American and Christian Unity in Diversity

Many people are so paralyzed by their fear of doctrinal error, and of displeasing God in that error, that it is important to address this fear first. Read this section carefully, and find comfort... you'll be glad to learn that Spirit is actually more concerned with our unwillingness to move outside our comfort zones!

The great challenge before every person is really to learn to glean. Consider Proverbs 11:14 which says "...in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Isaiah 28:9-13 further says we learn wisdom "...line upon line... precept upon precept; here and little and there a little..." 1 John 2:27 says "...ye need not that any man teach you, but the... anointing teacheth you all things." John 16:13 further promises us that "the Spirit of truth... will guide you into all truth." By these passages we begin to see that it is spiritually safer to weigh and glean as we go, trusting the inner guide to assist us.

Paul the Apostle essentially taught the same thing in 1 Corinthians 3:3-15, which you'll want to read in full (it was too long to add here). Pay special attention to verses 8-15 where Paul says we all build all manner of doctrine on top of the foundation of Jesus (i.e., Jeshua; see module on the "Name"), but even if those doctrines do not stand up to the trial of the Spirit, the person believing the false teachings will still be saved.

This is one of the most powerful passages for ending worry you might have about your eternal standing with God should you unwittingly believe something false. We are saved by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and grace is the freedom, among other things, to weigh and glean all spiritual and secular thought.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, "...for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God." And 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." And how can we discern good teaching from bad, and true teachers and prophets from false teachers and prophets? Not by outward labels, but by the spiritual fruit of their teachings (this is taught in Matthew 7:15-23). Galatians 5:22-23 says "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." In other words, we are to weigh with our heads, but follow our hearts where the inner guide will witness His Loving heart on the matter.

What is so liberating about learning this way is that not only do these passages give YOU freedom to make unintentional doctrinal oopses, but it also gives freedom to everyone else to make doctrinal oopses! It is my prayer that we may all find peace in knowing that God, who is Love, is very patient with the error of the meek, and that it's not a weakness for us to be gracious, even merciful toward one another regarding perceived "errors."

Here in this module we will look at the greater reach of grace by God's Unconditional Love, and in the modules following we will look at some of the passages that seem oppositional, and that might refute the idea that grace belongs to all of humanity.

In 1 John 4:16 we are told God is Love. Now consider for a moment the possibility that love is something every human being on the planet is aware of, even though some choose to forsake it. We see the reality of this in John 1:9 which says that God, "...lighteth every man that cometh into the world," and in Isaiah 6:3 which says "...the whole earth is full of His glory." Weighing and measuring, I see this as an explanation as to why non-Christians of every religion, race, and tribe can act on the tenants of Love. It is my personal, and very honest observation that even atheists can exercise genuine kindness, honor, justice and so forth, which are all tenants of Love.

Consider Romans 2:10-15 where we read that God extends "glory, honour, and peace to every man that worketh good... for there is no respect of persons with God. ...For when the Gentiles do by nature the things written in the law, these, having not the law... are a law unto themselves." Romans 4:15 says, "...for where no law is, there is no transgression." 1 John 2:10 is in harmony with these passages saying, "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light." In fact, even though no man is saved by works (we're saved by grace, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:22-28), every man shall receive a reward according to his works (Matthew 16:27 and Revelations 20:13, among others - see module on Judgment and Hell to understand how this can be).

But how, exactly, is light equal to love? Well, consider how Love, which is God, is the power source that radiates energy, or light, and produces all things (James 1:17; also see segment below which expounds on Love is Faith). This light radiation is also called "glory." In Exodus 33:18-19 we see that God's "glory" and "goodness" are used interchangeably. We also are told that all our human needs are met according to God's "riches in glory" (Philippians 4:19). By this we begin to see that Love is the source of light and provision.

By all this we understand that God's Unconditional Love, which lights every man, is the gift of grace to both the just and unjust, and that we are to extend that same grace to all (ponder Matthew 5:43-48). Think of God's Unconditional Love as the oil that produces the light of our inward guidance lamps. People can access that Love even without knowing the giver of the gift, Jesus, because of the unconditional nature of that Love. For this reason Christians do well to recognize, honor and nurture the Love within all persons, regardless of their outward appearances, religious affiliations, labels, or shortcomings. We do humble honor to God when we honor Love in ANY other human being, for God IS Love (1 John 4:16).

At this point some may wonder, as I did, how the name of Jesus might extend more grace than tradition would have us believe. There are, after all, many, many passages in the Bible that say that if a person believes on the name of Jesus, they will be "saved." While it is scripturally clear that there is no other name under Heaven whereby men might be saved (Acts 4:12), one wonders how Unconditional Love might fit in when a good person who walks in Love all their life, dies without the benefit of the name, Jesus.

This question can, at least in part, be resolved in understanding what it actually means to "believe on/in the name of Jesus."

To the western mind the name J-E-S-U-S is a label attached to the person who was God incarnate. Like "Bruce" or "Mindy," the western mind doesn't place much importance on names having meanings or messages. Even the label "Jesus" is a loss in translation, since in Aramaic this person's name was Jeshua, which had a very important, picturesque story and meaning behind it (please use your exhaustive concordance to do a study on the literal translation of His name in both Hebrew and Greek).

When a person in Jesus' day heard Jeshua's name spoken, they heard something akin to "Jehovah Saved." To the predominantly Jewish population this was to take their minds back to Exodus 6:3-6 where Jehovah told Moses he was fulfilling the covenant of blood made with Abraham to give Abraham a miracle son, and to deliver his seed, the children of Israel (human beings) from bondage (slavery in Egypt, which symbolizes any chaos of the world), and bring them into the "promised land" (the Kingdom of God, where chaos is subject to order, and there's no lack, hurt or suffering).

During His earthly ministry Jesus' (Jeshua's) whole message was, "The Kingdom of God is at hand," meaning the Kingdom - which is where LOVE rules and reigns - is here and now. In Luke 17:20-21 Jesus (Jeshua) taught that the Kingdom of God wasn't visible to the human eye, but it was here and now, "within" us (humanity). This is why human beings can actually do the works that Jeshua did, and even greater (John 14:12), when they access the fuel (Unconditional Love) of their own built in faith dynamos.

Scriptural "believing on the name of Jesus" can mean, therefore, to literally believe the message of His name, which is that the Kingdom of God is come now, and that we have access to it by faith (which IS Love - see Faith is Love module below). By this we can discern more compassionately all those outside of Christianity, who by grace which is unconditional, are blessed to discover the great Love of God, and access the Kingdom for miracles by that Love (some recognize it as "stillness"), without necessarily accepting the giver of the gift, Jeshua. As for eternal salvation, Jesus (Jeshua) is still the reason anyone can receive a reward for their good works in Heaven, even if they loved greatly without actually finding Jesus (Jeshua) ...or even rejecting Jesus (Jeshua) because of the poor example set by His mortal followers (see the module on Judgment and Hell below).

The Unconditional Love of the Father is the gift of grace given to mankind by Jeshua; and grace is freedom to choose separation from, or unity with that Love. Help humanity reconnect with the light and its source (Unconditional Love) that's already within them (John 1:9), and you will naturally create one-ness across every human divide. Ultimately it will be Unconditional Love, not religion, that will win hearts, and bring every knee to bow, and every tongue to confess that Jesus (Jeshua) is Lord "to the glory of the Father" (John 17:21 and Philippians 2:10-11 combined). In other words, wide-scale acceptance of the gift will proceed wide-scale acceptance of the giver of the gift.

In John 3:3-6 it says that except a man be born again of both water AND Spirit, he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. (In verse 6 Jeshua clarifies, saying essentially that birth water is of the flesh, and birth into Spirit is of the Spirit.) 1 John 4:7 says, "...let us love one another; for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."

Again, Galatians 5:22 says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and so forth, and "against such there is no law." These fruit of the Spirit are the evidences that someone has been "born again," with or without the outward law, religion, or ordinance of baptism.

Another interesting way of looking at it is to consider that human beings come into this world through amniotic fluid, and as little children - whom Jeshua said are of the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:14) - they are endowed with His Unconditional Love and light, but eventually develop belief systems and judgments (conditional love, which separates them from Unconditional Love) that tend to conform to the fallen nature of man. The light of God is still in there according to John 1:9, but getting in vital touch with it again is a "return" to innocent light and Unconditional Love, which can be viewed as being "born again" into the Kingdom where we all start out in innocence.

Though some have actually taught to the contrary, our human emotions are a very precious gift, and not a curse at all. Our emotions can actually be harnessed as a built-in guidance system for becoming effective at releasing faith. Galatians 5:6 states that "faith worketh by love." God's Love, which rules His Kingdom, and which we can "feel" as a very strong emotion, is creative, eternal fuel for all positive influence.

We can each learn to house and release the Unconditional Love of God as highly effective faith. Faith "believes" for the Kingdom now in any earthly situation. According to 1 Jo 4:18 you will know when you are in true and powerful faith when all fear is absent, as it says "there is no fear in love, for perfect love casteth out fear." When in true Love-faith you will know great peace and joy in the midst of trial, and you'll effortlessly have a wonderful feeling of infinite positive possibilities at work. In other words, the impossible won't seem impossible at all, even though your mind can't figure out how the impossible might happen. (See 2 Timothy 1:7 and Philippians 4:6-7 for further evidences.)

Without Kingdom Love, human beings have had to resort to attempting control over earth's entropy by using force (entropy is chaos happening). Control is just a substitute for Love. Science proves that it takes more energy to control entropy, than it takes to just let it take its course. For this reason control by human force can never really get ahead. The only way to out-power entropy is by super-natural (above the natural) Love. Remember: Unconditional Love radiates glory, or energy (see Love is Universal module, above). Love IS infinite, positive, creation and peace energy.

The best part is, true Love-faith is "still" and effortless to exercise once you get used to it. This is why Jeshua said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Learn how to intentionally be your own restored container for the Unconditional Love and Light of God, and that Love will radiate from you to effortlessly create positive change over the entropy (chaos) of life. Generally the only hold-up ends up being the inner struggle to choose total surrender to the acceptance and extension of Unconditional Love toward everything and everyone (forgiveness, mercy, and all-inclusiveness), instead of conditional love. (For further study on this topic see recommended reading list below.)

There is some confusion among Christians about how everyone can receive a reward in Heaven according to their works, if we're all actually saved by grace alone, as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9 and elsewhere. This is because most Christians assume there is only one judgment at the time of death, and that this judgment determines eternal placement in Heaven or Hell. In actuality there are two judgment days for every person, and it appears to be at the second judgment that rewards are given according to works, and permanent placement is determined.

Consider Revelations 20:12-15 where we read, "I saw the dead stand before God... And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." John 5:28-29 confirms this saying "...all who are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

Given what it actually means to "believe on the name of Jesus" (see module above), it MIGHT be that at the first judgment upon physical death, people will either suffer for their own "sins," or they will receive grace to escape that suffering by accepting the suffering of Jesus (Jeshua) in their stead. Realize that there are grey areas on this subject. For example, Matthew 7:15-23 clearly states that at judgment there will be Christians who, having deceived their own hearts in "calling on the name of Jesus," will be cast off, their fruits not being the fruits of the Spirit (Love).

Also, since Love (God) does not repay good with evil (Proverbs 17:13, 19:17), we can humbly surmise that if some persons must suffer for their own sins, there may be among them those who will be freed from that suffering at the time of the resurrection, due to their earning of just rewards for good works. Love could not possibly condemn Love to eternal damnation and darkness. That would not be just.

And one more thing... at one of these judgments there will apparently be a purging of our religious belief systems by the trying fire of the Holy Spirit, as it says in 1 Corinthians 3:15. I personally believe this will also be at the second judgment, but my reasons are based on near-death accounts, and are therefore subject to debate.

The best way to recover the God-kind of Love within you, is to unconditionally love your enemies. This doesn't mean you can't protect yourself from abusive behaviors - it just means that your actions should reflect non-judgmental Love (example: do not rejoice when your enemy falls, Proverbs 24:7).

Depending on how far separated your enemy is from the light and Love within themselves, you may even be able to bless your enemy to return to Love a degree by extending Unconditional Love to them. For example in Proverbs 15:1 it says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath." In that moment an angry person finds their own Love source so that they can then respond with integrity.

This is actually what is meant by "suffering for righteousness' sake." (See 1 Peter 3:8-14.) Loving your enemies builds your Unconditional "Love character!"

Since Love is faith, and faith is Love, which faith brings order in the midst of chaos (in this world we will have troubles, John 16:33), then as it says in 1 Peter 3:9, loving your enemies can be looked at as receiving a blessing through high quality faith practice. Practice will make you ready for Loving your way through things like storms, sickness, physical danger, or necessities shortages - all things that humanity must be prepared for in the last days.

In the second chapter of Daniel, verses 31-43, is a prophecy that essentially describes how man-made kingdoms of the earth in these last days will be overcome by the invisible Kingdom that will also rise up in the earth. In verse 43 the invisible Kingdom is described as a battering stone made "without hands," meaning it is a spiritual thing, not a visible, or physical thing.

In Revelations 3:21 it says that all those who "overcome" will sit with Jeshua IN the throne of God. This symbolizes ruling and reigning. 1 John 5:4 says, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Again, faith works by Love (Galatians 5:6), and all those who Love are born of God (1 John 4:7). In the end, it will be God's Kingdom of Unconditional Love that will rule and reign in the earth, and for eternity.

The neat thing is, even before total victory is realized, it will seem like Love numbers in the earth are too few. But according to the principle taught in Leviticus 26:8, 10 of Love can put 100 to flight, and 100 of Love can put 10,000 to flight! Modern prophecies given through Brother Rick Joyner (reading recommends below) tell us that it won't just be Christians who comprise the overcomers in these last days.

Further, Ephesians 4:4-6 tells us that there is but one Spirit who is in and throughout "all." As we begin to fully accept and honor this, we will begin to highly regard the welfare of the WHOLE, and begin to live the great laws of abundance through sharing, mutuality, and "all" -inclusiveness, based not on outward things, but on inward, and eternal things. Unconditional Love will become the great equalizer at long last!

I personally believe that it will be at this point that the hearts of the children will be turned to the fathers, and vice-versa (Luke 1:17, Exodus 34:7), as we look with compassion upon all the mistakes of the Great Whole, and forgive.

At any rate, when these things happen for the whole world to witness, the world will finally realize that the old ways of ruling (by force and control) are inferior to ruling by Unconditional Love, and they will at last come to "know" that the Father has indeed sent the Son (John 17:21).

I am sometimes referred to as the "Angel of Thanksgiving Past," as a humorous term of endearment at Mr. Dickens' expense! I'm also known as "Addilay," which is the name of my 1621 New England persona, pictured here. I'm the one in the middle with the yellow corset :-). In real life I'm Carrie, mother and wife to an adorable brood, and founder and voice of the 3 Sun Thanksgiving movement.

3 Sun is a year-round "holiday" movement that introduces Renaissance-era English and New England Wampanoag living history as a truthful and patriotic hobby for Americans. This hobby holds great potential for "turning the heart of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers" in a culturally fun and profoundly meaningful way. America hardly knows it, but she greatly suffers loss of memory due to many generations of white-washed history instruction, which has been carefully handed down to us in the name of "patriotism." This dishonest whitewashing of our history is in fact now one of the greatest threats to true patriotism (Unconditional Love) that this country has ever, and will ever face.

For this very reason I like to think of 3 Sun Thanksgiving as an important and wonderfully unique new way to make historical honesty fashionable and fun again. 3 Sun Patriots are strengthening melting-pot American brotherhood through balance, inclusion, and benefit to the WHOLE of our society, past and present. Through playful, year-round re-creation of 1621 New England life (which was NOT Puritan and Plains Indian life, by the way!) which culminates during the fall season, 3 Sun is opening the door for mainstream Americans to comprehend the confusing modern issues concerning our aboriginal peoples. By reacquainting this country with the model of mutuality exemplified by the Wampanoag Peoples and the English of 1621 Plimoth, 3 Sun "Patriots for Peace" are reviving a compassionate return of like-kindness to our struggling American Indian neighbors today.

3 Sun activities are well suited for church bodies, school groups, neighborhoods, and any type of group auxiliary. It's time to let Unconditional Love and concern for others bless YOUR American community! Please come join us today (at any point during the year) at 3SunThanksgiving.com

For our speaking schedule, or for other inquiries, please contact Carrie (u-hum, Addilay) through the 3SunThanksgiving.com Contact page.