About real prayers and ceremonies

Great Gospel of John, Book 1, Chapter 49 Jakob Lorber

At Sychar. Hints on the how and where of true worship. Irhael's commendable talk. ‘Not
houses of prayer, but refuges and hospitals for the poor you shall build Me’. Allusion to the
temple of the Creation.

[1] Says the high priest: ‘I am sorted out now and hope that this entire district also shall be so in a
short time. But allow me just another question, and this consists in: Are we to still honour the
mountain and your old House, and honour your Sabbaths there, or should we erect a new House
here, to meet in Your name? If the latter is Your will then You might want tomorrow to point out
the appropriate spot most pleasing to you, and we should then do everything to accommodate Your
desire therein too.’
[2] Say I: ‘Friend, that which is the right thing for you and mankind at large I have already made
known to you on the mountain today.
[3] But for the keeping of same it requires neither the old House on the Mount, and still less a new
one in town, but only your believing hearts and a firm and good will.
[4] When I came here yesterday and took a rest at Jacob's well, encountering Irhael, she too when
recognising Me more closely asked Me whether God is to be worshipped on Gerizim or in the
temple at Jerusalem. Let her tell you what answer I gave her!’
[5] Here the high priest turns to Irhael, and she says, ‘The Lord spoke to me thus:
[6] ‘The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship God neither upon
Gerizim nor in the temple at Jerusalem! For God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and in truth!’ This the Lord spoke; you are a high priest and shall know what
is to be done henceforth!
[7] My view is that since the Lord has bestowed such exceeding Grace upon us all and took lodging
in this house, which is not mine but is His and shall remain so, this house should remain a
memorable one for ever, and we want to assemble in it in His name always and honour the Sabbath
in His glory!’
[8] Says the high priest: ‘Yes, yes, you are quite right, if only we were all believers; but some
consideration has to be also given to the weak! These would be offended even more!’
[9] I said; ‘Irhael is right! Whoever is offended - well, let him be offended and climb his mountain!
Once he no longer finds anything there, he will start thinking of something better.
[10] Do not in future build houses of prayer for Me but guest houses and refuges for the poor who
can not pay you!
[1] In the love of your poor brothers and sisters shall you be My true worshippers, and in such
houses of prayer I shall be frequently among you, without you necessarily becoming aware of it;
but in temples built for worshiping Me with the lips, as it has been till now, I shall henceforth
dwell no more than man's intellect would in his little toe.
[2] If notwithstanding you have to awaken your hearts towards Me and enter upon the right
humility in an exalted temple, then move outside into the temple of My Creations, and sun, moon
and all the stars and the sea, the mountains and the trees and the birds of the air, as also the fish in
the water and the countless flowers of the fields shall proclaim My glory to you!’
[3] Say, is not the tree more glorious than all the splendor of the temple at Jerusalem?! A tree is a
pure work of God, it has its life and brings forth nourishing fruit. But what does the temple bring
forth? I say unto you: nothing but arrogance, anger, envy, the most blatant jealousy and
domineering; because it is not God's, but the vain work of man.
[4] Verily, verily I say unto you all; he who shall honor, love and therewith worship Me by doing
good to his brothers and sisters in My name shall have his everlasting reward in heaven; but he who
henceforth honors Me with all kinds of ceremonies in a temple built especially for this shall also
have his temporal reward from the temple! When however after the death of his flesh he shall come
to Me and say: ‘Lord, Lord, have mercy on me, your servant’, I shall then say unto him: ‘I do not
know you; hence depart from Me and seek your reward with him who you served!’ For this reason
you too should henceforth have nothing more to do with any temple!
[5] But in this present house you may always assemble in My remembrance, whether on a Sabbath
or other day, because every day is the Lord's and not just the Sabbath, on which you can in the
future do good just as on any other day.’

Great gospel of John, Book 5, Chapter 11

About the real prayer

[1] As we came back to the harbor, the centurion told me: “ Sir, I have now proofs in the biggest
quantity that you must be either the highest God yourself or a son of Him, for no mortal can achieve
what you have done.
[2] Then everybody fell on their knees and wanted to start worshiping Me.
[3] But I forbid them to do that and told them: “ Listen, I don't deserve this but GOD ONLY, and the
only real prayer consist of a true uplifted love for God, the Father in heaven, and also to your fellow
human beings, who are your next. Everything else as no value for God, and for Me also.
[4] God has never taught Man to praise Him with their lips and keep their heart cold. But because a
Samuel has prayed loud in front of folks, and other prophets the same, and because David his
psalms and Solomon his high song, sang to God the Lord, so came the folk to the empty lips prayers
and to the cold offertories.
[5] But to God, such prayers and offertories is a horror !The one who can not pray in the heart, he
better not pray at all, for he doesn't appear inconvenient to God. God did not give to Man feet,
hands, eyes, ears and lips in order for them to perform empty and conceited prayers, but only the
heart !
[6] Nevertheless, every man can pray with his feet, hands, eyes, ears and lips, when he goes to the
poor and bring them help and comfort; with his hands: when he takes the needy under his arms;
with his eyes: when he likes to look at the poor; with his ears: when he likes to listen to the Word of
God in the will to be active and when he doesn't close his ears to the demands of the poor; and at
the end with his lips: when he likes to comfort the poor, the deserted widows and orphans and
when, according to his power and strength, he can put a good word to the ones who maintain the
often guilt-free poor in prison, so that they let them free.
[7] Man can also pray with his lips when he teaches the ignorant and bring them to the true faith and
the true recognition of God and convince them of all sorts of useful virtues. All of this is then a
highly pleasing prayer to God.
[8] Now that you know that, so act accordingly and you will never miss God's blessings ! For it will
really be : pray to God in spirit and in truth.
[9] It is written indeed that man should pray constantly if he does not want to fall into temptation,
but how foolish and stupid it would be, if God would expect from man a constant lips-prayer ! Man
should here, in order to please God, be on his knees nights and days and perform, just like the
twittering birds, heart and senseless lips-prayers. When could he, in that case, fulfill his other
relevant work? But, if you're constantly active with your hands, feet, eyes, ears and lips and love
from all your heart God and your poor next, then you pray to God truly and in deeds and He will
always bless you and once in the hereafter, He will reward you with the biggest bliss of eternal life.
Did you all understand this?”

Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9712687/Jakob-Lorber-Gospel-of-John-Book01-02-03