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paralleling ASFG 1 lesson on “FELLOWSHIP”
BIBLE READING: Genesis, 4th Chapter
ASFG LESSON: Fellowship: "Introduction" and "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"
(pages 53 and 54)
Fellowship: Our Oneness with the Divine and Each Other
1. Our Relationship with the Father Revealed
Cayce begins by teaching that if we have sincerely sought our relationship with God, it has already been revealed to us. God continually makes Himself known, whether or not we recognize His voice. This mirrors the ASFG lesson’s statement: “A spark of the Divine that is forever seeking its source is within each of us.”
The Bible echoes this truth in Acts 17:28 —
“For in him we live and move and have our being.”
Our very existence is sustained within the Divine Presence. Every person, regardless of condition or circumstance, lives within God’s creative energy. When we forget to “give credit where credit is due,” disturbances arise within, for we are ignoring the Source of our life and inspiration.
2. Fellowship with God Reflected in Love for Man
Cayce affirms that “our fellowship with the Father is measured by our treatment of our fellow man.” This perfectly parallels the ASFG affirmation:
“Would I have fellowship with Thee, I must show brotherly love to my fellow man.”
Jesus taught the same principle:
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)
Our communion with God cannot exist apart from our compassion for others. As 1 John 4:20 states:
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Thus, true fellowship is both vertical (with God) and horizontal (with others); both dimensions are one act of divine love.
3. The Divine Spark: Soul and Spirit
Cayce distinguishes between soul and spirit.
The soul is the individualized personality — the “self” that experiences and learns.
The spirit is the Divine spark, the motivative force within us that is of God Himself.
This teaching mirrors the ASFG lesson’s words: “A spark of the Divine that is forever seeking its source is within each of us. As we develop our spiritual forces… we fan this spark into a flame which brings realization of our oneness with the Creator.”
The Bible supports this view:
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 20:27)
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16)
The spirit is divine in origin, always willing and pure; but the soul may choose separation, led by the desires of the flesh. As Jesus said,
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Thus, our struggle is to align the soul — our choices, will, and emotions — with the higher promptings of Spirit.
4. The Freedom to Return
Because man is endowed with free will, he may separate himself from God or return through faith and love. Cayce reminds us:
“As it was free will which enabled man in materiality to sin, so it must be free will that will enable him in materiality to return to God.”
This is reflected in Deuteronomy 30:19 —
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”
And echoed by Jesus in Matthew 7:7 —
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
God’s promise remains constant:
“I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)
Faith is the key to realizing that promise. Through faith, we awaken to divine fellowship:
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
5. Lessons from Moses and the Israelites
Cayce uses Moses and the Exodus as a living symbol of the soul’s journey from bondage to spiritual freedom. The Israelites’ physical bondage in Egypt mirrors the soul’s enslavement to material desire. When they “cried unto God,” He raised up Moses — a symbol of the awakened soul that answers the call of divine purpose.
As Exodus 3:7-8 records:
“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people… and I am come down to deliver them.”
Moses’ forty years in the wilderness represent the period of soul preparation — as each of us must pass through inner testing before fulfilling our divine work. The ASFG lesson similarly says: “May we rely on His promises, for while we are often weak and selfish, He will encourage our spirits, our hearts, with the presence of His Holy Spirit.”
God still speaks, as He did to Moses — not from burning bushes now, but through the flame within our own hearts.
6. Faith and the Voice of God
Cayce asks: “Is it because God has changed and no longer speaks to us, or is it because we have wandered away and no longer seek God?”
The answer is clear in James 4:8 —
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
God has never ceased to communicate; it is we who close our inner ear. The ASFG Fellowship text urges: “Let us become more conscious of the divine Spirit within, that we may go on.” Awareness is the first step in reestablishing that dialogue.
Faith must precede understanding:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Only when we act “in faith” — trusting the unseen — does divine fellowship become experiential reality.
7. The Three Great Stumbling Blocks
Cayce identifies self-preservation, self-exaltation, and self-glorification as humanity’s recurring obstacles. When our motives are tainted by self-interest, we deceive ourselves into thinking God leads us, when in fact ego does.
The Bible repeatedly warns of this:
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
The ASFG lesson likewise cautions: “Only insofar as the purpose is pure and free from self does the blessing come.”
Thus, fellowship demands humility — the surrender of self to the greater good of God’s will.
8. The Law of Reaping and Sowing
Cayce concludes:
“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)
Selfishness may appear to prosper briefly, but only spiritual foundations endure. The Divine spark within calls us to align our sowing with eternal principles of love, service, and unity.
As the ASFG lesson states: “Let us be true to that spark of the Divine within.” When we nurture that flame through love and service, our fellowship expands — first with others, then with the Father, until all separation is dissolved in oneness.
Conclusion: The True Fellowship
Both Cayce’s message and the ASFG “Fellowship” lesson converge on one great truth:
Fellowship with God cannot be achieved apart from love, faith, and purity of purpose.
When we awaken to the spark of the Divine within, recognize that same light in every soul, and act upon it with love, we experience the real meaning of fellowship — union with the Father and all creation.
“That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us.” (John 17:21)
Affirmation
Father of Light, in Thee I live and move and have my being. Let the spark of Thy Spirit within me grow into a flame of love that embraces all. May I see Thy presence in every soul I meet and act toward my brother as one with Thee. As I love, I know Thee; as I serve, I find my place in Thy fellowship.
Scripture tie-ins:
“In him we live, and move, and have our being.” — Acts 17:28
“If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” — 1 John 4:12
Prayer
O Lord, Thou Source of every good and perfect gift,
Awaken within me the remembrance of Thy Spirit.
Cleanse me of pride, self-glory, and the blindness of separateness.
Teach me to see Thy image in my neighbor,
To forgive as I would be forgiven,
And to serve as one who knows that all life is Thine.
When I stumble, quicken my heart to seek Thee anew;
When I forget, whisper again Thy promise —
“Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7)
May Thy peace dwell in me, and through me bless all whom I meet.
In the name of Christ, who showed perfect fellowship with Thee and with man. Amen.
Supporting verses:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10
“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” — 1 John 1:7
Meditation
(To be used in stillness following prayer)
Focus thought: “The Spirit of God within me seeks oneness with all creation.”
Sit quietly and become aware of the breath of life moving through you. With each inhalation, feel the presence of God filling you with light. With each exhalation, release all sense of separation or judgment.
Imagine a radiant flame in the heart — the spark of the Divine spoken of in the ASFG Fellowship lesson. Let it expand until it joins the greater Light of God surrounding and sustaining all beings.
In this awareness repeat softly:
“Father, Thou art in me, and I in Thee.” (John 17:21)
Rest in that unity. Let peace replace effort, and love replace thought.
When the mind returns to the world, carry this quiet flame into every act and word — that others, seeing the light, may glorify the Father within.
GENESIS 4 and the lesson on Fellowship
1. The Story in Genesis 4
Genesis 4 tells the story of Cain and Abel, the first children of Adam and Eve.
Both bring offerings to God: Abel offers from his flock, and Cain from the fruits of the ground. God accepts Abel’s offering but not Cain’s, leading to jealousy, anger, and ultimately the first act of violence — Cain’s murder of Abel.
Key verses:
“And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” — Genesis 4:9
“And the Lord said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” — Genesis 4:10
2. Fellowship Broken: The Meaning of Separation
Cayce’s lesson on Fellowship parallels Genesis 4 by showing that the essence of sin is separation — the breaking of communion with God and with one another.
Cain’s failure was not simply a poor offering, but a failure of heart and relationship. His jealousy revealed a lack of divine fellowship.
In the Cayce reading, fellowship with the Father is “measured by our treatment of our fellow man.” Genesis 4 dramatizes this truth:
Cain’s estrangement from Abel is a mirror of his estrangement from God.
As 1 John 4:20 later affirms:
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.”
Thus, Genesis 4 provides the first biblical illustration of broken fellowship — how separation from divine love results in suffering and spiritual exile.
3. The Inner Cain and Abel
Cayce’s teachings often interpret biblical stories as symbols of the inner life.
Abel represents the soul aligned with Spirit — pure, faithful, and loving.
Cain represents the self-willed mind — attached to materiality and self-glorification.
When Cayce says, “Many of those in olden days were guided by one or the other of these natures within themselves and accredited God with guiding them,” he is describing the same inner struggle seen in Cain: mistaking self-desire for divine direction.
The ASFG lesson reinforces this:
“Only insofar as the purpose is pure and free from self does the blessing come.”
Cain’s act of self-centeredness shows how self-exaltation and self-glorification destroy fellowship — the very stumbling blocks Cayce identified.
4. God’s Mercy and the Way Back
Even after Cain’s sin, God’s response is not total rejection but correction and protection:
“And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” — Genesis 4:15
This act symbolizes God’s enduring mercy and the promise of redemption. Cayce’s reading echoes this in saying:
“God has not willed that any soul should perish, but has with every temptation prepared a way of escape.”
The message of Genesis 4 and the Fellowship lesson is identical:
Though man may fall through envy or self-will, God’s love always provides a way back through repentance, service, and faith.
5. The Restoration of Fellowship
Genesis 4 contrasts the loss of fellowship (Cain) with the potential for its restoration through faith and obedience (symbolized later in Seth’s lineage).
Cayce and the ASFG lesson both affirm that fellowship is restored when man consciously returns to God through love and service:
“Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” — Matthew 7:7
This corresponds to the moment when the “inner Cain” — the self-centered will — yields to the divine will. The “blood of Abel” crying from the ground becomes a spiritual call to awaken compassion and unity.
6. Summary: The Bridge Between Genesis 4 and Fellowship
Genesis 4
Theme (Fellowship Lesson Meaning) Scriptural Echo
Cain’s jealousy and separation (Selfishness and broken fellowship) 1 John 4:20
Abel’s pure offering (Soul in harmony with Spirit) Matthew 5:8
God’s mercy toward Cain (God prepares a way of return) 2 Peter 3:9
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Fellowship through love and service) Galatians 6:2
Cain’s mark and exile (Consequences of self-centered will) Galatians 6:7
Seth’s birth (Renewal of divine fellowship) Acts 17:28
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