Rev. Ike: "I AM Jesus!"

[Simon Karlos]

The great Reverend Ike was an enthusiastic, truly non-denominational minister of prosperity teachings based on universal spiritual principles, and--like the great Neville Goddard--taught people the very essence of the Bible, which is the "I AM" Principle, found in essentially all religions. Like Neville, he interpreted scripture purely metaphorically, explaining its stories and proverbs in simple, no-nonsense terms of universal law (the "law of attraction"), often with great humor and flamboyancy.

Rev. Ike had no qualms about enjoying money, and taught people that TRUE PROSPERITY is not about money but about enjoying prosperity and well-being in ALL AREAS of life. He taught people to let go of their "hang-ups" and love themselves (and thus others) unconditionally. One of his famous lines is "I AM Jesus!" (Which can only be understood metaphorically as the "I AM" Principle, which is equal in all people.) He didn't care about what other people thought about his extremely unconventional take on the Bible and religion. He wisely avoided all religious debate :wink: , instead focusing on his own Inner Being instead of worrying about the beliefs of others, and his church was always jam-packed with eager people willing to listen. He knew that most people thought that what they really wanted was money, and so he used their concern for money as a way to teach them about TRUE prosperity. Many people mis-read him, and there were many who were jealous, but this didn't stop him from following the inner call of the Christ Mind to help people free themselves from fear and limitation!

YouTube has a good number of videos on this great inspirational gentleman on the YouTube channel "GiftofMoney," for anyone interested. His true message is about the prosperity of knowing yourself as God, your True Nature.

Blessings all. :color: -Kar

[Perspective]

Thanks for sharing this, Kar.
I relate to what he said, “This is the do-it-yourself church. The only savior in this philosophy is God in you.”

Money is a basic need for most people... so him using that common interest to teach was smart & honest. Personally, I have mixed feelings about money... I want to have a lot - so I have more opportunities to help my kids, myself & others...
Yet, in the back of my mind is that story when the rich guy asked Jesus what he needed to do... & Jesus said to give all he had to the poor, but he wouldn't do it, so Jesus said, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"

Interesting how Rev. Ike interpreted "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Much deeper understanding - wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvpuTKxwwgQ
But it also implies searching & discovering what God is & isn't about.
Maybe God is about both prosperity & poverty.

[Simon Karlos]

Thanks for sharing this, Kar.
I relate to what he said, “This is the do-it-yourself church. The only savior in this philosophy is God in you.”

Money is a basic need for most people... so him using that common interest to teach was smart & honest. Personally, I have mixed feelings about money... I want to have a lot - so I have more opportunities to help my kids, myself & others...
Yet, in the back of my mind is that story when the rich guy asked Jesus what he needed to do... & Jesus said to give all he had to the poor, but he wouldn't do it, so Jesus said, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"

Interesting how Rev. Ike interpreted "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Much deeper understanding - wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvpuTKxwwgQ
But it also implies searching & discovering what God is & isn't about.
Maybe God is about both prosperity & poverty.

Your words on this make perfect sense to me! :smile: You've brought up some points which I am very glad you did. That saying of Jesus in the Bible can be interpreted in a way that does not contradict the desire for having more money, since the REAL desire that people have is for more LOVE, more JOY, a greater sense of SECURITY, I have found. Rev. Ike was very aware of this and actually taught it and lived it, but many people just heard the word "money" in his sermons and missed his message, whereas many others did hear the deeper message. My understanding is that Jesus was saying give up your DEPENDENCE on material things--your WORSHIP of material things--and follow my example, if you truly want to enter (Self-realize) the Kingdom of God. He wasn't asking anyone to abandon material things, for it is impossible to live on Earth without having connection to material reality. He was asking people to look beyond their dependence on the world, and place their faith more within, on the God Within. This is what Jesus spoke of when he essentially said "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome [the thinking of, the dependence on] the world." My understanding is also that whenever he said "Follow me," he was speaking of "Me," the "I AM" Principle, which is the God Within, and not saying "You must follow a man called Jesus." My understanding is that the Christ Consciousness manifested powerfully in a few individuals during that time period, and not just Jesus, though I understand that Jesus manifested the Christ through TOTAL SURRENDER to God, unlike many others who may touch upon it and then hold back a bit. A similar teacher of that time and geographical area was the "Teacher of Righteousness" (also known as the "King of Righteousness"), who is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The only value of any suffering is in learning to interpret it differently and thus transcending it. Suffering in itself offers nothing. It must be valued as a lesson, with a healthy attitude, and thus "risen above." Until then, one is merely avoiding the inevitable, which is their eventual salvation from all suffering. Each "individual" soul must become Self-realized. In truth, it has already been done, already accomplished. "It is your faith that makes you whole." This was how Jesus was able to be a powerful healer and worker of miracles. The people healed THEMSELVES through having intense faith that Jesus was able to do it "for" them, while Jesus didn't believe in the "reality" of what his physical eyes showed him. A "sick" person with an open mind would come before him, and Jesus would INWARDLY, psychically, see the person as whole, complete and in perfcet health, because this is the vision that the Kingdom affords us; miracle-mindedness, in other words. And then, to the degree of their faith and their own IMAGINATION of "how much" they could be healed--according to their own beliefs--a healing would occur. The universal law is "Physician, heal thyself." Their "Higher Self" had connected with Jesus's, and through using him as a focus, a point of contact, tremendous healing energies would flood through them to effect the healing. It is not the body that is "healed" but the mind, the mind's image of the body. All healing is self-healing.

The "rich" gentleman in that story THOUGHT he was rich because of his material possessions, but was at least open to the idea of finding the Kingdom of God, and Jesus shocked him with a statement that was intended to test the man's own sense of "worthiness" as to how much he REALLY wanted the Kingdom above all else (for Jesus already knew that the man wasn't willing to do so). He had simply said it to give the man something to take to heart. Jesus wasn't against having material riches at all, though it's funny how people so easily mis-read that statement, because of their own feelings of guilt about having money. He said those who TRUST in riches have a hard time, not those who have riches but who trust in God and not the riches themselves. One can have both material "wealth" and spiritual wealth and wisdom. However, it is true that the more one has faith in Spirit, the less appealing money becomes to them, and such people would learn to allow such things to be provided easily and naturally, without struggle--most of the time giving away whatever material gifts they receive to others, as Jesus did, which is typical behavior for enlightened people. True wealth is indeed the Kingdom Itself. These are just some of "Kar's" thoughts, of course. Blessings. -[I]Kar :color:

[Gem]

As I see it he says he's jesus and asks everyone for money, and he's very rich doindg that, I really think such people should be avoided, it's a trick of some kind really... and if you have spare cash, best donate it to a worthy and reputable charity... I think 'ol Ike is comfortable enough already. It's just common sense.

[Silver]

Yes, Gem I am afraid I agree with you here. It's his "hook" to have an absolutely outrageous message and draws the pigeons in. coo-coo-ka-choo.

[Simon Karlos]

YES, Silvie! Simon Karlos, the Master Hooker! (Wait! Did that sound right?) :wink: Every single commentator in my threads is a faithful admirer. That's why the same small group of several people keep revisting them. I "struck a chord," and they keep coming back for more. Jokes aside, it is really Love. Nothing less. A lover is born every minute. I Love you all, and I know you all love me. -SK

[Perspective]

Gem & Silvergirl,
Rev. Ike may have made money selling "hope" to people... but nothing new! That's why commercials are so often about love, sex & wealth - nothing to do with the product... but the message is HOPE that if you buy what they're selling, you'll get the rest. Still, I agree that money could be used for better causes.

Your words on this make perfect sense to me! :smile: You've brought up some points which I am very glad you did. That saying of Jesus in the Bible can be interpreted in a way that does not contradict the desire for having more money, since the REAL desire that people have is for more LOVE, more JOY, a greater sense of SECURITY, I have found. Rev. Ike was very aware of this and actually taught it and lived it, but many people just heard the word "money" in his sermons and missed his message, whereas many others did hear the deeper message. My understanding is that Jesus was saying give up your DEPENDENCE on material things--your WORSHIP of material things--and follow my example, if you truly want to enter (Self-realize) the Kingdom of God. He wasn't asking anyone to abandon material things, for it is impossible to live on Earth without having connection to material reality. He was asking people to look beyond their dependence on the world, and place their faith more within, on the God Within. This is what Jesus spoke of when he essentially said "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome [the thinking of, the dependence on] the world." My understanding is also that whenever he said "Follow me," he was speaking of "Me," the "I AM" Principle, which is the God Within, and not saying "You must follow a man called Jesus." My understanding is that the Christ Consciousness manifested powerfully in a few individuals during that time period, and not just Jesus, though I understand that Jesus manifested the Christ through TOTAL SURRENDER to God, unlike many others who may touch upon it and then hold back a bit. A similar teacher of that time and geographical area was the "Teacher of Righteousness" (also known as the "King of Righteousness"), who is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The only value of any suffering is in learning to interpret it differently and thus transcending it. Suffering in itself offers nothing. It must be valued as a lesson, with a healthy attitude, and thus "risen above." Until then, one is merely avoiding the inevitable, which is their eventual salvation from all suffering. Each "individual" soul must become Self-realized. In truth, it has already been done, already accomplished. "It is your faith that makes you whole." This was how Jesus was able to be a powerful healer and worker of miracles. The people healed THEMSELVES through having intense faith that Jesus was able to do it "for" them, while Jesus didn't believe in the "reality" of what his physical eyes showed him. A "sick" person with an open mind would come before him, and Jesus would INWARDLY, psychically, see the person as whole, complete and in perfcet health, because this is the vision that the Kingdom affords us; miracle-mindedness, in other words. And then, to the degree of their faith and their own IMAGINATION of "how much" they could be healed--according to their own beliefs--a healing would occur. The universal law is "Physician, heal thyself." Their "Higher Self" had connected with Jesus's, and through using him as a focus, a point of contact, tremendous healing energies would flood through them to effect the healing. It is not the body that is "healed" but the mind, the mind's image of the body. All healing is self-healing.

The "rich" gentleman in that story THOUGHT he was rich because of his material possessions, but was at least open to the idea of finding the Kingdom of God, and Jesus shocked him with a statement that was intended to test the man's own sense of "worthiness" as to how much he REALLY wanted the Kingdom above all else (for Jesus already knew that the man wasn't willing to do so). He had simply said it to give the man something to take to heart. Jesus wasn't against having material riches at all, though it's funny how people so easily mis-read that statement, because of their own feelings of guilt about having money. He said those who TRUST in riches have a hard time, not those who have riches but who trust in God and not the riches themselves. One can have both material "wealth" and spiritual wealth and wisdom. However, it is true that the more one has faith in Spirit, the less appealing money becomes to them, and such people would learn to allow such things to be provided easily and naturally, without struggle--most of the time giving away whatever material gifts they receive to others, as Jesus did, which is typical behavior for enlightened people. True wealth is indeed the Kingdom Itself. These are just some of "Kar's" thoughts, of course. Blessings. -[I]Kar :color: Kar,
What you wrote here left me speachless... really, I was amazed at your insights. But I recovered & I think I can respond now. :wink:

I have been wondering about healing for a while... And I also wonder why people don't wonder more about it! Why don't we take responsibility of our physical, emotional well-being more? We're taught that Dr.s know best... but they don't know our thoughts... & as we're learning thoughts have a powerful affect on health!

I also agree with what you mentioned about riches. The kingdom of God/LOVE is about what's best... which includes taking care of our selves & others, to our best ability.
Yet, it's so easy to get used to spoiling ourselves... getting attached to temporary/illusional things. But when we keep the spiritual perspective in mind, we realize that all of those "highs" we're trying to get, come from within us, not from externally. Yes, externals may help inspire good feelings, but feelings are always within us.

I was just talking about this with our hometeacher & also a movie reminded me that there is one thing more precious than money... LOVE. Love is like the spiritual monetary system, lol. Or more specifically - higher spiritual energy/frequency. That is what will last after this life... money won't.

In "Tuesdays with Morrie" - he kept saying, "Love each other or die." If we don't love, we're practically dead, spiritually & emotionally.

[Simon Karlos]

Gem & Silvergirl,
Rev. Ike may have made money selling "hope" to people... but nothing new! That's why commercials are so often about love, sex & wealth - nothing to do with the product... but the message is HOPE that if you buy what they're selling, you'll get the rest. Still, I agree that money could be used for better causes.

Kar,
What you wrote here left me speachless... really, I was amazed at your insights. But I recovered & I think I can respond now. :wink:

I have been wondering about healing for a while... And I also wonder why people don't wonder more about it! Why don't we take responsibility of our physical, emotional well-being more? We're taught that Dr.s know best... but they don't know our thoughts... & as we're learning thoughts have a powerful affect on health!

I also agree with what you mentioned about riches. The kingdom of God/LOVE is about what's best... which includes taking care of our selves & others, to our best ability.
Yet, it's so easy to get used to spoiling ourselves... getting attached to temporary/illusional things. But when we keep the spiritual perspective in mind, we realize that all of those "highs" we're trying to get, come from within us, not from externally. Yes, externals may help inspire good feelings, but feelings are always within us.

I was just talking about this with our hometeacher & also a movie reminded me that there is one thing more precious than money... LOVE. Love is like the spiritual monetary system, lol. Or more specifically - higher spiritual energy/frequency. That is what will last after this life... money won't.

In "Tuesdays with Morrie" - he kept saying, "Love each other or die." If we don't love, we're practically dead, spiritually & emotionally.

Hi there! You said it so beautifully, as always. :smile: "Love is like the spiritual monetary system." Perfectly said! As I understand hope, it cannot be "sold," it can only be INSPIRED, for people only "buy" what they themselves are giving to themselves, from within. Hope is a metaphysical quality, not anything that can be packaged. It is given to oneself by the God Within oneself. I've never read nor seen "Tuesdays With Morrie," although I am a bit familiar with the story by Mitch Albom, that he wrote a tribute to his mentor, I believe. That's a great quote! Thanks, sister, for your inspirational heart.

Blessings
Kar

[Perspective]

As I understand hope, it cannot be "sold," it can only be INSPIRED, for people only "buy" what they themselves are giving to themselves, from within. I just wanted to highlight this ^ - something I need to remember! Thanks. :smile:

[Fire7]

interesting...I'll have to take some time and read this and come back and reply.

[Simon Karlos]

Blessings. :wink: