|
HOW TO PRESENT THE ONENESS BLESSING
TO RELIGIOUS GROUPS (AND LIVE TO TELL
ABOUT ITJ)
Rev. Dr. Michael Milner, Ph.D. (Bishop)
When you present the Oneness Blessing to
any religious group, make every effort
to become familiar with and to use their
spiritual language and belief system,
not your own. Hence for Christians,
Oneness Blessing could be described as
the Grace of the Holy Spirit received
through prayer, usually with the Laying
On of Hands, that opens the door to a
deeper abiding communion with Christ,
opening the heart to Divine Love and
Joy, healing relationships, bringing
both inner (emotional and psychological)
and outer (physical) healing & blessings
of prosperity, resulting in a fuller
more abundant life on every level.
1) Evangelical Protestant Christians:
Baptist, Church of Christ, Nazarene,
Charismatic, Pentecostal, etc.
(considered Conservative or
Fundamentalist)
Evangelical Christians want to know: “Is
it in the Bible, or not?!” For example,
since it is in the Bible, they are
already familiar with the “Laying on of
Hands”. They are the hardest to reach,
but once you do, they are definitely the
most fun, because they actually believe
in something and have FAITH!
NOTE: Some Evangelicals (Southern
Baptists for instance) are opposed to
any talk of miracles, healings and
supernatural phenomena. They believe
these things stopped at the end of the
apostolic age. Hence, it is important to
know something about their belief system
before attempting to present Oneness to
them. They do believe in prayer
and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
They also understand that much disease
is stress related; so you could point
out that increased inner peace
translates into reduced stress and fewer
health issues.
On the other hand, Charismatic and
Pentecostal Christians (Assembly of God,
Church of God, United Pentecostal, and
Charismatic “Christian Centers” who
believe in “the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit and Speaking in Tongues”) LOVE
miracles, healings, visions, prophecy,
the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. You
can have a lot of fun with these folks
as long as you focus on the Bible and
Christ!
With Evangelical Christians use plenty
of Scripture quotes from the Bible. Pray
to God the Father in Jesus’ Name. Ask
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
(this is equivalent to invoking the
Divine Presence) EXAMPLE: “Heavenly
Father, in Jesus’ Name, we ask You to
open the windows of Heaven and pour out
the Grace of the Holy Spirit on Your
People gathered here. Increase Your
Presence, the anointing of the Holy
Spirit, in our lives. Open the door in
each of us to the ever deepening
experience of Oneness with You. We ask
this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN” Then give
the Blessing by Intention with hands
extended, and where permitted, give
hands-on Oneness Blessings.
Be ready for some interesting results!
People may be healed spontaneously, have
visions, prophesy, speak in tongues,
fall on the ground in trance (called
“falling under the power” or being
“slain in the Spirit”), etc.
REMEMBER:
You are not praying for them to
“receive the Holy Spirit” as if it was
not already present within them, but
rather you are praying for the Holy
Spirit, which is already present “in”
them, to be released and to work in them
in a deeper more powerful way.
IMPORTANT:
With conservative Evangelical Protestant
Christians avoid Sanskrit, using the
names of other gods and references to
texts from other religions and
traditions (unless you want to be burned
at the stakeJ).
2) Mainstream Protestants (Methodist,
Presbyterian, Lutheran, most
Episcopalians, etc.):
Mainstream Protestants tend to look down
on “Fundamentalists”, whom they view as
being in slavery to a literal
interpretation of the Bible. Mainstream
Protestants usually emphasize a “social
gospel” with a focus on issues of
compassion, peace and social justice,
ethical and environmental issues,
“loving your neighbor as yourself”, etc.
They are more open than Fundamentalists
are to other Christian denominations and
non-Christian religions and “ecumenical”
efforts (= trying to bring all Christian
groups together in unity) as well as
interfaith prayer and dialogue. They may
love to hear mention of people who
embodied Oneness like Gandhi, Mother
Theresa and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Follow your heart and common sense with
these folks.
Do use a Scripture quote or two, but
don’t overdo it, or they will think you
are a “Bible-thumping Fundamentalist”
and they will close their minds to you.
(To invoke the Presence you could pray
in this manner) “Heavenly Father, may
the Grace of the Holy Spirit open in us
the door to a deeper Communion with Your
Divine Presence, to an ever-deepening
experience of Oneness with You. We ask
this with thanksgiving in the Name of
Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.”
Then give the Blessing by intention,
inviting everyone to keep their eyes
closed in silence for a moment or two.
That is always safe. (Be careful about
extending your palms toward the people
while giving intent Blessings. It may
appear to them that you think you have
some “special powers”. It might be
better to just lift your palms up toward
heaven or not to lift them up at all. It
depends on the church. Follow your
intuition and common sense).
Some Protestants are very open to
“Spirituality”, Mysticism and Eastern
Religions and might enjoy hearing you
speak of India, Avatars, meditation, the
Moola Mantra. But be sure to ask the
pastor before you try it! Also, you
should ask the pastor before offering
hands-on Oneness Blessings. Some
churches will be open to it. Others will
not.
3) “Sacramental” Churches: Roman
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (including
Anglo/Catholic, “High” Anglican & High
Episcopal Churches):
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest
Christian church in the world (over one
billion), comprising more than half of
all Christians and1/6 of the entire
world population. These churches are
quite different from Protestant
Christian churches. They have a highly
developed “Mystical” or “Spiritual”
Theology and a long tradition of
“Contemplative Prayer” (Christian
Meditation) and Contemplative Spiritual
Orders (monasticism). Their history is
full of mystics and saints.
These churches focus on 7 “Sacraments”,
visible signs (usually embodied in
rituals) that confer invisible Grace,
such as Baptism, Confirmation
(empowerment with the Holy Spirit for
Christian service), Reconciliation
(“confession” & absolution of sins),
Holy Communion (the Mass or Eucharist),
Anointing of the Sick with Sacred Oil,
Holy Matrimony & Ordination to Holy
Orders (Deacon, Priest, Bishop). The
Holy Orders of Bishop, Priest & Deacon
(ordained leaders of Sacramental
churches)) derive their authority from
something called “Apostolic Succession”,
an empowerment of the Holy Spirit
transmitted by Jesus (a form of
Christian Deeksha) to the original
Apostles and through them by the laying
on of hands to the first bishops, then
through the bishops to their successors
in an unbroken line down through history
to the present day. The lineage of a
Catholic or Orthodox bishop can be
traced on paper back to the original
Apostles and through them to Christ.
Bishops confer the empowerment of the
Holy Spirit to believers to equip them
for Christian service through the
Sacrament of Confirmation, another form
of deeksha (called “Chrismation” in
Eastern Orthodox churches).
It is useful to know that in Western
Christianity the words “contemplation”
and “meditation” have exactly the
opposite meanings as the same words in
Eastern philosophy. In Christianity,
“Meditation” means to use the mind and
discursive thought to ponder an idea or
a spiritual truth (= Contemplation in
Eastern thought). “Contemplation” or
“Contemplative Prayer”, on the other
hand, is spontaneous absorption in the
Divine Presence, beyond any discursive
thought or personal effort of will (=
Meditation in Eastern thought). True
Contemplative Prayer is thought to be a
gift of Grace initiated by the
Indwelling and inner working of the Holy
Spirit, not attainable through any
personal effort or technique.
The sacramental churches, in general,
are open to mystical phenomena and to
ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and
prayer. They certainly use the Holy
Scriptures (Bible), but with a more
liberal, open and mystical
interpretation.
Among these churches there is a wide
range of differences. Some are
conservative, some quite liberal. Some
are “Charismatic” and are open to the
laity (those who are not ordained to the
ministry) laying hands on the sick,
prophesying and operating in all the
Gifts of the Spirit. Some think only a
priest should manifest the Gifts of the
Spirit or give a Blessing (In which case
you might speak of “Oneness Deeksha” or
“Oneness Prayer” instead of “Oneness
Blessing”). Always become familiar with
the customs of the group you are
addressing beforehand.
OPTIONAL guidelines for prayer in a
sacramental church: When you begin to
pray, start by saying ”In the Name of
the Father & of the Son & of the Holy
Spirit. AMEN.” As you say this, if you
know how to do it, “cross” yourself as
follows: In Catholic & Anglican
churches: use your right hand, touch
your forehead, then your heart, then
your left shoulder, then your right. In
Eastern Orthodox churches: use your
right thumb, middle & index fingers
together, touch forehead, heart, right
shoulder then left. At the conclusion of
your prayer say, “We ask this in the
Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives
& reigns with you & the Holy Spirit, One
God, forever and ever. Amen.” Then,
cross yourself again.
4) New Age, New Thought, Metaphysical
(Unity, Religious Science, Spiritualist
Churches, etc.):
Have a good time! There are generally no
restrictions with these groups. They are
open to everything! But, it is still a
good idea to speak with the leader first
about anything that they might wish you
to avoid talking about because of some
particular sensitivity their group may
have.
5) Non-Christian Religions (Judaism,
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism,
Pagan, etc.)
The same principles apply. Learn about
their belief system and language.
Take time to listen, first. Then speak.
Talk to them in their own language, on
their own terms, if possible quoting
from their own scriptures and
traditions. Everyone will be open to the
possibility of reduced inner conflict
and increased peace, focus, clarity,
brain function, connectedness with
others, (and possibly with the Divine)
etc., as long as it fits into their
belief system, values, ethos, etc.
COMPENDIUM OF SCRIPTURES & OUTLINE FOR
PRESENTING THE ONENESS BLESSING TO
CHARISMATIC EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS & TO
OTHER GROUPS WHO ARE OPEN TO TEACHING
FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The following was compiled to present
the Oneness Blessing to Charismatic
Evangelical Christians who love lots of
Scripture quotes & talk about miracles,
prophesy, etc. For other Christian
groups, you might use just one or two of
these Scripture passages.
Acts 2:15-19 (New King James Version)
…it shall come to pass in the last
days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit
on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My
maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those
days;
And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven
above
And signs in the earth beneath…
Matthew 10:7 Jesus said: The Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand! (Here & now!)
Hi, I’m…
(introduce yourself, where you are from
& what you do). I’m here to share
with you a gift from the Holy Spirit
which has changed my life. Many people
call it the Oneness Blessing (or
Oneness Prayer), because it opens the
door to a profound deepening of our
Communion with God (or Christ)
and with the whole Family of God.
(It helps our hearts to flower with
Divine Love, heals relationships,
promotes inner & outer healing and opens
the door to innumerable Blessings of God
in our lives.)
Before I do that, I would like to hear
from you.
(Now, ask a question or two. For
example: Why are you here, today?
What do you hope to receive? Why do you
go to church? What are you seeking? Are
you satisfied with your life? your
relationships? your spiritual growth?
your prayer life? your relationship with
God? Summarize the peoples’ answers).
Everyone is seeking something: a
relationship, the healing of a
relationship, emotional healing,
physical healing, prosperity,
advancement in life, spiritual growth, a
deeper prayer life, a better
relationship with God. Whatever you
seek, the source is the same – The
source is Divine Grace!
James 1:17 (New King James Version)
says:
Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, and comes down from (God)
the Father of lights, with whom there is
no variation or shadow of turning.
Matthew 7:7-8 (New King James Version)
says:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened.
The Oneness Blessing came in answer to
my prayers and gave me a quantum leap
forward. I really needed a breakthrough
in my life.
(Use your own words, such as: “I was
stuck, spiritually, professionally, in
my relationships, etc... I needed
help.”) I didn’t have a clear vision.
Without a vision, without hope, there is
nothing for our creative energies to
work toward. There is nothing to anchor
our Faith, nothing for Divine Grace to
work with.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible) says:
…FAITH is the assurance (the
confirmation, the title deed) of the
things [we] hope for, being the proof of
things [we] do not see and the
conviction of their reality [faith
perceiving as real fact what is not
revealed to the senses].
WE MUST HAVE A VISION
Proverbs 29:18 says:
“Where there is no
vision,
the people perish”.
Habakuk 2:2,
says: “Write
the vision and make it clear… so he may
run who reads it.
JESUS’ HAD A VISION FOR ALL OF HUMANITY
Before He went to the Cross, Jesus
prayed for his followers, expressing His
vision for them and for all of Humanity.
His vision was for all of us to enjoy
the same Oneness with each other & with
God that He experienced:
John 17:20-23 (New King James Version)
“I… pray… that they all may be one, as
You, Father, are in Me, and I in
You; that they also may be one in Us, …
that they may be one just as We are one:
I in them, and You in Me; that they may
be made perfect in one(ness) (…brought
to complete unity [New International
Version], …be mature in this oneness
[The Message Bible]) … that the world
may know that You have… loved them as
You have loved Me.”
When Jesus finished his earthly
ministry, he still had many things to
teach his followers about Oneness with
God, but they were unable to grasp these
mysteries because the Holy Spirit had
not yet been given to them. When they
received the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, they would have the ability to
actually experience for themselves the
things Jesus had demonstrated and told
them about while He was with them.
John 16:12-15 AMPLIFIED BIBLE
“I
have still many things to say to you,
but you are not able to… grasp them now.
But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the
Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will
guide you into all the Truth (the whole,
full Truth)… He will announce and
declare to you the things that are to
come [that will happen in the
future]... He will take of (receive,
draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal
(declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.
Everything that the Father has is Mine.
That is what I meant when I said that He
[the Spirit] will take the things that
are Mine and will reveal (declare,
disclose, transmit) it to you.
The Holy Spirit was sent to guide the
followers of Christ into TRUTH (“truth”
= Reality as it is, the “what is”), to
reveal future events, to draw upon what
had been given to Jesus and to
transmit it to His disciples. What
had Jesus received? The Fullness of the
Divine Nature & Consciousness!
In John 10:30 Jesus says:
“I and my Father are ONE.”
Colossians 2:9 says:
“…in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily.”
HOW is this transmission of Oneness with
God to take place??? By receiving and
being continually FILLED with the Holy
Spirit (the Divine Presence), a gift
that is often given and later renewed
and strengthened by the Laying on of
Hands.
Acts 8:18
“…through the laying on of… hands the
Holy Spirit was given…”
Acts 9:17
“…laying his hands on him he said, “…
Jesus…has sent me that you may receive
your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit.”
1
Timothy 4:14
“Do not neglect the gift that is in you,
which was given to you … with the laying
on of… hands...”
2 Timothy 1:6
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the
gift of God which is in you through the
laying on of my hands.”
Even after the gift of the Holy Spirit
has been received, it needs to be
renewed, to be stirred up (literally
“fanned into full flame”) again and
again.
Ephesians 5:17-18 says:
“…understand what the will of the Lord
is… be filled with the Spirit.”
In the
original Greek text it says literally
“Be continuously in the state of being
filled with the Holy Spirit”
John 7:37-39 (Amplified Bible)
“…Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud
voice, If any man is thirsty, let him
come to Me and drink! He who believes in
Me... as the Scripture has said, From
his innermost being shall flow
[continuously] springs and rivers of
living water… He was speaking here of
the Spirit, Whom those who believed… in
Him were… to receive …”
Jesus said that Believers would
experience continuously flowing rivers
of Living Water bursting forth from
their innermost being! Does that sound
like something you are experiencing in
your life? Right now? Continuously?
Acts 1:8 (New King James Version)
…you shall receive POWER when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you…
The word “Power” used here in the
original Greek text ,“dunamis”, means
miraculous ability, the ability to work
miracles, to do the works of Jesus!!! We
get the word “dynamite” from “dunamis”.
In John 14:12-21 (New King James
Version) Jesus says:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me, the works (the miracles)
that I do he will do also; and greater
works than these he will do… If
you ask anything in My name, I will do
it. …And
I will pray the Father, and He will give
you another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever— the Spirit of
truth…you know Him, for He dwells with
you and will be in you…
At that day you will know that I am
in My Father, and you in Me, and I in
you… And he who
loves Me will be loved by My Father, and
I will love him and manifest Myself to
him.”
Christ wants to manifest Himself to you!
WOW! There is so much more that God
wants to do for us that we have not yet
received. It is all just waiting for us
to open up more fully to the Grace of
the Holy Spirit, and that’s exactly what
the Oneness Blessing does. It opens the
door to more of the Grace of the Holy
Spirit in our lives!
Revelation 3:20 (New King James Version)
Jesus says: “Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with Me.”
When I experienced the Oneness Blessing
in my life everything began to change…
(Briefly explain how your life has
changed and how you have seen the
Oneness Blessing transform the lives of
others)… NOW, I am going to pray for
you to experience the Oneness Blessing.
EVEN IF you have already experienced the
indwelling or the release of the Holy
Spirit, the gift will be rekindled,
renewed, strengthened and stirred into
full flame to take you more deeply into
Oneness with God, face to face with
Christ! Are you ready??? Close your
eyes… First, I am going to pray to ask
for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to
give us the promised gift, to pour out
the Blessing of Oneness. Then I will
come lay my hands on your head for a
minute or two. (Or if you give the
Blessing by Intention only, say instead
“Then we will keep our eyes closed in
silence for a few moments while we
receive the Blessing.”) The rest is
pure Grace! There is nothing for you to
do now but be in Gratitude and let it
happen. (Now pray and give the
Oneness Blessing. Let the people rest in
the Presence for a few minutes, until it
feels right, then close with a prayer of
gratitude and thanksgiving).
POSTSCRIPT:
If people are very intoxicated with the
Presence after receiving the Blessing
(Charismatic Christians call it being
“Drunk in the Spirit”, you might add the
following admonition
J
“Sometimes after receiving the Oneness
Blessing, people feel quite intoxicated
with Love in the Divine Presence. This
is a very normal and beautiful thing.
Just enjoy it! Give yourself a few
minutes to land before your try to drive
or operate heavy machinery <smile &
laugh>J.
When the Holy Spirit was first received
by Jesus’ disciples they were so
intoxicated with joy in the Divine
Presence that people thought they were
drunk.”
Acts 2:13-19 (The Message Bible)
(Some people) joked, "They're drunk on
cheap wine." That's when Peter stood up…
(He said) …listen carefully and get this
story straight. These people aren't
drunk as some of you suspect. They
haven't had time to get drunk—it's only
nine o'clock in the morning. This is
what the prophet Joel announced would
happen:
"In the Last Days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit on every
kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I'll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women
both,
and they'll prophesy.
I'll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below…
These are the days the prophets spoke
of! What an exciting time it is to be
alive. Everything is changing. The whole
world is awakening to the Power and
Presence of God! It’s been a joy sharing
with all of you today. God bless you
all! Let’s stay in touch. If you would
like to learn more about the Oneness
Blessing, you could… (Give appropriate
follow-up instructions & contact
information).
|
