In short, Practical Christianity is the process of applying the teachings of Jesus Christ in one’s daily life. This is what we work on at Fillmore Church and we support each other as a community in this work.

Our founders, Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, took it a step further with a unique perspective of the Bible that helps us apply its deeper message in a very relevant and transformative way. The other definitions listed here will help you understand this new perspective on the Bible as well as our church services, groups, classes and events.

Our founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and metaphor, recognizing the literal message of the words on the pages but also the metaphorical message of the meaning behind those words.

In Matthew 13:10-13 the disciples came to Jesus and asked him why he so often taught using parables. He answered, “The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’” Like a metaphor, a parable is a way to teach a deeper lesson through a story that we might not understand if it is just taught literally.

Our founders recognized that the Bible writers used this teaching tool, just like Jesus, and the Bible itself has a deeper message to reveal to us through the stories it tells. We call this Metaphysical Bible Interpretation and find it unlocks a whole new relevant, practical, applicable meaning for our lives today.

God is the almighty One; the Creator; the ruler of the universe; the Infinite; the Eternal; the source of pure Love, pure Joy, pure Peace.

God is not only personal but Principle; the underlying, unchangeable Truth, as James 1:17 says, "with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.”

God as principle is absolute good expressed in all creation. When we know God and worship God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24), we recognize God as this great goodness, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent presence moving in, through, and as all things.

God has a plan for our lives and through our daily practice of Practical Christianity, we begin to come into the awareness of our own Divine potential, the Christ, which brings unto alignment with this plan.

Jesus Christ was and is a teacher, a guide, a brother, a friend, and one who showed us the way to live a life with God that overcomes the difficulties of this world. The story of Jesus and the Christ message are a guide on how to do what Jesus did, to live the Christ life, and that is what we work on doing each day at Fillmore Church.

Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, born in Bethlehem of Judea, was in some ways a one-of-a-kind miraculous being who walked this earth, but also a regular person who faced many of the same struggles that you do.

Jesus was miraculous in that he understood his true nature as a child of God and he did the work necessary to overcome his struggles and obtain his divine potential of Christ, becoming Jesus Christ. Although, he was also a real physical human being who faced the very real struggles that come with being human in world that is riddled with fear, conflict, sickness, vengeance, corruption, jealousy, ignorance and greed.

He was the son of God, but as we are told in 1 John 3, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are”, we are too. John reminds us that we are all sons, daughters, and children of God, but the difference between us and Jesus is that we have not yet done the work to fully realize it, embody it, or experience the full benefits of it like as he did.

How we understand and relate to Christ is one of the key elements that differentiates Practical Christianity from traditional Christianity.

So let’s break it down.

Christ is not Jesus' last name, but more of a title bestowed upon Jesus. Like you might see with the title Doctor (Dr.), Reverend (Rev.) or Maestro next to someone’s name, it is title indicating that the individual reached a level of proficiency in their field.

You might say, in modern terms, Christ is akin to the title of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in sports and we apply it similarly to individuals who have reached the highest potential in their area of expertise. For example, Simone Biles 🤸‍♀️, Michael Jordan 🏀, Tom Brady 🏈, Serena Williams 🎾, Shaun White 🏂, and Lionel Messi ⚽: each of them reached the greatest potential for an athlete in their sport. Similar to the word Christ, we know GOAT is not a part of their name but rather a reference to what they became.

The term GOAT represents the highest potential that any player could have achieved before, during, or after these individuals’ lifetimes, but they achieved it because they had the talent and did the work required.

So in that sense, Jesus was the GOAT of those seeking to be closest to God, or living the best human life a human could live.

Now replace the acronym GOAT with the word Christ and we are getting closer to understanding what Jesus Christ means.

John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” When this passage says Word and He, we find that many people take that to be referring to Jesus. But really this makes more sense if we understand it as referring to Christ, not Jesus. Jesus was a real physical human man, so it doesn’t make sense that he existed before time itself. But Christ, the spark of God that exists as the divine potential of the perfect human, could transcend time and could logically be with God at the beginning of time.

Christ existed long before Jesus, and Christ continues to exist today.

Jesus, like you, was a child of God. He was an individual who learned how to express this divine perfection and became Jesus Christ.

Each of us can work towards doing the same.

Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is the law of God in action, carrying out God’s creative plan.

The Holy Spirit is not all of God, nor the fullness of Christ, but an emanation, or breath, sent forth to do a definite work on God’s behalf.

Prayer is a form of communion and communication between us and God. It is one of the most powerful tools we have to effectuate positive change in our lives and the lives of others.

Prayer works inwardly and outwardly as a way to pose our questions to God and listen for a response that can help us move forward. Our goal is not to try and convince God to do what we want, but rather to recognize that God already has a plan in place, and listen for how we can best align with that plan.

Prayer, as an action, is a process by which we discover how to change our relationship to our circumstances instead of trying to change the circumstances themselves.

An integral part of Practical Christianity is learning how to go into the Silence, a space for internal reflection, stillness, and listening for guidance.

If we are asking for answers in prayer, then the Silence is a time to listen for those answers. Beyond that, it is also a tool to slow down the chatter of the mind, to release distractions, to calm and heal the body, to become closer to God and to allow our Christ potential to unfold.