The Unrecognized One, Part One
Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we listen to the story of the unrecognized one.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Unrecognized One
"I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was in the Isle that is Pathmos for the word of God and for the
testimony of Jesus." Revelation Chapter 1, Verse 3.
And though the brotherhood was scattered throughout the world,
He was scattered throughout the brotherhood, isolated.
And the crowd sat in a very large stadium, some were standing raising their hands in the air as if they
were reaching for heaven. Some had tears streaming down their faces. It was hard to tell whether
they were tears of joy or sorrow. Some closed their eyes and appeared to be on a very personal inner
trip, but they all hung on every word that proceeded out of the speaker's mouth, and they anticipated
the words that were soon to be followed. Their mouths were opened as if in awe, and their nostrils
were flaring as if they could not get enough air to breathe. Those whose eyes were opened were fixed
and focused as if in an hypnotic trance. Their ears strained for every syllable, every nuance of the
words, every rise in pitch, every emphasis, pause, comma, every exclamation point. Their bodies
strained as if an electric current has suddenly rippled through them. They were raptured by the tone
and harmony of his voice.
But the brother who went about his routine tasks, revealing the Father's love and the Son's mercy
through these tasks, was isolated. His body had become an increasing burden to him. His mind often
struggled against the depressive urge that tried to pull down the shades of darkness over his material
light. And his body struggled with the ball of pain and the chain of agony as he watched all of this
oration on his small television screen. He had just gone through another of his battles with doubt,
his faith being challenged by the small role he presumed he played in the spiritual scheme of things.
And the lantern that carried his light was rapidly falling apart. The wick was in excellent condition,
and the light shone brightly, but not very many were mindful to see it. The light shone in the
darkness but the darkness comprehended it not. How dark is that darkness when it seems like light?
His mind in an attempt to comfort itself repeated the words to the song, "May the Works I Do Speak
for Me," and he won another respite from the material doubting. But how his heart and mind longed
to be that speaker on the stand with his good health and good looks, the man of the moment and the
hour, if not of the day. This speaker was intoxicated with himself, and he felt that the spirit had
boldly landed upon him as he transfixed the crowd. He watched the sick people lined up in front of
his stage waiting for the signal from the spirit to be healed, waiting for some of them that never
came; but for some of them who had purely emotional difficulties received the signal and were
temporarily healed of their purely emotional difficulties. He thought about the football stadiums, the
basketball gyms, the baseball parks that were all filled with cheering and apparently joyful people.
But there were no crowds to hear his message of Truth. He anticipated the future when the
descendants of these same crowds would occupy the various assembly halls and be raptured by gems
of truth. He was sure that he could deliver them, but alas this was not his call.
He was involved in a different kind of spiritual mission, one that was necessary for the preparation
of those who would come after him, and a mission that was necessary for his own spiritual
development. Still his material mind longed for some sort of vindication, a vindication that would
justify his dedication to this work, though largely unrecognized. Day after day he carried out his
mission. His faith in the goodness of the heavenly Father sustained him. And though he was
surrounded by spiritual beings and other spiritual entities, his material mind could not recognize
them. At times he felt he could almost discern them as they went about their task of training him.
When he thought about the Truth, he was filled with joy and love for it, for without it there would
be no guide to comprehend the real from the false. Without truth, nothing was possible. This
knowledge created reactions of joy within him.
He contemplated all those brothers and sisters in the stadiums who were unknowingly seeking for
Truth. But it was sad to understand that even though they were seeking it, they were not at all
prepared to receive it. They were like starving children who could not handle a regular meal at first.
He would be patient. He recognized also the pride that slipped into his heart in the form of this desire
for recognition. There was nothing wrong with recognition, but he recognized a subtle form of pride
that was telling him that he was better than they were because he could comprehend more. He
rejected this clamoring of the self for this kind of pride, but still he wished and longed for a much
closer relationship with his human associates who remained for some reason aloof. This he did not
understand. Why could they not see that he needed them as much now as they needed him back
when? But such is the nature of human memory.
But as he continued his meditation, he was thrilled by the discovery of the new meaning of doing
the Father's will--to be perfect even as He is perfect. This was the supreme command and it had just
recently become active in his mind and now was the first item in his petitions. After all, seek the
greater and the lesser will be found within. What a discovery! No longer was there a need to detail
all those human imperfections which he was desirous of overcoming. The key was to seek spiritual
perfection. His faith had risen to the occasion as always when he discovered and embraced a new
truth. It was absolutely real, this seeking for divine perfection, this desire that could be actualized
(was in fact being actualized). And he pondered this great truth: by the time the mind becomes
conscious of truth, it has already been experienced by the soul. Wow! What a ride to know that the
soul was already experiencing perfection. No wonder his brothers and sisters remained confused
about the spiritual journey. They were waiting for the experience to occur in their mind first rather
than in their soul. It was as if they were knocking on a door that was already open.
He thought about the whole experience of spiritual growth, how that spiritual growth rested upon
the moral framework. That without an adequate moral structure, the whole process would collapse,
and he had seen adequate evidence of this. Almost everyday someone tells another of their love for
someone only to find out that they are unreliable and undependable in displaying that love. He
thought about love being the desire to do good to others and took note of the moral element within
it. And that was just why he continued on with his routine duties. To not do so would destroy the
potential spiritual service that he desired to provide.
This concludes part one of today's message on the unrecognized one. Tune in next week for the
conclusion of the unrecognized one. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray
about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Unrecognized One, Part One
