Essential Truth.

Jesus’s teaching is simple at its core yet profound in its essence. It’s this "profound essence" of his message, and the resulting essentials for "truth" that we should be concerned with.

The messages delivered by Jesus were intended for modern audiences. They were presented then, and exist now, to both enlighten individuals and to empower us to break free from the way God had previously been understood. And to break free from the way human kind was understood in light of that particular vision of God. This essence we're to draw from his teachings is to awaken humankind unto a greater awareness of what is true for us, true about God and true about all the relationships that exist therein. The takeaway from the greater message is that "knowing truth" is to result in a higher level of understanding about life.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

This new understanding was to result in a certain way of seeing the world, and responding to it from an approach grounded in a "spiritual reality" versus a "religious faith." A reality based in an understanding of our connection to both creator and creation and how that relationship exists to "uplift us," and not to "denigrate us." These teachings, centered around truth, are presented to elevate women and men through "right knowing" in order to lead us unto a "right way of being." In other words, Jesus taught by "knowing truth," we would be empowered to "walk in the light" of such truth. This "new wine" as he called it, would provide us with a very certain understanding of our connection to God and our connection to one another. Through this understanding, we should be able to "live autonomously' yet "interact collectively." And in the process of doing so, recognize one another's inherent value, individuality and uniqueness.

"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37

Jesus emerged from a specific group of people, in one specific place in the world, who were steeped in a religious tradition that centered around a specific revelation about god. In his teaching ministry, he transcended those ancient traditions and beliefs, and presented a modern way of understanding god and ourselves. This new approach to understanding and the illustrations Jesus provided, also served to disrupt the "societal hierarchy" that existed as well, formed in part because of the same ancient, religious model. Women, the poor, the infirm, the outcast and even foreign oppressors all received a revised form of acceptance. Those who heard his teaching rejoiced at his message of spiritual freedom and new understanding. Yet, as a result of the acceptance by his listeners and the contrary ideology he presented, he greatly angered the religious leaders of his day. So much so, that they ultimately captured him and brutally murdered him through crucifixion.

Following his death, and throughout the formation of the writings which now represent his teachings, his "modern message," has been intertwined with the same "ancient revelation" that he transcended and often openly opposed. As a result, a new religion was formed and in the process, much of the simple, yet profound, core values he shared have been lost to the complexity that attempts to blend a system rooted in blood sacrifices, sin and punishment with a modern approach founded in "truth, light and love."

Essential Truth and the reality Jesus taught for modern women and men.

Jesus transcended how god was previously understood. The nature of the creative force we call God may be taken from the totality of Jesus’s teaching and his illustration. These core values serve as cornerstones for our "modern, spiritual reality."

God is Spirit.

God exists within us as our Father.

God is illustrated to us as Light.

God is understood by us as Truth.

God manifests among us as Love.

To paraphrase Jesus's message of essential truth:

God is Spirit:

God is not to be understood as a man or as a being or as a super being or even as Jesus himself. God is understood as Spirit, and is the infinite, creative, love intelligence that exists beyond our limited, finite understanding. The natural world, the universe, all of creation, and all the systems both seen and unseen exist as our evidence that such a creative force exists and resides as Spirit. This presence illustrates a system of care for creation through the order it presents, it's layered support system and the growth and evolutionary process. It provides human kind with this most profound irony: Within the myriad of diversity creation presents, it all emanates from the same source. (John 4:24)

God exists within and about us as our Father:

All of mankind emanates from the same source. There is no separation between the child and its parent. There is no separation between the thing created and the thing that created it. We exist with a deep connection with a presence called The Father and we are to reside within its existence, while it resides within us. We all possess an inherent ability to recognize this presence. Most of us have recognized it or can in the same instinctual way a newborn animal can identify its very own birth mother in the midst of an immense herd, or flock. This connection is to be understood as our shared reality and is founded in "Concepts of Unity." Unity of the individual with a unique, inherent connection to source and unity with one another through the truth that we all share such a connection. We're to walk in the light of this truth. It is to be understood as commonplace and readily at hand. (John 17:20-23)

God is illustrated as Light:

Light is produced when the physical realm meets and aligns with the spiritual realm. When our connection to the Father is present, it shows up as complete unity between the natural world (of mankind) and the spiritual world (of God). We are created from the same essence that this Light emanates from. This Light was issued forth at the outset of all time and space and we possess this Light. This was Jesus's reality and he taught us that it was ours as well. (John 8:12, Matt 5:14)

God is understood by us as Truth:

Our role is to abide in this "truth of being.” Through "knowing truth," we have clarity of what’s true about God, and what's true about ourselves and for one another. We are all children of the same “creator.” We are all born into the same human family. Each of us are created with complete uniqueness and yet complete connection. We all share the same source and origin, yet exist with completely unique attributes and without duplication. Unity and all its forms represents Truth and the light. Separation and all of its forms is the antithesis of Truth and represents lies and darkness. (John 14:16, John 18:37, John 1:17)

God Manifests among us as Love:

Ironically, to "love one another" is a singular teaching and considered a "commandment" ascribed to us by Jesus. The evidence of the Father’s existence, passes through the portals of Spirit, Light, and Truth and shows up within us as Love. God's love combines with Light, and with Spirit to emanate from us. Such love manifests without condition of any kind, without hierarchy of any kind, without judgement of any kind and without limitation. (John 13:34)

Essential Truth and The Light Messages of Jesus:

The tenets of the Light Messages from Jesus are found in his priorities of love, joy and peace. These are the essentials he left human kind to serve as our illustration of knowing truth. Such a result is to experience life in its highest form, which Jesus shared is best described as possessing "eternal life."

Both, the power of knowing such essential Truth, and the process of how God's spirit within us manifests as Love, exist to serve women and men as the catalyst to transcend the limits of our “physical, sensory world,” to bring forth and perpetuate our “inner, spiritual world.”

Those times when we're able to effectively walk in light of this truth and retain this understanding of life, our world, our place within it and all the related connections, culminate in a way of being for us that Jesus referred to as “the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven." A realm of being that Jesus said he'd prepared for us; a dwelling place where many, many will reside - as a result of knowing truth and walking in light of such truth. The irony and our role in the process is to recognize the Kingdom of God and of Heaven is found within each of us, is commonplace, and readily at hand.