tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10816317277600660492024-03-05T04:49:24.886-06:00Preaching the Gospelauthor@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-10388689102314794282024-02-06T21:49:00.002-06:002024-02-06T22:15:45.479-06:00Can You Disrespect and Show Contempt towards Someone, Yet Worship and Make an Idol of the Same Person at the Same Time?<p>Can a person make an idol out of something or someone, actually worship that idol and teach others to do so, and at the same time show contempt for their object of worship? Is that possible?<br /><br />I think, yes. I may have witnessed it.<br /><br />I heard a sermon that rebuked those who sent in study papers on suggested new doctrines or corrections to existing doctrines, based on the Bible, to the headquarters of the fellowship the speaker was part of. Apparently, it is official policy in this fellowship to never change, correct, question, or add to the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong and his writings. Any suggestion that there is an error in <i>Mystery of the Ages</i> or any of the traditional doctrines of the Church that have come from Mr. Armstrong, or that new doctrine from the Bible should be added, is immediately and automatically rejected without further consideration. This seems to be the policy of that fellowship and the one who was speaking.<br /><br />I suppose some think that by holding fast to the doctrines of Mr. Armstrong, they are obeying Christ's command to Philadelphians to hold fast to what they have. "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write....See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name....Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:7-11). They don't seem to notice that in the same message to Philadelphia, Christ says He has given Philadelphia an open door (to preach the gospel). I say the open door is a door for preaching the gospel because that is how the metaphor of an open door is used in the Bible, as I have found with a Bible study, which I documented in this blog. But this fellowship has no open door, not really, though they make a token effort to preach the gospel. As far as I know, their efforts have borne no good fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). <br /><br />They have no open door. So why do they think they are Philadelphians? And why do they think the command to "hold fast" is addressed to them? There is no evidence that they have anything they should hold fast to. <br /><br />Mr. Armstrong himself never claimed to be infallible. He admitted he made errors, and he corrected his errors in doctrine, by the Bible, when he found them, as he did with Pentecost being on a Monday. He was also always willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible, knowledge that the Church of God Seventh Day did not have, even when he was just a lay member attending that fellowship.<br /><br />In fact, late in life he sometimes, in sermons to the Church membership, apparently criticized Church of God Seventh Day for being unwilling to admit and correct error and learn new things from the Bible.<br /><br />So how is a member to respond when he sees something in the Bible that seems to contradict Mr. Armstrong's teachings or adds new knowledge that Mr. Armstrong did not have?<br /><br />Obviously, there is a process available to the member to ask questions of a minister, to have a teachable mind, to be willing to be corrected if he is making a mistake, etc.<br /><br />But that does not always clear things up. Sometimes, even after further discussion and study with an open mind, the problem remains. The Bible seems to teach something Mr. Armstrong did not teach. How can that happen? If there is an error in Mr. Armstrong's teaching, then he simply made a mistake in doctrine, as he did with Pentecost, and he died before he could discover and correct the mistake. If it is new knowledge from the Bible, Mr. Armstrong did not discover it before he died.<br /><br />But going back to the question, how should the member respond? Should he believe what he sees in the Bible, or should he believe the Church, its ministry, and the teachings of Mr. Armstrong? He has to make a choice.<br /><br />The Bible is God speaking. <i>Mystery of the Ages</i> is Mr. Armstrong speaking. The member should believe God. He should believe the Bible, not a man.<br /><br />Faith must be towards God. Faith is an act of worship, and we must always have faith in God and His word more than in man. To believe man more than God is unfaithfulness towards God. It is idolatry. If we have more faith in men and their teachings than in God and his word, we are putting men before the true God. We are not putting God first. We are making an idol of a man or a religious tradition or a church. This is what the world does. That is why there are so many false religions and false churches in the world.<br /><br />Did Mr. Armstrong receive an open door? Yes. When? 1934. Did he hold fast to a list of doctrines at that time? No. Many of the doctrines the Church believes today were doctrines Mr. Armstrong did not discover until long after 1934. He was in the process of discovering, learning, and teaching new doctrines, correcting mistakes in doctrine, NOT holding fast to old doctrines. But he must have held fast to something. What did he hold fast to?<br /><br />He held fast to a way of life. It was a way of life that Philadelphians today should also hold fast to. It was a way of life that directly <i>resulted</i> in the doctrines he later discovered and we have today.<br /><br />It was a way of life that put God first. It was a way of life that included believing and trusting in God and His word the Bible more than in man and man's teaching, even teaching in the true Church of God.<br /><br />One who practices that way of life today will believe the Bible more than <i>Mystery of the Ages.</i> And as a result, he may discover errors in the teachings of Mr. Armstrong or new knowledge from the Bible that Mr. Armstrong never had.<br /><br />Some may say that, since Mr. Armstrong was the Elijah to come to restore all things, he must have restored everything before he died, so no corrections or new knowledge is possible today. Everything is complete and correct.<br /><br />But people who say that are not following the Bible. They do not live by every word of God. For they have not learned what God says about the first Elijah.<br /><br />Why do people who attach such importance to Mr. Armstrong being the Elijah to come not take the time to study the life and work of the first Elijah, even to learn what it teaches us about the role of Mr. Armstrong as the Elijah to restore all things? Laziness? Hypocrisy? An attitude of, "Well, I know what is true and I don't care what the Bible says." Mr. Armstrong never had that attitude, which is why God could use him and give him an open door.<br /><br /><i>Please,</i> STUDY the life and work of Elijah. The Bible teaches that the work of Elijah can continue after he himself is gone. It is continued by his successor or successors. That is the lesson. And that means that the Elijah work of restoring all things should continue today. Mr. Armstrong's work of correcting and discovering new doctrine should continue today. And, no doubt, it does continue in those who believe the Bible more than man, more than the Church, more than their traditions. They are discovering new things. But the leaders and the ministry of the whole Church of God, most of them, are not learning new things, because many of them believe their traditions more than God. Like the Catholics. Like the Protestants. Like the Pharisees (Matthew 15:1-9).<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong started the process of learning new knowledge from the Bible. That is how he restores all things. He learned that process from God and he <i>lived</i> it - it was his way of life. He taught it to others when he said on radio, "Don't believe me, don't believe any man, believe God, believe your Bible." He taught it when he said, let the Bible interpret the Bible. He taught it by his example as well as by direct teaching.<br /><br />The Bible itself teaches it.<br /><br />We should live by every word of God (Matthew 4:3-4). We should trust God more than man (Jeremiah 17:5-8). We should not follow our traditions when they differ from God's word, as the Pharisees did (Matthew 15:1-9). God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). Faith - believing God's word - is one of the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). Abraham believed God, and his faith in God's word was accounted as righteousness (Genesis 15:3-6, Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6), but Israel in the wilderness could not enter the promised land because of <i>unbelief</i> (Hebrews 3:16-19).<br /><br />We <i>must</i> believe the Bible more than the teachings of any man. <br /><br />When we discover new knowledge, and teach it, we are continuing the process Mr. Armstrong started. That work, that Elijah work of restoring all things, is attributed to Mr. Armstrong as the one who restored all things, because he started that work, he completed most of it, and he taught it to the Church, and we are to continue it today. That we continue Mr. Armstrong's work of restoring all things does not diminish his role - rather it honors and increases it.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong has restored knowledge and continues to do so today through those who have learned from him that we should believe what God says in the Bible, not our traditions.<br /><br />What is it about the life of the first Elijah that teaches us that the work of the Elijah in our time continues after he himself is gone? Simply this: that is exactly what happened with the first Elijah.<br /><br />God gave Elijah a job - anoint Jehu king of Israel (1 Kings 19:13-17). But Elijah did not do it directly himself. He must have delegated the job to Elisha, because after Elijah was gone from the scene, Elisha did it, and even Elisha did not do it directly but sent an unnamed man to do it (2 Kings 9:1-13).<br /><br />But do Church of God leaders and ministers even care what the Bible says? <br /><br />This has a direct effect on the Church's ability to warn our nations.<br /><br />Someone said, you can't teach something you haven't lived. He said this in reference to our teaching role in the millennium, saying we have to live the right way of life now if we are to be able to teach it in the millennium. But I say that principle also applies to our role today - we have to live the way of life we preach to the public. I have often said in this blog, we have to practice what we preach.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong preached, don't believe me, don't believe any religious leader, believe God, believe your Bible.<br /><br />Did he practice that? His autobiography, and his life, shows that he did. God could use him because he practiced what he preached. God gave him an open door.<br /><br />But God has not given that same open door to Church of God leaders today because they do not practice what they preach. They do not practice the way of life the Bible teaches and Mr. Armstrong taught by his example.<br /><br />It is a <i>way of life</i> that Philadelphians are to hold fast to, the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced, a way of life that includes believing the Bible more than our traditions or <i>Mystery of the Ages. <br /></i><br />But those who refuse to learn new knowledge do not have that way of life, so they can't hold fast to it - they do not have it to hold on to. They have nothing to hold fast to. That command is not for them. It is for Philadelphians. It is only for Philadelphians, some of whom may want to share what they learn by sending in study papers, as Mr. Armstrong did (read his autobiography and see if he sent in study papers to Church of God Seventh Day when he first began to attend as a lay member, not a minister or apostle).<br /><br />The Church of God has a job to warn Israel and the world (Proverbs 24:11, Ezekiel 3:17). If we don't do it, God will require the blood of the people at our hand (Ezekiel 3:18-21). That means we have to get a message out to about 500 million people.<br /><br />Some say, the two witnesses will do it. No, it will be too late. They receive power at the beginning of the tribulation (Revelation 11:1-3). That doesn't give those we warn the time to research these things (Acts 17:10-12) and repent and turn to God. The tribulation will have already started. What a cruel joke to only warn someone when it is too late for them to heed the warning and escape.<br /><br />We especially need to warn those who follow false religious traditions, like Christmas and Sunday, that they need to change. These are not atheists. Some of them are very religious, zealous for God but without knowledge. They think they are pleasing God. <br /><br />And if no one warns them, when they are stuck in the tribulation, will they not think, why didn't God get a warning to me? No one told me I was wrong. God isn't fair. I had no chance.<br /><br />Will that not make their trust in God and their repentance more difficult? Will they not tend to blame God for being unfair? Our failure to get a warning message out does not glorify God's name.<br /><br />In my book, <i>Preaching the Gospel</i> (see upper right link), I use research about the Holocaust to prove my point, especially what is shown in the book, <i>The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors.</i> The suffering of Holocaust survivors and the deaths of their loved ones did not necessarily draw them closer to God, rather, many lost the faith in God that they had. They never had a warning. They thought God was unfair, or they convinced themselves that He doesn't exist.<br /><br />We <i>must</i> get the warning message out.<br /><br />But we can't do it while playing the hypocrite of preaching to the public, don't believe us, believe God, yet saying to our own members, don't send in study papers, don't try to change doctrine, believe us, believe Mr. Armstrong, believe <i>Mystery of the Ages,</i> we are not going to change doctrine, but the public needs to change their doctrines according to the Bible.<br /><br />If we do that, we are telling the public to do what we are unwilling to do ourselves. We want the public to learn new things from the Bible, but we are no longer willing to do that ourselves. We have abandoned the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced to the end. God will not bless that. He will not give us an open door for hypocrisy.<br /><br />It is a bit ridiculous to expect to go to the place of safety when we have no open door to show that we are Philadelphians. Only Philadelphians are promised protection. And I don't think we will have an open door while we refuse to change doctrine, while we refuse to grow in the knowledge of God (Hosea 4:6).<br /><br />How can one make an idol out of Mr. Armstrong while showing contempt towards him? You can make an idol out of him by practicing and teaching the way of life of believing him more than the Bible. But at the same time, you can show contempt towards him by criticizing the way of life he practiced, the way of believing God more than man, the way of correcting doctrinal errors, the way of learning new knowledge from the Bible. Even the way of <i>sending in study papers.</i> <br /><br />When you criticize those who send in study papers, you are criticizing Mr. Armstrong, for he sent in study papers.<br /><br />You show contempt for the one you have made your idol. I guess that is fitting, in an ironic sort of way. Also, shameful and disgusting.<br /><br />Some will say, believing the Bible more than Church tradition causes division. No it does not. What causes division is members openly criticizing or contradicting the Church in conversation with other members, as I have written about before in this blog. If you discover new knowledge in the Bible, believe God, but do it quietly. Keep it between you and God and don't talk about it with other members. You can discuss it respectfully with the ministry or send in study papers if you wish, but don't promote it or talk about it with the members. Let the Church and ministry decide when and how to teach the members. That is <i>their</i> God-given role, not yours. You do not have the authority. Maybe the leadership abuses their authority, but let God correct them, not you. That is the lesson of government. Respect the ministry. Even if they do wrong, respect the office. Wait for God to judge and correct. Pray about it. Wait on God.<br /><br />But believe what you see in the Bible.<br /><br />There is little in this post I have not taught before in this blog, sometimes in much greater detail than I have done in this post. If you have questions about this material, email me, or post a comment for this post, or read some of my past posts which may answer your question. And if you submit a comment or send an email, please be patient with me because sometimes I am slow to respond - but I will respond if I can. <br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-47627128353101837532023-11-23T01:19:00.000-06:002023-11-23T01:19:03.073-06:00Give God Thanks for His Protection<p>Thursday this week is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a day dedicated to giving thanks to God for His blessings.<br /><br />The tradition started in a right spirit of gratitude towards God, but as the nation falls away from respect towards God and the Bible (even though our people never really understood much of the Bible or obeyed it, they had a nominal respect), Thanksgiving has degenerated with many people into nothing more than an opportunity for time off from work, feasting, family get-togethers, and football.<br /><br />God does not command observance of this day, so for members of the Church of God, it is optional. But if we choose to observe it, we should keep it in a right spirit, not as many in the world keep it, but in a spirit of gratitude towards God.<br /><br />But even though God does not command the observance of Thanksgiving Day, He does command the giving of thanks and praise to Him, and for some of us Thanksgiving Day is a good opportunity to focus on this. But we should thank and praise God throughout the year.<br /><br />We have much to be thankful for.<br /><br />Many of us (not all) have family, friends, jobs, income, health, and Church of God fellowship, and those who have those blessings can thank God for them. We in the United States can be thankful for the freedom, safety, and prosperity we enjoy. Though those things are declining, the United States is still one of the richest, most powerful, and freest nations in the world. We can be thankful for an open door for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to Israel, though that door is not open very wide right now.<br /><br />We can give thanks for the truth God has revealed to us through the Bible, the Holy Spirit, Mr. Armstrong, and the Church. We can thank God for calling us as part of the first fruits, which is a rare blessing among the people of the earth. We can thank God for the awesome salvation He offers us, to become like Christ and enjoy eternal life with the Father and Christ in happiness, joy, and glory. God is reproducing Himself in man, which is something to be exceedingly grateful for.<br /><br />We can thank God for the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the Bible.<br /><br />Above all, we should give God thanks for Jesus Christ and the love the Father shows to us in the Church and to all mankind in Christ. And we can thank Christ for His sacrifice, the suffering He endured, and for all His saving work, past, present, and future.<br /><br />We can give God thanks for his wisdom, power, righteousness, and fairness in providing for an opportunity for salvation to every human that has ever lived regardless of circumstances of time and place.<br /><br />Some people in the Church seem burdened with trials, and it can be a temptation for some to not feel thankful for their present circumstances. Others, in spite of severe trials and lack of physical blessings in this life, have the spiritual maturity to even give thanks for their trials, knowing that God uses trials to teach us, test us, and develop character in us for our own good.<br /><br />There is one blessing that everyone who knows God's truth can give thanks for, and that is God's protection from Satan.<br /><br />Satan is the enemy of God, God's truth, and the Church. He wants to destroy us and wipe out any trace of God's truth on the earth. But God does not allow that. <br /><br />The first part of the book of Job shows Satan's power and God's power to restrain him. Satan has tremendous power, but God's power is greater, and Satan can only do what God allows him to do.<br /><br />If God did not restrain him, I have no doubt Satan would destroy every last one of us very quickly. The fact that we exist is evidence of God's loving protection.<br /><br />No matter what our trials in this life, we have that evidence of God's love, and we can give thanks for it.<br /><br />For those of you who observe Thanksgiving Day, have an inspiring and spiritual Thanksgiving. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-62506105092797455072023-05-28T08:12:00.003-05:002023-05-28T08:27:43.163-05:00Mr. Armstrong Understood the Concept of Spiritual Healing<p>I have posted before about physical and spiritual healing. I have shown that Christ suffered to pay the penalties of suffering that both our spiritual and physical sins have brought on us. By His stripes we are healed - Isaiah 53:5 - but that healing includes our spiritual healing as well as our physical healing, and we should acknowledge and give thanks for both.<br /><br />But there may be some in the Church of God today who do not want to acknowledge the principle of spiritual healing. They only want to say that the healing Isaiah 53:5 refers to is only physical healing - the forgiveness of our breaking the laws of physical health - physical sins that bring on the penalties of physical sickness, disease, injury, and disability.<br /><br />They cannot say, "physical and spiritual healing". The words won't form in their mouths. They cannot give God thanks for spiritual healing - the spiritual healing of our character that happens as the result of God's Holy Spirit giving us power, love, and a sound mind - in other words, a healthy, <i>healed</i> character.<br /><br />So they either say "physical healing" with no reference to spiritual healing, or they avoid the controversy and duck the question, perhaps out of fear of some of the brethren, by just saying "healing" without reference to it being physical or spiritual, knowing most will understand it as physical.<br /><br />Why be afraid of the reaction of some brethren on this issue? They know it will offend some brethren, those who make an idol out of Mr. Armstrong, and are dead set against anything that goes beyond his major teachings in <i>Mystery of the Ages</i> and his other writings and his sermons. The fact is, in all of Mr. Armstrong's docrtinal writings, so it would seem, he understood the concept of "healing", and that word, to refer only to physical healing, not spiritual healing. I suppose they think that the idea that the word "healing" in the Bible can refer to spiritual healing is a Protestant concept. So for a Church of God leader to say that Christ's broken body and the stripes He endured, symbolized by the broken unleavened bread we take at Passover, pays the penalty of suffering for both physical and spiritual sins and enables our physical and spiritual healing - both - would seem like heresy to some brethren, as if the leader is watering down the truth we learned from Mr. Armstrong - truth those brethren think we should hold fast to.<br /><br />So to avoid offending those brethren and losing their support, their tithes, and their attendance, the leader will not say, "spiritual healing" - those words won't come out of his mouth.<br /><br />Yet, Christ suffered to make our spiritual healing possible, and that spiritual healing begins or continues to take place with the receiving of God's Holy Spirit, represented by Pentecost. We all desperately need God's Holy Spirit and the spiritual healing it provides, and we should give God thanks for it. But many brethren probably do not because their leaders do not, perhaps out of fear of the rejection of HWA-idol worshipers, who make an idol out of Mr. Armstrong, <i>Mystery of the Ages, </i>and other major teachings of Mr. Armstrong - having faith in those teachings more than faith in God and His word, the Bible. They think they are "holding fast", but they are not. They are forsaking the Philadelphian example of Mr. Armstrong of being willing to learn new knowledge from God's word and believing the Bible more than man.<br /><br />But I would like to remind those brethren of something they may have read in Mr. Armstrong's autobiography and never noticed or have forgotten. <br /><br />Mr. Armstrong was familiar with the concept of spiritual healing and the association of the word "healing" with the spiritual health of our character. He may not have taught it in the context of Isaiah 53:5, but he knew the word "healing" can refer to our spiritual condition.<br /><br />In the passage where Mr. Armstrong talks about his spiritual conversion, he says he was conquered by God. He said that when he researched the Sabbath issue he was forced to admit his wife was right and he was wrong. He said it was the bitterest pill he had to swallow but it was the only medicine that brought real healing.<br /><br />He used that word "healing" in the context of his spiritual condition, not in reference to any physical disease he had. Look up that passage in the autobiography and see for yourself.<br /><br />Then look up the words "heal" and "healing" in the Bible, using a concordance or computer program or website that finds words in the Bible. You will find one or more instances where healing is used in a spiritual context, including a passage where God says He will "heal" our "backsliding". "Backsliding" is not a physical disease, it is a spiritual problem. God says He will "heal" it.<br /><br />The Bible also uses the term "cleansing" to refer to being spiritually changed to be like God. Both "cleansing" and "healing" are used in this context, probably "cleansing" a bit more.<br /><br />It is not unusual for God to use more than one symbol to represent the same thing. For example, God's Holy Spirit can be represented by water, by oil, and perhaps by wind or air.<br /><br />There may be distinctions between cleansing and healing in the spiritual context. For example, Christ at His last Passover with His disciples said they were clean because of the word He taught them. They had not yet received the Holy Spirit to dwell in them, so perhaps "cleansing" refers to repentance and faith, and "healing" is more in reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I don't know. I have not tried to research this in detail. The reader may do so.<br /><br />We should acknowledge that Christ paid a price in physical suffering so we can be healed spiritually as well as physically. We should give God thanks for that. We should appreciate it, especially this time of Pentecost when we think about the gift of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual healing it accomplishes in us.<br /><br />We should be thankful for God's Holy Spirit, but we should be doubly thankful knowing that we can only receive it because Christ suffered for us. He paid the price for our sins so we can be spiritually healed by the Holy Spirit. <br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-30056255935525824932023-05-22T20:02:00.000-05:002023-05-22T20:02:32.634-05:00Waiting!... for Pentecost<p>"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father..." (Acts 1:4).<br /><br />The Day of Pentecost teaches a number of lessons. It represents the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). It represents the start of the New Testament Church of God. It teaches us the lesson of the first fruits, that the Church in this age is only the early, small spiritual harvest of members of the kingdom of God, in contrast to the great future harvest after Christ returns as represented by the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. It may represent the work of the Church of preaching gospel to the world, because it was on Pentecost that the Church of God began to preach the gospel with power and to rapidly increase in numbers (Acts 2:14-42). <br /><br />I think Pentecost also teaches us the lesson of waiting for God's blessing. We are taught to count fifty days to Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16). <br /><br />This number 50 reminds us of the Jubilee that came every 50 years in ancient Israel, a time when everyone could return to the land of their fathers and would once again own their own land, a great blessing (Leviticus 25:8-13). <br /><br />But the Israelites had to <i>wait</i> for it, and 50 years can be a long time.<br /><br />Likewise, the disciples had to <i>wait</i> for the Day of Pentecost before receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Think of it. Christ promised the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18, 26). Then He suffered and died to pay the penalties for our sins so we can be forgiven. He was also resurrected and went to heaven, making it possible for Him to send the Holy Spirit. The disciples had already repented. Yet they had to wait. They had to wait for the power and love and sound mind that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). They also had to wait to preach the gospel.<br /><br />We also have to sometimes wait for God's promised blessings, yet God is faithful to fulfill His word. We have to learn to wait and trust in God's faithfulness and promises. <br /><br />Pentecost can remind us of that lesson.<br /><br />Trust in God and wait for Him.<br /><br />"Wait on the Lord;<br />Be of good courage,<br />And He shall strengthen your heart;<br />Wait, I say, on the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). <br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-2891473707855460372023-03-17T04:19:00.002-05:002023-03-17T04:19:29.475-05:00Self-Examination for Passover<p>The Bible teaches, and the Church of God has long taught, that we should examine ourselves before Passover in order to take the Passover in a worthy manner.<br /><br />"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world" (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).<br /><br />Also, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified" (2 Corinthians 13:5-6). <br /><br />To examine ourselves, we need to meditate (think about, reflect) on where we fall short of obedience to God and His way of life. This helps us to see why Christ had to pay the penalty for our sins, and it helps us to see where we need to work to improve. We need to measure ourselves by God's law and God's word.<br /><br />A good way to examine ourselves is by God's word, the Bible.<br /><br />"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).<br /><br />Here are some scriptural passages I use and may be useful to others as a starting point. You can use these and add to them passages that help you in particular.<br /><br /><br />LOVE<br /><br />God is love (1 John 4:8).<br /><br />Love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).<br /><br />Love chapter (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).<br /><br /><br />TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS<br /><br />Love towards God (Deuteronomy 6:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, Matthew 22:36-38, Mark 12:29-30, Luke 10:25-28).<br /><br />Love towards neighbor (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:16-19, Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28, Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8-13).<br /><br />Parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).<br /><br /><br />THREE WEIGHTIER MATTERS OF THE LAW<br /><br />Weighier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23).<br /><br /><br />TEN COMMANDMENTS<br /><br />Exodus (Exodus 20:1-17).<br /><br />Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5:5-22).<br /><br /><br />SERMON ON THE MOUNT<br /><br />Matthew (Matthew 5:1-48, 6:1-34, 7:1-29).<br /><br />Luke (Luke 6:20-49, 11:1-13, 12:1-12, 22-53, 13:23-30).<br /><br /><br />MESSAGES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES<br /><br />Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7).<br />Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11).<br />Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-17).<br />Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29).<br />Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6).<br />Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13).<br />Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22).<br /><br /><br />WARNING ISRAEL AND THE WORLD<br /><br />Ezekial warning (Ezekiel 3:17-21, 33:1-20).<br /><br />Hold back those stumbling to the slaughter (Proverbs 24:11-12).<br /><br /><br />MISCELLANEOUS<br /><br />Here are a few more that help me.<br /><br />Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).<br /><br />Whatever is good, think on that (Philippians 4:8).<br /><br />Be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).<br /><br />Trust in God (Proverbs 3:5-6. Jeremiah 17:7-8).<br /><br />Trust not in man (Psalm 146:3-4, Jeremiah 17:5-6).<br /><br />Overcome Satan with prayer and fasting (Leviticus 23:27-32, Leviticus 16:20-26, 29-34, Revelation 20:1-3, Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:17-29).<br /><br />Avoid violence in entertainment (Isaiah 33:14-16).<br /><br />Humility (Luke 18:9-14, James 4:5-10).</p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-43909848276150823242023-01-11T12:06:00.002-06:002023-01-11T12:07:27.349-06:00When Is a Test More than a Test?<p>Any trial can be a test from God. But sometimes a test is more than a test. Sometimes it is also correction for a fault - a signal that we need to change something in our lives, in our thinking, in our behavior. Sometimes God sends us a trial to get our attention and to let us know that something is wrong. Sometimes God uses a trial to punish us for our good, to correct us, so we make needed changes in our lives - to turn us from a wrong path.<br /><br />Any trial can be a test of faith. Actually, blessings can be a test - will we still seek God or will we become spiritually lazy and complacent if He blesses us?<br /><br />Some of us might want God to test us that way. If I had a million dollars, would I still diligently seek God or would I rely on my wealth? I might want God to test me that way, but so far he hasn't.<br /><br />But a trial can be a test of faith only, or a test and a correction also.<br /><br />And when a trial comes, or a series of trials, we should certainly examine ourselves to see if God may be correcting us for a fault. We should not just assume we are OK spiritually and not in need of correction.<br /><br />Consider how we want the public we preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to to react to our message and the tribulation itself.<br /><br />Putting ourselves in the place of modern Israel can be a useful exercise, and I have explored this before in this blog, though in a different context to make a different point.<br /><br />One leader of a group in a sermon has said that it is important that we practice what we preach. He is absolutely right.<br /><br />I have used this principle before to show that we must be willing to do what we ask the public to do in our message - to believe God, that is the Bible, more than any man, church, or tradition and to be willing to learn new knowledge, even knowledge that changes and corrects the teachings of our religious leaders, to believe the Bible. We say to the public, don't believe us, don't believe any man, believe God, believe the Bible. We must do the same. We must believe the Bible more than Herbert W. Armstrong and be willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible that he did not have as well as correct his errors. That is what he did and that is what he would do today if he were alive, and we should hold fast to that way of life that he taught us by his example. I have also shown that any reluctance to do this because we believe that Mr. Armstrong was the Elijah to come to restore all things and that, since all things have been restored, nothing needs to be changed, is false and contrary to scripture. I believe that the Bible teaches that the work of Elijah of restoring all things continues past Mr. Armstrong's death, and I have given the evidence from the Bible in past posts.<br /><br />But in this matter of examining ourselves to see if a trial is a correction for our faults. the principle of considering how modern Israelites will react to our message and prophetic events also applies.<br /><br />There are many religious Israelites, Catholic and Protestant for instance, who follow their false traditions and think they are OK with God. They trust in their traditions they have learned since childhood. They keep Christmas and Easter, Sunday, etc. but not the Sabbath and holy days. They think they are right in what they are doing.<br /><br />What happens when they hear our message? The vast majority will reject our message as a false message. They won't believe it. They will believe their traditions and their church leaders more than the Bible (just as some Church of God members believe Mr. Armstrong's writings and the traditions we get from him more than the Bible). We warn them that the great tribulation is coming as punishment for their wrong practices and thinking if they do not repent, but they do not believe our warning (most of them).<br /><br />So the tribulation comes upon them.<br /><br />But how do they react? Instead of repenting in the tribulation, they think it is just a test. "We need to have faith in our traditions of Sunday, Christmas, Easter, the trinity, the immortality of the soul, etc. God is just testing our faith. We need to continue to be righteous by keeping our traditions, in spite of our trials."<br /><br />Then, in the millennium, those who receive no rain because they do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles will say, "God does not want us to go to Jerusalem to keep this feast. He is just testing our faith by withholding the rain." <br /><br />God chastens every son that He loves (Hebrews 12:5-11). But how can He chasten us to teach us lessons if we keep saying, "I am not doing anything wrong - God is just testing my faith"?<br /><br />If you study trials in the Bible, you will find some that are only a test and not a correction (Abraham told to sacrifice Isaac, Daniel and the den of lions, etc.) and some that are both a test and a correction (Job's suffering). You will also find the principle of God punishing to turn us from sin expounded in various places.<br /><br />When we go through a trial, we need to examine ourselves with an open mind to see if God may be correcting us for our faults, and if so, repent. "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1).<br /><br />When God chastens us with trials, He wants us to repent and go a different way, not stubbornly say, "I am right, I am not sinning, God is just testing my faith". God chastens us to wake us up and teach us lessons. It is a dangerous thing to resist those lessons. It is better to cry out to God and say, "God show me where I am wrong" and then examine ourselves with prayer, fasting, Bible study, and meditation to find our faults.<br /><br />Isn't that what Mr. Armstrong did as related in his autobiography? At one point, God was not answering his prayers, so he fasted and prayed till he found out what was wrong with <i>him.</i> Here is one more lesson we can learn from Mr. Armstrong's example. He didn't say, "This is just a test of my faith." He knew it was correction from God for his fault. <br /><br />And if we are wise, we will consider the counsel of others.<br /><br />"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).<br /><br />Punishment from God should lead us to repentance. If we just say, "I am not sinning, this is just a test of my faith" when God is trying to get our attention so we wake up and repent, then we are refusing to repent and we are resisting God.<br /><br />And when we seek to find out our faults, if we are wise, we will consider the counsel of others. Not all counsel is right, but we should at least think about it. If we don't, then we are not wise.<br /><br />We must practice what we preach. We must do as we want the public to do and we must practice the message we preach if we want that message to bear fruit. If we tell the people, don't believe me, don't believe your religious leaders, believe God, believe the Bible, then we must practice the same thing. We must not make an idol out of Mr. Armstrong, making faith in him equal to faith in the Bible. We must not have faith in Mystery of the Ages or any other writings of Mr. Armstrong. Faith is a form of worship, and we should only have faith in God.<br /><br />We must be willing to change Mr. Armstrong's teaching and correct his mistakes, and we must be willing to add new knowledge to what he gave us, based on God's word, the Bible. We must hold fast to Mr. Armstrong's example in this. If we don't, we have no right to expect success in preaching the gospel, and we have no right to expect good fruits from our efforts. We fall into danger of becoming a self-centered social club more than a dynamic and fruitful Church of God.<br /><br />And if God sends us trials, maybe He is correcting us for our hypocrisy.<br /><br />One necessary note and reminder. If a change in doctrine, either a correction to an existing doctrine that is wrong or an additional new doctrine that gives us new knowledge, truth from the Bible we did not have before, is necessary, things must be done lawfu1lly and in order. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). If a member becomes aware of a need for a change, he can submit the change and the scriptural basis for it in confidence, privately, to the leadership. The leadership can then evaluate the change, according to the Bible, not according to Mystery of the Ages or any other teaching of Mr. Armstrong, and then, perhaps with counsel, make the decision for the whole Church. That way we preserve unity and all speak the same thing (1 Corinthians 1:10, Romans 16:17-18). It is not the role of the lay members to create division and spread their ideas to the other members on their own.<br /><br />It is the role of the leadership to base doctrine solidly on the Bible and on godly principles of sincerity and truth as Christ leads.<br /><br />And if the leader refuses to do that, Christ may deal with him as He sees fit.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-47015348768737872772022-11-24T16:16:00.000-06:002022-11-24T16:16:25.193-06:00Give Thanks for Herbert W. Armstrong<p>Today in the United States is Thanksgiving, a national holiday for giving thanks to God. At this time of year, many in God's Church keep Thanksgiving and spend extra time thinking about God's blessing and giving God thanks in prayer.<br /><br />Among many things we give God thanks for, I think it is appropriate that we give thanks for Herbert W. Armstrong and the great body of truth God has revealed to us through him.<br /><br />We are very blessed in that regard. Not only do we have the truth and traditions God gave us through Mr. Armstrong, but we have a great body of literature from him and from the Church under his leadership available on the Internet, which we can continuously review for encouragement and for a reminder of the things we believe in common because of him.<br /><br />Some of the key pieces of literature of Mr. Armstrong that are my favorites are, <i>The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, The Incredible Human Potential, Mystery of the Ages, </i>and<i> The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong.</i> Right now, I am part way through reading <i>The Incredible Human Potential,</i> which I have read many times.<br /><br />I am thankful that God gave us Mr. Armstrong as a powerful man of God to lead the Philadelphia era of the Church and to teach us many truths. Mr. Armstrong was not perfect. He made mistakes, and he corrected many of his own mistakes, and he would still correct his mistakes if he were alive today. But the vast majority of his teachings were right on target, and very important. The way God prepared Mr. Armstrong for this service was amazing. Mrs. Armstrong was an important partner and helpmate to Mr. Armstrong in this work.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong set a wonderful example for us in practicing what he preached and putting God first, and so did Loma Armstrong. When you read his autobiography, you will see that he always put God first in believing and obeying God more than man. <br /><br />Loma did this first. She learned about the Sabbath from a Church of God member, and she was convinced, not by what people said, but by what God said in His Word, the Bible. Though she was a religious person, she was immediately willing to give up her traditions and what she had been taught by various ministers all her life in order to believe God directly - to believe what she saw in the Bible.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong at first resisted, but after a lot of research he too made the choice to believe God more than man. No doubt, God inspired both him and Mrs. Armstrong to make these right choices. I believe God inspired them by His Holy Spirit which was with them but not yet in them, and this was part of the way God called them. We should give thanks to God that He did so.<br /><br />I think that individual members reading Mr. Armstrong's literature on a regular basis can help bring and maintain unity in the Church, since we are reviewing the things we hold in common.<br /><br />When you read the autobiography, you will notice that Mr. Armstrong went to God's Word, the Bible, rather than man, for truth. He did not let any man interpret the Bible for him. He let the Bible interpret the Bible, as he taught us. Did he make mistakes in understanding the Bible? Yes, but as I said, he was willing always to correct his mistakes when he found them. Did he refer to and use the writings of men in his research? Yes, but as a source of ideas and reference, not as final authority. He had an open mind. He learned from others. But for final proof, he went to the Bible.<br /><br />That is why he was able to say to the public, don't believe me, don't believe any man, believe God, believe the Bible. He could say this without hypocrisy because that is exactly how he personally lived. That is a beautiful thing. And God was able to use him to do a great work.<br /><br />People, coming into the Church of God as it was growing, had to believe the Bible more than their churches, their traditions, their ministers, and even their own opinions. And God required that the person who challenged them to do this do the same. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong qualified.<br /><br />It is noteworthy that this is not something Mr. Armstrong did only when he was an ordained minister or when he became an apostle or became aware that he was an apostle. He did this always. He always put the Bible first over the teaching of ministers or over tradition. He was that way when he was being called, before baptism, a "prospective member" as we say. He was that way as a newly baptized lay member. He continued this way after he was ordained.<br /><br />For that we can be grateful, for it is because of this that God was able to do a great work through him, and it was because of this great work that many of us, or our parents or grandparents, were called into God's truth.<br /><br />Let us give God thanks for Mr. Armstrong (and Loma too) and let us appreciate the body of literature God has provided for us from Mr. Armstrong's time.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-16017085608269993392022-06-24T17:37:00.003-05:002022-06-24T17:37:59.692-05:00The Supreme Court Has Overturned Roe vs. Wade<p>Today it was announced that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs. Wade.<br /><br />This is welcome news. Roe vs. Wade has always been a bad decision both legally and morally. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade has been long overdue.<br /><br />Now states can ban or restrict abortion. Some already do, and many more may now do so.<br /><br />Also, Congress has the power to ban or restrict abortion for the whole country, if it chooses to do so and if it can get past a presidential veto.<br /><br />There is much that can be said about this, about abortion, about Roe vs. Wade and its reversal, about what the Bible says about abortion, and about God's judgment.<br /><br />But I want to just point out one thing.<br /><br />The responsibility, and guilt, for allowing abortion will now fall more directly and completely on the heads of the people, on the heads of the voting public.<br /><br />God is teaching us lessons, and the great tribulation to come will be a lesson for the United States and other Israelite nations.<br /><br />Up until now, in judgment, the people could say, "Abortion is not our fault. The Supreme Court, which we have not elected and whose justices we cannot remove, has forced us to allow abortion".<br /><br />That will no longer be true. This decision does not end the issue and the controversy. It simply moves it from the courts to the legislatures. It will be an immediate issue in the state legislatures. Some states will outlaw abortion and some states will not. Women who want an abortion who live in states that prohibit it can make a trip to a state that allows it to have their abortion.<br /><br />But the issue, in years ahead, can also be decided for the whole country by the Congress and the President. The United States Congress can pass a law banning abortion and the President can sign it, and if that happens, abortion will be banned in the entire country.<br /><br />Or, and this may be overlooked but is important, the Congress and President can pass a law that FORBIDS STATES FROM BANNING ABORTION. Federal law overrides state law. Congress and the President, in the future, can pass a law that has the same effect as Roe vs. Wade - it will make abortion available in all states - not because of the force of the Constitution but because of the force of federal law over state law. <br /><br />Here is the difference. With Roe vs. Wade in effect, the ordinary voting public can blame abortion on the Supreme Court, over which voters have no direct power to install or remove justices. They can say to God, in effect, "This is not our fault - we didn't pick these justices who force abortion on us". But now, this issue is under the control of the voting public. They elect liberal or conservative senators and members of the House of Representatives. They elect liberal or conservative presidents who sign or veto bills.<br /><br />Right now, it is unlikely there will be a federal law banning or allowing abortions. The House of Representatives and the presidency are controlled by different parties. The House would never pass a bill requiring the states to allow abortion, and the President would veto any bill that banned abortion.<br /><br />But this will be a hot election issue in the future.<br /><br />If the American people want to stop abortion, they can elect conservative members of Congress and a conservative president who will pass a law banning abortion in all fifty states. But if the American people want to allow abortions in all fifty states, they can elect liberal members of Congress and a liberal president who will pass a law legalizing abortion in all fifty states, and that federal law will override state law.<br /><br />I do not think the Supreme Court would overturn a federal law legalizing abortion. I could be wrong, but the basis of this would be different than Roe vs. Wade and would not be so easy to overturn.<br /><br />So the whole issue will be more directly in the hands of the people than ever before.<br /><br />And if the people - the voting public - decide to legalize abortion nationwide - look out! The blood of the innocent children killed will be more directly on the heads of the people than ever before. <br /><br />We are being made ripe for punishment.<br /><br />God is teaching us lessons, and He is allowing Satan to set us up for the great tribulation in a way such that our national guilt will be very obvious to the people who must go through the great tribulation.<br /><br />As a nation, if we allow abortion to continue, we will not be able to say to God, or to ourselves, "The Supreme Court made us do it".<br /><br />When the great tribulation begins, God wants the nation to know that it is guilty and that God is just and fair to punish us for our national sins. National sins bring national punishment, and we are being set up for it.<br /><br />God is taking away our excuses.<br /><br />It is possible that in the 2024 election, abortion will be a hot issue, and the majority of the voting public will be in favor of abortion and will elect a liberal Congress and liberal president, and that Congress and president will pass a law, maybe in 2025, legalizing abortion in all fifty states. Our nation will be more guilty than before and without excuse.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-91604331470682048192022-06-09T10:07:00.002-05:002022-06-09T10:07:40.421-05:00Don't Become Vain If God Uses You in His Work<p>We just celebratedd Pentecost, and as with all the feasts and holy days, God uses it to teach us lessons.<br /><br />Pentecost teaches us about the starting of the New Testament church and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It teaches us the lesson of first fruits, that the Church of God is a small, early spiritual harvest compared to the greater harvest to come after the return of Jesus Christ to rule the earth.<br /><br />But Pentecost is also a reminder of the work of the Church in preaching the gospel. One of the first things Peter and the other apostles did after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit was to preach the gospel to the crowd, and about 3,000 people were added to the Church that same day (Acts 2:1-41).<br /><br />God's way of life is the give way of life. God teaches us the give way of life to prepare us for eternity in His kingdom as His children. He teaches the give way of life through His law, through the example of Jesus Christ, through His word, the whole Bible, through His Holy Spirit working in us, through the Church and the instruction of the ministry, and through circumstances. We learn not only by instruction, but by doing. We learn to give and love our neighbors by practicing the give way of life.<br /><br />God is doing a work in the Church and the world to prepare for His kingdom, and He gives us the opportunity to participate in that work. That is one way we learn by practicing the give way of life. There are many parts to God's work, and God gives different gifts and opportunities to different members in the Church. All of us can participate in God's work through our prayers. Most can contribute tithes and offerings. Some have the opportunity to help feed the flock through sermons and sermonettes. Some serve the needs of other members. Some are able to write articles for the Church or for the work of the gospel. Some are pastors and can serve by speakng, counseling, and baptizing.<br /><br />God can use each of us in a small way or a large way. But however God uses us, all credit goes to Him. He provides the gifts we need to do any kind of work, and He provides the opportunities.<br /><br />No matter what kind of gifts or opportunities God gives us, and no matter how greatly He may use us in His work, we must never become vain, proud, and puffed up about the work we do.<br /><br />If God uses any of us in a powerful way, that does not mean we are righteous!<br /><br />If God uses a person in a powerful way, can that person still lose out on salvation?<br /><br />Yes!<br /><br />Doing a powerful work, doing God's work, does not guarantee a place in His kingdom if we do not develop God's holy righteous character - if we do not really practice the way of faith and love.<br /><br />Consider this passage, which I will quote at length, though most readers are probably familiar with it. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46).<br /><br />Note that those who were rejected because they did not really put love towards their neighbors into practice protested that they did great works in Christ's name. But their works did not save them.<br /><br />God gave gifts to many Old Testament Israelites in the wilderness after they came out of Egypt. Notice these examples.<br /><br />"See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you" (Exodus 31:2-6). God inspired and used these men to build the tabernacle.<br /><br />" 'I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now - if I have found favor in Your sight - and do not let me see my wretchedness!' So the Lord said to Moses: 'Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone" (Numbers 11:14-17). Later, these seventy men prophesied (Numbers 11:25).<br /><br />But though God gave spiritual and mental gifts to these men, gifts of skill and ability, then used them to do a work, God did not bring them into the promised land. They died in the wilderness. God only brought Joshua and Caleb into the promised land because of their faithfulness (Numbers 14:29-30).<br /><br />"But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness" (1 Corinthians 10:5). Who does that include? It includes Bezalel and Aholiab and other gifted artisans who built the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 31:2-6). It includes the many whose spirit God stirred up to contribute to and do the work of the tabernacle (Exodus 35:4-35, 36:1-7). It included the seventy elders who prophesied (Numbers 11:25). God used them to do the work, but in the end they were not faithful, and God was not pleased with them. They died in the wilderness.<br /><br />Look at Solomon. God loved him (2 Samuel 12:24-25). God gave him wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-14). God used him to build the temple and to write books of the Bible (much or most of Proverbs, all of Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes). Yet, Solomon did not remain faithful "Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David" (1 Kings 11:6).<br /><br />Consider king Saul. God selected him and used him, yet he was not faithful and God later rejected him (1 Samuel 9:15-17, 1 Samuel 10:1, 23-24, 1 Samuel 15:10-34, 1 Samuel 16:1).<br /><br />Joab fought battles for king David and helped David in a number of ways (2 Samuel 12:26-30), but he was a murderer and was executed for his crimes (1 Kings 2:5-6, 28-35).<br /><br />Or consider Judas. He was one of the original twelve apostles. He served Christ and God. He went out along with the other apostles, and healed the sick, cast out demons, and preached the gospel (Matthew 10:1-15). He probably baptized (John 4:1-3).<br /><br />Did God not perform miracles by the hand of Judas? Judas must have been as successful in doing God's work, in general, as the other apostles, for when Jesus said that one of the twelve would betray Him, the other apostles did not know who He was talking about (John 13:21-30).<br /><br />Here was a man who served Christ by helping to do the work, probably performing miracles and helping to bring the truth to others, yet Christ said he would have been better off if he had never been born (Matthew 26:23-25)!<br /><br />If God gives any of us the gifts and opportunities to do a powerful work, let us not become puffed up in pride and vanity, thinking the work we do makes us righteous. We have to make sure our hearts are really right with God. And we have to be humble, giving all credit to God for any good work He does through us.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-91710191772105388652022-04-03T12:41:00.015-05:002022-04-14T12:28:33.403-05:00Passover Self-Examination, CGA Preaching the Gospel, Fasting to Overcome Bad Habits, and the Ukraine<p>UPDATE:</p><p>See comment for added scripture.</p><p> <br /></p><p>Hi, it's me.<br /><br />I'm not dead, yet.<br /><br />It has been a long time since I posted to this blog, and I want to update on a few things.<br /><br /><br />PASSOVER SELF-EXAMINATION:<br /><br />Before taking Passover, we should examine ourselves. Self-examination is part of preparing ourselves to take Passover in a worthy manner.<br /><br />"Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).<br /><br />One way we can examine ourselves is by comparing ourselves with the standards of the Bible. "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).<br /><br />Here are passages in the Bible I have found useful in examining myself.<br /><br />The ten commandments are listed in 2 places, Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.<br /><br />The sermon on the mount is in 2 places, Matthew chapters 5-7, and Luke chapter 6.<br /><br />Christ's messages to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are also good to review. Regardless of what era we are in, any individual can fall into any one, or more, of these seven categories - that is why Christ says let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit says to the churches - all of them.</p><p></p><p>Also, 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, is a good passage to review for self examination.<br /><br /><br />CHURCH OF GOD ASSEMBLY (CGA) STARTS TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND THE EZEKIEL WARNING TO THE PUBLIC<br /><br />Mr. Sheldon Monson, pastor of Church of God Assembly (CGA), announced at Sabbath services April 2 the start of a CGA effort to preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public. CGA will run radio ads on station WSM AM 650 Nashville. The radio ads are one minute in length and are narrated and mostly written by Mr. Kevin Lee. I believe the ads point to a new website CGA has set up for the public. The website address is themillennium.org. This website links to the CGA website which links to literature the reader can download from the HWA library.<br /><br />This radio station is 50,000 watts and can reach 38 states at night. It is a clear-channel radio station, one that Mr. Armstrong once used. I think that clear-channel means that no other station uses the same frequency at the same time. This means that it is easier to hear this station from far away, especially at night.<br /><br />You can also check out the website WSMonline.com to try to listen to the radio station over the Internet.<br /><br />CGA has signed a one-year contract with the station. They plan to run ads 20 times a week for the next 4 weeks to start.<br /><br />You can also download WSM Mobile App for you mobile device to listen to the station.<br /><br />The ads and websites are set up for four booklets or topics so far, and the goal is to add two more each month, so in a year about 24 booklets will be set up to be advertised.<br /><br />Mr. Monson and Mr. Fritts plan to record videos, about 20-30 minutes in length. These will be posted on one of the websites and later may be made available as podcasts.<br /><br />I am glad CGA is now starting to preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public. I hope and am praying that they will be successful.<br /><br />In the past I have expressed concern that God will not give a wide-open door for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to CGA if CGA is not willing to follow the example of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong of learning new knowledge and correcting past mistakes and if CGA is not willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible and believe the Bible more than their own traditions just as they are asking members of the public to do. I am still concerned about that.<br /><br />But it may be, that for the sake of some members of CGA who are truly zealous for the gospel and are willing to learn new things from the Bible and believe the Bible more than COG traditions, that God will give CGA a door that is open, perhaps only a little, for preaching to the public.<br /><br />Every little bit helps.<br /><br />And if I am completely wrong, and God gives CGA a huge wide-open door, I will be glad for the sake of the gospel, whether I understand the reasons or not. I will be glad to be wrong if it means the preaching of the gospel and the Ezekiel warning goes forward and prospers.<br /><br />One thing I have appreciated about Living Church of God is that they publish public information from auditing by an accounting firm of their finances once a year. From those statements, anyone can see how much LCG is spending on preaching to the public vs. feeding the flock. This is useful for anyone whose heart is in the gospel and the work to evaluate LCG to see how well they are working to get a message out to the public, so individuals can decide whether or not to support LCG.<br /><br />I realize that CGA is still getting organized, but I hope that at some time in the future CGA will in some way publish similar information, such as total income for a year, how much is spent on feeding the flock (total of minister salaries, hall rentals, travel expenses, etc.), how much overhead, and how much on the gospel (websites and hosting, radio ad expenses, etc.).<br /><br /><br />USING PRAYER AND FASTING AS A TOOL FOR OVERCOMING BAD HABITS<br /><br />The Church of God has long advised the use of prayer and fasting for overcoming sin and drawing closer to God. There is scriptural support for this.<br /><br />There is no direct statement I have found in the Bible that says that you can overcome Satan with fasting. But consider these passages.<br /><br />"And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.' Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.' And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting' " (Matthew 17:14). See also Mark 9:17-29.<br /><br />Also, Jesus, before being tempted by Satan fasted for forty days. After and while fasting, He overcame Satan and all Satan's temptations. After that He began preaching the gospel. See Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-15, and Luke 4:1-15.<br /><br />This fits with the parable of the strong man. "Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house" (Matthew 12:29). See also Mark 3:27 and Luke 11:21-22. Satan is ruler and deceiver of this world. He is a strong man. To plunder his house, that is, successfully preach the message of God's truth to Satan's world, we must first bind the strong man and then we can plunder his house. In a figurative sense, this is what Christ did when He conquered Satan in the temptation in the wilderness. He overcame Satan by resisting every temptation Satan threw at him. Then Christ could plunder Satan's house by preaching the gospel. But notice that fasting was one way Christ prepared Himself to conquer and overcome Satan.<br /><br />Christ has fully overcome Satan. But we also should follow the example of Christ in using fasting as a tool for overcoming Satan.<br /><br />Finally, notice that on the Day of Atonement, when we fast, Satan is bound for a thousand years - see Leviticus 16:7-29, Leviticus 23:27, Numbers 29:7, Revelation 20:1-3.<br /><br />The Bible therefore associates fasting and prayer with overcoming Satan. We overcome Satan both to overcome our bad habits and to be successful in preaching God's truth to the world.<br /><br />But some members may have had the experience of fasting to overcome a problem, yet find that fasting has not helped them. Things not only do not improve, but may get worse. They are tempted to conclude that fasting does not work.<br /><br />But we are to walk by faith, not by sight. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). <br /><br />Where do you place your trust for the decisions you make and the things you do, in personal experience and observation or in faith, trust, and belief in God's word, the Bible?<br /><br />We should believe God's word more than our experiences and observations. <br /><br />God sometimes tests us, and He may test our faith in His word by not giving us the help we want and expect right away. But we are to continue to believe God. God's word teaches that fasting is a way to overcome, and we should believe God's word, trusting Him that He is telling us the truth, and stick with it until we get the results. If God is testing our faith, we need to make sure we pass the test.<br /><br />"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Fasting is a way of diligently seeking God. He will reward us though He may test us for a while.<br /><br /><br />THE UKRAINE<br /><br />I do not have a lot to say about the war between Russia and the Ukraine. Some things are obvious to those in the Church of God who understand prophecy and the doctrines of the Church. By invading the Ukraine, Russia is giving Germany and all western Europe a motivation to develop a strong military for their defense.<br /><br />I do not know how the war will turn out. Putin could be overthrown by others in Russia who see this as a mistake. Putin may push ahead and force a victory by superior military force. He may use poison gas or nuclear weapons.<br /><br />Russia can be hurt by American-led economic sanctions, but by applying those sanctions the United States can hurt its own dollar. You can use a weapon against an enemy, but in the process you wear out or use up or damage your weapon. There is a price to pay.<br /><br />Sanctions do not just hurt Russia. They economically hurt countries that impose the sanctions. Not every country is willing to pay that price, and those that do not will find ways other than the dollar to trade with Russia. If you are a country not so committed to supporting the western powers against Russia, and there are many such countries, would you rather use dollars to pay a higher price for a commodity from another country or use some other medium of exchange to buy that commodity from Russia at a lower price, thus saving money and helping your own economy? Some countries will use a different medium of exchange to trade with Russia, and the effect of this will be to weaken the dollar.<br /><br />So the long-term effect of this war may be to motivate Europe to build a strong, united military and to contribute to the eventual downfall of the dollar. And if the dollar fails, there will be great inflation in the United States, especially with anything traded internationally.<br /><br /><br />Everybody, have a great Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.<br /><br />Don't forget to clean or throw out your toaster.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-18348208559227850262022-01-16T17:11:00.000-06:002022-01-16T17:11:08.365-06:00Passover Teaching - Spiritual and Physical Healing<p>We are coming close to Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and preparations are beginning. Members may begin to prepare by making plans and by examining themselves spiritually (1 Corinthians 11:27-32, 2 Corinthians 13:5). Scheduled sermon and sermonette speakers and those who conduct Passover services are making plans on what to say in their messages.<br /><br />We are taught that by Christ's stripes we are healed. "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6).<br /><br />The stripes refer to the beating Christ took before He was crucified. He suffered so we can be healed.<br /><br />In the old days of Worldwide Church of God while Mr. Armstrong was alive, the Church emphasized that Christ's suffering paid the penalty for our physical sins - our violations of the laws of health - so we can be physically healed. This was emphasized so much that I do not remember ever hearing or reading of the spiritual application of that, that we are also healed spiritually. I do not remember the words "heal" or "healing" ever being applied to our spiritual condition - our character - but only to physical diseases and disabilities.<br /><br />There is nothing wrong with placing emphasis on certain things to drive home lessons. Physical healing has not been a doctrine of many traditional churches we came out of, so it needed emphasized teaching.<br /><br />But spiritual healing is important, and today it should not be neglected. To be silent on this may be an affirmation that Christ's suffering did not include paying the spiritual price of our sins so our character can be healed.<br /><br />I have posted about this before for those who want to look up past posts to research this.<br /><br />Does the Bible ever use the concept of "healing" or "sickness" to refer to spiritual matters, or only to physical diseases?<br /><br />"Jesus answered and said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32). Here Christ directly compares physical sickness with the spiritual need for repentence.<br /><br />In the Old Testament, God prophesied concerning Israel: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him" (Hosea 14:4). Here, God applies the concept of healing to a spiritual matter - backsliding. The same Hebrew word for "heal" is used here as is used in Isaiah 53:5 that says that by Christ's stripes we are healed.<br /><br />So in the Bible, healing does not just refer to physical healing. It refers to spiritual healing also. In the Church of God, we may call that character building, but it refers to the process of turning from sin and becoming like God and putting on the righteousness of Christ by the power of God's Holy Spirit. It includes getting rid of bad habits and building good habits and learning to live by every word of God as a way of life.<br /><br />So the passage in Isaiah that refers to being healed by the stripes Jesus Christ suffered includes both physical and spiritual healing.<br /><br />Does the Church of God acknowledge this? Or do we deny the role of Christ and His suffering in making possible our spiritual healing?<br /><br />The Church and its speakers can teach about the healing taught in Isaiah several ways. A speaker or writer can simply say that Christ's suffering enables our healing without mentioning spiritual or physical healing. Or, a speaker or writer can refer to "physical healing" and not include spiritual healing. Or, he can refer to both physical and spiritual healing. I believe that last way is the best and most accurate way to teach the meaning of Isaiah 53:5. <br /><br />Among the Churches of God, this seems to vary. I know of one group that seems to deny the role of Christ's suffering in enabling our spiritual healing by saying that we are healed physically by His stripes, but saying nothing about being spiritually healed. Another group simply says we are healed without specifying if we are healed physically or spiritually or both. Yet another group does say we are healed spiritually and physically. I have not checked all the groups. <br /><br />If the Church denies the importance of Christ's suffering to pay the penalty of our sins so we can be spiritually healed, what does Christ think about that? He endured the suffering so we can be healed both spiritually and physically. He was motivated by love to do this for us. If we knowingly deny his role in suffering so we can be spiritually healed, because of fear of men or because of unwillingness to believe what God says, what does Christ think about that? If we do not acknowledge the importance of the suffering He endured in making possible our spiritual healing, are we not denying Christ and showing a lack of appreciation for what He has done for us?<br /><br />Christ was willing to suffer so we can be spiritually healed. Are we unwilling to acknowledge and appreciate that?<br /><br />"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33). This is a broad principle. It can include many things. There is more than one way to deny Christ.<br /><br />The Church of God and each of us individually are being tested on many matters. This might be one of them.<br /><br />And how hard of a test is this, anyway? How hard would it be for the Churches of God to simply acknowledge that Christ's stripes make possible both our spiritual and physical healing? Is this a big deal? We still keep the doctrine of physical healing. Is it heresy to say we are also healed spiritually by the stripes of Christ just because Mr. Armstrong didn't include that in Mystery of the Ages?<br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-47735409836778216642021-11-03T10:17:00.001-05:002021-11-03T10:17:43.021-05:00The Bible Shows that the Elijah Work of Restoring Doctrine Continues Today<p>I will cover this very briefly in this post, then refer to other posts in this blog that cover this in more detail.<br /><br />The Bible shows that the Elijah work of restoring doctrine, that is, "all things", continues today and into the future.<br /><br />There are people who claim that Herbert W. Armstrong completed the work of restoring doctrine and that, because he completed that work, we should never correct or add to what he has taught. Assuming they are sincere in wanting to follow their Bibles and live by every word of God, they are making a serious mistake.<br /><br />Jesus said, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things" (Matthew 17:11).<br /><br />I, and many others, think that Herbert W. Armstrong was the Elijah to restore all things.<br /><br />But that does not mean his work is yet complete. It continues today. The Church of God today has the responsibility to finish the work started through Mr. Armstrong. But it is still Mr. Armstrong's work. He restores all things even today through the Church of God, which God raised up through him for this time, and which Mr. Armstrong trained to finish the work.<br /><br />This is what the Bible teaches.<br /><br />Some of those who say we should not change Mr. Armstrong's doctrines because he was the Elijah to come ought to do a Bible study on Elijah, starting with the <i>first</i> Elijah, and be careful not to sweep the scriptures under the rug.<br /><br />Are scriptures about the first Elijah prophetic? Can we learn something about the Elijah of our time from what the Bible says about the first Elijah? If not, why call him Elijah? Why call Mr. Armstrong Elijah unless that name has some meaning - unless it represents something about the first Elijah we can learn from?<br /><br />God gave Elijah a job. He was to do three things. He was to anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as prophet in Elijah's place (1 Kings 19:15-16).<br /><br />Think of this as God giving Mr. Armstrong a commission to restore all things.<br /><br />Did Elijah do all these things directly himself? Do your own Bible study. He did not. At least one thing he did <i>indirectly through the work of those who followed him, delegating the job.</i> <br /><br />It was Elisha who anointed Jehu after Elijah was gone, and even he did not do it directly but through an unnamed son of the prophets (2 Kings 9:1-10). You can think of Elijah and the sons of the prophets as like the Church of God today, continuing the work of Elijah even after Elijah was gone.<br /><br />This is the principle of delegation, and there are examples throughout the Bible. One of the clearest is that Christ baptized, not directly but through His disciples (John 4:1-3).<br /><br />When someone delegates a job to someone else, the first person has the authority, but the ones he delegates the job to are the ones who actually do the work in the name of the first person.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong taught and prepared the Church of God to continue his work of restoring all things, even as Elijah delegated the work of anointing Jehu to Elisha, and Elisha delegated it to an unnamed son of the prophets. <br /><br />If not, what do these scriptures mean? If those who came after Elijah were not to continue the work God had commissioned Elijah to do, even after Elijah was gone, what does this example show? Because that is exactly what happened with the first Elijah.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong's work of restoring doctrine is to continue through the Church of God he supervised and trained in his lifetime. That is our responsibility. And it is Mr. Armstrong's work, and it is attributed to him, even as we do it today, because he started it, he trained us, and we continue his work.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong restored all things to the Church of God by teaching us to believe the Bible more than our traditions and by teaching us to understand the Bible by letting the Bible interpret the Bible. He set that process in motion. It continues today, but at a slower pace because of the resistance of many COG leaders to changing tradition. I believe the pace will quicken after God tests us a while. But it is Mr. Armstrong's work because he set the process in motion. Mr. Armstrong restores all things today and in the future, because he started the process and we continue in his work.<br /><br />It has been more than 35 years since Mr. Armstrong died. God has been testing the Church of God and all its leaders, ministers, and members since that time. God used Mr. Armstrong to teach the Church, both by his example and his doctrines. The lesson of his example continues through his autobiography and his other literature and audio recordings, and God is testing us to see how well we learn our lessons.<br /><br />No group today has a wide-open door for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the world. For some groups, the door is open a little, and wider for some than for others. For some, it is not open at all. Maybe when God finishes testing us He will open a door wide for someone.<br /><br />We should learn from Mr. Armstrong, but is his example important? Some hold on to a list of doctrines but throw his example out the window. But Christ said that one perfectly trained will be <i>like</i> his teacher (Luke 6:40).<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong's example, available through his autobiography, teaches us to believe the Bible more than any man, church, minister, or tradition, to learn new knowledge from the Bible, and to correct mistakes in doctrine. If we learn from his example, we will follow in his footsteps. We will change doctrine in order to grow in knowledge of the truth as he did.<br /><br />We continue the Elijah work of Mr. Armstrong of restoring lost doctrine today, as he trained us, just as Elisha and the sons of the prophets continued the work of the first Elijah.<br /><br />We either believe the Bible or we don't. If we reject the Bible, we reject the God who inspired it.<br /><br />I am not trying to cause division. I want peace in the Church of God. But God, in the Bible, warns and corrects those who need correction, and His words are not always gentle. He also instructs us to warn those who need a warning (Proverbs 24:11-12, Ezekiel 3:17-21).<br /><br />These warnings and corrections should be given in love, just as a father corrects his children in love, for their good. God corrects and rebukes and warns in love, and we should do so from the same motivation. And those who are wise will heed correction and not resent it (Proverbs 9:7-9).<br /><br />Not everyone who offers correction is causing division. You can correct someone, in love, and still be a peacemaker. If the correction is true and if those you correct heed the correction, divisions can be healed and there will be more peace, not less.<br /><br />"Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold<br />Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear" (Proverbs 25:12).<br /><br />What we may call, "the Ezekiel warning", has two parts. One is the warning Ezekiel, and those of us like Ezekiel who have the knowledge of the warning and the opportunity to deliver it, are to deliver to Israel. But a second part is the warning to Ezekiel himself, and us also, if we fail to deliver the warning. If we do not deliver God's warning, blood guilt will be on our heads. In other words, God will count us as murderers (Ezekiel 3:17-21).<br /><br />I want all Israel to hear that warning before tribulation begins, all 500 million people, while there is time for anyone to repent and escape. I want them to hear it so they know God was fair to warn them and give them a chance. This glorifies God's name for eternity because it shows God's fairness and compassion.<br /><br />I also want the Church of God members in all fellowships, and those scattered and at home, to escape the judgment of blood guilt for not doing their part to warn those who need a warning. That is why I encourage the preaching of the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public.<br /><br />Being willing to practice what we preach is a necessary part of that work. We cannot close our minds to new knowledge, new truth from the Bible and history, then ask the general public to learn new truth, contrary to our own example. If we do that, we are hypocrites, and cannot expect good success in delivering God's warning to others. And God may count us as murderers because we had an opportunity to warn, and we didn't.<br /><br />We can warn. We can glorify God's name and reputation for fairness and help Israel by delivering God's warning. But we must pay a price to do so. We must leave our comfort zone and be willing to follow the example and work of Mr. Armstrong. He always put the Bible first, and any new knowledge he found in the Bible, over and above any traditions or teaching of men, even in the Church of God.<br /><br />If we close our minds to that example, if we turn away from new truth we find in the Bible, if we make it church policy not to go beyond Mr. Armstrong's teaching and never add to it or correct it, as he himself did all his life, we fail, through our own fault, to obtain the open door for giving the warning. God will put the blood of the people on our heads.<br /><br />That is what I want to avoid.<br /><br />I am not trying to cause division. I am not seeking a personal following. I am not making any money from this. No one even knows who I am. I want peace in the Church of God, but peace that comes from all of us following God's teaching in the Bible.<br /><br /><br />Here are related posts in this blog. You can find these posts in the column on the right or copy and paste the link into your browser:<br /><br /><br />TITLE: Is There a Contradiction Between Learning New Knowledge and Recognizing Herbert W. Armstrong as the Elijah to Restore All Things?<br />DATE: Thursday, December 24, 2020<br />LINK URL (website address, copy and paste in your browser):<br />http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2020/12/is-there-contradiction-between-learning.html<br /><br /><br />TITLE: How Did the First Elijah Do God's Work?<br />DATE: Wednesday, December 30, 2020<br />LINK URL (website address, copy and paste in your browser):<br />http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2020/12/how-did-first-elijah-do-gods-work.html<br /><br /><br />TITLE: Elijah (Again)<br />DATE: Saturday, January 2, 2021<br />LINK URL (website address, copy and paste in your browser):<br />http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2021/01/elijah-again.html<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-68443607584547573662021-08-23T08:41:00.001-05:002021-08-23T08:41:16.477-05:00Why Are We Here?<p>As Mr. Gerald Weston pointed out in a sermon recently published by Living Church of God (LCG), Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong often started his holy day sermons by asking the question, "Why are we here?".<br /><br />On a holy day, why are we here? Why do we assemble for holy day services?<br /><br />We are here because Mr. Armstrong believed the Bible more than the Church.<br /><br />The Church of God Seventh Day did not keep the holy days. <br /><br />Mr. Armstrong knew Christ was the head of the Church of God. But he never assumed that the Church of God leadership correctly followed Jesus Christ. Christ leads the Church through the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and circumstances, but Church of God ministers and leaders do not always follow where Jesus Christ leads. Mr. Armstrong never assumed that the doctrines of the true Church of God were all correct. He never assumed that the Church had the right interpretation of scripture. If he saw something in the Bible different from what the Church taught, he believed the Bible, not the Church. He believed God and His word more than men, even the leadership and ministry of the true Church of God.<br /><br />So when he saw that the Bible taught that we should keep the holy days, he believed God, not the Church.<br /><br />That is why we are here.</p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-32647361354156436602021-07-24T20:47:00.006-05:002021-07-24T21:09:04.151-05:00Only Those Who Will Believe God More than Man Will Have the Philadelphian Open Door <p>I recently heard an inspiring sermon on the Internet from a Church of God minister, and I want to share my reactions with my readers in the spirit of "iron sharpens iron". Some COG members, in different groups and scattered and some at home, may struggle from time to time with questions and issues of, "Who should I support?", and, "Where should I attend?". When COG members communicate with each other about common problems, we can sometimes help each other with ideas, ideas we can check independently with God's word. So here I will offer my ideas and thoughts. You can check what I say in your own Bible studies. I have also given a number of posts in my blog over the past year on the things I will speak about, and I go into more detail in those posts.<br /><br />The sermon was about trusting God. It was given by the leading pastor of a small group that has existed for a short time compared with other Church of God groups.<br /><br />This pastor is energetic, courageous, bold, hard-working, and intelligent, and he seems to be zealous for God's law and exercising faith in God's protection and blessings. He is a very inspiring and charismatic speaker. I enjoyed the sermon, and felt inspired by it. No doubt many members of this group, and those from other groups or scattered members who stay at home, were inspired by this sermon, or will be if they hear it in the future.<br /><br />He and the members of his small group seem to have strong faith in God's protection.<br /><br />And it seems that God has blessed this man and this small group in a way He has not blessed many other Church of God fellowships. Based on fruits, it seems that God is rewarding their faith and trust in Him.<br /><br />God may be using this man and the small Church of God fellowship he pastors to teach the whole Church of God - all COG fellowships and scattered members who stay at home - a lesson about faith and trust in God. God responds to and rewards faith and trust in Him. He blesses those who are zealous to do His will, who keep His commandments, and who trust Him for their protection.<br /><br />We can all learn a lesson in that.<br /><br />And it may be that this is part of why Christ raised up this group, or allowed it to start and prosper. Christ may be using this group and its pastor to teach lessons to the whole Church of God - all the scattered members and fellowships - about the importance of trusting God in trials and being zealous to do His will.<br /><br />And for that reason I have considered supporting this group and recommending them to others. But I can't.<br /><br />There is a problem. That problem has not gone away. Regular readers of this blog probably know where I am going with this.<br /><br />They are not preaching the gospel to the world or the Ezekiel warning to Israel, which God commands and is God's will. They are not getting a warning message out to the public, which the people need. Our nations need that warning, even if they do not heed it, so that when the punishment comes upon them, they will know that God was fair to give them a warning first, and seeing God's fairness and righteousness, to be able to trust God and repent and be teachable, those who survive, in the millennium. But if they don't hear a warning before they were punished, they will tend to blame God and say, "No one warned me - if God had warned me before He punished me, I would have heeded the warning and repented", It will be harder for them to trust God enough to repent and be converted. Some may lose their eternal lives because of this, if they can't see that God was fair to them.<br /><br />And God<i> is</i> fair to warn. The Bible shows this. From the warning to Cain in Genesis to the warning at the end of the book of Revelation, GOD WARNS. Do a Bible study on this some time. You may end up reading the whole Bible.<br /><br />But this small group and its leader - who gave such an inspiring sermon on the blessings of trusting God and having courage to obey Him - has not begun to warn our nations in God's name. The warning is God's message to the nations, not our message. We are the delivery service God has commissioned to deliver <i>His</i> warning message. We have received the message from God's hand, put it in our pocket. and sat on it without delivering it, many of us. That does not honor God and magnify His name.<br /><br />Many members of this group have come out of one or more groups that are getting the warning message and the true gospel out to the nations. By departing from those groups and forming a group that does not preach the gospel and the warning to the public, they have hurt and diminished the work of God.<br /><br />But maybe this group is getting ready to start a work, a powerful work that God will empower and bless, to preach the gospel to the world and the Ezekiel warning about the tribulation to come to Israel. Maybe God will reward this group and its leader for their zeal and trust in Him by giving them the open door for preaching the gospel promised to Philadelphia, and maybe God will empower them and lead them to go through that open door with great power and awesome results!<br /><br />Not likely.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />This leader and group have, in works, denied the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced that enabled God to give Mr. Armstrong an open door for the gospel and the warning message.<br /><br />In past posts I have expounded on this at length, and I encourage you to read those posts in this blog.<br /><br />But if you have questions about this, read Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, and ask, why did God give him and his early supporters an open door for preaching the true gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public?<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong did not start the Church of God. He learned from and began to attend with the Church of God Seventh Day.<br /><br />But God did not start a Philadelphia work with Church of God Seventh Day. He started it with Mr. Armstrong and the group he led, first called the "Radio Church of God" and later renamed "Worldwide Church of God". And God didn't start the Philadelphia era until Mr. Armstrong began to separate from Church of God Seventh Day.<br /><br />Why? <br /><br />There was an important difference between Church of God Seventh Day and Mr. Armstrong. They did not practice the same way of life exactly. That difference qualified Mr. Armstrong for the open door and helped make him a Philadelphian. That same difference disqualified Church of God Seventh Day from being used by God to preach a powerful message to the public.<br /><br />That difference was simple. Mr. Armstrong was willing to believe God more than man.<br /><br />He was willing to believe and follow what God says in the Bible more than he believed and followed any man, more than any minister or Church of God leader, more than any church organization, and more than any tradition. He was willing to change his traditions to follow God's word wherever it led him, even if it meant overturning previous Church of God teachings and traditions, and even if it meant adding new knowledge to what the Church of God already had. <br /><br />He was also willing to correct his own errors when God corrected Him through the Bible.<br /><br />He was willing to <i>change.</i> <br /><br />And that is a vital difference. Church of God Seventh Day was not willing to correct its errors, not willing to change its traditions, and not willing to learn new knowledge. In short, they were not willing to <i>change.</i> <br /><br />And like Church of God Seventh Day, like the Catholic Church, like the Protestant churches, the small group and its leader I mentioned who gave such an inspiring sermon on trusting God are not willing to <i>change. </i>They will not let the Bible correct them in doctrine. They will not learn new things from the Bible. Instead, they are committed, at least the leader, to sticking with the teachings of Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong was willing to correct his own errors and learn new things from God, but it seems this leader is not. He will not correct Mr. Armstrong's errors and he will not correct his own, as I understand him from what he has publicly said. He seems not willing, so far, to learn anything new that Mr. Armstrong did not teach.<br /><br />In this, he is showing more faith in Mr. Armstrong and his teachings than he shows towards God and His word, the Bible. And this means he is making an idol out of Mr. Armstrong. Why an idol? Because faith must always be towards God, not man. To have faith in a man, any man, is to give that man the faith that should belong only to God. Faith is a form of worship. To have faith in a man is to make an idol of that man.<br /><br />That is not the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced.<br /><br />How ironic! In publicly committing himself to believe everything Mr. Armstrong taught he is denying the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced. In words he shows love to Mr. Armstrong, but in works he denies him. Sound familiar? Many in the world do the same thing with Christ. They show praise towards Christ with their mouths but in works they deny Him. They will not live the way of life Christ practiced as an example.<br /><br />Why was it important to God that the Philadelphia work be led by one (Mr. Armstrong) who was willing to believe the Bible more than man and was willing to be corrected by the Bible and learn new things from the Bible?<br /><br />Because to preach to the public, we must ask them to do exactly the same thing. Whoever has an open door for preaching the gospel must ask the public to learn new things, to change their beliefs and traditions, and to believe the Bible more than any church or man or tradition. And whoever does that kind of preaching had better practice what they preach. <br /><br />When you read Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, look how many times God tested people on this. Loma Armstrong was tested. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong was tested. Church of God Seventh Day was tested. A Sunday keeper who had the gift of healing, who taught Mr. Armstrong about healing, was tested. Radio listeners who heard Mr. Armstrong say, don't believe me, believe God, believe your Bible, were tested. And we are tested today.<br /><br />Will God give the pastor of the small group I mentioned, who gave such an inspiring sermon on trusting God, an open door for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public?<br /><br />So far, God has not. And as long as that man is publicly committed to believing Mr. Armstrong's writings and not being willing to believe the Bible first and correct Mr. Armstrong's mistakes or learn new knowledge from the Bible that Mr. Armstrong did not have, I don't think God will give that man an open door for the gospel.<br /><br />Could I be mistaken in this?<br /><br />I hope I am. I don't see how. But I hope I am wrong. I hope Christ gives that man an open door and he does a powerful work of preaching the gospel. If that happens, I won't easily understand it, but I will be glad for the sake of the gospel.<br /><br />No one has emailed me or entered comments to show me where I am wrong in this. So if I am wrong, I don't know it. I don't think I am wrong.<br /><br />Any Church of God leader or group that wants the open door promised to Philadelphia should be willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible and believe the Bible first over any Church of God teachings or traditions, and not try to "hold fast" to Mr. Armstrong's teachings, contrary to the way of life Mr. Armstrong himself practiced. <br /><br />If we ask the public to be willing to learn new things, we must also be willing to learn new things. If we won't, I don't think God will give the open door to hypocrites.<br /><br />Getting back to the speaker and group I mentioned at the beginning. <br /><br />I don't see that willingness to practice the way of life Mr. Armstrong practiced in that pastor or his followers and supporters.<br /><br />And yet, he seems to have zeal for trusting God for protection, and God seems to have blessed him for that zeal. He gave a powerful sermon that we can learn from.<br /><br />That man, and his group, may be useful in other ways for God's purposes. He has lessons he can teach the Church of God.<br /><br />I am not against him.<br /><br />But his group does not seem to be a home for Philadelphians. And I do not encourage Philadelphians in a group that has an open door for preaching the gospel, and is going through that door, to shift their support to a group that does not have an open door for the gospel and is not likely to have it in the future, unless they repent of making an idol of Mr. Armstrong and his teachings.<br /><br />Look at the messages to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Christ teaches us to read <i>all</i> the messages and examine ourselves in the light of those messages. Even though we are in the Laodicean era, any message can apply to any individual among us. And Philadelphians are not the only church that receives only praise.<br /><br />Look at the message to Smyrna. "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death' " (Revelation 2:8-11). <br /><br />Smyrna is not Philadelphia. They are not promised an open door for the gospel. Yet, Christ has no criticism or them, but rather says they are rich, implying they are spiritually rich (since they are physically poor). He praises them and encourages them to continue.<br /><br />I am not saying that any group today is Smyrna. But I bring this out to show you do not have to be Philadelphian to be spiritually rich. The promise of the open door is not for everyone. God can give one leader or one group a job and a different leader and a different group a different job.<br /><br />What if God, in His wisdom, has raised up this leader and group, not for preaching the gospel, but to teach the lessons of zeal for God and trust in God in times of trial? And what if God has given a different job, the job of going through an open door for preaching the gospel, to a different leader and group where most of the Philadelphians already are?<br /><br />There is great value in being a Philadelphian. A Philadelphian loves God and wants to magnify His name and reputation. He is intensely zealous for getting the message out that will show all creation for all eternity God's righteousness and fairness to warn before punishing. He also loves his neighbors as himself and is very concerned that they get a warning while there is time for them to repent and escape God's punishment. And like Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Armstrong's early supporters who heard him on the radio, a Philadelphian is willing to believe God more than any man or church or tradition and is willing to learn new things from God's word, just as he asks the public to do.<br /><br />Though the group and their pastor who gave such an inspiring sermon I described in the beginning may do good works in many ways, they will not be, in my opinion, a suitable home for Philadelphians who have an open door for the gospel.<br /><br />But if this man and his group are not Philadelphian, and if God is not with this man, why is God blessing him? <br /><br />There is a myth in the Church of God, and that myth says that God only works through one man at a time. But the Bible does not teach that.<br /><br />God worked through many prophets at the same time. He worked through Ezekiel and Jeremiah at about the same time. He worked through Nathan and David at the same time. He worked through several prophets in the time of Ezra. He worked through Peter and Paul at the same time. <br /><br />God can work through one leader in our time to preach the gospel and one or more other leaders to serve other groups, or even the whole Church of God, in other ways.<br /><br />God can teach the whole Church of God lessons about trust and zeal through this man while preaching the gospel through a different man and group. God can also use this man to serve the needs of those who are not Philadelphian but are in some other spiritual condition. God loves them too.<br /><br />Will God condemn a man for making an idol of Mr. Armstrong?<br /><br />None of us is perfect, and we all have faults to strive against. Look at the example of Gideon. After God used him in a powerful way, he became a ruler in Israel and made an idol and it became a snare to him. Yet, he is mentioned in the faith chapter in Hebrews, and it is therefore likely God forgave him.<br /><br />In Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, there was a Sunday keeper, apparently unconverted, who had the gift of healing. He prayed for people to be healed, and God answered his prayers. God did not reject him just because he did not keep the Sabbath. And God used him to teach Mr. Armstrong about healing. But when God's time came, God tested this man by having Mr. Armstrong show him the truth about the Sabbath from the Bible. He rejected the Bible, stayed with his tradition, and failed the test. <i>Then,</i> God rejected him and no longer answered his prayers for healing. He lost the gift. But before this, for for a time, God was patient with his faults, answered his prayers, and used him in a powerful way to teach Mr. Armstrong.<br /><br />I hope the speaker I mentioned in the beginning and his group enjoy success in whatever role God assigns to them. But unless that man repents of not being willing to learn new things from the Bible and not being willing to correct any mistakes of Mr. Armstrong, I do not think God will give him a wide-open door for preaching the gospel. So far, God hasn't.<br /><br />If you have zeal for the gospel message and Ezekiel warning, and if you are willing to learn new things from the Bible and to believe the Bible more than your group leader or Mr. Armstrong or any Church of God tradition, and if you want to be counted by God as a Philadelphian and have the promised open door, I urge you to support a group that already has that open door, and don't move to a group that does not have the open door and disqualifies itself from having that open door.<br /><br />There may be several groups that have an open door for the gospel, and for some the door is open wider than for others. I have said this before and I still say it - in my opinion, despite not being perfect, the fellowship that is right now doing the best job of going through an open door for preaching the gospel is Living Church of God.<br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-82340291353072933272021-04-27T00:58:00.000-05:002021-04-27T00:58:10.158-05:00Did Mr. Armstrong Make a Mistake in Telling the Church to Follow Mr. Tkach?<p>Did Mr. Armstrong make a mistake when he told the Church to follow the new pastor general, who was Mr. Tkach?<br /><br />Yes.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong gave a sermon to the Church shortly before he died. He was sick at the time, and he knew he might soon die. This might have been his last sermon to the Church.<br /><br />He talked about a number of things, but he also said that if he should die God would provide a new pastor general and we better follow that pastor general if we wanted to be in the kingdom of God. He did not put any qualification on following the next pastor general. He did not say, follow him as he follows Christ. He did not say, follow him as he follows the Bible. He just said we better follow him, period. <br /><br />He did not name Mr. Tkach in that sermon. That came later, in a letter.<br /><br />You can probably find that sermon in sites that publish Mr. Armstrong's material. <br /><br />There are some points to pay attention to.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong's statement to the Church that we must follow the next pastor general if we want to be in the kingdom of God was DOCTRINE. Doctrine is simply teaching. Teaching is doctrine no matter if it is given verbally in a sermon or in writing in an article or book. If it is teaching, it is doctrine, period. This statement about the next pastor general was something Mr. Armstrong taught the Church in his sermon. It was doctrine.<br /><br />Also, it was wrong. If we followed the next pastor general, we would go into Protestantism. We would fall away from the truth we had. And many did follow Mr. Tkach and fall away from the truth. Whether or not those people were deceived and influenced by Mr. Armstrong's wrong teaching on that, and to what extent they were influenced by him, I do not know. But Mr. Armstrong's teaching certainly seemed to make it easier for members to fall away.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong could have said, follow the next pastor general as he follows Christ, or, as he follows the Bible. But he didn't. He didn't put any qualifications or conditions on it. We were to follow the pastor general of the Church, period. And that was obviously wrong doctrine, as the history of what happened after that shows.<br /><br />It was something Mr. Armstrong never corrected to the end of his life. Critics of learning new knowledge might say, if you point out his error of saying Pentecost was on a Monday, that he corrected his errors before he died and that the doctrines he taught at the end of his life should be held fast to and not changed. But you cannot apply that to his statement about following Mr. Tkach. He died in a matter of weeks or months after he made that statement. He <i>never</i> corrected it. It stands today as part of the body of doctrine he taught.<br /><br />Also, it was harmful to anyone who believed, followed, and taught that doctrine. God no doubt allowed Mr. Armstrong to make that mistake to test the members, but in this case, the only way to pass the test was to reject that doctrine. You could not pass the test by believing Mr. Armstrong and following Mr. Tkach. If you did that, you would fall away. The way to pass the test was to recognize that Mr. Armstrong was wrong and <i>not</i> follow Mr. Tkach. To believe Mr. Armstrong's teaching on this was to fail a test and reap the consequences, which in this case may include, for some members, going into the lake of fire.<br /><br />So those who say we are not to change Mr. Armstrong's doctrines today, not correct any errors, not add any new knowledge to the things he taught in his lifetime, have a problem. How can they reconcile their position with the fact that NONE OF THEM follows their own position?<br /><br />None of them believe, obey, or teach Mr. Armstrong's instruction before he died to follow Mr. Tkach. They can't! If they did, they would have to abandon most of Mr. Armstrong's other doctrines as Mr. Tkach did.<br /><br />Their whole position is self-contradictory. How can they explain it?<br /><br />No doubt, this is why Christ allowed Mr. Armstrong to make this serious mistake in doctrine at the end of his life, a mistake no Church of God member can deny. God is showing us that we are NOT to hold fast to Mr. Armstrong's doctrines. They are not trustworthy, of themselves, just because he taught them. They are only trustworthy as proved in the Bible because God, the author of the Bible, is trustworthy, but not man.<br /><br />I challenge any Church of God leader who holds the position that we should only stick to the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong and not change anything he taught or learn anything new from the Bible to answer this: If we are to hold fast to the teachings of Mr. Armstrong, shouldn't we hold fast to his teaching that we should follow Mr. Tkach? And if we don't do that, how can we hold fast to Mr. Armstrong's teaching? <br /><br />If you are a member attending a COG fellowship led by such a leader, do you have the guts, or the interest, to ask him this question? And if you are afraid to ask it because you anticipate a hostile reaction, why attend with such a man? Why support him if you can't ask him a question?<br /><br />Remember, when Mr. Armstrong taught us to follow Mr. Tkach, it was at the <i>end of his life.</i> How long had Mr. Armstrong been converted? How much life experience did Mr. Armstrong have in learning from God's word, the Bible, and teaching it? How many years did he have to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? How many trials did he face, and how many years did he have to build the character of Jesus Christ?<br /><br />He was converted in 1927 I believe. He died in 1986. That makes 59 years of learning, living, and teaching God's way of life, being converted, having God's Holy Spirit dwelling in him.<br /><br />If ever there was a time when he would be at the peak of his spiritual discernment, if there was ever a time when he was close to God, it would be at the end of that lifetime of accomplishment in God's service, a lifetime in which God used him to preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning powerfully to the nations of Israel and the world. Yet, it was at the end of that life when he made such a serious mistake, a mistake that may have hurt the chances for salvation for many members, and God allowed it.<br /><br />If God allowed him to make such a serious mistake at the end of his life, God could have allowed him to make a mistake in anything he taught any time in his life. God does not want us to hold fast to and trust the teachings of any man or any church tradition. He wants us to hold fast to and trust Him and His word, the Bible. And that means believing and trusting what we can see and understand in our own Bibles.<br /><br />Can we make mistakes in our reading of the Bible? Can we misunderstand the Bible?<br /><br />Of course! We can make mistakes. We can be wrong. We should strive for the humility to admit this to ourselves, and we should always have an open mind to be corrected by the Bible.<br /><br />But let ministers correct us in our doctrinal errors by the Bible, not by their own authority or traditions. And let ministers and Church of God leaders also be willing to be corrected by the Bible and admit when they are wrong.<br /><br />All of us, members and ministers and top Church of God leaders, must believe God more than man or tradition. We have to put the Bible first. We have to believe God's word unconditionally, if we are to be completely faithful. We have to believe the Bible more than we believe Mr. Armstrong, or Mystery of the Ages, or any Church leader, minister, or tradition. We have to believe what we can see and understand for ourselves in the Bible.<br /><br />We can certainly make mistakes, and we should be humble and teachable and be willing to let the ministry show us our mistakes in the Bible (if the ministry is willing and able to do that). But even there, after the ministry tries to show us we are wrong according to the Bible, we may not see it for ourselves. If the ministry itself is wrong, if they misapply the scriptures, if they interpret the scriptures instead of letting the Bible interpret itself, we may see that they are wrong.<br /><br />The bottom line is, God tests our faith in Him and His word. Any time we see a contradiction between the Bible and what the Church of God or any of its fellowships teaches, we are faced with a choice, and God will judge us based on our choice. We have to choose to believe God or man. One must take precedence over the other. Even if we are making a mistake, that does not change the nature of the choice. Until we understand our mistake, we still have to choose between believing God or man.<br /><br />Does this cause division? No, it does not. It only causes division if we talk about it with other members. It is the <i>promotion</i> of our view with other members, in contradiction to the ministry, that causes division. We do not have that right to contradict the ministry with other members. God has given the teaching role to the ministry, and we have to show respect to the office God has given them. But we can quietly believe God. We can wait for Christ to correct the Church, even if we wait until He returns.<br /><br />But we must obey God first and we must believe God first. Both belief and obedience are ways of putting our trust and loyalty in God more than man.<br /><br />Any man who says he leaves a group to obey God rather than man, but does not believe God's word more than the man, Herbert W. Armstrong, is not being consistent. But he is inconsistent anyway in believing we should stick to Mr. Armstrong's teachings and not learn anything new, contrary to Mr. Armstrong's own way of life, and yet does not believe what Mr. Armstrong said about following Mr. Tkach.<br /><br />God allowed Mr. Armstrong to make the mistake of telling us to follow Mr. Tkach. I believe God did this for the very purpose of showing the ministry and membership that we should <i>never</i> believe any man or tradition more than God's word, the Bible. You couldn't ask for a more powerful and compelling demonstration.<br /><br />I have said before in this blog that God is unlikely to give us an open door for the gospel if we are not willing to learn new things from the Bible and believe the Bible more than our traditions, because this is what we ask the public to do, and we must do the same or we are hypocrites. <br /><br />How does Christ open the door for preaching the gospel? In these days of freedom and prosperity, it is primarily by arousing zeal in the heart of a leader, and members, for preaching the gospel. We have freedom and we have money, but we need zeal, or the work will not be done. Some of that zeal is a voluntary choice, but it is also supplied by God. And I do not think God will give that zeal to a leader who says he only wants to go by what Mr. Armstrong taught and not learn anything new, a leader that holds fast to a list of doctrines but not the way of life that Mr. Armstrong practiced and that made him a Philadelphian in God's sight.<br /><br />So look at the Church of God landscape. Look at a leader who says he will not learn anything new from God. Look at a leader who says he believes Mr. Armstrong unconditionally, and will not consider that he should believe the Bible more than Mr. Armstrong. Then look at his zeal for the gospel. Chances are, his zeal is weak. Why? Because God does not arouse zeal for the gospel in his heart and mind. Why? Because God can't use him for the gospel. He won't do what he has to ask others to do - learn new things and let the Bible overrule their traditions. God is unlikely to use a hypocrite to do His work.<br /><br />But how can you know a leader's zeal or lack of it? Not by his words. And we can't read his mind and heart. Look at his actions. Look at the fruits. If many months go by and he has not started preaching the gospel, that is a strong signal that his heart is not in it, no matter what he says. If he gives greater priority to teen camps, summer camps, winter weekends, and buying property for the Church - none of which is commanded by God - over preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning - which is strongly commanded by God - then how can his heart be in the gospel?<br /><br />If he repents of his position of not learning from the Bible and not putting the Bible first over Mr. Armstrong's teachings, then perhaps Christ will give him an open door by arousing and inspiring zeal for the gospel in his heart and mind. That zeal would then lead to right decisions. But if he continues to reject knowledge, how can God help but not reject him from having an open door to do His work (Hosea 4:6)?<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-2854806266215796862021-04-25T05:15:00.000-05:002021-04-25T05:15:28.794-05:00Did Mr. Armstrong Make a Mistake in Naming Mr. Tkach as His Successor?<p>Did Mr. Armstrong make a mistake when he named Mr. Tkach as his successor?<br /><br />No.<br /><br />Mr. Tkach changed all the important doctrines Mr. Armstrong taught, and as a result, many fell away and the rest were scattered into many competing fellowships. Why was this not a mistake?<br /><br />It was God's will to scatter the Church at this time, to rebuke us and to test us.<br /><br />We had become Laodicean. Christ says to the Laodiceans, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:16). The scattering that occurred after the death of Mr. Armstrong was Christ vomiting us out of His mouth. He still loves us, but He wants us to repent. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).<br /><br />The scattering of the Church of God after the death of Mr. Armstrong was intended by Christ to bring some of us to repentance. But to bring about that scattering, Christ needed to appoint someone to replace Mr. Armstrong who would take the actions that would lead to the scattering. Mr. Armstrong could not do it himself. He would never deliberately scatter the Church. But Mr. Tkach could do it by changing doctrine. So Christ took Mr. Armstrong out of the way and appointed Mr. Tkach to replace him.<br /><br />Christ appointed Mr. Tkach, not Mr. Armstrong. Christ arranged events and inspired Mr. Armstrong to cause Mr. Armstrong to appoint Mr. Tkach. In the letter Mr. Armstrong wrote to the Church naming Mr. Tkach as his successor, Mr. Armstrong plainly stated that it was Christ who was appointing Mr. Tkach, and he was right. Christ knew what he was doing. Christ did not just <i>allow</i> Mr. Armstrong to name Mr. Tkach as the next pastor general - He <i>caused</i> it. He inspired Mr. Armstrong to know that it was Christ's will that he name Mr. Tkach his successor.<br /><br />So it was not a mistake.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong no doubt made mistakes in some of his thinking. He thought Mr. Tkach would be faithful to true doctrine from the Bible, the same body of doctrine that Mr. Armstrong taught. Christ had a different reason. Mr. Armstrong did the right thing for the wrong reason. But what he did was not a mistake.<br /><br />When Mr. Armstrong named Mr. Tkach as the next pastor general, he made the right decision but for the wrong reason. His thinking that Mr. Tkach would be faithful to doctrine was a mistake. But the appointment of Mr. Tkach was the right decision for a different reason, a reason Mr. Armstrong did not understand.<br /><br />Jesus Christ made the decision to appoint Mr. Tkach, and that was the right decision. Christ made that decision, knowing Mr. Tkach would change doctrine in a wrong way, because Christ wanted to scatter the Church of God because of its being Laodicean and lukewarm. He did this for a good reason - to test the Church and to shake the Church up to help its members wake up and begin to take things seriously. Too many members were just coasting. They needed a hit on the side of the head to wake up.<br /><br />Jesus Christ inspired Mr. Armstrong and led him to appoint Mr. Tkach. That was not a mistake. But Christ did not reveal the real reason to Mr. Armstrong, and Christ allowed Mr. Armstrong to choose Mr. Tkach using a wrong reasoning process, and that reasoning process was Mr. Armstrong's mistake. Mr. Armstrong didn't know that Christ wanted to scatter the Church. Frankly, it would have been difficult for Mr. Armstrong to deliberately name an unqualified man, but that was what Christ wanted at that time - a man unqualified to properly lead the Church in true doctrine. This would cause the Church to be scattered.<br /><br />So Christ allowed Mr. Armstrong to make a mistake in his reasoning process to name Mr. Tkach, thinking Mr. Tkach would be faithful, but Christ wanted Mr. Tkach for the opposite reason - He knew Mr. Tkach would be unfaithful in matters of doctrine.<br /><br />We the members were lukewarm, and Christ gave us the kind of leader we deserved.<br /><br />So Christ let Mr. Armstrong make a mistake in evaluating Mr. Tkach's qualifications and character. Christ led Mr. Armstrong to name Mr. Tkach by letting Mr. Armstrong see Mr. Tkach's strong points - perhaps his hard work, courage, energy, obedience to Mr. Armstrong, etc. - but hiding from Mr. Armstrong an awareness of Mr. Tkach's flaws in understanding the Bible.<br /><br />So Mr. Armstrong, in that sense, used wrong reasoning but arrived at the right decision for God's purposes. He made a mistake in thinking Mr. Tkach would be faithful to true doctrine, but he made the right decision - the decision Christ wanted him to make - to appoint Mr. Tkach.<br /><br />Here is an example that illustrates how Christ can let his ministers make "mistakes" that are not really mistakes.<br /><br />At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Mr. Gerald Weston, presiding evangelist of Living Church of God (LCG), had scheduled a ministerial conference where ministers would gather from all over the world to meet. Hotel space was rented. With COVID-19 starting up, Mr. Weston had to make the decision about whether or not to cancel the conference. After getting advice, he decided not to cancel. He expected the conference to take place. If he had cancelled, LCG would have lost money on hotel space it had booked because of penalties for late cancellation, or something like that.<br /><br />But, as I understand it, a short time after that, the hotel cancelled, forcing the conference to be cancelled. Here is the important thing. Because the hotel cancelled, the Church saved money because the hotel did not charge a cancellation penalty.<br /><br />Would you call Mr. Weston's decision to not cancel earlier a mistake? He thought the conference would take place, so he didn't cancel the hotel reservation. He was wrong about the conference taking place, but the decision to not cancel was the best decision because it gave time for the <i>hotel</i> to cancel, and because it was the hotel's decision, they charged the Church no penalty. But if the Church made the decision to cancel a week earlier, the hotel would charge us a penalty.<br /><br />Do you see what I am driving at? Mr. Weston made the right decision for the wrong reason. I don't call Mr. Weston's decision not to cancel the hotel reservation a mistake. It was the very best decision that he could make. By waiting for the hotel to cancel instead of LCG cancelling, LCG saved money.<br /><br />But Mr. Weston wasn't trying to save money. He thought the conference would take place. He was wrong about that. But Christ worked it out perfectly.<br /><br />This is why some ministers have said that God makes even the Church's "mistakes" work out. But I don't call those kinds of decisions "mistakes". Some of the reasoning that leads to those decisions may be mistaken, but the decisions themselves are right in God's eyes.<br /><br />One more example, this time an analogy, not real.<br /><br />Suppose you are praying for a better job. Or if you are single, you might be praying for a wife. Then suppose you are taking a train, and there are many trains at the train station. You get on the train, but after the train pulls out of the station you realize you got on the wrong train. You figure you made a mistake, and from your point of view, it was a mistake, but not from Christ's point of view, because He <i>caused</i> you to get on the wrong train. Why? Because on that "wrong" train, you meet an old friend who has his own business, you have a conversation, and it leads to an offer for a better job, just what you prayed for. Or, you meet your future wife, who is in the Church, on that train. That "wrong" train was actually the <i>right</i> train for Christ to answer your prayers. It was not a mistake from God's point of view.<br /><br />Or, while riding on that "wrong" train, you pull out a Church booklet, a passenger notices the title and asks about it, a conversation takes place, and that passenger ends up coming into the Church. It was the right train from God's point of view, but your thinking was in error when you got on it.<br /><br />So Mr. Armstrong's decision to name Mr. Tkach as the next pastor general was not a mistake from God's point of view. It was exactly what Christ wanted to happen in order to carry out what He said He would do in Revelation 3:16.<br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-25687422631485190362021-04-12T10:54:00.011-05:002021-04-12T11:13:08.311-05:00An Experiment in the Church of God for Our Learning<p>God teaches us by His word, the Bible. He also teaches us by experience.<br /><br />God is in the process of teaching the whole human race a lesson that God's way is better than Satan's way. The seven-thousand year plan of God is designed to teach us that lesson. We are living in the 6,000 years of man's self-rule under Satan's influence apart from God and His way of life. Mankind is experiencing the suffering that results from Satan's way. This will be followed by the 1,000 years of Christ's rule when God's way of life is practiced, and that will be a period of joy and happiness. The contrast will be evident, and it will teach the human race a lesson, both for those who live in the millennium and for those who come up in the general resurrection - the white throne judgment period.<br /><br />God also teaches us lessons in the Church today by the things we experience and by the experiences of others in the Church of God that we can observe.<br /><br />There may be an "experiment" going on in the Church for that very purpose right now. It is not an experiment for God to learn what will happen. He knows what will happen. It is an experiment, or a series of experiments, like the experiments students do in a high school chemistry class lab session. It is a demonstration experiment to show students what the instructor already knows will happen. It is for our learning.<br /><br />The experiment can be the efforts of a COG fellowship - any fellowship, any group, not just one particular one - to preach the gospel to the world and the Ezekiel warning to Israel apart from practicing Mr. Armstrong's way of life of believing the Bible more than tradition and being willing to learn new things from God's word.<br /><br />So here is a scenario to consider. This may apply to a particular group, or to several groups, but even if it doesn't apply to any group, it is worth thinking about.<br /><br />A minister and a group of followers separate from a larger group that is preaching the gospel to the public. They form a new group. Nothing unusual here - it has happened many times in Church of God history.<br /><br />The new group claims to be Philadelphian. They say they want to preach the gospel. They have not done it for a while since they started as a new fellowship several months ago or longer. But they have been making plans and preparations. Or, maybe they have actually started on a very tiny (one might say token) scale. A number of their members are hot for the gospel, and the leader does not want to offend them, so he claims he is zealous for the gospel, and he will make some kind of effort, even if very small, just to appease those members. Or, perhaps the leader really is zealous for the gospel and is sincerely working and preparing to preach it.<br /><br />But the leader has taken a stand against the way of life practiced by Herbert W. Armstrong that made Mr. Armstrong a Philadelphian and allowed God to give him an open door for preaching the gospel. Though this new COG leader holds fast to a list of doctrines (which Mr. Armstrong did not hold fast to during the time he was learning and researching those doctrines, a time when he had an open door for the gospel), he has departed from Mr. Armstrong's way of life. He is not willing to believe the Bible more than any man, even any man in the Church of God, and any tradition, even the traditions of the Church of God, as Mr. Armstrong did. Mr. Armstrong believed the Bible first, everyone and everything else second. But this man puts Church tradition and the writings of Mr. Armstrong above what he can see for himself with his own understanding in the Bible. He believes man more than God, in other words. And he teaches that same practice to others.<br /><br />Also, he is not willing to learn new things from God and from the Bible as Mr. Armstrong was. He is not willing to learn what God is able to teach him. He just wants to stick with what he already knows, like Church of God Seventh Day. That is his comfort zone. He is not willing to grow in the grace <i>and knowledge</i> of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). <br /><br />He also practices hypocrisy if he tells the public to believe God rather than man and learn new things from the Bible, since he is not willing to practice what he preaches to the public. And yet, that is the only thing he can say to the public if he wants to preach the gospel effectively. The public can only believe our message if they believe the Bible more than their traditions and if they are willing to learn new things. So we have to say, don't believe us, don't believe any man or tradition - believe God, believe what you can see and understand for yourself in your Bible. Yet, if the leader says that, he makes himself a hypocrite because he won't do it himself and he won't teach it to the Church of God membership, his own supporters.<br /><br />In many respects, such a leader and those in his group who support his stance are like the Pharisees. Christ condemned them for their hypocrisy. They put burdens on the people that they were not willing to lift themselves (Matthew 23:1-4). They asked others to do what they were not willing to do. They followed their traditions more than the word of God (Matthew 15:1-9). They were not willing to learn new things.<br /><br />But this leader and many of his followers do not believe what Christ said when he said, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:52).<br /><br />But still this leader wants, or claims to want, the open door promised to Philadelphians (Revelation 3:7-8). <br /><br />Will Christ give that man a wide-open door for the gospel?<br /><br />That is the experiment. <br /><br />Will Christ overlook his hypocrisy? Will Christ give him an open door to preach to the public that they should believe what they see in their own Bibles with their own eyes and understanding more than their churches, ministers, and traditions, even though the man and the group that preaches this is unwilling to practice it? Will Christ give him an open door to tell the public to learn new things when this man is unwilling to learn new things?<br /><br />Or can this man force the door open if Christ has closed it to him? Hopefully, he must know he cannot force open a door Christ has closed (Revelation 3:7-8).<br /><br />Or, perhaps, for the sake of a few faithful members of his group who are willing to believe the Bible more than man and learn new knowledge, Christ may give that man a door that is only slightly open. So this man and the group that he pastors may do a very small work towards the public. A token result for a token effort. But enough for the man to claim to his group that he is preaching the gospel to the world. Yet, though God may open the door a little for the sake of those few in the group who are willing to believe the Bible more than the Church and learn new things, God may desire that those few members learn a lesson and return to a group that is preaching the gospel effectively - or in some cases, start a new group.<br /><br />It is not wrong, for the sake of God's work, to leave one group to start a new, more faithful group, if that is necessary to be totally faithful to God and if it is God's will. Mr. Armstrong did it when he left the employment of Church of God Seventh Day. Dr. Meredith and others did it when they left Worldwide.<br /><br />But back to the hypothetical group I have been discussing that claims to want to preach to the public but won't learn new things as they must ask the public to do. They may do a very small work. Then will come various excuses for the smallness of the work. "Now is not God's time for a large work", they might say. They may never publish financial statements to the whole Church of God membership, for if they do, it would become obvious that they are spending far less on the preaching of the gospel than on other things, and their hearts are not in it.<br /><br />This is the experiment for any group that finds itself in this situation as I described. The lessons are not for that group only, but for the whole Church of God that observes the history of such a group. <br /><br />Will God give any COG group a wide-open door for the gospel if that group is not willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible and believe the Bible more than the Church and also teach the same way of life, the way Mr. Armstrong practiced, to their members?<br /><br />If there is such a group, let's see what the results will be. <br /><br />We may be able to see some results already.<br /><br />Let's all watch and see what happens.<br /><br />If it is in the heart of a leader of a COG fellowship to preach the gospel to the world and the Ezekiel warning to Israel, it should not take a long time to see the fruits. If many months go by after he starts a fellowship and he has not yet shown a zeal for preaching the gospel, his heart is probably not in it. If he gives greater priority to summer camps, youth camps, winter weekends, and buying permanent property for his group than he gives for warning our nations to repent as God commands, his heart probably is not in the work of God.<br /><br />How does God give an open door for preaching the gospel? One way is to arouse zeal in the heart of the leader to do such a work. If Christ closes the door for that man, He will not arouse zeal in that man's heart. And his zeal, or lack of it, will be known by his actions, by his fruits, not just his words.<br /><br />By their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:15-20). <br /><br />Look at the timing. When the Church of God started on the day of Pentecost, they immediately, <i>the same day,</i> started preaching to the public and about 3,000 people were added to the Church (Acts 2:1-41). When Mr. Armstrong left the employment of the Church of God Seventh Day to do an independent work, within a few months, maybe about six, he was on radio. When Dr. Meredith left Worldwide and started Global, within about six<i> weeks</i> he was on radio.<br /><br />So if many months go by after a fellowship starts and they are not preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the world, the hearts of the leader and most of his supporters are probably not in that part of God's work. They are content to just feed the flock, fellowship with each other, and leave the world alone.<br /><br />Let us see what happens. God may be teaching us something.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-18467647647622175072021-04-02T17:53:00.002-05:002021-04-02T17:53:39.782-05:00The Sixth Commandment and the Days of Unleavened Bread<p>During the days of unleavened bread we avoid leavening to learn the lesson of putting sin out of our lives, and we eat unleavened bread to learn the lesson of putting the righteousness of Christ into our lives. We focus on examining our lives to find and root out sin. As part of that self-examination, both for Passover and during the days of unleavened bread, we may review the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21), the sermon on the mount (Matthew chapters 5 through 7 and Luke 6:20-49), and other scriptures that teach us about obeying God's law in the letter and the spirit.<br /><br />One of the ten commandments says, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). Spiritual applications of this include the principles that we must not be angry with our brother without a cause (Matthew 5:21-22), we must love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 5:43-48, 22:39-40), and we must forgive others who sin against us (Matthew 6:14-15). These princples are timeless and apply to all of us in the Church of God at all times and in all eras.<br /><br />But there is a particular application of the sixth commandment that applies especially to the Church of God in our time when we are close to the end of the age.<br /><br />In order not to be guilty of murder, we must warn our neighbors about the coming tribulation that will come upon them if they don't repent of their sins.<br /><br />This warning to us to warn our neighbors is the message of the Ezekiel warning given in Ezekiel 3:16-21. Ezekiel 3:20 says that the blood of the people will be on the heads of the "watchman" if we do not warn them. "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). Also, "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand" (Ezekiel 3:20).<br /><br />What does God mean when He says He will require the blood of the people "at the watchman's hand"? It means there will be blood guilt on the watchman's head if he doesn't give the warning. It means God will count the watchman as a murderer if the watchman doesn't warn.<br /><br />Has God made the Church of God and its members a watchman for our Israelite nations and the world in our time to warn them about their sins and the coming great tribulation to punish them if they do not repent? Yes.<br /><br />How has God made us the watchman, and how can we know this?<br /><br />God has given us knowledge of the need for a warning, plus the opportunity to warn, plus the knowledge that He wants us to warn. He has done this by revealing to us the identity of the tribes of Israel in the modern nations of this world and by revealing to us the truth that the great tribulation will soon come in our time. He has done this by commanding us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39-40) and to do to others as we would want them to do to us (Matthew 7:12). He has also specifically commanded us to hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11). The only we can deliver and "hold back" this sinning world is to warn. <br /><br />Finally, He has given us the passages in Ezekiel that help to show us our responsibility and the seriousness of our calling to this job.<br /><br />These things, in combination, make us the Ezekiel watchman.<br /><br />How do we fulfill our responsibility so that God does not count us as being guilty of murder?<br /><br />The most obvious way is to support with our tithes and offerings a Church of God fellowship that is getting the warning message out and the true gospel to the people of Israel and the world.<br /><br />Making sure we are doing this is part of obedience to the sixth commandment and part of putting sin out of our lives. And that should be part of our focus during the days of unleavened bread.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-46747771596891892752021-03-19T17:09:00.005-05:002021-03-19T17:16:29.954-05:00More Scriptural Support for Spiritual Healing<p>This is the fourth in a series of posts on spiritual healing made possible by the suffering of Christ as the result of His broken body, represented by the broken unleavened bread we take at Passover.<br /><br />I never planned to make this subject into a long series of posts. But I keep finding more passages in the Bible that support this apparent truth. In reading the Bible for self-examination in preparation for Passover, I found this passage in the New Testament.<br /><br />"For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 'Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth'; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - By whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:19-25).<br /><br />Notice these points in the above passage.<br /><br />1. Christ suffered for us (verse 21). This helps set the context, which is Christ suffering to pay the penalty for our sins.<br /><br />2. He bore our sins in His body (verse 24). This refers to His suffering, not just His shed blood. It is Passover wine that represents His shed blood, that is, His death. But it is unleavened bread that represents His broken body and His suffering.<br /><br />3. Why did He suffer the pains of a broken body? Verse 24 continues, "that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness". He suffered a broken body, represented by the broken unleavened bread we eat at Passover, so we can die to sins and live for righteousness, or in other words, <i>stop sinning.</i> Passover unleavened bread represents the suffering Christ endured so we can have the power to stop sinning and overcome our sins. This power comes by the Holy Spirit. But we are able to receive it because Christ suffered for us.<br /><br />4. This process is called "healing" in verse 24, "by whose stripes you were healed". Is this talking about physical healing (removing diseases and effects of injuries to the physical body), or spiritual healing (healing of our sinful nature and character so we can have the righteous character of God). Up to now, the context has been entirely spiritual - dying to sin and living for righteousness. There has been no mention of physical sickness. This seems to suggest that the healing referred to is spiritual healing - given power to die to sin and live for righteousness. And as I have pointed out, verse 24 specifically states that Christ suffered so we could overcome our sins - die to sin and live for righteousness. As I stated in previous posts, sin - spiritual sin - causes suffering just as surely as physical sin, the violation of the laws of health, causes disease. That is one of the penalties of sin - suffering that comes as a result of sin. Christ suffered to pay that penalty so we can be spiritually healed by the Holy Spirit and made so we no longer sin and so we can begin to live for righteousness.<br /><br />But has the context here changed in the last part of verse 24? Has it shifted to physical healing?<br /><br />5. Notice verse 25. This is all because we have gone astray from God. This is not just talking about physical violations of the laws of health. This is a general statement about sin and includes spiritual sin - any sin. This continues the context of the beginning of this passage, which is not talking about physical healing of our diseases.<br /><br />6. Verse 24 says Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross. This statement that He "bore" our sins seems to refer to His suffering, not just His death. He suffered to bear our sins in His body. But what kind of sins? Just physical sins, violations of health laws like eating pork or not wearing a seat belt? Or spiritual sins also? Notice the rest of the verse which tells us what kind of sins Peter is talking about. We are to die to sins and live for righteousness. Here, sin is contrasted with righteousness. This is not talking about physical sin, but spiritual sin - the violation of the letter or spirit of the two great commandments and the ten commandments - the transgression of God's spiritual law.<br /><br />This whole passage connects the concept of turning from sin and living for righteousness - developing God's holy righteous character by the power of God's Holy Spirit - with the term "healing". We are healed by Christ's stripes, the beading He endured and the suffering He endured both from the sourging and from hanging on the cross, and that healing includes spiritual healing.<br /><br />Why is this important?, some might ask.<br /><br />I might also ask, why is the understanding that Christ's body was broken for our physical healing important? Is that important? Yes, but why?<br /><br />God wants us to understand that physical sickness comes as a result of broken health laws, what Mr. Armstrong and the Church of God have called physical sin. He wants us to know that Christ suffered so we can be physically healed of our sicknesses. He wants us to know this so we can appreciate Christ's love and the Father's love for us that Christ was willing to suffer so we can be physically healed. He wants us to give thanks for it.<br /><br />Likewise, I believe God and Christ want us to understand that Christ suffered so we can also be <i>spiritually</i> healed. God wants us to understand that sin - the violation of the spiritual law of God - leads to suffering and to more sin - a sinful nature. That sinful nature leads to more sin and more suffering in an endless cycle of sin and suffering. The suffering that comes from sin is a penalty of sin, just as death is a penalty of sin. Christ shed blood pays the death penalty for our sins so we don't have to die the second death, but the suffering He endured in the scourging and on the cross - His broken body represented by the Passover unleavened bread - pays the penalty of suffering our sins bring so we can be spiritually healed. We can be healed of our sinful nature that leads to suffering and more sin and more suffering. We can overcome our sinful nature by the power of God's Holy Spirit. We can stop sinning and no longer have to suffer because of ongoing sins. We can develop and build God's holy, righteous character which leads to happiness and joy. We can do these things by the power of the Holy Spirit. But the gift of the Holy Spirit is made possible by the suffering of Christ which pays the penalty for our sins. Otherwise, the penalty of sin and suffering would remain upon us and we would have no hope.<br /><br />I believe God wants us to understand these things and appreciate the gift of God and the suffering Christ endured to make that gift possible.<br /><br />When we ask God in prayer for His Holy Spirit and for more power to overcome our sins, we should also give Him thanks for the suffering of Christ that makes it possible.<br /><br />That is why it is important to understand that the suffering of Christ enables our spiritual healing and not just our physical healing.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-1644518041758067922021-03-15T19:08:00.000-05:002021-03-15T19:08:10.954-05:00Can the Concept of Healing Be Connected with Spiritual Growth?<p>This is the third post in a series, after the last two posts, about the sacrifice of Christ making possible our spiritual healing as well as our physical healing. By spiritual healing I mean overcoming sin and our sinful nature, putting sin out of our lives, and building God's holy, righteous character in our lives with the help and power of God's Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Here is a passage that connects the suffering Christ endured with our healing: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6).<br /><br />But does the word "healed" refer only to physical healing, or does it include spiritual healing also? I say it includes spiritual healing also. It includes BOTH physical and spiritual healing. By Christ's stripes we are SPIRITUALLY healed as well as physically healed.<br /><br />Yet, I have heard and read little or nothing in the Church of God's messages about the stripes and beating Christ endured enabling our spiritual healing. Why is this neglected?<br /><br />I have tried to think about anything I have heard in the Church that connects the concept of healing with spiritual overcoming. I do recall something given in a sermon I think that was given over the Internet. If I recall correctly, the speaker was Mr. Brian Orchard of Church of God the Father's Call (COGFC). I am not 100% sure who the speaker was. This was a few years ago.<br /><br />I don't think the subject matter was Passover. I don't remember the main subject of the message. But the speaker mentioned about physical healing saying that God will always heal us physically unless by withholding the physical healing He can accomplish a greater healing. I don't remember the exact words.<br /><br />But what was the "greater healing"? The speaker didn't say, but I understood it, and I think most people would understand it, as some kind of spiritual healing, that is, a kind of character development or learning of a character lesson.<br /><br />So if I understood it correctly, this was a statement that referred to character development, what I call in this post "spiritual healing", as "healing". So I am not the only one in the Church of God who understands character building - overcoming sin - as a "healing" of our character.<br /><br />But the concept of the suffering of Christ - the beating He endured - enabling our spiritual healing is one that seems to be sadly neglected in the teaching of the Church of God.<br /><br />Don't we fully appreciate Christ's sacrifice in this regard? Can't we publicly acknowledge that He suffered so we can be empowered to overcome sin?<br /><br />I'll bet some of the the Protestants acknowledge this and give God thanks for it. But we in the Church of God don't. Not openly, anyway, though some members may give God thanks for this privately.<br /><br />This is something the top leaders of Church of God fellowships should consider.<br /> </p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-91238901180684199942021-03-08T02:07:00.008-06:002021-03-08T02:19:57.747-06:00The Connection between Physical Healing and Spiritual Healing<p>In my last post I pointed out that Christ's sacrifice pays the penalty for our sins so we can be healed physically and spiritually.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God have taught, and the Church still teaches, that the beating and physical suffering Christ endured paid the penalty for our physical sins - our breaking of the laws of health - so we can be physically healed in this life of our physical diseases and injuries. This teaching is true.<br /><br />But I believe it is equally true, and there is evidence in the Bible, that the beating and suffering Christ endured pays the penalty for our spiritual sins also so we can be spiritually healed of our evil nature and character. Yet, I do not recall ever hearing this in the Church of God. Perhaps some ministers have preached about this, but I haven't heard it. What I seem to be hearing is that the healing that Christ's sacrifice makes possible is physical healing only - not spiritual healing, not healing of our sick and sinful character.<br /><br />Yet, we need to be healed spiritually as well as physically. Our character needs to be healed so we no longer have a sinful nature.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />When we sin (and we all have sinned), we bring the death penalty upon ourselves. That death is the second death. Christ died to pay the death penalty for us so we can be forgiven and given eternal life. It is Christ's shed blood - his death - that reconciles us to God, removing the penalty of the second death. That part of Christ's sacrifice is represented by the wine we take at Passover, which represents His shed blood.<br /><br />The unleavened bread represents Christ's broken body - the suffering he endured by being beaten and scourged. That pays the penalty of suffering for our violations of laws of health that result in sickness and disease, what the Church has labeled "physical sin". Christ paid the penalty of suffering for our violations of the laws of health so we do not have to continue to suffer with our physical diseases.<br /><br />But we need to be healed spiritually also, and Christ's suffering pays the penalty of suffering for our spiritual sins.<br /><br />Sin - spiritual sin - sins of hatred, contention, lying, rebellion against authority, selfishness, greed, lust, etc. - results in suffering. And if God spared us from the second death and gave us eternal life in His kingdom, but did nothing to heal and change our character, we would go on sinning for eternity bringing misery upon ourselves and others.<br /><br />God has to clean up our character - heal us spiritually - before he can give us eternal life. Otherwise, eternal life would be a curse, not a blessing.<br /><br />There are three penalties for spiritual and physical sins, and the sacrifice of Christ must pay the penalties for all three.<br /><br />One, there is the spiritual penalty of eternal death, the second death. Christ paid that penalty by dying in our place. His death was the result of His shed blood and is represented by the Passover wine. Because Christ died in our place, we can be forgiven and God can give us eternal life.<br /><br />Two, there is the spiritual penalty of damaged character, what we call human nature, and the suffering that comes as a result of spiritual sin. When we sin, we damage our character. Sin leads to more sin. We acquire a sinful character, and the more we sin, the more we have a tendency to sin. Sin becomes a habit of mind and spirit. That leads to more sin, and that sin leads to suffering, both for ourselves and those around us.<br /><br />When Lucifer first sinned, something happened to his mind. It became twisted, evil. He became Satan the Devil, the enemy of God.</p><p>God says of Lucifer, now become Satan: "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:15). And then, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor" (Ezekiel 28:17). Notice, Lucifer corrupted his wisdom because of his vanity over his beauty and splendor. His wisdom, his mind, became corrupted, twisted, evil.<br /><br />Adam's mind also changed because of his sin. His sin of eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had a spiritual effect on him. His sin affected his mind. He began to acquire what we call human nature, which is really Satan's nature. His mind and spiritual condition were affected, and he developed a sinful nature - a mind and nature that had a tendency to sin.<br /><br />Sin is a habit, and the more we sin the more we have a tendency to sin.<br /><br />Our minds need to be healed of this damage to our character. This healing occurs through the power of God's Holy Spirit. God, with our cooperation and effort, builds His holy, righteous character in us. That is a spiritual healing, but it can occur only because Christ paid the penalty for us.<br /><br />Three, there is a physical penalty for the physical sin of the violation of the laws of health - sickness and disease. Christ's suffering pays the penalty for our physical sins so we can be physically healed.<br /><br />Is there evidence in the Bible for a connection between physical healing and spiritual healing? In other words, is there any evidence that "healing" in the Bible refers to spiritual healing as well as physical healing?<br /><br />Last post I pointed out a possible connection.<br /><br />"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6).<br /><br />This is a passage we are familiar with, and it establishes the principle that by Christ's stripes we are healed. This is often used to teach the doctrine of physical healing. But notice the context, because right after that, it says that we all like sheep have gone astray and turned, everyone, to his own way.<br /><br />How have we gone astray? How have we turned to our own way? Just by eating pork? By not wearing a seat belt? By smoking?<br /><br />Is this just talking about physical sin, the violations of the laws of health?<br /><br />Have we not also gone astray by lying, lusting, coveting, breaking the Sabbath, worshipping idols, stealing, etc.? Have we not gone astray by our spiritual sins?<br /><br />Notice this applies to everyone. Has everyone violated the laws of health? Maybe not, but everyone has sinned spiritually.<br /><br />The context of going astray in a general sense, including spiritual and not just physical sins, with the statement that by Christ's stripes we are healed, helps to establish a connection between spiritual sins and healing - spiritual healing.<br /><br />But here is another connection I did not include in my last post. I just noticed it a few hours ago.<br /><br />"And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, 'Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' When Jesus heard that, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance' " (Matthew 9:11-13).<br /><br />In this passage, Christ connects the concept of sickness with being a sinner in need of repentance. It is an analogy. He is comparing the state of being a sinner with being physically sick. But it is not just an analogy. In a spiritual sense, those who are sinners in need of repentance are spiritually sick. They need spiritual healing. Christ's broken body represented by the symbol of unleavened bread and the suffering Christ endured pays the penalty of our suffering for our spiritual sins and enables us to be spiritually healed.<br /><br />Has this been taught in the Church of God in modern times? I hope so. Probably it has, by someone. But not much, I think.<br /><br />This Passover season many ministers and speakers in the Church will be speaking about the Passover symbols and what they represent. Articles will be written and published (or already have been), sermons and sermonettes will be given, Bible studies will be given, etc. There will be speaking at Passover services itself, either in person or recorded. I wonder how many speakers and writers will mention the aspect of Christ's broken body enabling our physical healing, yet totally ignore and say nothing about our need for spiritual healing. Yet, the spiritual healing is more important than our physical healing. Physical healing is for this life. Spiritual healing is for eternity.<br /><br />I have heard one speaker, who is an advocate for the teachings of Mr. Armstrong, give a message in which he covers a lot of material about Passover, yet not only said nothing about spiritual healing, but did not even say anything about physical healing, which Mr. Armstrong I believe taught. Maybe he is trying to avoid controversy. Maybe he is not ready to take a stand one way or another.<br /><br />I think someone should take a stand on this. Study the Bible about this. If I am right, teach it. If I am wrong, show me. But don't ignore the question. Ministers will probably have to deal with this sooner or later. It isn't going to go away.<br /><br />I don't say that ministers should contradict their leaders and cause division over this. That is a judgment call any minister must make - is it important enough? But at least the top leaders of COG groups, who only answer to Christ, should carefully consider this and teach what they see is right in the Bible, and not just remain silent.<br /><br />No doubt some members may ask their ministers questions about this. If you are a minister, how will you reply?<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-86126120421188606632021-01-28T09:05:00.006-06:002021-01-28T09:20:05.171-06:00Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Spiritual Healing<p>Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are coming soon. Many of us are examining ourselves in preparation for those days so we observe Passover in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). It is not too soon to start examining ourselves. One way to do this is to study significant passages in the Bible and meditate on how well we are living up to those instructions, such as the ten commandments in Exodus 20 and the sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5 through 7.<br /><br />We have been taught that the shed blood of Jesus Christ pays the death penalty for sin so we can be forgiven and reconciled with God the Father. Christ's death enables us to be given the gift of eternal life. Without the payment Christ made of the death penalty for sin by dying in our place, all of us would die permanently without hope of the eternal life God wants to give us. The Passover wine is a symbol of His shed blood, that is, His death.<br /><br />But Christ did more than die for us. He suffered for us. His body was scourged and tortured. And we have been taught that He suffered in the flesh so we can be physically healed of our sicknesses and infirmities (Isaiah 53:5-6). The broken unleavened bread we eat at Passover is a symbol of Christ's broken body. Part of the penalty of sin is suffering, and Christ suffered for us so we don't have to suffer in our sickness and diseases.<br /><br />These teachings are true, and the Church of God has taught them for decades. Mr. Armstrong taught these truths consistently.<br /><br />But there is a third aspect of the matter of Christ paying the penalties for our sins I have not heard taught in the Church of God. I don't say it has not been taught - maybe it has - but I have not heard or read it or come across it.<br /><br />So whether this is completely new or not, I cannot know for sure. But it seems so obvious to me I do not know how anyone in the Church of God can, or would want to, refute it.<br /><br />We need to be reconciled to God the Father and forgiven by the blood, the death, of Jesus Christ so we do not have to die the second death. Christ paid that penalty for us. God can forgive us and give us eternal life so we can live with God forever.<br /><br />We also need physical healing in this life and relief from the pain and suffering that comes from sickness and disease that comes from our physical sins against the laws of health, and Christ paid that penalty by suffering for us so we can be physically healed.<br /><br />But, and here is the point I think should be obvious, but I have not heard it in the Church of God, we need to be <i>spiritually</i> healed.<br /><br />Probably this has been taught and I have not heard it. If you have heard the Church teach about our need for spiritual healing related to Passover, I would like it if you send me an email to author@ptgbook.org or enter a comment below, even anonymously if you wish. <br /><br />Christ's suffering enables us to be physically healed but also spiritually healed.<br /><br />Christ paid ALL the penalties for human sin so we can be completely forgiven and healed spiritually and physically.<br /><br />Here is the passage about healing that connects our healing with the suffering of Christ.<br /><br />"He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:3-6). <br /><br />Notice how these particular verses focus on the <i>suffering</i> of Christ, not just His death. And it specifically says that by the stripes Christ endured we are healed. And in verse 6 this passage talks about us like sheep going astray.</p><p>This passage directly connects the suffering of Christ (not just His death) with our sins in which we "go astray" and all go our own way. Do we only go astray in the matter of health laws? Is this what this is talking about?<br /><br />Is this only about breaking the laws of health and being forgiven of our physical sins so we can be physically healed of our sicknesses and diseases? Or is it talking about something more, something that goes beyond this physical life into eternity?<br /><br />Sin causes perversion of mind. Mr. Armstrong taught this and the Bible teaches it. That is one of the penalties for sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, something happened to their minds. They were not the same. When Lucifer sinned, his mind became perverted, twisted, evil. His wisdom became corrupted. Speaking of Lucifer who became Satan the devil, God says, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor" (Ezekiel 28:17).<br /><br />When Lucifer, who was perfect in his ways as originally created, turned to vanity, something happened to his mind. His wisdom, his character became corrupted, twisted, perverted, and evil. The more he sinned, the more evil and sinful he became.<br /><br />Perversion of mind and character is one of the penalties of sin. <br /><br />When we sin, sin becomes a habit of mind. It becomes part of our character. We acquire a sinful nature. And that sinful nature causes us to sin more and more.<br /><br />And that sinful nature leads to more sin which leads to mental as well as physical suffering. It leads to guilt. It leads to conflict. It leads to divorce. It leads to war and violence. It leads to anger, frustration, and depression. Sin robs us of the joy and happiness we could have. It destroys unity. It destroys friendship. It destroys love. It destroys the closeness we could have with God and other people.<br /><br />Certainly physical sin - the breaking of the laws of health - can lead to the suffering that comes from sickness and disease. But spiritual sin - lying, stealing, committing adultery, murder, idolatry, hatred, etc. - the breaking of the spiritual law of God, can lead to greater suffering for ourselves and others brought on by a sinful way of life.<br /><br />Christ's suffering brought on by the breaking of His body through scourging and crucifixion paid the penalty of <i>all</i> of our suffering, both physical and spiritual, that comes as a result of sin, any kind of sin, physical or spiritual. It enables us to be physically healed, yes, but also <i>spiritually healed. <br /></i><br />I wish I heard more in Church of God sermons about this. But all I have heard is that Christ's sacrifice pays the death penalty so we can be given eternal life and live forever and pays the penalty of our physical sicknesses and diseases that come as a result of breaking health laws so we can be physically healed.<br /><br />But consider what the consequences would be if we were given eternal life, spared the death penalty, but were not <i>spiritually</i> healed of our sinful nature.<br /><br />We would continue to sin for all eternity.<br /><br />If we carried our sinful nature and our tendency to sin into the kingdom of God, we would make ourselves and everyone in that kingdom miserable with our continuing sin. It would be Lucifer and his demons all over again. Eternal life would be a curse, not a reward.<br /><br />But Christ paid the penalty for all our flaws and faults and sins - physical and spiritual both - so we can be healed of <i>everything</i> that causes suffering as a result of sin, not just in this physical life but for eternity in the kingdom of God. He suffered for us so we don't have to continue to suffer as the result of any kind of sin, physical or spiritual.<br /><br />How does God heal us spiritually?<br /><br />By the power of the Holy Spirit. By Jesus Christ living His life in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />The sacrifice of Christ, both His death and His suffering, makes it possible for God to give us His Holy Spirit, which heals our character and gives us eternal life in the resurrection.<br /><br />But this spiritual healing does not happen all at once in this physical life. We have our part to play, and God is teaching us lessons for our good. We have to struggle against sin and overcome, and this takes time. But in the resurrection to eternal life, the process becomes complete. We will not have the tendency to sin in the kingdom of God. Sin and the suffering that comes from it will be abolished forever.<br /><br />Dear reader, if I am wrong about this, show me from the Bible, or from Church of God history, or from sound logic. Email me or enter a comment.<br /><br />If I am right, how should we respond?<br /><br />We should first of all appreciate even more the suffering Christ endured. It is not just for physical healing but for spiritual healing so we can have a happy existence in the kingdom of God for eternity. We should give thanks to God for the sacrifice of Christ so we can be spiritually healed.<br /><br />We should also trust God to heal us spiritually. Some may struggle and struggle against sin and be discouraged by many failures and setbacks. But God will save us in the end. Why? Because Christ paid the penalty for our sins by His suffering.<br /><br />Paul seems to affirm this in Romans chapter 7. Read the whole chapter. This is about our struggle against sin. Then notice verse 24 and the first part of verse 25: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25).<br /><br />In other words, God WILL save us from our sins and our sinful nature through Jesus Christ. And Christ dwells in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />We must never give up fighting against sin. <br /><br />God will save us from our sins in every way because Christ suffered and died for this very purpose. He is our Creator, and if he paid such a high price, we can be sure He will use that sacrifice to save us to the utmost.<br /><br />Christ suffered so we can be freed from All the penalties of sin that bring suffering, and neither Christ nor the Father will minimize the suffering Christ endured. And that should give us confidence in God, that He will give us the help we need, that the suffering of Christ will not be in vain for anyone.<br /><br /><br />This is not the first time I have posted about this. Here is a listing of other posts in this blog on this subject:<br /><br />Physical and Spiritual Healing, Monday, April 2, 2012.<br /><br />Passover Symbols: What Part of the Sacrifice of Christ Makes Possible the Healing of Our Character? / Should You Partake of the Passover?, Saturday, March 23, 2013.<br /><br />Spiritual Healing, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-90921433931054596862021-01-27T03:23:00.003-06:002021-01-27T03:23:50.578-06:00Claiming the Title "Philadelphia" without an Open Door<p>A Church of God fellowship may want to claim the title, "Philadelphian". But can such a fellowship do this with any credibility when they do not have an open door for preaching the gospel to the world?<br /><br />How does God primarily open a door for preaching the gospel? We live, in the United States, in a country of freedom of speech and economic prosperity, and these benefits are available to greater or lesser degree to all fellowships. How does God open the door for one and not another?<br /><br />God seems to give the open door to a fellowship by opening the minds of its leaders to see the <i>need</i> for preaching the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to the public. He arouses <i>zeal</i> in that direction. Then, armed with that zeal and understanding, the leader or leaders of a fellowship mobilize the resources they have in that direction. God also gives the gift of wisdom so they know how to do it.<br /><br />A group that lacks zeal for the gospel does not have an open door.<br /><br />That zeal is a gift from God. It is a way, in circumstances in which all groups have the freedom and money to preach the gospel, that God gives one an open door. He arouses zeal in our hearts, and that zeal results in action. But if a group is not preaching the gospel, God has not aroused zeal for the gospel in that group and its leadership. Thus, little or no action. No Philadelphian open door.</p><p>That zeal must be real, not just put on to make an impression with the members. The proof of that zeal must be action, not words. The proof of God's blessing and open door (only God knows the hearts of the leaders) will be that the action will be effective and will get results. <br /><br />Why has God not given to a group, which claims to be Philadelphian, an open door for preaching the gospel by arousing zeal for the gospel?<br /><br />One reason God may not arouse zeal in a group may be that they do not fully practice the Philadelphian way of life that leads to the open door. They are not willing to practice what we must preach to the public. They may willing to strive to obey the commandments and overcome sin - and if so, give them credit for that. But they may not be willing to believe the Bible more than COG tradition, and they may not be willing to learn new knowledge from the Bible. <br /><br />In my opinion, no such group can rightly claim to be Philadelphian. They hold on to a list of doctrines, but they have departed from the way of life practiced by Mr. Armstrong.<br /><br />If a group wants to be Philadelphian, let them be willing to learn new knowledge. Let them teach their members that they should believe what they see in their own Bibles more than any COG tradition or teaching of Mr. Armstrong or any other COG leader. Let them not ridicule or scorn members who send in doctrinal papers that suggest changes in doctrine or new knowledge, and let them not reject such papers without examination, as Church of God Seventh Day rejected Mr. Armstrong's papers when he was a lay member.<br /><br />And then, let them demonstrate zeal for the gospel by going all out and spending about half of their income to deliver the message of God's truth to the nations, using the other half to feed the flock.<br /><br />If a group does that, then their claim to be Philadelphian would have some credibility.<br /><br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-67137187485371729192021-01-26T05:16:00.001-06:002021-01-26T05:16:48.238-06:00Is It Only Massive Falling Away That We Need to Be Concerned About?<p>I have long made the point that we need to believe the Bible more than the ministry in all points of doctrine. And all long-time members of the Church of God remember the example in our own history of the leadership appointed by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong to replace him after his death turning away from the truth on a massive scale.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong appointed Mr. Tkach as his successor, thinking that Mr. Tkach would be faithful to true doctrine in the Bible. But after Mr. Armstrong died, Mr. Tkach began changing doctrine. Not right away. For about a year, as I remember, Mr. Tkach made no significant changes. Then the changes started, small at first. But from 1983 for about a decade that followed, the changes came more and more rapidly and were more and more severe. After about ten years the changes were pretty much complete. Those who wanted to stay faithful to the truth they learned from the Bible with the help and guidance of Mr. Armstrong were scattered.<br /><br />There are leaders and ministers in the Church of God today who want their members to believe their interpretation of the Bible apart from what the members can see and understand from their own Bibles. They see disagreement as a sign of unfaithfulness. They teach that Christ is the head of the Church, and they teach or imply that this means that Christ will not allow His ministers to teach error.<br /><br />And if some point out Mr. Tkach as an example of one that Christ allowed to make errors in the Church, these ministers will defend their position by saying that there is virtually no chance or indication that the current leadership and ministry will massively fall away from the truth as Mr. Tkach did.<br /><br />But that misses the point. I agree that the chances are very slim that the current leaders of the Church of God will make massive changes to doctrine, such as overturning the Sabbath and holy days, teaching that it is ok to eat unclean meat, etc. But is it only massive falling away that we should be concerned about? Should we be concerned over minor errors?<br /><br />I do not say we should leave a fellowship over minor mistakes. But we should not believe and follow minor mistakes. That has to be a matter of principle. Being faithful to believe what God says in the Bible must be a way of life.<br /><br />If I see the leadership of a Church of God fellowship make a mistake in the doctrines he teaches, a mistake according to the Bible, my concern is not that this is a first step towards a massive falling away. My concern is only that I want God to see that I believe Him more than the Church leadership and ministry. God sees my heart. I want Him to see that I am more loyal to Him than to man. I do not want to believe the error no matter how small it is. I want to believe God in the little things and the big things - <i>all</i> things.<br /><br />If we are unfaithful in little things, we are likely to be unfaithful in big things, but if we are faithful in little things, we likely will be faithful in big things. "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10). "Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities' " (Luke 19:16-17). Sin, like leaven, can start small and grow big.<br /><br />Besides, how can we be sure that a minister who compromises with the Bible in small things will not some day, if the opportunity comes, fall away in big things? Mr. Tkach did not start with big changes - he started with small things.<br /><br />We must develop right habits of thought, and those habits may start with small doctrines. <br /><br />We must believe what we believe because we see it for ourselves in the Bible. When we see a difference in doctrine between what the Church and its leadership and ministry teach and what we see in the Bible, we must at that point make a choice: believe God or believe man. If we make the wrong choice in a small doctrine, we are developing a bad habit and we are more likely to make a wrong choice in a big doctrine. Besides that, God sees that we are not completely loyal to Him if we believe ministers more than we believe God.<br /><br />If the doctrine is a small matter, would I leave a fellowship over it? Of course not. Would I discuss it with the brethren in the fellowship I attend? Absolutely not, for I could not honestly discuss it without contradicting the ministry of the fellowship I attend. Would I discuss it respectfully and privately with the ministry or the leadership? Maybe. I could if I wanted to, but I might not. If it is a small matter, it probably would not be necessary. I will wait, if necessary, for Christ to return and set all matters straight. I am not perfect and I do not expect ministers to be perfect. In the age to come, those who are in the first resurrection will be made perfect, but in this life we are not yet perfect. <br /><br />I will give an example.<br /><br />A while back, the leadership of a fellowship taught that the marriage supper will take place at God's throne in heaven. This seems to be a change, or a "clarification", over what I was taught in the past I think, that the marriage supper will not take place in heaven.<br /><br />I am inclined to agree with the new teaching. I think the marriage supper will probably take place in heaven. Maybe I can't prove it definitely because I haven't studied it in detail and I am not sure there is enough Bible evidence to prove the case one way or another with one hundred percent certainty.<br /><br />But suppose I did not agree. Suppose I found something in the Bible that made me completely certain that the marriage supper will not be at God's throne in heaven. I would believe what I see in the Bible more than the ministry. I would not discuss it with the brethren. But would I bring it to the ministry and discuss it with them?<br /><br />Probably not. Why? It is a small matter. It isn't important to me. It doesn't affect how I live my life. When Christ comes, He will <i>take</i> us to the marriage supper. We only need to follow where He takes us (Revelation 14:4). I probably would not take up my time or the time of the Church to make an issue of it.<br /><br />In any case, it is not an issue with me because I think the Church is probably right about it. But I use it as an example of a minor doctrine.<br /><br />But my way of thinking is firm. I believe God, His word the Bible, more than the Church and its ministry. I believe God in the little things and the big things, both. I don't know how to believe God in the big things but believe man in the little things. It is one way or the other, a way of thinking, a way of life.<br /><br />In that regard, I teach and practice the same way of life and thinking that Mr. Armstrong practiced. But many leaders of fellowships and ministers do not.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1081631727760066049.post-70381298794637606372021-01-25T02:42:00.000-06:002021-01-25T02:42:02.977-06:00I Did NOT Learn the Doctrines I Believe from the Church of God!<p>Where did I learn the doctrines I believe? From the Church of God? Or from Mr. Armstrong?<br /><br />No. I learned them from the Bible.<br /><br />Did the Church of God help me? Emphatically, yes. Did Mr. Armstrong help me learn the truth of the Bible? Absolutely, yes. I couldn't have found the truths I found in the Bible without the help God provided through Mr. Armstrong and the Church of God.<br /><br />But I didn't know the truth until I saw the truth in the Bible.<br /><br />I read the true doctrines in Church of God literature, and I heard them in the preaching of Mr. Armstrong on radio. But until I learned these doctrines from the Bible, they were just theory. I didn't believe any of them till I found them in the Bible.<br /><br />Mr. Armstrong and the Church helped me find them in the Bible. But I only believed the Bible, not the Church.<br /><br />That is why I say I didn't learn the truth and the true doctrines of God from the Church. You can't say you learn something if you don't believe it.<br /><br />I learned <i>about</i> the true doctrines from the Church of God. I also learned <i>about</i> the doctrines of the Catholic Church and some of the doctrines of various protestant churches, the Jewish religion, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Muslim religion, and even the views of agnostics and atheists. I learned about these things even when I did not agree with them. But that does not mean I learned any of these doctrines were true from the teachings of these groups. I did not learn that the doctrines of the Church of God were true from reading and listening to those doctrines from the Church of God. I only really learned those doctrines, that is, learned that they are true, from the Bible.<br /><br />What about other COG members?<br /><br />No doubt some do learn what they learn from the Church, not the Bible. They just assumed and believed that those doctrines were true when they learned them from the Church. But that form of learning was not taught by Mr. Armstrong when he said, don't believe me, believe your Bible.<br /><br />Perhaps more and more COG members are falling away from the thinking and the way of life that are our roots as a church.<br /><br />Our roots are a tradition of looking to the Bible for all truth, not the Church of God. That is the way of life Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong practiced. That is the way of life Mr. Armstrong taught to his radio listeners and Plain Truth subscribers.<br /><br />But it is a way of life many or most leaders of Church of God groups today have departed from. They teach their members to believe the Church and its ministry more than the Bible.<br /><br />The Church of God certainly has a teaching role. The Church and its leadership and ministry should help members to understand the Bible and to find answers in the Bible.<br /><br />But in learning something, there is a point where <i>belief</i> kicks in. You can learn about a theory, an idea, or someone's opinion without agreeing with it or believing it. But you really learn it when you come to believe it - when you are sure it is true. And with a Christian who puts his faith in God more than man and who has committed himself to believing what God says in the Bible, that point of belief comes when he sees it for himself, with his own understanding and faith, in the Bible.<br /><br />I had read the Plain Truth magazine and the literature of the Worldwide Church of God for years before I proved any of it. I knew all about their doctrines. They sounded plausible, they even sounded good and wonderful, but I wasn't sure they were true. Then I proved the Bible was the word of God, and I saw these doctrines for myself in the Bible. I <i>proved</i> the doctrines in the Bible. Now I knew they were right. That is when I really <i>learned</i>. <br /><br />That is why I say I did not learn the doctrines I believe from the Church. I learned them from the Bible.<br /><br />And I don't think I am the only member who learned this way.<br /><br /></p>author@ptgbook.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775228362728122027noreply@blogger.com1