hate and persecute Me in you. But it will be in vain that he will kick against the pricks, and will harm himself so terribly that by these wounds he will come into the death and the ruin of his soul.
6
For the sake of My name and My Word, you should not ask for yourselves any honor or reward from no one, but the one who will dishonor you and will harden his heart against you, will do that also against Me, and I will also be like that against him.
7
What I give to you for nothing, give that also for nothing to others. But that which is offered by the love of enlightened people, accept it, and thank Me for it. For it is only My love in the heart of men who will give it to you. And thus do also not despise the smallest gift.
8
However, never seek earthly gain for the sake of My name and word, neither any worldly kingdom of worldly rulers. For firstly, My Kingdom is not of this world, and secondly, by receiving the earthly gain that you sought to receive, and having received a kingdom of this world, you would have already received the reward of life for your soul, and then you should not expect any further reward from Me from the Heavens.
9
Although in later times there will be false, imperious prophets who will do the same thing in My name as now the Pharisees and their followers, and they will honor Me in the eyes of the people with all kinds of ceremonies and with gold, silver and noble stones, but through the mouth of those who are awakened by My Spirit I will say to them: 'Look, this miserable people honors Me, the Lord of Life, with the dirt and with the death and the judgment of matter, but their heart is far away from Me.' That is why I also will be far away from such people.
10
Therefore, you also should in future times not build any temples and altars for Me, for I will never live in the temples that are made by human hands, and I will not let Myself be honored on altars. He who loves Me and who will keep My simple commandments, is My living temple. And his heart, full of love and patience, is the true and living offering altar to My honor, which is the only thing that is pleasing to Me. All the rest is judgment, death and ruin.
11
You know that all priests - our Jewish as well as your gentile priests - have now certain external means for the sanctification and purification, and that they force their followers to accept and use them, and that they threaten, with the most terrible and worst temporary and eternal punishments, those who would not accept the use of the formerly mentioned means and would call them void and completely meaningless. But I say to you: all these things should be banned with you for all future times, and the one who wants to use, even in My name, such means for the sanctification and purification, I will look at him with wrathful eyes. It is sufficient that you baptize the one who has accepted My teaching in his heart, and give him a name for the sake of the order, and then I will strengthen him.
12
Furthermore, you also can give, if you have, from time to time bread and wine - also in My name and in My love that is in you - to those who actively believe in Me and keep My commandments as a remembrance to Me. When you will keep such meal of love among yourselves, I also will be in your midst, with you and in you, like now in flesh and blood. Because the bread that you will give because of your love for Me, will be the same as My flesh, and the wine the same as My blood that soon will be shed for many. How? That you will hear later.
13
That only, should be sufficient to you as an outer sign, which will however only have true value for Me because of the love.
14
Since I have instructed you now in these important things, we will now stand up from the table and go outside to our mountain. There, still many things will be shown and given to you."
15
After this speech, they all thanked Me, and we stood up and climbed swiftly on the mountain.