Sunday, March 1st, 2020 Roundtable

May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense, that no counteracting influence can hinder their growth or taint their examples.

— from “Mental Practice” Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy,
page 223

194 — WATCH lest you believe that you can ever really lose your spiritual ability to reflect God, which is a gift of God to each of His children. In this dream of mortality it is possible to lose sight of it, just as children sometimes close their eyes while riding on a train, and imagine that they are going backwards. Sometimes they can make themselves feel all the sensations of going in the direction opposite to the one in which they actually are going. To correct the error, they need only open their eyes.

— from 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter

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Golden Text — “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” — Christ Jesus” — John 12 : 46

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And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

— from the Responsive Reading portion of the Bible Lesson from
John 3 : 16-21

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Personal sense is believing in a selfhood apart from God.

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And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

— Matthew 10 : 1 from citation 4 in the Bible portion of this week’s Lesson

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Unclean spirit: carnal mind, personal sense, impure motives, keeps in bondage, negative thinking.

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And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

— Matthew 21 : 12-13 from citation 7 in the Bible portion of this week’s Lesson

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Forum post — “A den of thieves.” by Lynda from PA

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Thief: One who secretly, unlawfully and feloniously takes the goods or personal property of another. One who seduces by false doctrine. John 10:1. One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves. Matthew 21:1.

— from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

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Are you representing God, Truth so well that others are drawn to it?

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Our Master taught no mere theory, doctrine, or belief. It was the divine Principle of all real being which he taught and practised. His proof of Christianity was no form or system of religion and worship, but Christian Science, working out the harmony of Life and Love. Jesus sent a message to John the Baptist, which was intended to prove beyond a question that the Christ hadcome: “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” In other words: Tell John what the demonstration of divine power is, and he will at once perceive that God is the power in the Messianic work.

— Citation 5 from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy, page 26 : 28-9

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Forum post — “Who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the Truth?” by Joanne from FL

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Forum post — Losing Life and Finding It by Elizabeth from GA

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Final Readings