Good News 1954 (Vol IV No 05) Jun-Jul

8/13/2019 Good News 1954 (Vol IV No 05) Jun-Jul

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T h e N a t i o n a l M - a g a z i n e o fT H E C H U R C H O F G O D

VOL. IV. NUMBER 5 JUNE-JULY, 1954

How YOU Could Committhe UNPARDONABLE Sin

Here is a shocking revelatioiz The frightening realization thatsome former brethren may have committedthis solemn warningby H erbert W . Armstrong

E HAVE been stunned -thenfrightened into sending you im-W ediately this WARNING-atthe sudden realization that some formerbrethren may have blasphemed againstthe Holy Spirit, and one or two othersmay stand this moment in danger of itIn a long distance telephone conver-sation with one of our ministers thisstartling possibility stnick us both. Ithas sent me immediately to my type-writer. This edition of The GOODNEWS goes to press tomorrow morn-ing. Forrunately I am enabled thus toget this warning message to the mem-bers of ods hurch without delay.The conversation concerned very dis-tressing and heart-breaking news. Achurch member was beginning to findfault and accuse the work of Go d, and inthis disgruntled s pir it the seeds of dis-cord were being sown in other mem-bers. This minister had taken immediatepreliminary disciplinary measures. H ehad dealt this time in kindness, but hadmade plain that a repetition of this sinwill be promptly dealt with in decisiveaction.

Test of ExperienceThen this minister mentioned how

fervently he prayed that God wouldawaken this member to the danger. Hehad noticed that in every case, withoutan exception, where any brother or sisterhad begun to criticize and find faultwith the work of God and then hadgone on finally to accuse this work-to deny that it is the very work of Godand to become embittered against it-that person has lost all real spirituality-all contact with God , and has either goneback into the world, or over into falsedoctrines and beliefs.Its almost as if they had committedthe unpardonable sin, he said. Imreally frightened when I think of it Isurely hope G od will turn this membersheart back to H im and His work, beforeits too late.After hanging up the receiver, thatterrible thought persisted in my mind.I couldnt rid myself of it. I went tothe Bible. I prayed over it. I was deeplydisturbed, shaken by it.Then the telephone rang again. Itwas this same minister calling backagain. He, too, had been thinking aboutit. I told him what was coming to mymind, and he was impressed with thesame horrible truth.

this sin impels

W h a t Is The Unpa rdona b l e S i n?The precise words, unpardonablesin are not used in the Bible. Yet thereis an unpardonable sin, for Jesus saidplainly:All manner of sin and blasphemyshall be forgiven unto men: but theblasphemy against the Holy Spirit shallnot be forgiven unto men (Mat.12:31) .W ha t is this sin that shall never beforgiven?Jesus had just cast out a demon. Inso doing He was an instrarnent beingused in THE WORK OF GOD. God Al-mighty is working out His PURPOSE

here below Th e time had come forGod, by the power of the Holy Spirit,to carry on His work thru the HUMANBODY of Jesus Christ, His own begottenSon. Jesus was then the human instru-ment-but the work was GODS WORK-and the real power that did the workwas THE HOLY SPIRIT.Let me make this plain. Understandthis. Get it straight.

Jesus said He spoke nothing of Him-self. The Father that sent Him gaveHim commandments what He shouldsay. He spoke only as the Father di-


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Page 2 The GOOD NEWS June - Ju ly , 1954witness. It is offending many in thisworld. The religious leaders of today-the modern Pharisees-attack it as thework of the Devil-they call us falseprophets, as they did Jesus. We arepersecuted by the world. The worldhates us. But many precious lives arebcing changed, converted, begotten ofGod God is producing a precious har-vest for His Kingdom. New churchesare being raised up (two more thissummer). The flock is being fed. Evan-gelists, pastors, elders, are being trainedas God calls them. The sick are beinghealed, the demons cast out.The FRUITS of this tree are not cor-rupt-they are the SAME FRUITS thatthe SAME HOLY SPIRIT produced in thehuman body of Jesus-in the collectiveBody of Christ in apostolic days THEHOLY SPIRIT DOES THE WORK, and thework is exactly the same-the fruits thesame-as in the days of Christ and theapostles

BEWAREBrethren, we whom God has calledand is using are mere human persons.W e are men of like passions as you-as Elijah, as David, as Peter and PaulW e make mistakes. We do not do everything exactly as you may think youwould do if God had callcd you to ourofice. But God did not call you to myoffice, or that of some of our evangelistsand elders. God called u s knowing bet-ter than you know, our every humanweakness. Yet he chose us in spite of

that, and when you criticize and findf a u l t ate you not assuming to yourselfthe prerogatives of GOD? It is GOD whodirects us-uses us as His instrumentsYet you may speak a word againsLIS personally, as human men, arid befo rg iven . But mark carefully this Thevery fact that you may be f o rg i v e z meansthat such speaking IS A SIN -a sin fowhich, if yo repent , God will forgiveBut-and heres where you need toTREMBLE I N FEAR - if and when youcriticize or accuse or condemn T H EWORK, then y o n are speaking againsthe Holy Spirit-and if and when youdo that, Y O U S H A L L N O T BE FORGIVENYou shall not be forgiven now, or inthe world to come-the WORLD TOMORr\ ow -d ur in g the millennium or duringthe Grest White Throne JUDGMENTThis sort of thing always starts ouwith personal criticism and fault-finding against the one God has chosen andis using in the office of apostle in HISWORK. But oh, brethren, how we havebeen grieved to see a few here and therealong the way, thru the years, start ouby finding fault against the human person of Gods servant, and then in tha(Plsnse continue o?z page 6 )

rected. He said that of Himself-in Hishuman BODY-He could do nothing.The Father that dwelleth in me, HEdoeth the works (John 14:lO .TheFather dwelt in Jesus by the Holy Spirit.The work of God, at that time, wascarried on BY THE HOLY SPIRIT dwellingin, and acting thru, the BODY of Jesus-

was a mere agent or instrument. Of it-self it was powerless. The WORK OFGOD was actually being done by theHoly sp i r i t working in that H U M A NBODY.It was no t the power of Jesus humanbody, but the Holy Spirit, which, work-ing in Jesus human body, performedthis W O R K O F GOD by casting out thedemon.But the scoffing Pharisees accusedJesus of being a false prophet-theydenied that this was actually GODSWORK-they said Jesus did not cast outdemons by any power except that ofBeelzebub, or Satan.Jesus then said He cast out demonsby the SPIRIT OF GOD Then it was thatHe showed that DENYING THE W ORKbeing N O T t h e work of God , but that ofthe only other possible power, the DEVIL-constituted blasphemy against theHOLY SPIRITAnd whosocvcr spcakcth, continuedJesus (Mat. 12:32 )-NOTICE, justSPEAKI NG a word against the Son ofman, it shall be forgiven him: but who-soever speaketh against the Holy Spirit,it shall not be forgiven him, neither inthis world, neither in t he w o d d t ocome.Notice that Take HEED Take W A R N -ING Its time we wake up to the POWERof God Its time we TREMBLE beforethe Word of God Its time we takethese things more seriously This canmean YOUR ETERNITY

Any person could be forgiven forspeaking against the Son of MAN-thatis, the human Jesus. Speaking against ahuman man can be forgiven. But whenthey spoke against THE WORK OF GODbeing done thru that man, they werespeaking against the HOLY SPIRIT Theman, Jesus, was merely the instrument.The WOXK was he WORK OF GOD, d o n eby t h e HOLY SPIRITChrists Body Today

During Jesus earthly and human life-time, GODS WORK was carried on thruHis human body, but BY TH E H O LYSPIRIT which dwelt in IIim. After Jesusascended to heaven, the Father sentthe Holy Spirit to enter into the COL-LECTIVE BODY of begotten children whoformed Gods Church. Now they werenzany members-many individual per-sons-but the ONE BODY OF CHRIST?

then a H U M A N B O D Y . But that BODY

OF GOD-acczuing the WORK O F G O D Of

Not the body of Jesus, the son of MAN-but the BODY OF C H R I S T - o f the MES-SIAH-the SON OF GOD

Beginning that memorable day ofPcntecost, 31 AD., GODS WORK hasbeen carried on by the Holy Spirit, butthru this ONE BODY OF CHRIST, nowconsisting of the many human memberswho had become begotten children ofGod.TO those He had called and trainedfor positions of leadership in HIS WORK,Jesus had commissioned, Go ye intoall the world and preach the Gospel.The WORK OF GOD was carried on byPeter and the apostles and evangelistsand pastors and other elders and teach-ers and helpers under him--by theApostle Paul, and the evangelists, pas-tors, other elders, teachers and helpersunder him. But they were mere INSTRU-M ENTS in the process. The POWER thatdid the WORK of God was the sameHOLY SPIRIT

Apostasy was prophesied. A greatfalling away. The whole world was tobe deceived. The human members ofthe Body of Christ were to become scat-tered They were to be persecuted, andthe world dominated hy the GrmtWhore, BABYLON THE GREAT, and herdaughter harlots.Nevertheless, just before the END ofr l i k WORLD, Jrsus said plaiiily t h a t HISvery Gospel of t he Kingdom of Godshall be preached in all the world for awitness unto all nations; and then shallthe E N D (of the world) come. (Mat.2 4 : 1 4 . Jesus said also, in His Messageto the Churches (Revelation 2 and 3 ) ,that to the Church in Philadelphia-OUR VERY CHURCH OF TODAY-of verylittle power of our own, He wouldOPEN A DOOR which would empower usto carry out His commissionThat door was opened Once again,after more than 1850 years, JESUS VERYCO SPE L is going out to the whole worldAnd just as in the days of the humanJesus-just as in the days of the earlyapostles-we are merely the powerlessHUMAN INSTRUMENTS Thc rcal WORKO F GOD is being carried on today thruus, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

The real work, then, is not oar work-it is GODS WORK. Not of our humanpower, but BY THE POW ER O F THEJn the very next verse, back in Mar-thew 1 2 (verse 3 3 , Jesus had contin-ued to say: Either make the tree good,and his fruit good; or else make the

tree corrupt, and his f r u i t corrupt. ~ J Tthe tree is k n o w n by his frzit.The FRUITS of this work are these:For the first time in more than 1850years the same Gospel Jesus preached,THE KINGDOM O F GOD, is being preachedand published into all the world as a

SPIRIT OF GOD


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What Kind of FaithDo YOU Have?

You brethrelz need to learn how real faith can totally C H A N G Eyour l ife even after co~zversion.by Roderick C . Meredith

ou re probably a PITIFUL exampleof the person you should be-evenY hough yo26 are already convertedMost of US in Gods church realizet h a t we are not fully surrendering ourlives to God as we should. HOWften weshould say with the apostle Paul, wretched man that I am who shall de-liver me from the body of this death?(Romans 7: 2 4 ) .Dont you often feel this way?Arent a lot of you having troubleovercoming your own bad habits andfaults? And dont you often becomediscouraged at your seeming lack ofability to live a full and happy life, andto show forth the love and good worksthat you know God desires?Well, there is a way out of this pre-dicament

The Way Out of This TroubleBrethren, let us realize first of all thatGod has called us for a definite purpose.He has predestinated us to become hisown children (Ephesians 1 : 5 ) and hehas purposed that we should be par-takers of the divine natzire (I1 Peter1 : 4 .Yes, we are to have the very m t a r eand character of our heavenly Fatherimplanted within us. Doesnt a humanchild have rhe narure of its father? Cer-tainly And God has given us this as an

e x n r t t j p e of our birth as one of Hisown children. As a child of God, we willinherit the very nature and attributes ofGodH ow else could we ever obey Jesuscommand, Be ye therefore p e v f e c f ,even as your Father which is in heaven1s perfect? Many of us are just begin-ning to realize the tre?neizdous meaningin these words We are to grow spiritu-ally, unto a perfect man, unto the mea-sure of the stature of the fullness ofCh t isr.

IS YOUR Life Exciting and Full?What a CHALLENGE this is to makethe most of our l ivesGod has commanded us to live full,exciting and productive lives just asJesus Christ did. Why should we tremble

at this command? God stands b o m d tohelp us Christ said that God is moretL;lIi??go give us the Holy Spirit than

we are to give our hungry children bread(Luke 11:13).W e can face life completely unafraidGod has promised that if we seek firstHis kingdom and righteousness, all ourmaterial needs will be added (Matthew6 : 3 3 ) . Christ said that even the veryhairs of your head are all numbered(Luke 12:7) and then said FEAR NOTWhy should we fear while we knowthat God is protecting us, guiding US,and providing all our needs?Nearly everyone in the world todayis seeking some kind of seczlrity. Butas Gods own begotten children, we havethe only real and unfailing securitythere is.With this knowledge then. let usface our troubles squarelj and withoutfear. W e find that the true Christianlife is a time of many trials and tests,dont we? But that is thc WAY Codis buildiitg oa r character Dont hardwork and exercise help build physicalstrength? Well, God is sending usthrough a spiritual obstacle course tostrengthen us spiritually.

Heres ONE TestPaul tells us in I1 Timothy 3:12, nllthat will live godly in Christ Jesus shallsuffer persecution. In I Peter 3 :12-19,Peter tells Christians not to think itstrange because they are going througha fiery trial, but to REJOICE inasmuchas they are partakers of Christs suffer-ings. Yes, we should be h p y that wehave these momentary trials to helpbuild within us a holy and righteouscharacter which will last throughouteternity.Knowing that God is doing all thesethings to strengthen us, we can face lifewith renewed courage and enthzlsiusm.Let us put the Ten Commandments andGods other laws to practice in our dailylives. Yes, I said pmcticc, because wewont be able to do this perfectly a tfirst. When we begin to become seriousabout these things, many of our erst-while friends and relatives will makefun of us. Perhaps some of their criti-cism will be justified, becmse we oftentend to become too serious o r some-times even sanctimonious about ourbeliefs when we begin trying each dayto lire them.

You Are the Only Light in the WorldBut we can grin and bear it, cant we?Rome wasnt built in a day you know.It takes t ime and experience to learnto use the proper judgment in living byGods laws. W e need these problems tostrengthen us for the bigger ones ahead.We are helping to build the most valu-able and lasting thing there is-thecharacter of God. That is why God isputting us through this experience ofmaterial life.Christ said that his followers are thelight of the world and the salt of theearth. W e should be continually help-ing others with our time, money, orprayers. It is our duty to give to those.who are really in need; to visii tlir sick;to comfort those who are in distress.We are to be an example or a lightto those about us (Matt. 5:13-16).How should we go about this? Breth-ren, here is where we have to put faithand courage to work. Every true followerof Christ should try to develop histalents and abilities so that he can bemore of a light to his fellow men.

Yet Perhaps Poor and UneducatedMany of you are in poor financial cir-cumstances and some have not had verymuch of this worlds education. This istrue because God is not now callingmany wise and wealthy of this world.Bzct God has given each of you manytalents. Are you studying and develop-ing those talents so that Christ may say,Well done, when He returns?Remember that you are to take Jesusas an example. Do you think he usedsloppy speech? Didnt he have a goodknowledge of world affairs? Wasnt Heneat and clean in appearance and courte-ous in manner? If you will study thelife of Christ carefully, you will seethat he was truly an educated, culturedman. Even when Christ was only 12,the learned Pharisees were astonisheda t his understanding (Luke 2 : 4 7 ) .If we are to be perfect even as God.nd Christ are, we will have to acquirenew knowledge of how to live and con-duct ourselves. No matter what our sta-tion in life, each of us should try ourbest to improve. By doing this, we willthen be able to help others much more


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Page 4 The GOOD NEWS June-July, 1954f i c d that this gospel might 60 out toall the world?Men in this world will train long,hard, grueling hours, will often have tosacrifice many of their ordinary com-forts, and will sometimes even give U Ptheir jobs-just to com pete in theOlympic Games for what Paul calls acorruptible crown ( I Cor. 9:2 5). Areyou willing to ge beyoizd just doingyour bit? Lets show God that W EREALLY MEAN ITRemember that actioizs speak louderthan words, and that faith withoutworks is dead.God Almighty uses your monetarysupport as a test of your Christianloyalty. These are Christs words: Forwhere your treasure is, there will yourheart be also (Mat t . 6 :21) .Ho w about your prayers? You r Biblestudy? Have you brought others to thetruth by the example of your life?You may not be called to give allyour time, and talents, and energy-your ve ry l i fe - to Gods work as Mr.Armstrong and athers have. But whatyou can do, God h o k h yoz~ ccozmtablefor. Are you doing YOUR PART?You SCC, brcthrcn, if wc usc OUTpounds or talents with great Wis-d o m and zed in carrying out our partin the work of God during this presentlife, that is a pretty good indication toGod how well we will exercise thepowers and responsibilities H e will giveus in the World Tomorrow. In choosingthose to ill important positions inGods kingdom, Christ is going to lookto our clcconzplishment in His work

Will you be like the zealous Servantwho told Christ, Lord, thy pound hathgained ten pounds? (Luke 19:16).And Jesus answered, Well, thou g o dservant: becctllse tho# hast been f a i th fdin a c e q little, have thou authorityover ten cities (Verse 17) .Yes, before granting us the greatpower and aztthority that will be oursas a member of His very own family,God is testing our PERFORMANCE afterHe has called us in this life. O w bigtest i s NOW . s lets put more ZEALinto this business of rn-wtering ozuseluesovercoming every fault, and carryingout our part in the work of G o d schurch.

Live By FaithThe rensoit is that most of you havenot yet learned to completely t w s t andbelzeve that Gods way is ALWAYS bestfor you-and for everyone concernedAsk God, plead with God to help you

AiWAYS to live by the fai th that Hislaw-His way-is be st. Be as the apostlePaul who said, The life which I now(Plr.rse coiztincte 12 pnge 6 )

OW.

The national magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GODministerin t o i t s members

reporting on campus ha peningsscattere abroad, andat Ambassador ColfgeVOL. IV NUMBER 5

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L.HoehExecutive Editor

Roderick C. MeredithAssociate EditorAddrcss communications to the Editor,Box 1 Pasadena, California.

Copyright, June, 1954By the Radio Church of Godeffectively. They will respect our judg-ment more in s p i r i t i d matters becausethey see the good results it has broughtin our material life.

Th e C ha l le nge of Real Christ iani tyThis is rcally a challciige LU grww,isnt it? Yet if we are to be kings andpriests in the kingdom of God, we willall have to multiply our present talentsand abilities many times. W e will dothis with Gods helpRemember t h t , unto whomsoevermuch is given, of him shall be muchrequired (Luke 12:48 . So those of

us who have had more education andopportunities will be expected to ac-complish much more than those lessfortunate. But we are all commandedto develop the talents that God has givenus, and to use them in His service.Make a fresh start Dont be afraidto begin learning all over again theworthwhile things you only half-learnedycars ago. Get the books you need coimprove your knowledge of the Englishlanguage, history, and of other vitalsubjects. Learn more about your jobso that you can be a more profitableworkman or fymer. This will probablymean an increase in your responsibilityor pay. This is Gods way It will enableyou to serve others more and to glorifyGod by the example you set.Do you catch the vision? W e arebuilding the characters which will fitus to be kings and priests with Christ(Rev. 5:lO and 20:6 . Kno w ye notthat we shall judge angels? ( I Cor.6: 3 ) . So lets give ourselves completelyto God. The very purpose of life is tochaiige and grow better each day. Let

11s continually ask Gods help in this.For with God nothing shall be im-possible, as is recorded in Luke 1:37.T h e Big Test

BUT, in the very process of d evelop-ing our own characters, a tremendozLsres9onsibility has been placed on ourshoulders God has given us a job to dotogether, as co-workers with Christ.W e who know Gods t ruth have THEPERFORMW e have to fight against and subvertour own human nature which inclines usto disobey God. Then we must go outto help others-must expose, battle, andovercome the false teachings whichcause all of this worlds misery. J.ast ofall, we must challenge and conquer thevery power of Satan himself-for hewill turn his full fury on Gods trueservants.In all of this, we will require powerand strength from G o d - o r we wouldutterly fail in our own efforts.W e should look upon this job ofours as a BATTLE.In Ephesians 6:10-20, the apostlePaul uses this symbolism in describingour struggle, against the riders of thedarkness of this world, against spkitualwickedness in high plczces. He tells usthat our only offensive weapon is theword of God. W e must understandand be able to use this word effectively.Paul told his young helper, Timothy,that he should, . . . endure hardness,as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (I1T i m. 2 : 3 ) .We, too must bc willing t u endureEardshi$ and to sacrifice for the workof God. W e need to have more ZEALfor the struggle in which we are engaged.How many of you have really sacri-

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Should Y o u ASSEMBLEWithout a Minister?W e kizow y o u brethren loizg f o r local chzcrch fe llowship. W e n o wy o u izeed it. BUT, sboccld y o n assemble by yoursehes withorit a

minister whom God has seizt to feed the local flock?

D RING the recent festival of Pente-cost we were again brought faceto face with a serious problem.Every year God is adding more mem-bers to His Church. For the first timemany of you are finding brethren wholive in your vicinity. You return homefrom the holydays filled with the joysof personal fellowship. Soon you beginto visit with nearby brethren. With 10c i d fellowshib comes the inevitableIdesire to assemble on the sabbaths forround-table discussions.Many feel the iircessity of s o d ~o11tact with b rethren. They equally desire tolearn more about the Bible. What couldbe better than meeting each sabbath forBible study, it is reasoned And thinkof the social fellowshipImmediately some will think of He -brews 10:75. We should assemble ourselves together, they will say.But what happens?Wherever groups gather together adominant individual inevitably arises.By force of personality others begin tolook to him-even though he may notunderstand the Bible as well as they. H ebecomes a leader. Yet he may not becapable of keep ing order. H e is usuallythe center of argu ments, doubts anddivisions. Dissension and errors grad-ually arise. Some brethren leave in dis-gust-soured on the truth.Is this Gods way of feeding the flock?

Kew Tes tament ExampleThere are two methods by which wecan L F A R N t h e solution to this problem:1) by ewTestament example, 2 ) byJesus instruction.First, let us understand the example ofthe Bible itself. We are experiencingtoday the same problem which con-fronted the early, inspired, Spirit-filledChurch of God. The apostolic Churchwas a scattered Church (Acts 11:19).SO are you brethren today But what did

that early scattered Church do?Open your Bibles to Acts 11. Noticethat some w hich were scattered abroad(verse 19) came to Antioch . . . andgreat number believed, and turnedm o the Lord. Then t idings of thesethings came unto the ears of the church~ ~ r h c has in Jerusalem. what did

by Herman L . Hoehthey do? Notice it T he y seizt forthBmnabns, that he should go as far asAntioch (verses 20-22 ) .Barnabas was a trained teacher (Acts1 3 : l ) . Barnabas also sought out Paul(verses 2 5 - 2 6 ) , who had already beentrained personally by Jesus Christ (Gal.3 : 17-18).They w ere eminently qualifiedto feed the flock.Jesus Christ directed His apostles atJerusalem to send pastors lest the Anti-och brethren would assemble withoutleadciship. The SAME example occursin Acts 14.Th e apostles, Barnabas and Paul, fledthe city of Iconium because of persecu-tion (verses 1- 5) . They came to Lystrawhere the Jews soon attacked them asthey were conducting their evangelisticwork. Thereupon they fled to Derbe(verse 20). In each of these cities theapostles were prevented momentarilyfrom continuing their ministry. Theysoon returned, however, to confirm thedisciples in the faith (verse 2 1 ) . Nowobserve verse 23: And when they hadordained them elders in EVERY church,and had prayed with fasting, they com-mended them to the Lord.Paul did not establish churches w ith-out pastors EVERY local church had itspastor. Jesus called His people sheep.They need a shepherd. Paul thereforegave them pastors, or shepherds, whowould feed the flock. W e are NO dif-ferent today. Gods people still need pas-tors to lead them into truth.And notice, tno, that they were or-cldined, with prayer and fasting, by theapostles. God did not leave it to thebrethren to gather together and to fol-low anyone w h o had a desire LO becomean elder. In these cities, where hundredswere being converted, Paul establishedlocal churches and ordained elders forEVERY church But before ordainingelders Pauls practice was to teach thempersonally, both in public and in theirhomes. He said so in Acts 20:17, 20.This is Gods pattern-Gods WAY.If we are to enter the Kingdom ofGod, zue must come under the govern-ment of God. W e must learn to conductourselves Gods W A Y . Christianity is aW A Y of life.

Joined to ChristTo many people, a local congregationbecomes a place of socia l rather thanspiritual fellowship. People join them-selves together, instead of being joined

t o Christ. In John 15:5 Jesus said: Iam the vine, ye are the branches. W hatwould you think if the branches wouldsay to themselves, let us bundle our-selves together? Yet that is exactly whatyou are doing when you meet of j o ~own accord without ministersTo be a Christianyou iirrcl LU abidein Christ-you need to live by His in-struction. Do the branches of a grape-vine receive their sap from each other?Or do they receive it from the centralstump? You need to receive your spir-itual power from Christ-the vine. N otfrom a branch-an individual whothinks he would like to hold a studygroup on the sabbath.Your spirit& fellowship is not mere-ly with one another, but with theFather, and with His Son Jesus Christthrough the Holy Spiri t ( I John 1 : 3 ) .Notice what John writes in verse 6: Ifwe say that we have fellowship withHim, and zJalk in darkness, we lie, anddo not the twth. If you claim to havereal fellowship with God, and walkin darkness4isobey the instruct ionof the Bible-you are not doin g thetruth. You are actually cut off from re31fellowship with the Heavenly Father.But if we walk in the light-if weobey the Biblical instruction--w e havefellawship with one another ( v e s e 7 )Ho w plain In order to have real fel-lowship with one another, you need tonbide in the teachings of Jesus and Hisapustles-you need to follow the exam-ple and the instru ction of the Bible,which is ABSOLUTE and F I N A L A U T H O R -ITY

New Testament Instruct ionNow let us turn once again to He-brews 10:24-25. What is the p nr p o s eof assembling in local churches? Toprovoke unto love and to good works . . .exhorting one another.Notice carefully that Paul explains thepiirpose of our assembling, bu t he does(Please c o n t im e o n p d g e 6 )


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Page 6 The GOOD NEWS June-Jul ?, 1954to convoke assemblies-to order meet-ings. God tells us upon which days wemust meet, and He orders His ministersto tell the people when and where Hewants the assemblies held. It is Godsdoing, not mans. Ministers are Godsbond-servants and the shepherds of theflock.Now w e can also understand clearlyother New Testament passages. In writ-ing to Philemon, Paul spoke of thechurch in thy house (Philemon 2 ) .This is not speaking of brethren gxher-ing for discussion groups or Bible stud-ies. It is speaking of a charch-an or-ganized body of saints--over whomPhilemon presided. Notice that Pauladdressed him as fellow-laborer (verse1 ) . In verse 24 Paul lists Mark, Aris-tarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fe l low-h-borers. These men were elders andevangelists laboring with Paul in theministry. Philemon was also a fellow-laborer-a minister. Paul even calls hima partner (verse 17) . The churchin his house was NOT without a pastor.

Be THAM(FULAnother important considerationmany brethren still overlook is that thelocal church is for the instruction ofthose who are converted. I t i s l ~ o t heplace to convert oats ided Yet it seemsthat some, not understanding this im-portant principle, want to hold sabbathstudy groups to convert outsiders. Andsometimes the unconverted are the veryones who dominate the meetingMr. Armstrong has learned by ex-perience that every group needs compe-

tent spiritual leadership. It cannot be leftto zealous, but unwise, desire to haveChristian fellowship. True fellowshipcomes by obedience t o Gods WAY. Eventhough most of you are scattered andhave no regular sabbath service, yet bethankful that you are being fed throughtwo magazines, The PLAIN TRUTHand The GOOD NEWS. You can hearthe daily broadcasts-you actually hearMr. Armstrong on the radio in yourown homes When the World Tomor-row Broadcast is on the air, you areattending, in a sense, a church servicewith a minister. This is how God isfeeding His flockLets realize our blessings and bethankful, no matter where we are. Butlets be obedient and doers of GodqWAY. He knows bestInstead of murmuring about the lackof trained ministerial help-we are try-ing our best to train those wlioiii Godgives-why not do as Jesus said: Theharvest indeed is plenteous, but the la-borers few: PRAY therefore the Lord ofthe Harvest-Jesus-that he sendforth laborers into his harvest? (Luke10:2 ) . That is your duty, brethren

Unpardonable Sin(Continued f fom page 2 )disgruntled and embittered spirit pro-reed prngressively into cnndemning THE

WORK O F GOD, and denying that it isthe work of God.This work has grown too great andpowerful to be the work of a liuinanman, apart from either God or the devil.If this is not the very WORK OF GOD,then it must be that of SATAN. And toaccuse it-to condemn it-I ask you,brethren, IS IT NOT M ORE THAN POS-SIBLE THAT THIS IS SPEAKING AGAINSTTHE HOLY SPIRIT, and therefore the U N -PARDONABLE SIN?Brethren, in fear and trembling,warn you, with all the love in my heart,BEWARE I have always noticed that those whosehearts-and their pocketbooks as well-are really in the work of God are theones who remain spiritual, close to God,and who are growing spiritually. And,without exception, every single memberof Gods Church who has ever lost in-terest in this WORK OF GOD-this workof carrying the Gospel to the worldgoing out now from Pasadena head-quarters-begins to fall backward spir-itually. Soon such people go off intofalse doctrines. Their understanding isr ind They hegin m helieve errnrsand lies. They become more and morebitter, unhappy, and they either go backinto the world or they go into some falseoffshoot niovenient which bears IIO fruit,and fails totally to carry out the Com-mission of Christ-THE WORK OF GODYour own spirituality-your close-ness to GOD-~ OL U spiritual growth anddevelopment-your hope of eternal sal-vation in the Kingdom of God, depends,then o a keeping y o z ~ r eart in the very

The very PURPOSE of our lives shouldbe, N O T the social enjoyment of localchurch congregations, but GETTINGCHRISTS GOSPEL TO THE WORLD Thatsthe main purpose of the local churches.Thats the MAIN PURPOSE OF YOUR

WORK OF GOD

LIFE, AND MINE

Kind o Faith?( C o n t i w e d from page 4 )live in the flesh, I by the fa i th OF theSon of God (Gal. 2:20).Ask God to give you that faith-Jesus o w n faith. Through His faith andpower in you, make yourself act just asyou know He would in EVERY situation.This is a real challenge. It will takedeterminution and courage. But it willenable you to be a shining example, tofind a peace of nzimd and to receiveGods blessing and ETERNAL REWARD.

Without Minister?( C o n t i w e d from page S

?to t explain HOW the local assemblyshould be conducted. To understand this,we must turn to other verses which ex-plain this phase fully.In Eph. 411-17 Paul explains thatChrist gave evangelists, pastors andteachers and other ministerial offices forthe perfecting of the saints . . . for theedifying of the body of Christ: till weail come in the unity of the faith, and

of the knowledge of the Son of God,unto a perfect man . . . that we hence-forth be no more children, tossed to andfro, and carried about with every windof doctrine, by the slight of men, andcunning craftiness . . . but speakingthe tru th in love, may grow up into himin all things.What is the purpose of the ministry?To instruct the brethren to grow inlove and in good deeds-exactly as Heb.10:24 mentions. Then God intends thepastors to set the right example and toinstruct the flock which should assemblewith a minister. IF BRETHREN COULDACCOMPLISH THIS BY ASSEMBLINGW ITHOUT A MINISTER, THEN JESUSUALS TO BECOME PASTORS OR ELDERS.Thcn he was mistaken in training thedisciples to preach and to feed the flock,if the flock could feed itselfThe very fact that the ministry is FORthe edifying of the church is PROOFPOSITIVE that assembling without ashepherd will N O T lead to anity andperfection in knowledge. Without apastor, disunity, contention and errorwill inevitably arise in a local group.Experieiace #roves itWhere Two or Three Gather Together

But didnt Jesus promise that wher-ever two or three brethren gather to-gether, He will be in their midst?The common misapplication of thistext comes from careless reading. Christwas discussing with His apostles thematter of making binding decisions inthe church (Mat. 18:17). He promisesto back every de ci si on xv en where onlytwo or three are gathered together IN

What does in His name mean?It means by His authority W e bap-tize in the name of Jesus Christ-byHis authority. But Jesus never gaveauthority for His converts to hold meet-ings by themselves without a pastorAny who do so are not acting accordingto Jesus commands. They are going con-trary to Christs authority. He does notpromise to be in their midst. Besides,according to the pattern laid down inLev. 23:2-4 , God orders His ministers

WASTED HIS TIME TO TRAIN INDIVID-

HIS N A M E


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KEY to the Book of ProverbsHeses h ow y ou can bettes undesstattd the Book o f Pr.overbs

by Juck R . Elliott

M ST people think they under-stand the Book of Proverbs- but thev reallv do notHave you no;iced t6at the first ninechapters of Proverbs are not the prov-erbs of Solomon at all?These chapters are only mz introdzbc-tjon to them.Have you noticed, also, that in thisintroduction God is speaking to youdirect, in the first persota? Solomon wasmerely the instrument in Gods hand.Though Solomon wrote these wordsthrough the inspiration of the HolySpirit, God nevertheless is speaking di-rect to YOUMany who read the book of Proverbsfail to observe these facts. They fail tounderstand the significance of the firstnine chapters. They misunderstand thefirst verse because it announces theproverbs of Solomon. It is assumedthat Solomon was writing especially tohis own sons to introduce a series ofdisconnected proverbs. Consequently,they miss the dynamic and personal ap-peal of God Almighty to His childrenof all ages. That includes yoa and meIf you have not noticed this KEY, asfew people have, the chances are thatyou have missed T H E GRE AT KEY to wis-dom that God reveals in the book ofProverbs.Lets n o t overlook it m y longer

Introduction a KEYA close examination of the first fewverses of chapter one and chapter tenwill reveal that Solomons proverbsbegin in the first verse of chapter tenThe intervening verses contain the KEYto unlock the proverbs to your under-standing.The Eternal-the Lord of the OldTestament, also called the WOR+ is theOne through which the Father has al-ways dealt with man. He spoke directlyto the prophets of olden times. He wasmade flesh and dwelt among us to in-struct the apostles. Through His resur-rection and life, we may receive GodsHoly Spirit. He has spoken to all agesthrough the prophets and apostles. Theirwritings were under His direct inspira-tion.Thus, He is also the spokcsman inthe book of Proverbs, speaking throughSolomon the wisdom of God.If, therefore, God is speaking to us,calling us His sons, should me not listenand weigh each word carefully? Should

we not take each one to hem? These

are the words of Almighty God Theyare spoken to you and to me, givingus insight into a part of His own char-acter. The proverbs express the samecharacter that must someday be in usif we are to have eternal life.

The Great KEY to WisdomGod says, Wisdom is the principalthing, therefore get wisdom: . . I (Ch.4 : 17).If we are alert, we will not read farbefore we realize that He is speakingof a different wisdom than we are used

to. This is not carnal, human wisdom.What is the definition of this wis-dom? Dont guess The factors involvedate too important to resort to just guess-ing You may pick up most any dic-tionary and find mans definition of wis-dom-hat man thinks wisdom is. But,can we accept that?Job 28:12-13 shows us that we can-not. But where shall wisdom be found?and where is the place of understand-ing? Man k n o w e t h not the price thereof:neither is it found in the land of theliving.Job did not stop with man. He con-tinued looking until he found true wis-dom. God understandeth the way there-of, and he knoweth the place thereof. . . and unto man he said, Behold, THEFEAR OF THE LORD, that i s wisdom; andING. (Job 2 8~ 23, 8.)Again in Proverbs 9:19, The fear ofthe Lord is the beginning of wisdom;and knowledge of the holy is under-standing. (Read also Psalm 111.)What does the fear of the Lordmean? Does it mean that we shouldquake in our boots a t the mere men-tion of His name? Are we to be soafraid of Him that we dont dare seekHim?Again, we must not guess, but lookto divine revelation for the answer.This time in the eighth chapter, 13thverse of Proverbs, The fear of the Lordis t o hnte evil: pride, and arrogancy, andthe evil way, and the froward mouth,do I hate. Since God hates pride, ar-rogancy, evil ways, and lying or op-pressing lips, could we be terrified thatHe will bring His wrath upon us if wedo what pleases Him?Not at all. Paul said, Let us comeboldly unto the throne of grace, thatwe may obtain mercy, and find graceto help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16.)

to DEPART FROM EVIL IS UNDERSTAND-

Purpose of ProverbsNow, let us begin these first nine in-troductory chapters of Proverbs withthese facts in mind. Dont forget, it isGod who is talking to us.In verses 1 thru 6 of chapter 1 notethe proverbs are given that we mayknow wisdom and instruction, that wemay perceive words of understanding.These are the same proverbs of Godthat His servant Solomon used accordingto the wisdom God gave him ( I Kings4 : 2 9 .Right away we are given the keyto wisdom (verses 7 thru 9 ) which isobedience to God. The fear of the Lordis the beginning of knowledge; but foolsdespise wisdom and instruction. YesBefore we can even begin to knowknowledge and wisdom, we must obeyGad. W e must first keep His command-ments which in turn opens our minds

tu apply the kriuwledge froiii God t h tthe proverbs containBusinessmen and clergymen alike readProverbs for practical information, butall in vain because they do not knowhow to apply them. They have notlearned obedieitce to God, and they arefoiled from the beginning. My son, hearthe instruction of thy father, and for-sake not the law of thy mother . . .This is God speaking. Remember? IfHe is calling us His son, then He isthe Father whose instructions we shouldhear. This being so, who is the spiritualmother? The mother whose law weshould not forsake?

YUhose Laws Should We Obey?Remember that a woman is used sym-bolically to mean a church. A virtuouswoman the symbol of the true church(Rev. 12 , and a whore a false church(Rev. 17).In this case the true church is symbol-ized. W e know that the true churchconstitutes those people in whom theHoly Spirit of God resides (Gal. 2 : 2 0 ) ,and over whom God rules.It is apparent then that the motheris symbolically the chzcrch through whichthe Spirit of God operates.The law of thy mother then is thelaw of God, given us through the HolySpirit, preserved in the Bible, cmd taiightby the trMe church-the Church ofGod-your churchNotice verse 8 again. How befittingit is that God should begin (after show-ing that the fear of the Lord is the


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Page 8beginning of knowledge and that foolsdespise wisdom and instruction) by im-portuning us not to be fools, but tofollow His instruction and the laws re-vealed by His Spirit and taught by thechurch.Are you following this in your Bible?If you are not, you are missing the mostof the lesson.

What a Son of God Should KnowIn the ncxt tcn verses (Prov. 1:lO-l9) , God enjoins His sons not to suc-cumb to the enticement of sinners andto take part with them in their evilways.Verses 20 thru 23: Wisdom is notforbidden to the world. She cries out inthe streets and all the busy places. Any-one who will can hear and follow rightways instead of the foolish way of thesinners outlined in verses 10 thru 19.Notice what Gods wisdom cries, Howlong, ye simple ones, will ye love sim-

plicity? and the scorners delight in theirscorning, and fools hate knowledge?Yes, this includes the so-called wise ofthis world who think they have greatunderstanding but reject God as a super-stition. They reject God and His ruleover their lives by refusing to keep Hiscommandments. He is the Creator andRuler of the whole universe. But puny,headstrong, created man rejects Him.Turn you at my reproof: behold,will pour out my spirit unto you, I willmake known my words unto you.Notice the fate of zhe headstrong.Verses 24 thra 33: These verses showwhat will happen to those who hearGods call but who have no regard forit. Read it for yourself and see that youtake heed, and that you dont spurn Hiscounsel and despise His reproof.

Rewards to the RighteousChcr*tev 2: This whole chapter is de-voted to those who will receive Hiswords and keep His commandments andwho seek wisdom as if it were hidden

Tbe GOOD NEWS June-July, 1954treasure. (Verse 9 Then shalt thouunderstand righteousness, and judg-ment, and equity (that is, what is equalor right, thus righteous; the opposite ofinequity); yea, every good path.The remainder of the chapter showsthat when wisdom enters into one, heis preserved by discretion. And thatunderstanding shall keep him by de-livering him from evil men who speakfroward or obstinate, self-willed oroppressive words.Wisdom also delivers from thestrange woman both symbolic andliteral. If you have only seen the literalmeaning before, you have missed thegreater significance of this and otherscriptures. Literally, of course, this meansa licentious woman. But, if we realizethat a woman is used throughout theBible as a symbol of a church, then thisscripture takes on real meaning.

God Pleads With You as a FatherChapter 3: This is one of the mostbeautiful chapters of the Bible. God isadmonishing His son--You-to walk inright paths. He explains how and whythey are best, and about the rewardsand happiness that comc from them.Read them Carefully-PRAYERFULLY.Chapter 4: God continues to speakto us, in the personage of the Eternal-the one who was made flesh, the onewe know asJesus Christ. This is broughtout so clearly in the opening verses ofthis chapter. Hear, ye children theinstruction of a father, and attend toknow understanding. For Z give you

good doctrine, forsake ye not MY law.For I was my fathers son, tender andonly beloved in the sight of my mother(the Holy Spirit that binds the wholeChurch of God together).He taught m e also, and said unto me,Let thine heart retain my words: keepmy commandments, and live. (Jesusdid keep His Fathers commandmentsSee John 15:lO and realize that Jesuscommandments are the Fathers.)

H d V r you ever wished you could justsit down and have a hem-to-heart talkwith Jesus? Here is your chance Noother scripture is so obviously a personalappeal to you and me to live righteouslyso that we can inherit the glory of God,dwell safely, and be quiet from thefear of evil. Get the significance of thesceneJesus is talking to you withAUTHORITY aS well as love.If you had a son killing himself insome way, would you sit up and talkto him about the weather, or some otherunimportant matter? No You wouldbe trying to do all you could to gethim to quit doing that which will killhimYour son might wish you wouldchange the subject, but you wouldnt.God is not going to change the sub-ject either. Your well-being, your hap-piness and salvation are His chief con-cerns when He talks to you.So then,. before He begins to giveyou those precious pearls of wise andpractical truths in the form of proverbs,He gives you the Great KEY that willunlock them for you.

Obedience Toward HimProverbs contain practical solutions toour many problems. But knowledge ofhow to apply them in your life is gainedby obedience to God. We must keep Hislaw FIRST. Keeping Gods law correctsour attitudes and opens our minds sothat w e know how to apply it.So reap the benefits and the comfortsof a private conversation with God

who knows all your private thoughts.He is not just saying them for youto forget; He has had them writtendown SO you may have them again andagainOn the remainder of Proverbs a run-ning commentary would be but vainwords. There is no trick to understand-ing these words of God-just an ac-knowledging and a sarrendering to Himis all that is needed.

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