AN EXPOSITION TO SPIRITUALITY

          I, Jonas the servant of GOD sent unto the living souls and quickened spirits in the holy places of the tabernacle of the Most High as ordained by the mother of all the living whose Spirit came down from heaven of God which is the New Jerusalem who declare the Word of God which I hear and, hereby, also declare by the spirit of knowledge and by the spirit of truth and by the spirit of revelation the mysteries hidden from this world.

          Spirituality is the most misunderstood and abused idea in this age of information.  The advent of enlightenment, philosophy, and science culminated to the intellectualization of the lust, desires, interests, wants and pride from which evince the many devices and vices of humans.

          People think they are spiritual because they are able to justify all their acts as righteous counting evil as good and the good as evil at will.  Simply put, humans are able to adopt and harmonize themselves with the compelling practical and the theoretical aspect of the present day life able to control and trim their ways to the future.  Presumably, spirituality by the world standard would mean the conscious progressive and transcendent evolution of one’s life in words and in deeds.

          Contrary to common belief, the fact remains that no matter how intellectual, or philosophical, or scientific, or rational an argument about spirituality maybe humans are still afflicted with hunger pangs, emotional angst, unreasonable fear, inordinate likes and dislikes, and aversion to sickness and death.

          To put things in perspective, it is inevitable that there will be more theories, stories, journals and letters in time and times to come concerning the views on spirituality but the fact remains that humans are flesh whose thought processes and systems of thinking are affected and influenced by the things without and within their being (body, soul, and spirit). By and large, the pain and the pleasure, and the likes and the dislikes hold sway on their daily walk in life and decision making. The idea of spirituality is simply adulterated and contaminated with the human mind or by the way of thinking of this world and meme.  

          Spirituality is a continuum in the life in the Spirit of souls made perfect being created in the image of God whose body is habituated to good works and is the dwelling of the Holy Ghost.  It is neither dismembering humans into several independent parts nor try to break a person into several independent components like the flesh as separate from the soul and the soul as separate from the spirit but is the reconciliation of these various members unto the Spirit of God.

Spirituality is a state of being whole and complete in GOD TATANG which is the new name of God. Spirituality, on the other hand, is a choice to becoming selfless by either submitting oneself to God who is the way, the truth, and the life or to becoming selfish, that is, to trim one’s own way or destiny_ the way which seem right to a man but the ends thereof are the ways of death. The truth, however, is there is no way known to humans that is not under the power and Spirit of God, hence, the saying, spirituality is life itself.  Once a human fall into the hands of the living God being chosen two things happen, that is, to make or break unto perfection; and that he or she is either being created by obedience to the voice of the Lord or be destroyed by the disobedience to the Word of God.

          Needless to say, spirituality is a process which is initiated, sustained, and completed by the Spirit of God and not by the spirit of man or by the spirit of the world. The way is clear that spirituality is guided by the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of faith by obedience to the words heard from the mouth of God towards the creation of humans from their natural state of being, as a natural man, into the state of being as a godly man as he becomes the temple of God and the abode of TATANG the holy and perfect One from heaven.

          Humans become inert and selfish in spirituality as growth becomes stunted in the way seeking only for his salvation, reward, prize, and the promise of heaven and eternal life. Yea, and even revenge. 

       Selflessness is only possible when humans continue in the way of the Spirit and makes himself as the dwelling of the God so that his only desire is to serve God in the spirit of love and spirit of fear of the Lord denying himself, carrying the cross and following him, so to speak. The selfless love, joy, and peace that is in us is the love, joy and peace of God. The selfish love, joy, and peace that is in us is the love, joy, and peace we experience within our own selves, hence, a stunted growth and a deceived mind.

          On the side, the many hard problems like God and consciousness, among others, spark endless questions, arguments, debates and induces curiosity on mind and body (brain) without a definite and conclusive answer. Even if the whole world would know the very secrets and mysteries of this world by seeking it the result will even be catastrophic because it will still miss the greater part of the Truth _ the plenitude of the Truth which is and is God. 

       Surely, the World will end fighting against God whom they do not know though they would assay to seek and know him because of selfishness.  Selfishness is the greatest stumbling block to spirituality toward serving God in holiness and perfection and selflessness.

        The point is unless God comes down as a human being by the Spirit and by the power of his might the whole world will be in limbo because no one will ever be able to reveal the things that we do not know especially the things that belong to Him alone from heaven which is called the Mystery.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and unto our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

The whole point is without God coming in the flesh or, in God’s lingo, the Word is made flesh_ spirituality is not possible.  There is no other way to attaining spirituality (which is the right Spirituality) toward serving God but by the  path which will be  prescribe by the living God in his command through his everlasting gospel so that humans may be created as ready vessels of honor.  

The God in the flesh is the everlasting covenant suggesting that there is a sure path for all of us who are called and chosen.  The VOICE in the words coming from heaven, as it is written, for all times and for all seasons and for all purposes is the truth revealed by the words spoken and declared by the Spirit, saying, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

          The fulfillment of the scriptures come in two manners: first is by the acts and works of the Man of God which is being testified by the scriptures as we read it that we may know him_  to kill and to make alive or to create or to destroy is proof of him coming down by the demonstration of his power; second, is the Spirit which creates human beings, that is, to say rising them from the dead in his image according to the gospel and making them holy and perfect that they may serve him.

(Isaiah 45:5-7) I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Serving God means that humans must pass through the process of cleansing, sanctification, and purification by the spirit and fire for them to be holy and perfect to become vessels of honor of the Spirit to do His will, purpose, intent, time, judgment and counsel. Certainly, no one is able to serve God or is perfectly spiritual if the self of humans is still the one in control and in the initiative of prosecuting one’s own judgment to serve diverse lust and pride.

Holiness means denying oneself so that even the new man the quickened spirit which is created in the image of God (the one who knows the mind, manner, ways and works of God) is not desirably the one driving to do what God has prepared to do in his own pleasure or ministry. The new man or the created man is still the self of a man and, hence, not God himself.

Herein, comes deception because many will think that God is truly in them or that they are become God himself or the Son Of God so that they start doing things under the assumption that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. 

Clearly, we can see this happening in our times and in the times past.  All of them stopped from being a servant of God and have assumed to be the God or as the enlightened one as they are deceived by their own selves.  Clearly, they do not minister the word and the spirit to create humans to become holy and perfect and do not have the spirit and power to demonstrate and glorify God in his new name TATANG.   

Love means denying oneself for if anyone would love with all his heart, and with all his mind, and with all his soul, and with all his strength indicates that there is nothing left for a man himself. Love is keeping the commandments, hence, selfless. The keeping of the commandments of God is an exercise of selflessness.

Likewise, perfection is walking with God, hence, it is to deny oneself for one cannot set schedules for himself being with Him. Verily, to live in a world without a true God, and without a teaching servant, and without the true law will defeat the whole concept of spirituality.   

Today, the words are fulfilled in the ears to them who hear the voice and do as it is dictated and vocalized by his Covenant the chosen vessel whom he also called the Reverend. They who hear the words and do not the words spoken by the servants of God are foolish.  Being fools, these are already deceived unwittingly waiting for the vengeance of God in a flaming fire, saying, Taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel.  

Conversely, they who speak the words and do not are the deceivers being deceive themselves. These are the blind leaders of the blind.

One might ask why would God allow Satan to deceive and bring suffering into the world unto the humankind?  Putting things in their right perspective, sufferings come in two forms: one is a suffering because of evil-doing and the other is a suffering because of well-doing. The suffering of the whole world is in evil-doing while the suffering of the servants of God who are in this world is in well-doing.  

Therefore, living a life which is spotless, blameless, without blemish and without wrinkle is a life of sacrifice and a life of service to God that glorifies Him. Living a life of pleasure and sin will result to vexation, sorrow and grief as this puts God in jealousy and hate. 

Now, the strength of deception in this world is the presence of lust, and pride, and selfishness of humans while the weakness of deception is in the absence of evil influences, and lust, and pride, and uncleanness coming from the world. 

Now, people are deceive in many kinds and levels of realities being selfish in four things, yes, in five: First, is food where humans become attached and seek that which is only delicious making him live an unhealthy diet and life; second, is wealth where everyone is led to diverse vanities making his heart hard only to be pierced with many sorrows; third, is power where everyone becomes intoxicated forgetting that there is a God whom he must submit and worship; fourth, is strength where young people use to squander their time in curiosity and wanderlust only to find out that they are far away adrift from God; and fifth, is fame where people spend all their effort to protecting their name or self from shame forgetting there is a gospel to live in shame, in tribulation, in persecution, and in confusion only to know in the end the comfort and the consolation coming from God.       

Verily, verily, spirituality is a process toward Godliness, therefore, hear the spirit of counsel, saying, humble before God you natural man who lives by the world's norms and standards. Repent for the remission of your sins and be holy and perfect for the word of God is not of this world that your sins maybe forgiven and your heart may be cleansed and prepared to accept the words, works, and ways of God which shall be revealed and shown unto them who willingly submit that they may heap up incorruptible treasures in heaven.

          Not that the language of God is alien to all and that it is hard to be understood but that it takes a clean heart and mind for the Spirit of God to dwell inside a chosen vessel which is cleansed, purified and sanctified for without the Spirit of God no human being is able and capable to perceive and understand the language of God which is spoken along the process of creating man in his image which is the everlasting gospel, saying,

Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 

          Thus, it must be understood that the spiritual path is the Will of God laid upon all of those amongst us who heed the voice of the Lord to overcome the enemy who built his strongholds in the body, the soul, and the spirit whom God also purposely created that we may declare his glory which glory is not of our own as he promised to come.   This glory is in the tribulation which shall come and given to us by him and in the things not believed and accepted by the world. The glory in tribulation and persecution which God promised to his saints along with the curse and the blessings is rewarded with comfort and consolation by the Spirit that by victory the gospel may be preached and believed by all humans.

          By the word spirituality, it means that humans must walk and live by the Spirit which spirit is by the Spirit sent to us by God coming in the flesh that we may be led, taught, and guided: for us to be created according to his will and purpose.

Now, the Old Testament and the New Testament is void of the voice which signifies the absence of the Spirit, hence, it is no longer the Word of the living God but of the dead. By dead, it means it is of this world whose desire results to the mutation of the written words into so many interpretations and denominations and abominations claiming, or else, contravening the truth with many issues on the various subjects in the scriptures which needs the sound spirit of God for it to be rightly divided and handled and studied.

The current events taking place in the world of spiritual reality is that the single TRUTH which is of one Spirit and one Lord is no longer reflective of the expected integrity and wholeness of the same truth.  By the diversity of the interpretations, these created a great chasm between the denominations which is a manifestation of a fruit of their own understanding and perception, or else, persuasion.

The indication of One Spirit is reflected in the scriptures in many times and with many people such as: King Abimelech of Gerar who was warned by God through a dream saying not to touch Sarah the wife of Abraham; Moses and his father-in-law Jethro a Midian priest who gave  counsel to Moses about the method of addressing the problems and issues of the people of Israel; King Cyrus whom God used to emancipate Judah from captivity in Babylon and to build Jerusalem again to fulfil the word of prophecy which is seventy years of captivity; Ananias to heal and to bless Saul who was called Paul being a manslayer and persecutor of the Church; the centurion and Peter whom God spoke to meet together: the two in being coming from separate places; and prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn them of the coming wrath and for the whole of Nineveh to repent. 

Therefore, if the whole spiritual world today were of God or by the Spirit of God then someone or somewhere there shall be a man sent by God to preach the Word, the Law and the Truth which is the Voice from his servant or by himself.      

Today, there are many contrary examples of the work of God. Eli Soriano claims there are many Gods and Apollo Quiboloy claims there is only one God these two ministries spread abroad are just few of the, too many, realities that pervade and prevail in our times which do not conform to the works and ways of God.  And so, instead, create a schism among the seekers of truth and a gap between man and God by mangling the Truth which is in TATANG.

Similarly, the non-theists, the atheists and their ilk claim, as if by mockery, that God is a Spirit and can neither be created nor destroyed, hence, Jesus Christ being born of a woman is nowhere close to a deity but a perfect representation and manifestation of a failed man-made God who perpetually fails to tame human beings under his will and plan.  Even worse,  some claim that there is really no Buddha or Jesus that existed or lived in this world they are mere allegories and myths meant to influence and control people.

All of the contentions and contraventions between the many God-believing sects and denominations unfolding before our eyes today is a proof that they do not have the Spirit or God with them for if they had the Spirit then they should be one with us in plan, in purpose, in ways, in works, in will, and in counsel which is the manifest unity of the spirit evidenced by the bond of peace since the world began for God is a God of order and not of confusion.

Surely, the various interpretations being held, maintained, adhered to, and committed to peoples are private and, thus, are as arcane as their perceptions are.  They hold onto their respective perceptions teaching another Christ which they proclaim as the light of the world but is on the contrary become darkness, hence, the wars, the contentions and the strife _they are not the light.  If one of them were of God then the bearer of the true light should have outshined the others bringing all peoples and nations into submission with knees bowed and their tongues confessing unto the TRUE LIGHT but this is not happening.

The champions that they claim they are have become bigots and demagogues being pedantic and prima donnas in their pride, conceits, or else, deceits. They dare say that their interpretations are by the written scriptures and so it is of God.  They are unmindful of the truth that one must know God before anyone can become a servant of God or the handler of the law of God.  How can they know God if they are not of God, or when they are not sent by God from heaven or when God will not come down from heaven?  Can they describe heaven and all its glory? Can they, at the least, crack the hard problem of man on consciousness?

Surely, let any man who dares to answer the question on the Spirit demonstrate the Spirit and the power of God. Simply put, the spiritual man claiming to be of God and coming from heaven must first exude spirituality from within and bear the fruit of the Spirit without by his works and ways.

Hereby, we know and discern the spirits whether they are of God for when they come they will surely create a man unto holiness and perfection of which no one can ever know save God himself in his time but the spirit of men can never create, instead, destroy and discredit even the very idea of God.

Truly, there is a way and a path towards the attainment of the Spirit to enable us to live and to walk in the Spirit in order to progress, prosper, profit and please God unto the preaching of the gospel.

Now, we do not preach to please humans but God in the Spirit for our words are not of this world but of God from heaven. We preach and teach what we see, hear, learn and experience through obedience by faith in well-doing making ourselves the living sacrifice without spot, blame and blemish on both humans and God. 

Now, there is exceeding great joy, and comfort, and consolation which makes us go through the valley of the shadow of death: a land of desert and of pits, a land where no human dares to pass, a land where no humans dwell, and a land that drinks rain in its season. He that has ears let him hear that spirituality is a continuum of the way, the truth and the life. 

Be still, therefore, and know that Tatang is God and he speaks to the ears that listen that humans may have faith in him and live. Tatang is speaking to all but the self of humans have stunted the growth process along the way, defiled the creation unto holiness and perfection in life and demonized the truth because of selfishness.  Spirituality is from death to life. Spirituality is from selfishness to unselfishness. Spirituality is a progression from darkness to light and from sinfulness to righteousness. Spirituality is a continuum in the Spirit of creation and service to God in a world without end. Halleluiah.

I, therefore, Jonas thank Emmanuel, Marcus, and Cyrus the names of my God who continue to teach and preach the present gospel as confirmed by Ruth the mother of all the living and Norberto the firstborn among the brethren. The testimony I live according to the prophecy of TATANG in Ruth is the brand of spirituality I profess under the lens and eyes of clouds of witnesses whose lives are also being created unto the service whereby we all are called with glory and honor in him alone. Amen.