ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness—brought to the West from India by a Vedic guru called A.C. Prabhupada. It’s goal was and is that the whole world will become Krishna Consciousness or aware of Him.
As some may know, my sister became a devotee, (one who is devoted to devotional service) a bhaktin a few years ago. She waits for initiation—when she will be given a spiritual name which will describe her soul—how she really is without material coverings which her guru will see and draw out from her in service to Krsna.
I am a devotee of the Lord Jesus Christ. A bhaktin as well. I have been initiated and anointed by the Lord Himself—His Spirit infuses me with truth and light. My identity is Yesu Dasa—servant of Jesus, the person I really am without my clay enclosure. I am not this body—their popular teaching, “it’s no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.” I gave myself the name—I was asked about it and said anyone can be Yesu Dasa, anyone can serve Jesus. The devotee sitting next to me said “I can be Yesu Dasa” and I replied of course.
When I was packing I questioned which Bible to take, my New Living Translation or my new testament in my favorite version New English Bible. I brought the New English.
Thursday I shared a feast with 8 devotees, 5 had been initiated by their guru, SdG—an early disciple of Prabhupad. I was thinking about initiation and beginnings and even reminded of my own believer’s baptism in a cowpond some many years ago.
I went back to the house thinking about initiation. I picked up the NEBible and began reading 1 John 2 and came upon these verses—
“You, no less than they, are among the initiated; this is the gift of the Holy One, and by it you all have knowledge.” 2.20 and “But as for you, the initiation which you received from him stays with you; you need no other teacher, but learn all you need to know from his initiation, which is real and no illusion."2.26,27
So I’m bona fide—a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, initiated by Christ Himself as He has done for 2,000 years.
I have also been through the chain of disciplic sucession from spiritual master to student.
1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us."NLT
I was asked if I “believed that Jesus was God?” I said yes. I went on to say that I couldn’t find the exact place where that is made known in the Scriptures but that it can be known by revelation or ‘realization’ as they know it. God makes Himself known only by revelation through His Holy Spirit.
The Lord really blessed my time with them. I was able to casually talk about Jesus and was heard.
peace, Jim
