01. Exposing the graven images 
of Christ

Ascended Master Jesus through Kim Michaels.

There is a multitude of graven images of Christ, so many that I could not possibly comment on all of them. Neither do I intend to comment on all of them, for it is indeed your responsibility to free your mind from false images. My task in this chapter is to give you certain questions and thoughts that can – if you are willing – help you get started on this process. The rest can be accomplished as you apply the remainder of the course.

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I feel great compassion for the many people who have been brought up with a graven image of Christ. I wish all children had been brought up with a clear understanding of my true teachings, for as the Bible says:

 

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

 

This statement naturally works in reverse also, meaning that when children have been brought up with a graven image of Christ, it is often very difficult for them to question it. I am aware that many people are indeed afraid to question their childhood beliefs about me, and they have either accepted orthodox doctrines or have numbed themselves so they rarely think about deeper questions. I am aware that many of these people feel they have to remain loyal to me, but I ask you to consider whether you are loyal to an outer church and its doctrines or whether you are loyal to me, the Living Christ?

Are you loyal to a graven image, often created for political reasons in a past age, or are you loyal to the Living Christ, the reality of what I am? If you find that your loyalty lies with men rather than with me, then I strongly encourage you to redirect it, for you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). And as I will explain shortly, the outer churches and their doctrines will not get you where you want to go.

I am aware that, in a modern, rational and scientific age, many people can make no sense out of orthodox Christian doctrines because the doctrines insist on upholding a world view that became obsolete centuries ago. Thus, some have rejected Christianity and have rejected me as a spiritual teacher, perhaps looking to other religions or rejecting all religion. I am aware that many people look at the violent and oppressive history of mainstream Christian churches and can see no connection between the fruits of the churches and the teachings of Christ. Some have rejected all organized religion, seeking an inner, universal spirituality or perhaps feeling like no form of spirituality could fulfill their needs.

Yet while I feel compassion for all of these people, the compassion of Christ is not human sympathy. For indeed, I know the basic fact of life, namely that you are responsible for what you allow to enter your mind. You are responsible for the words you accept, the words and teachings that make up your belief system and world view. As I said:

 

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew, Chapter 12)

Your fruits – including, but not limited to, words and actions – are the products of your belief system, and your world view is made up of the worded teachings and beliefs you have accepted. Certainly, you could not help being programmed during childhood, but you are now an adult, and as such you have the responsibility to examine all of your beliefs and look for a higher understanding. You can follow the Bible’s admonition to get understanding before getting anything in this world (Proverbs 4:7). You will be justified or condemned based on the words you believe, for your fruits will be determined by the words that fill your heart.

I know that for people from a traditional Christian background this might sound ominous, perhaps even judgmental and non-loving, and it might remind them of the images of an angry God with which they were brought up. Yet let me give you a different picture. As I have hinted, the real key to salvation is not membership of an outer church but that you attain the Christ consciousness, which is the only thing that can give you entry to the spiritual realm. That is why I said:

 

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

 

Contrary to popular interpretations, I did not speak these words as a historical person. I spoke them in oneness with the Christ mind, and thus it is the universal Christ consciousness that is the only way to reach the Father and his kingdom. The main message of my mission was to set forth an example that all can follow, for, truly, all people have the potential to attain the Christ consciousness.

Attaining the Christ consciousness includes purifying your mind and heart of beliefs that are unreal because they are out of alignment with the reality of Christ. So we might say that the door to the spiritual realm is not a traditional door that opens. Instead, it is an opening that is carved like a very intricate pattern, almost like an old-fashioned iron gate with small openings, thus forming a filter. In order for you to pass through the filter, your consciousness must be able to pass through the openings without being held back by anything. And as long as you hold on to beliefs – words – that are out of alignment with the reality of Christ, those false words will not pass through the openings in the gate, and thus they will hold you back. That is why the true disciples of Christ must examine the false words in their hearts and minds and remove that beam from their own eyes.

I am aware that most people go through life without examining the words that fill their hearts, and that is why they indiscriminately allow their mouths to speak from the abundance of their hearts. Yet those who have ears to hear are those who are willing to recognize that becoming a true disciple of Christ means that you accept responsibility for your life—both in this world and beyond this world. This includes examining the words and beliefs that fill your heart – as a symbol for your mind – so you can purify your mind of false beliefs and graven images.

The spiritual law is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). You are the one who must give account for your words. Your entry into heaven will be determined by what you have allowed into your mind. That you have been influenced by society and family is a given, but it is still up to you to be the master of your own house, meaning your heart and mind. You can begin – right now – a process of re-examining what has accumulated in your mind, deciding what you will allow to remain there. This book will help you go through that process, until – if you are willing to let go – there is nothing left but the reality of Christ.

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I am quite aware that for some this will sound very different from what they were brought up to believe, but that is because they have been affected by another graven image of Christ. In reality, I am simply telling you a basic fact. I have already given you one analogy to illustrate this, but since it is a crucial point, let me give you another one.

Imagine that you stand in front of a locked door and you have a bundle of keys. There is one key that will open the lock and many keys that will not open the lock. So until you find the right key, how can you realistically expect to open the door? And what good will it do you to blame the door, when you are the one who is not using the right key? The door to the kingdom of God can be opened by all people, but in order to open it, you must find the right key, meaning that you must have the right understanding. And that includes freeing your mind from incorrect beliefs – incorrect words – so that you do not violate God’s command to have no other gods before the one true God and to not take unto yourself any graven image (Exodus 20:3-4). As I described it in one of my parables:

 

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew, Chapter 22)

 

Again, this can sound ominous to people from a Christian background, but the real message here is that the wedding garment is a symbol for a state of consciousness in which your mind is free from graven images, so you see the reality of God. When you attain that state of consciousness, you are inside the kingdom of God, and until you attain it, you will be outside the kingdom, where you will be “bound hand and foot” by your own erroneous beliefs. Many are called to enter the kingdom, but few are “chosen” because few choose to purify their minds from all graven images.

How can you change the inner words and teachings that fill your heart and mind? One of the indisputable accomplishments of science is the discovery of universal, natural laws – such as gravity – that work the same no matter what you believe or don’t believe. I described one such universal law when I said:

 

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew, Chapter 7)

 

It is a natural law that if you truly seek a greater understanding of the deeper, spiritual mysteries of life, you will be offered such an understanding. However, for this law to be fulfilled, you must be willing to do your part. You must be willing to become a chalice into which the elixir of wisdom can be poured, for God will not cast his pearls before the swine of a closed mind, nor will he give that which is holy to the dogs of prejudice (Matthew 7:6). Thus, you must be open to receiving an understanding that goes beyond your present belief system and world view, your present mental box. Did I not say:

 

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. (Luke 18:17)

 

A little child receives understanding with an open and unbiased mind, a mind that is free of prejudice. This is one of the main reasons why so many people reject the Living Christ. They have allowed their minds to calcify around a dead image of Christ, and they are prejudiced against anything that is not in accord with their image. They want the Living Christ to fit into their mental box, and they are not willing to let the Living Christ disturb their sense of stability, security and control.

I feel compassion for the many people who have been brought up with a graven image of Christ. Yet I must also tell you that having been brought up with a false image does not free you from your personal responsibility to seek a higher understanding and to do so with an open mind. Too many people use their upbringing as an excuse for holding on to prejudices that either make them feel comfortable or give them a fragile sense of being in control.

The indisputable fact is that no matter what you may have been programmed to believe, you can rise above your past and clear your mind of all graven images. In fact, my entire mission could well be seen as a demonstration of the fact that it is possible to rise above all human limitations, even death itself.

So for me, the important question is not what you were conditioned to believe in the past or even what you believe now. It is of no real concern to me whether you believe in the orthodox image of Christ, reject me, reject all religion or reject anything that goes beyond orthodox doctrines. The real question is whether you are willing to look at your beliefs, examine them openly and then reach for a higher understanding that will help you rise above all graven images. I am not concerned about the box in which your mind currently resides; I am only concerned about your willingness to expand that box, eventually coming to the point where you throw away all man-made boxes and follow my command:

 

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

 

I am – among other things – come to teach human beings, and in that respect my primary concern is whether people are teachable. Are they willing to let the Living Christ challenge their existing ideas and help them leave the mental box that makes them think they are human beings? The timeless question is whether you have eyes to see and ears to hear. For those who do not have an open mind will always reject the Living Christ, preferring a “dead” Christ who seemingly confirms what they want to believe.

NOTE: The rest of this dictation is available in the book: Master Keys to Personal Christhoood.

Copyright © 2008 Kim Michaels