Five Years to Action
By Ken Helsley
Are You Ready for Action?
Are you properly girded with the Armor of the Lord? In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he made this analogy regarding putting on the full armor of God. “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:16-17)
But taking up the armor implies that you are ready for action and have been trained and prepared to go out and face the trials of spiritual warfare. But how many of us, even after years of reading and studying TheUrantia Book, can say we have donned the armor that we have been provided through the Fifth Epochal Revelation to mankind?
Parable of the Wasted Treasure
A mighty king once ruled over a wonderful and fruitful land. One day, one of his foreign emissaries came to him and said, “My Lord, I have grave news. The king of another land has become hungry for conquest and is preparing his people to march out to war. They are still a long way off, but if they are successful, they will one day come for us as well. You must prepare the people for the day when they will reach our shores.”
So, the King ordered his generals to use all the resources of the treasury to begin preparing to defend the land. They went to the village closest to the landing spot where the enemy would most likely land and spared no expense in giving them armor and weapons, so when the enemy arrived, they would be prepared. He sent his best armorers, smiths, and war trainers to that village. But the people rejected and corrupted the smiths and trainers, and they became lazy.
Five years went by, and the day came when the king went out to inspect the village that he hoped would be his country’s first line of defense when the enemy arrived. But when he came to the village, he found all of the armor and weapons he had sent them were highly polished and gleaming but used only as fancy decorations in the homes of the people.
The king called the villagers together and said to them, “Five years ago, I sent to you my finest armorers and smiths and a great treasure, so you might prepare yourselves for the enemy when they arrive, and yet it is unused and sits in your homes as decorations. What have you been doing with this great treasure I bestowed upon this village to be prepared to stave off the enemy when they arrive on our shores?”
A spokesman for the village stepped up and said, “But my Lord, we had great fun with the armor and weapons you gave to us. We held many jousts and played many fun games. We donned the armor, held great feasts and wonderful celebrations, and pretended that we were great knights who had just saved the kingdom from destruction. We had a wonderful time with what you gave to us, and we are very appreciative of your gift. But we are just common folk, My Lord. Surely you did not expect us to train and become fit to march out for actual battle?”
But rather than becoming angry, the king became saddened, and with tears rolling down his face, he said to his generals, “These people are lost to us. I hoped that they would be our first line of defense and be able to save themselves and us when the enemy reached our shores, while we worked to call the rest of our people to arms. But, lo, they have wasted this wonderful treasure I have given to them, and they have not used the time I gave them to train for action. Take away all that I have given them and give it to the next village in the path of the enemy, so they now may be prepared when the enemy arrives. This village is of no use to us, they are as good as dead men. They had five years to prepare, and they did nothing. They have given our enemy a great advantage, but perhaps the next village will be wiser and use my treasure to better prepare for action.”
What Have You Done With Your Treasure?
Seventy Years ago, our king delivered to us a great treasure in the form of The Urantia Book. I doubt that any of us alive today has had the full 70 years to read and study this treasure, but the vast majority of Urantia Book readers have had our five years or more to prepare for action.
So I must ask, what have you done with this treasure? Have you used it as was intended by our king? Or have you wasted it by turning it into nothing more than an object to be enjoyed and frittered away with endless academic studies and discussions? If you have been reading and studying The Urantia Book for five years or more, it’s time to show the fruits of that preparation time.
I often hear people say, “But I’m not ready,” or “I don’t know what to do.” Let me share with you some advice a very wise friend once gave to me. My friend was a pastor at the church I was attending at the time. I was in a bit of an existential crisis and feeling quite lost. I went to Pastor Ron, and I told him that I felt stuck, like I needed to do something, but I just couldn't figure out what I needed to do to get unstuck.
Pastor Ron looked at me with patience and said, “Ken, remember it is easier to redirect an object already in motion than it is to put that object in motion to begin with. Just get up and do something. Put yourself in motion, and God can then redirect you as he sees fit from that point.”
I took that advice to heart. I began sitting on committees and getting involved in things that before I had felt I was not qualified for and not ready for, and he was right; it led in many different directions and ultimately to The Urantia Book. In that process, I found many things that I didn’t enjoy doing, and it even led me away from the traditional organized institutions I had practiced in my entire life, and I went down many dead-end roads. Admittedly, there were times when I felt like a billiard ball bouncing aimlessly around a pool table, but I eventually found my pocket when I stumbled onto The Urantia Book.
I recently came to the point in my zeal for the message of The Urantia Book that I once again felt compelled to get up and move. I reached out to the Fellowship to volunteer. This led to some very wonderful discussions with several leaders within the community regarding writing some articles and outreach opportunities with the Fellowship’s Area Coordinators. I don’t know what these opportunities will lead to, and I may be bouncing around for a while once again until I find the pocket God has meant for me, but I am confident I will find it.
Service Opportunities Abound
The one thing I have found, however, is that there is no limit to the opportunities to serve. Part IV of The Urantia Book, “The Life and Teachings of Jesus,” has one unmistakable conclusion. Action is expected of anyone who counts themselves among the brotherhood of man. If you believe yourself to be a faith son under the fatherhood of God, then it doesn’t matter what that action is, so long as it is in service of mankind and the brotherhood.
I have learned that The Urantia Book Fellowship is always in great need of volunteers to help in many different endeavors within the community. But whether you serve within the Urantia community or in your own local civic community in a shelter or food pantry or any of the hundreds of opportunities that abound in the endless need for service volunteers in the service of the brotherhood of man, service is service.
I understand that when you are new to a message like The Urantia Book or a new church, it can feel awkward when it comes to getting involved with the mechanics of an organization already in place. We all ask ourselves, “Will I be accepted? Do I know enough? What if someone asks me a question I can’t answer? What if they ask more of me than I can give at this time?” But just be honest with those you work with and be willing to try something new occasionally, and if one thing turns out to not be a fit for you, try something else.
If you have been studying The Urantia Book for five years or more, it’s time to take some action if you haven’t already done so. Our king is counting on us to be of service to the brotherhood. Step out of your comfort zone. Find your pocket. I guarantee you, if you just put yourself in motion and are open to doing the will of the Father, he will redirect you as needed to where he knows is your best fit.
It’s hard to be a beacon on a hill if you keep your light covered. If you have taken the message of Jesus to heart, as it is laid out for us in The Urantia Book, then put on the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, and you cannot help but shine with the love for your fellow man just as Jesus did.
Be the light in your community. Ready yourself for action. Our king is counting on you!
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