Jesus' Spirit Lives

Jesus' Spirit Lives... His Message is "Love One Another"

After his resurrection, during his tenth appearance, on Tuesday, April 11, 30 CE, when he appeared suddenly to a group of over 150 believers gathered for a special meeting in the synagogue at Philadelphia, Jesus stepped forward from where he had appeared between Abner and Lazarus and said, "Peace be upon you. You all know that we have one Father in heaven, and that there is but one gospel of the Kingdom – the good news of the gift of eternal life which men receive by faith. As you rejoice in your loyalty to the gospel, pray the Father of truth to shed abroad in your hearts a new and greater love for your brethren.

"You are to love all men as I have loved you; you are to serve all men as I have served you. With understanding sympathy and brotherly affection, fellowship all your brethren who are dedicated to the proclamation of the good news, whether they be Jew or gentile, Greek or Roman, Persian or Ethiopian.

"John proclaimed the kingdom in advance; you have preached the gospel in power; the Greeks already teach the good news; and I am soon to send forth the Spirit of Truth into the souls of all these, my brethren, who have so unselfishly dedicated their lives to the enlightenment of their fellows who sit in spiritual darkness.

"You are all the children of light; therefore stumble not into the misunderstanding entanglements of mortal suspicion and human intolerance. If you are ennobled, by the grace of faith, to love unbelievers, should you not also equally love those who are your fellow believers in the far-spreading household of faith?"

"Remember, as you love one another, all men will know that you are my disciples. Go, then, into all the world proclaiming this gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men to all nations and races and ever be wise in your choice of methods for presenting the good news to the different races and tribes of mankind.

"Freely you have received this gospel of the kingdom, and you will freely give the good news to all nations. Fear not the resistance of evil, for I am with you always, even to the end of the ages. And my peace I leave with you."

When he had finished speaking, he vanished from their sight. With the exception of one of his appearances in Galilee, where upward of five hundred believers saw him at one time, this group in Philadelphia embraced the largest number of mortals who saw him on any single occasion.

Early the next morning, even while the apostles tarried in Jerusalem awaiting the emotional recovery of Thomas, these believers at Philadelphia went forth proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead. – The Urantia Book 191:4.1-6

Unmistakably, a new fellowship was arising in the world. “The multitude who believed continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” They called each other brother and sister; they greeted one another with a holy kiss; they ministered to the poor. It was a fellowship of living as well as of worship. 194:4.7

In these days they celebrated the Lord’s Supper after the manner of its establishment; that is, they assembled for a social meal of good fellowship and partook of the sacrament at the end of the meal. 194:4.8

At first they baptized in the name of Jesus; it was almost twenty years before they began to baptize in “the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Baptism was all that was required for admission into the fellowship of believers. They had no organization as yet; it was simply the Jesus brotherhood. 194:4.9

This Jesus sect was growing rapidly, and once more the Sadducees took notice of them. The Pharisees were little bothered about the situation, seeing that none of the teachings in any way interfered with the observance of the Jewish laws. But the Sadducees began to put the leaders of the Jesus sect in jail until they were prevailed upon to accept the counsel of one of the leading rabbis, Gamaliel, who advised them:

“Refrain from these men and let them alone, for if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest haply you be found even to be fighting against God.”

They decided to follow Gamaliel’s counsel, and there ensued a time of peace and quiet in Jerusalem, during which the new gospel about Jesus spread rapidly. – The Urantia Book 194:4.10

Editor's Note: As I was contemplating the concept of loving one another, and in looking at the global celebrations for Easter and the meaning attached to the resurrection of Jesus, I also noticed that April 22 is Earth Day and their theme for 2025 is "our power, our planet." It occurs to me that we are very close, within reach actually, of so much that is good – peace, promise, prosperity, potential, progress, and power. Power that comes from the spiritual unity we have by recognizing the universal sovereignty of God our Father and the comfort of the Spirit of Truth poured out upon all flesh when Jesus ascended. We hold the power to love and accept each other. We are divinely empowered to value and celebrate diverse thoughts and cultures. We can easily choose to engage with goodness in an effort to transform the world in the active, positive way. Willingness to serve brings opportunity and transformational spiritual power.

Today marks the end of life for 88-year-old Pope Francis; who is being mourned from Buenos Aires to Rome. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio – the son of Italian immigrants, Francis is known to have read at least some of The Urantia Book, and even attended a study group with Carlos Rubinsky on occasion years ago in Argentina – as Cardinal of Buenos Aires, and long before he became the Pope.

Ordained a priest with the Jesuit order, Francis was elected as the 266th pope, the first from the Americas, taking his name after St. Francis of Assisi. His passion seemed to be championing the cause of helping the oppressed, marginalized and the poor. He felt more comfortable in humble surroundings so it is said that he never accepted the lavish apartment provided for his predecessors. Recently hospitalized and recovering from pneumonia, Pope Francis visited with the U.S. Vice President during Easter Sunday, among his other duties, and passed away early on Monday morning, April 21, 2025. The Center For Unity team wishes Francis a "Bon Voyage" as he departs for the mansion worlds on high, and an eternal rest in peace. He is our brother.