This document provides an in-depth spiritual and metaphysical interpretation of Acts 4. It explores the themes of divine guidance, spiritual awakening, and the power of faith, focusing on the events and teachings in these verses. The material emphasizes the significance of the apostles’ actions and the spiritual lessons that can be derived from their experiences.
ACTS 4:1-2:
And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
S These are the troubles of the spirit and the mind coming into that which is the presence of God, the spirit showing God the mental conditions and training of the body, the mind being that which is troubled here by the presence of that which would be considered miracles or the awareness that God is action, that God has position in self, and the ego thus is upset, unwilling to accept this and therefore finds conflict in the very being of self.
Q What’s the meaning of the use of Sadducees here rather than Pharisees?
S Pharisees are the hypocritical; whereas the Sadducees here are those who are trained solely in one line of thinking and operate only in one line of thinking with no latitude whatsoever to work with; and of the two are actually less destructive to the individual soul experience or the collective soul experiences. For the hypocrite is the destructive force that turns one subtly aside from the spiritual path and plane, especially toward the ego, wherein that other is of the mind and totally of the mind being trained and often, in faith, that must be retrained or stepped over or upon, even, to bring it into line with the spiritual realm or the spiritual success.
Q Did the Sadducees teaching oppose the concept of reincarnation as I understand? Is that the reason it’s mentioned here?
S This is correct, but it is also the training that you receive daily, not only that which are the religious rigors but that which is the training that you find within the open mind of man that takes in all those disciplines that teach you other than the spiritual path. Which is to say commerce, mental, physical joys, the subtleties of same, the overextended intellect and ego. Those things are the disciplines that are to be overcome here.
ACTS 4:3-6:
And they laid hands on them and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. How be it many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
S The high priest and the five thousand represent here the five physical senses that mankind so depends upon in the material world. This is the bringing together of them and the awareness that now there is the facing of the sixth and seventh and possibly even the eighth senses as to be influenced here upon the group or even as each individual must come to this point at some time in their progress towards that which is the overcoming of the mental-material plane.
ACTS 4:7-10:
And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, “Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
S Once again, even as the scientists, the nonbelievers, those who are the physical people or the mental people, and not the spiritual, question or try to put into terms that they may understand and deal with, that which happens in the spiritual of the spiritual nature to the individuals in an awakening or those experiences that come to individuals and groups. Of these spiritual things then, they have no foundations. Hence, when there is an awakening of the sixth and even the seventh senses there is puzzlement and bewilderment and, yes, many times unhappiness and not so much joy in those that are not steeped in the spiritual, religious outlook of life and rather, then, must be accompanied by those thoughts, those new actions, lest they draw back and turn aside from the experiences that are awakening them.
Q Was Paul at this time affiliated with the Pharisees or the Sadducees?
S Paul was a Pharisee but had liaisons with all groups such as this – was known, you see, for the eloquence of the tongue, the brilliance of mind, who would perceive what to say and when to say it. Paul, though you would term a religious fanatic, was also a politically masterful personality that completely understood how to deal with others and the importance of cooperation between forces to overcome those things or to penetrate what he considered the evils and destroy same. Yes, Paul was an accomplished humanist, mental and physical and to a degree, spiritual, but had not the true spiritual awakening, but the depth of Paul’s faith is and was truly a fantastic thing as seen from here of then and of now.
Q I don’t understand how a person can have such a depth of faith and not be spiritually awakened.
S My love, can you at this time walk upon water? Can you ascend at this time? And yet you have faith and you have been exposed to teachings and learnings that others could well envy. None on this plane are perfect, only He that walked as the Master of Life, the Prince of Peace, became perfect and even He had His doubts, His torments, His earthliness, and this is what we say: judge not, condemn not, forgive, forget, love, honor, and obey God.
ACTS 4:11-12:
“This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
S The cornerstone, Jesus the Christ, the cornerstone of your repentance, your awakening, your fulfillment, your overcoming, and yes, your grace. For Jesus the Christ became grace as an individual and grace as a force. And this, then, is the reason you have the opportunity to overcome, to break the wheel of karma, to be upon your Father’s way, your Father’s path, that you might be that which is the light of this world, the helping salvation to mankind, that there may be the rejoicing of the spirit within this world. Think upon same. For this, then, is for you to do until the next time that we come before you. The glory of God is to think upon that which has been handed to you: the opportunity to be a salvation for your brothers, your sisters.
And now we give that which is the love, the peace, the opportunity, the understanding, the patience, and above all that which is the forgiving love of God to each and all that are here and that would follow the path of Jesus Christ, the light and love. We are through with this reading at this time.
RAM Reading 10-157 6-28-86
Channel: Prayer
Oh merciful Lord, hear Thy children. Be aware of us. Show us the way. Give us the Christ. Send us the light, that we may be about Your business and that the things we do, the things that we say, the thoughts of our minds, will be as of You, oh Lord. Oh beloved Father, we thank You for Your presence, for Your love, for Your help and Your mercy. We thank You for the Christ.
Source
Behold the light! Hear the song and feed on the abundance of God! We are here and we have this group, and we are ready for this reading. But first would give you the guiding thought, that which you have had before, over and over and over. To reinforce that which is the path, that which is the line that you must take within yourself that it may become part of your heart and part of that which all see of you, these, then, are the rules, the rules that would make you servants of God. Ever be aware of love, faith, hope, kindness, gentleness, brotherly love, and long-suffering. Hold these in the heart; expound upon them in your life; expand them to include thy neighbors and the casual acquaintance and even those that you do not know. Without these acts you are nothing. Without these acts you have lost the way. Without these acts you have not fulfilled the path that you have set yourself upon in this life. We are here. We have this group, and we are now ready for questions.
ACTS 4:13-18:
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, “What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.” And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
S In each individual’s life come those times when God in His infinite mercy has touched the life through the answering of prayer or help from self or others. And yet how often, as these things occur or have passed, do the entities, even those spiritually or so-called spiritually inclined, have doubts and bring into being the intellectual forces which would renounce or rationalize that which has occurred, fully accepting the fact that something has happened but denying the true cause or the reason for that which is occurred. How often to those who are spiritually inclined, who have spiritual knowledge, does come those incidents that are spiritual in nature and yet, and yet, are so minutely rationalized or put aside by even the spiritually inclined so that in time there is that change of direction, ever so slight, that deviates from the path of true righteousness. For often, even to the spiritual, the practice of the spiritual truth is beyond the effort or the true understanding. Therefore, the nature of mankind is to assault one way or another those happenings or hide the truth of the meaning to selves; for the mind cannot grapple with this true spiritual or the light itself. It is as has often been given, especially through that which is as seeing in a mirror darkly.
ACTS 4:19-23:
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So, when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was showed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
S Even as in the real happening, the actual thing as quoted here and given here, so happens in you and you and all of you. For there are those parts of you that stand up to prove and point the way to the spiritual while there are those parts of yourself that have ever been with you since you have become entrapped in this world, this plane, that will stand up resolutely to be as that which thwarts or sidetracks or fights that which is the inspirational, that which is the spiritual nature or understanding. The greatest, then, of that which stands in the way of the spiritual being is the intellect or the intellect used for ego-purposes.
ACTS 4:24-30:
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, “Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, ‘Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.’ And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.”
S Confrontation must occur within you as you seek the spiritual path. You must review your actions, your emotions. You cannot hide within yourself the doubts or that which is the thought or the proclamation of the glory of God. You must realize the temptations to turn this way or that, for it is just as tempting to the ego to be thrown into that which is the upraised or outpouring of a spiritual nature, but so guided by the ego itself that it brings glory to self in one way or another, or to be deviated to that path which relegates, once again, the spiritual to the side rather than to be the mainstream of the life. As in this happening there were those who gave glory where glory should be, who accepted the glory of God and pronounced Jesus the Christ as the Light of the World, the Lamb, For truly Jesus is and was the Lamb Who came in unspotted, Who gave you the opportunity to wash away your sins, Who is the strength, the hope and glory of God within the hearts, within the minds, within the human experience. It is Jesus the Christ that is the way, the sole way. Therefore, be not deviated, be not lost in the glory or the presumption of others who would have the name as savior. For there is but one Savior, He appointed by God Himself to save you and all mankind.
ACTS 4:31-33:
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
S Few times since the ascension of Jesus the Christ have there been the faith and the power amongst the great numbers of people. Behold at that time there was the use of faith, the uncovering of that which is the glory of God within the individual and as a group. And yet, even as this occurs within yourself, there is the champion of darkness or the threat of the darkness that comes into the being – even as the scriptures have given before and in Acts pursue.
ACTS 4:34-35:
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
S At this time came that which was new, really in truth, though hinted at through the scriptures in families and among others, of brotherly love beyond that which is the circle of confidants, of friends, of relatives. This went out to all with the recognition of the spirit within each that which was the oneness or the light.
ACTS 4:36-37:
And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
S Sacrifice of the individuals, especially that (here, as given) one who was not of the inner circle but from beyond, showing in this intent that there is a brotherhood that includes all humankind whether they be friend or foe. There is that which at a time to come will be the laying down of the wealth, not only of the land, not only of the mind, but of the spirit, for the use of all to become as one.