We Must Be Willing to Learn New Knowledge

One of the things we ask the public to do when we preach the gospel is to be willing to learn new things, to leave their comfort zone, to learn new things from the Bible they never knew before.

This was one thing Church of God Seventh Day was not willing to do, but Mr. Armstrong was always willing to do.  That is one reason, maybe the main reason, why God could not use Church of God Seventh Day to do a great work, but instead used Mr. Armstrong.  Mr. Armstrong taught his listeners and readers new knowledge, and he himself was always willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible.  He practiced what he preached.

Today, too much of the Church of God ministry and leadership is unwilling to learn new knowledge.  They just want to stick with what they have, and they rebuke or scorn those lay members who send in suggestions or study papers for changes in doctrine.

One man said something like this: let's not speculate but let us stick to what we know and have proved.  In other words, we are not interested in learning new things.

As long as that man has that attitude, I cannot see how God will bless him and his group with an open door for preaching the gospel.  When we preach the gospel, we are asking the public to learn new things.  If we are not willing to learn new things, we are not practicing what we preach.  How can God bless that?  I don't think that man will ever be successful in preaching the gospel, unless he repents.  And as long as he is against new knowledge, he has no right to claim the title Philadelphian for himself or the group he leads.

Look at the history of the Church since Mr. Armstrong was converted.  Philadelphians learn new things from God's word.  Mr. Armstrong was that way, and his listeners and readers who helped build the Church of God were that way.

But not now.

No wonder the Church of God today has not been able to reach millions as Mr. Armstrong did.  We don't practice what we preach.

Does the Bible teach members to "correct" the Church of God?

In the right way, yes.

Not by spreading doctrinal ideas among the members contrary to the teaching of the leadership and ministry.  Not by contradicting the ministry with other members.  That causes division.

But the Bible does teach the principle of correcting others, and that can include correcting the Church.  What is the proper way for a lay member to correct a doctrinal error in the Church?

By respectfully suggesting the change to the leadership.  Then, the leadership can evaluate it and make the change or not.  And if he is not honest with the Bible, God will hold him responsible.  The member has done his part.

This is what happened with Mr. Armstrong and the Church of God Seventh Day leadership.  Mr. Armstrong suggested changes that that group was not willing to make.  God held that group responsible and rejected them from doing a great work, and God chose Mr. Armstrong to do that work instead.  And Mr. Armstrong was only a lay member, not an apostle, when he first suggested changes.

Consider these Bible passages:

"Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).

"And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:39-40).

"Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11).

"When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand (Ezekiel 3:18).

"Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:8-9).

There is nothing in these passages that restricts their application from correction to the leadership of a group from a lay member.

Correcting the Church by contradicting the ministry with the membership is not the way to correct the Church.  But making respectful suggestions for change to the leadership is the right way.

But in some or most organizations, that is not wise, because the leadership will interpret your attempt to help as rebellion.  In that case, it is better not to correct, for, as I quoted above, a wise man will love you, but the wicked will hate you for it.

Some have said, correction always comes from the top down.  But the Bible doesn't teach that.  Like saying, God only works through one man at a time, it is a myth in the Church of God.  Correction, if respectful and given in private, can come from the bottom up.  Read about Naaman in 2 Kings 5:11-14.  His servants corrected him, in love, and God honored that correction with a miracle.  God also included the account to show us that correction can come from the bottom up.

Correction came from the bottom up with Mr. Armstrong and his wife Loma in regards to the Sabbath.  She was under his authority, but God used her to teach Mr. Armstrong about the Sabbath.

To be Philadelphian and have an open door for preaching the gospel, we have to practice what we preach.  We teach the public to be willing to learn new things from the Bible, and we must always be willing to do the same.  If we shut our minds to new knowledge, we may be disqualifying ourselves from having the open door promised to Philadelphians.

To have an open door, a WIDE open door, that will enable us to reach 500 million people with a message of repentance, we have to practice what we preach.  We have to strive as hard as we can to overcome sin.  We have to believe the Bible more than our Church of God leaders.  And we have to be willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible.

God commands us to grow in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).

If we do these things, I believe God will bless us.  If none of us do these things, I do not believe God will bless us, and the work will not get done.

God holds us responsible for warning the world.  Blood guilt is on us if we fail (Ezekiel 3:17-21).  But to succeed we have to practice what we preach.  So unless we do these things, we will fail to get the message out, blood guilt will be on us, and God will count us as murderers.

Could anything be more serious?