Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu-it doesn't matter. If he is
simply speaking on behalf of God, he is a guru. Lord Jesus Christ, for
instance. He canvassed people, saying, "Just try to love God."
Anyone-it doesn't matter who-be he Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, is a guru if he
convinces people to love God. That is the test. The guru never says, "I am
God," or "I will make you God." The real guru says, "I am a
servant of God, and I will make you a servant of God also." It doesn't
matter how the guru is dressed or from what country he came from. "Whoever can impart knowledge about the
absolute truth and God is a spiritual master." A genuine spiritual master
simply tries to get people to become devotees of God, devoid of false prestige. He has no other business.
Because the real guru or teacher fully realizes that in order for a person to
become real happy, peaceful and truly contented is by educating the person with
his real identity, position and function. A bogus or fake spiritual master
cheats other people, uses God for alterior motives, making people their own
servants instead of servants of God. The first and foremost commandment of Jesus "Love God with all your heart, mind and entire being."
If a person becomes aware and knows that a man is suffering
due to his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with God then that is the
beginning of spiritual life. Therefore, the highest benefit one can render to
human society is to give awareness of our real identity, function and position,
so an authorized spiritual master and true servant of God makes the miserable
person aware of the root cause of all his personal and social problems in
life, that the material craving is just a manifestation of great spiritual
emptiness, especially in spiritual knowledge. In such a way, a pure devotee is
engaged in the loving service for the Lord.