I first learned of the Church of the New Birth through my sister, who had been a member for a short time.  At first I was doubtful of what she had told me about the church, until one day something clicked inside of me and I became a true believer of Jesus and his truths.

The church represented to me all that I was looking for in the way of faith and especially to a loving relationship with God.  Instead of preaching about a God who should be feared, this church told of a very loving God who loves each and everyone of his children be he good or sinful.  In contrast to the many churches who preach about Jesus’ second coming to earth and the end of the world, this church told how Jesus and his many celestial angels have been working ever since Jesus’ passing into the celestial heavens to influence men and spirit alike and to show them the true way to become at-one with God and enter into his Celestial Heavens and become a partaker of immortality.

Just upon learning of these few little facts about the church made me yearn for something more to my life that I did not have before.  I was really excited to be learning about a whole new way of life and excited to find out just what I had to do to reach that so-called unattainable goal, as other churches had preached.

The most important thing I learned in furtherance of my goal was that the ONLY way I could be with God and live with Him forever was that I had to pray with all sincerity and earnestness to the Father and receive into my soul his Divine Love, so that I could be like Him in his attributes and be able to be at-one with Him. 

And the most surprising thing I found was that by receiving the Divine Love into my soul and to become purified in my soul condition, was all that was necessary for me to be an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens and be assured of immortality.  To me, nothing could be more easy or simple.  Upon becoming aware of these truths, it was like a door was suddenly opened to me and I accepted the path that was set out before me.

I learned many wonderful and beautiful truths that even a pseudo-intellectual would be amazed at.

I learned, contrary to what I had previously believed, that Jesus was born a man, just as every man is born, and that his birth was not very different from the ordinary man.  His mother Mary wasn't a virgin and she and Joseph were happily married. Jesus has told us that at the time of his birth, he was visited by wise men who had followed the stars leading to the Messiah, but that as far as any gold or riches, they really didn't leave too much of value.  Jesus tells us about his ministry and his eventual death on the cross.

And an important truth I discovered was that Jesus did not die on the cross to save men from their sins, as so many churches proclaim.  Jesus explains that he died on the cross because he would not deny his faith in God or his mission on earth.  And that mission was to show men the way to God and immortality by prayer to the Father for His Divine Love.

I discovered that there are two types of love. One is the natural love, which all men are born with, and the second is God's Divine Love, which men are not born with but must seek in earnest prayer to the Father to obtain.  A man or spirit may become purified in his natural love, but that still will not permit him an entrance into God's Celestial Kingdom.  To my wonderment, I learned of the spirit world and the Celestial Heavens.  Contrary to what I had previously believed, i.e., that there was only a Heaven or a Hell, I discovered that in fact there were many Heavens and many Hells. But the most important truth I learned was that a spirit did not have to go to either one or the other and abide there forever.  I found out that God has many laws, and one of them is the law of progression.  If an unfortunate soul did happen to go to one of the hells upon his entering the spirit world, he could, by prayer to the Father for forgiveness of his sins, progress into light and love and happiness.

I learned that there was not a “Devil” in Hell, as so many churches profess, but rather there are many "devils" or evil natures that lurk within each individual soul that must be conquered before a soul can progress into light and love.

Upon passing into the spirit world, Jesus tells us that each spirit is welcomed there by loving relatives and friends who help him become acquainted with his surroundings and who help to remove any fears that the spirit may have.  For a time, the spirit is happy and content with his new surroundings, until he is told that he must go to that certain place where only he can go that is in accordance with his soul condition at the time of his passing over. Depending upon his soul condition, the spirit may go either to a sphere of darkness or light.  If the spirit's soul condition is such that it is not purified, he has to go through his period of paying back the Law of Compensation to the last farthing.  Once the law has been satisfied, the spirit then progresses to the higher spheres of light and love.

The spirit world is composed of seven spheres, each sphere containing many levels through which souls progress.  The first sphere, or earth plane as it is called, is the sphere where most every spirit enters when he passes over into the spirit world.  It contains many levels, including the lower hells.

A spirit who has become purified in his natural love and is pursuing his intellectual abilities will progress into the second, fourth and sixth spheres.  It is in the sixth sphere where the spirit becomes truly purified and this sphere is as far as that spirit can progress.

However, a spirit who has become awakened to the truths of Jesus and is praying for God's Divine Love will progress into the third, fifth, and seventh spheres (passing through the second, fourth, and sixth spheres more swiftly).  When this spirit has become completely purified with God's Divine Love, it then enters into God's Celestial Heavens where Jesus is the Master.  And this spirit is then assured of immortality.

The most wonderful thing that I have learned, aside from discovering the way to reach the Father, was that a person need not wait until he has passed over into the spirit world to purify his soul condition and to receive the Divine Love, but that he can pray and receive it while on earth, and thus become more fitted into light and happiness when he passes over into the spirit world.  And what a wonderful truth that is. 

Jesus and his many spiritual helpers have been working day and night these many centuries to bring these glad tidings to earth influencing men to seek and find the true meaning of his mission.  But Jesus says that men, through their disinterest and contentment with their present false beliefs, will not share in these glad tidings, and hence, will be locked out at the gate at the time God will once again remove this privilege.

Joan Warden

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