Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 09) Sep_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 09) Sep_w

1/12

VOL. VI, NUMBER 9

How

International ,M a g a z t n e ofTH E CHURCH OF GOD

SEPTEMBER, 1957

God Calls HISMinisters

God's Church is growing larger every day! With this great blessingcomes a great danger of which most of the brethren are unaware!by Gamer Ted Armstrong

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY:

G EETINGS brethren, from SouthAmerica! I m writing this articlefrom tilt; capita! city of Uruguay,on the east coast of South America. Mr.Rea and I have been having importantconferences with radio station managers,governmental emp.oyees and businessmen. We have been gathering information which will be useful in spreadingthe Gospel of God 's government to thisdarkened part of the world when Godopens the door.

The rea liza tion of the tremendoastask yet to be accomplished sweeps overus with overwhelming force here, whenwe see the ignorance, poverty and supersti t ion-the strangle-hold of the CatholicChurch on the impover ished masses ofpeople, the political turmoil and fearthat grips most of South America. Also,it makes us realize all the more whata UNITED, single-hearted, completelyDEDICATED body we must be, if we, asthe very body of Jesus Christ, are everto really FULFILL the great task God hasset before us!

False MinistersJUSt as the early beginnings of our

Church were fraught with dangers, so isthis present age bringing us ever c loser

to the same identical dangers. WhenJesus told His disciples of the times justbefore His return to this earth, Hewarned, "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Matt. 24:4). In His warningabout decep tions, Jesus talked of falseministers who would be masquerading astrue ministers of the Gospel, who would"show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shalldeceive the very elect" (Matt. 24: 24 ) .

This warning was about OUR t imesNOW!And to whom was the warning given?To the Church!Brethren, the time has corne to candidly WARN you of a very grave dangerthat could mean the loss of salvation for many of the "babes in Christ"who have been called into the wonderfullight of God's truth.

In the early Church, there arose falseministers, and lay members, who beganto set themselves up as "teachers" and"leade rs" of the people. The wholetheme of the New Testament, from thevery inception of God's t rue Church tothe end of the book of Revelat ion is oneof APOSTASY, one of God's true Apostlesand ministers constantly strugglingagainst FALSE DOCTRINES creeping in,and aga in st counterfeit ministers who

were t ry ing to lead off people afterthemselves.Notice, the counci l at Jerusalem washeld for this 'C'ery reason! "And certainmelt which vcame down from Judeataught the brethren, and said, 'Exceptyou be circumcised after the manner ofMoses, you cannot be saved'" (Acts15: 1) . Notice fur ther that these men

wanted to ARGCE about the small, physical quest ion of circumcis ion. "Whentherefore Paul and Barnabas had nosmall dissension with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, andcertain other of them, should go up toJerusalem unto the apostles and eldersabout this question" (Acts 15:2).

God's go uernmeni went into effect,and a decision was rendered by James,the chief Aposrle at Jerusalem (vs. 19),and the other apostles then delivered aDECREE (binding, authoritative decision,as a law) to the brethren in the Chu rch(Acts 16:4).

Paul's ExperienceIn Pau l' s le tters of cor rect ion and ex

hortation to the early Church, he wasoften forced to show them, by the manner of his calling and t raining the euthen/icity of his office.Notice how manyof his letters begin with statements of


2/12

Page 2 The GOOD NEWS September, 1957

Address communications to the Editor ,Bux Ill, Pasadena, California.Coyright, September, 1957By the Radio Church of God

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExecutive EditorRoderick C. MeredithGarner Ted ArmstrongAssociate Editors

Paul called by name cerrai n fa lsI"teachers when he said, "But snun profane and vain babblings, for they willmcrease unto 1110re ungodliness. AnJtheir word doth cat as doth a canker,of whom is Hyrnenaeus and Philetus,who concerning the truth have erred"(I I Tim. 2:16-17).After describing the conditions which

will be extant during this very t.rne inthe first tew verses of the thml chapterof his second let ter to Timothy, Paulsaid, "But evil men and seducers shallwax worse and worse, deceiving, andbeing deceived' (I I Tim. 3: 13).Remember, these letters co Timothywere concerned primarily with CburchGovernment.' Never forget that even the

FALSE ministers will appear as the ministers of Chr is t! "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, trtl1Mformi1lgtbemselues into the apos. les of Chris t.And no marvel, for Satan bimsel] istransformed into an angel of light.Therefore it is no gr ea t t hi ng if HISM,NISTERS also be transformed as theminister, of righteousness, whose endshall be according to their works" (I ICor. 11:13-15).

A Cloak of Church AuthorityAstounding though it may seem, thesefalse teachers who began leading the

members astray told direct, deliberatelies, or else led t he people to believeby subterfuge and insinuation that theywere known by, commissioned by, andordained co their positions by God 's t rueministers!Yes-they told the people they repro-sented Paul, or Peter , and that they came110m them!Notice, "I marui I that ye are so soon

removed from him that called you intothe gr ace of Chris t unto another gospel,which is not another, bu t there be somethat trouble you, and would pervert thegospel of Chris t" (Gal. 1:6-7) .Paul then proceeded co pu t a binding

CURSE on any such practice, even thoughhe himself might turn around and beginpreaching differently in the future. "Butthough WE (including ALL the apostlesand the mini ste rs ) or an angel fromheaven, preach any other gospel untoyou t han tha t whi ch we have preachedunto you, let him be anathema [cut offfrom Chris tJ" (Gal. 1 :8 ) .Paul was forced to write to the breth

ren at Thessalonica: "Now we beseechyou brethren . . . that ye be not soonshaken in mind or be troubled, neitherby spiri t (a n angel , or evi l spirit), norby word, (oral reaching from others)nor by letter as from us, as that the dayof Christ is at hand" (I I Thess. 2: 1-2 ) .Did you read it? Paul warned them no tto be deceived, even though someonewrote a FALSE EPISTLE, and DELIBERATE-(Please continue on page 8)

mistake! Peter and Paul were not enemies! Everything was done for the ad-iancement of the Church, for the GOODof the flock. The impor tant thing tonotice also is that Peter did take thecorrection and later ca.led him belovedbrother-exhorting the Christians to takeheed to the things Paul had wrmen inhis epistles! (I I Pet. 3: 15-16; .Does this f1ng a familiar bell to any ofyou iMany have t ri ed to accompl ish thesame identical thing in this Church age.Some have tried to say Mr. RaymondCole teaches one thing, and Mr. Arm

s trong another , or that Mr. HermanHoen says one thing, and Mr. Mered ithanother, or that I say one thing, and mybrother another. THESE ASSUMPTIONSAND RUMORS AR b SIMPLY FALSE!As my father has said so many times,the decisions have always been 100%unanimous whenever God's true ministers gather together to settle a question~ r when doctrinal points are discussedin t he annua l mini st eri al conferences.And, so long as we remain GOD'SChurch, in which dwells Hi s Holy Spirit,this will continue to be true! God s TrueChurch is a UNITED Church, even asC 1 1 1 i ~ t prayed it would be! (John17:11).

Paul Was CriticizedIt has bee n said the busier a man becomes, and the more he accomplishes,

the more criticism he will receive, God'sword cerrainiy bears this up! Jesus Christwas the busiest and the most criticizedman who ever lived. The Apostle Paulwas constantly being cri tic ized by unthinking, carnal-minded people who didno t really fear God's government as theyshould have.The Corinthians were accusing him of

being covetous of what they supposedwas their money (which was really nottheirs, bu t God s), and Paul answered bysaying, "Mine answer to them that doexamine me is this, Have we not powerto eat and to drink?" ( I Cor. 9:3-4). Hethen proceeded to prove that the ministryshould be supported f rom God 's tithes.The entire first chapter of Galatians isPaul 's af firmat ion of the DIVINE

AUTHORITY with which he spoke andwrote.The important thing to realize is that

this defense was necessary only becauseof the false teachen and "leaders" whowere stirring up the people-trying todiscredit God's true ministers-tryingto lead off a following after themselves!Paul cold the: young evangelist, Timothy, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times {now} someshall depart from the faith (doctrinebody of beliefs}, giving heed to seducingspirits, and doctrines of demons" (ITim. 4:1).

NUMBER 9OL. VI

Divinely-ordained authority, (See Rom.1:1-5, I Cor. 1:1, II Cor. 1:1, Gal. 1:124, etc.)Almos t immed ia te ly a ft er the beg in ning of God 's t rue Church, cer ta in menarose who began to lead away fol lowings after themselves-s-out of humanjealousy and vanity! "For 1 know this,"Paul said to the Ephes ian elders, "thatafter my departing shall grievous wolvesenter in among you, not sparing theflock. Also of YOUR OWN SELVES shallmen arise, speaking perverse things, todraw away disciples after them" (Acts20 29-30).In the three cities of southern Galatia,Icon.urn, Lystra and Derbe, the storyhad been circulated, apparently, that Paulwas merely Peter 's "messenger boy,"and an attempt was made to appeal toseep-posed conflicts within the ministry inorder to confuse and d iv ide the Church.Paul, for that ~ ' e r y reason, unhesitatinglystated t he mis take Peter had made indistellowshipping the Genti les in presence of the Jews, and to ld th e Church,"But when I saw that t hey walked notuprightly according to the truth of theGospel, I said unto Pet er before themall, 'I f t hou, being a Jew, livest afterthe manner of th e Gentiles, and no t asdo the Jews, why cornpellest thou theGentiles to live as do the Jews'?'" (Gal.2 :14). The remaining verses of thisentire chapter are the inspired wordsPaal spoke to Peter.' The often quoted,wonderful statement of Paul, "I amcrucified with Christ, neve rthel es s Ilive, yet not I, BUT CHRIST LIVETH INME" (vs. 20) was a statement madedirec tly to Peter to show the authorityby which Paul spoke. It was Christ whoinspired Paul to speak thusly. Make no


3/12

TheWORK of God's ChurchGoes Forward!

H ere is more inside information about the progress and growthof God's Church. REJOICE with us as we review the blessings Godis showering upon His people!

by Roderick C. Meredith

J ESUS CHRIST commanded Peter :"Feed my sheep." He intended thatdown through the ages His calledministers should strengthen and guideHis Church in the paths of riglueousness.Christ is the living HEAD of theChurch (Col. 1: 18). It is through HisPOWER t ha t lives are converted to thereal truth of God, and that local congregations are raised up in many areas.Jesus knew that His Church would bescattered (Matt. 26: 11), and tha t manyof its members would not have regularfellowship with others.But f rom the t ime of the early travelling apostles and evangelists down lO ourday, Christ has made it possible for Hisscattered flock to be fed the spiritual"meat" they require.As our Head and Leader, Jesus Christis now showing us that we CAN ministerto you scattered brethren much morethan we have in the past. This is trulyGOOD NEWS!

Travelling EvangelistsIr the article last month, "God'sChurch GROWS," we told you about theministers and local congregations inGod's Church today.Now we have wonderful news of anewly-begun phase of this work whichwill enable us to reach hundreds of youscattered brethren personally each year.As a result of two more ministers goinginto full- time service this past June, Mr.Raymond Cole and Mr. Wayne Colehave now been released from their dutiesin local congregations and are beginningro visit many of our scattered brethren inthe field.Several dozen of our scattered members have already been visited by Mr.

Wayne Cole and his wife. Many of themhave written to us about it to tell uswhat a blessing it was and how happythey were to have this personal counseland an opportunity to have many ofrhr-i r quest ions answered.This type of personal counsel, instruction and encouragement is VITAL to thegrowth of God's people everywhere. Sowe plan to keep this program going asmuch of the time as possible, and even

to enlarge it in the future.

Mr. Raymond Cole, our evangelist-atlarge in charge of the scattered localcongregations, is p lann ing to do muchof this visi ting himself, whenever possible. Later on, we hope to have a minister and his wife touring the country theyear around and visit ing and counselingwith those members of God's Churchwho are unable to attend a local congregation.This should make each of us realizemote fully that-wherever we are-weare members of God's Church-the verybody of Jesus Christ through whom Heworks ( l Cor. 12: 27). We must groioin spiritual graLe and knowledge andWORK together in unity as a "team" inorder that Christ's message may be carried to the ends of this earth.May God grant that each of you scattered members will realize more thanever tha t you are a part of one "body"the Church tha t Jesus Christ promisedto bui ld (Matt . 16: 18).

Baptizing ToursAs each year passes, hundreds of newbrethren are baptized by the tours orministers sent out each summer fromheadquarters in Pasadena. This summer,three tours have gone out and have already baptized over 250 people!This is truly wonderful when yourealize that our ministers baptize ONLYthose who indicate that they are trulyrepentant and TOTALLY SURRENDEREDto the will of God. Our tours actuallyhave to turn down marc people thanthey baptize! They encourage those whoare not fully ready to "prove all things"a little more, to count the cost, and towait unt il they are COMPLETELY yielded

to Almighty God before being baptized.Therefore, even a few hundred ofthese truly repentant converts is worthFAR MORE in the eyes of God thanthousands of half-hearted "decisions forChrist" made in ignorance of what realrepentance means.So we should REJOICE to realize thatbeside those bapt ized by our men ontours each summer , other hundreds arebaptized by the local ministers and atthe annual Church festivals. This year,the total should run around six or seven

hundred newly baptized members ofGod's Church!Addit ional happy news is tha t sincethe beginning of the year seventeen havebeen baptized in far off London, England, and Mr. Gerald Waterhouse is nowin the process of vis it ing and baptizingmore people in outlying areas. God'sChurch is t ak ing firm root in Britain.People's lives are being changed and con-verted by God!How the Baptizing Tours Help PeopleIn addition to baptizing those whoare ready, our summer tours help allthose whom they meet in many ways.Perhaps you will enjoy reading part of alette r sent to Mr. Armst rong to thankhim for sending out these tours.A lady from Illinois writes: "TodayGod answered my prayers that somedayI would be worthy to be baptized andbecome a begott en child of His and receive His gift of the Holy Spirit.."Mr. Bryce Clark and Mr. Ernest

Mart in visited me today. I was just getting ready so I CO" ld meet them at thepost office, as their letter designated, butdue to the fact that we are on centralstandard time, they found themselveswith time on their hands, and came tomy home. Knowing how pressed theyare for time, I consider myself most forrunare for such a nice long visit-and Iwas enlightened beyond my expectations.I had prayed, studied the scripture andyour booklets, and felt I understoodthem pretty good, but the plain, clearway they presented it made me understand so much better. They are certainlytwo fine, admirable, sincere young menwho are surely inspired by God."Do you see how Christ is directingHis servants to minister to the scatteredflock? In due time, people in all patts ofthe earth are going to have personal helpand counsel from the ministers of God'sChurch.AlLhough it is impossible to reachthem soon, some have already writtenin from Australia, South Africa andother nations requesting baptism. God'sChurch is beginning to circle the globe!Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,today, and forever (Heb. 13: 8) . Christ is


4/12

Page 4

This is Mr. Gerald Waterhouse, Pasto r o f our church in london, England,and th e only minister of God'sChurch stationed in Britain at th e

present time.

also healing in His true Church todayjust as He did 1900 years ago.Christ Continues to HEAL ThroughHis ChurchWe receive dozens of letters eachmonth telling of people being healed ofevery type of sickness and disease. Somehave been healed of cancer, some ofpolio, some of tuberculosis. In othercases,God has supernaturally intervenedin the instance of an inflamed appendix,

or of a swollen kidney, or of gall bladdertrouble.Many are being healed. But some arenot-and they wonder why. Althoughmany factors sometimes enter into aparticular case, Jesus summed up theoverall principle when He said: "Ac-cording to your FAITH be it unto you"(Matt. 9:29).To give you definite, specific instancesof how God has been blessing Hischurch in this way, here are two recentletters telling of how God has healed.A lady f rom Colorado writes: "Lastnight as you preached, I realized thatGoel healed me and is healing me sinceyou sent the prayer cloth. My T.B. cavitydid just close up. I'm thin and have someintestine and nerve trouble but in Hist ime God will take care of it all."I've written poems and done otherthings which I never would have donehad I been well. Yes, God knows andunderstands all our needs, wants anddesires. I know I mus t t rust God to correct me often so I can become the kindof person He can rule, love and use."Pray for me and for my husband outin this world. God bless you and prosperHis work."

The GOOD NEWSIn reading the lerrc. . Jid you noticethis woman's attitude?She trusted God and wanted to obeyGod. She wanted to be made worthy

of HiJ use. That is WHY she was healedof tuberculosis!Another Example o f How ChristHealsAnother recent letter of thanksgivingfor healing shows the same fine attitude,and is a good example of how Godsometimes intervenes for those who cannot call upon a local minister for prayer.This lady from Kansas writes:"A short time ago I sent a letter requesting prayer for our little girl. W ith-in one hour of its mailing, she began tomend-and today she feels fine. TrulyGod is gracious and merciful-a God ofgreat power."We have requested prayer for the illness of one of our family on severaloccasions. Always that illness is healed

before an answer reaches us-sometimesbefore the letter has had a chance to evenget Out of Wichita.We are truly gratefulfor God's healing and are not puttingany trust in the wordly doerors."I know you receive many letters, bu tI feel I must tell you how grateful weare to have the two magazines, thebroadcasts, and the correspondencecourse. These are all of inestimable valuein my spiritual growth and development."Here again we see the attitude of lovefor God's t ruth and His way. Also, thisshould be an example to all of you scattered brethren of how God of ten heals

even BEFORE an anointed cloth arrives,After all, it is not the anointed cloththat heals-it is GODl And once youhave obeyed God's command to callupon His ministers when you are sick(James 5: 14), the healing may followlong before your request even reachesour office in Pasadena. That is somethingto remember when there is an emergencyand you may be t empted to think tha tthere isn't TIME to call upon God's ministers.Information on How to Reach the

MinistersThere is another important bi t of in-formation we might give you whi le weare on this subject of healing. This is toremember that there are times when youmay need advice about what you shoulddo in some types of illness. This doesnot mean reliance upon medicines ordrugs, bu t often it IS necessary for youto QUIT BREAKING some natural lawbefore God will forgive this physical sin!In such cases, it would be best, ofcourse, to contact one of our nearby localministers, However, this is impossiblefor you brethren in scattered areas wherewe do not have local churches. So re-

September, 19;7

member that you can always call us atAmbassador College here in Pasadenausually up until about 10:00 P.M. atnight, our time. The college number isSycamore 6-6123.If there is an emergency, feel free tocall and ask for one of the ministershere at headquarters. One caution, however, do NOT try to call us collect as wecannot accept such calls as a matter ofpolicy! Doing so would leave us open tocountless impositions and needless expendi tu re of God's money, as you cansee.Wherever you are, God's ministerswant to be of service to YOU. How manycases I can remember of people whocalled us in the middle of the night withsome serious illness or injury and laterwrote to let us know that they wereHEALED in a matter of hours-beforean anointed cloth could even be sentfrom our Pasadena office!Christ isON THE JOB day and night asour High Priest! ALL POWER has beengiven unto Him in heaven and earth!(Matt. 28:18).What a great BLESSING it is to realizethat-as members of His own bodywe can come directly to Him in anykind of sickness or trouble. As membersof the Church of God, we have much tobe thankful for.'

Church News ColumnIn preparation for carrying the workof this Church-Gad's Church-aroundthe world, many plans are now beingmade. You will be interested in hearingabout some of these-and PRAYING

about them.In future issues, we plan LU keep youinformed of the news of the work and(Please continue on page 12 )

Meet Frank longuskie, abl e and consecrated assistant to Mr. Waterhousein our london church an d office.


5/12

Are You "Putting Off"Salvation?Here is a vital principle which could mean your eternal life! WillYOU LOSE your salvation by neglecting to practice it?

by Garner Ted ArmstrongBUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA:GREETINGS, brethren, from SouthAmerica! Mr. Benjamin Rea, thehead of our Spanish Departmentat Ambassador College, and I are traveling through parts of this continent,gathering information to be used infuture art icles in the Good News and thePlain Truth, searching out books for ourSpanish Depa rtmen t, and taking timenow and then to write to you, througharticles in the magazines.Many times, we have printed articlesin the Good News about your Christianlife, about the necessity of perseverance,of zeal, of real enthusiasm in order toovercome, rrnci obtain salvation. But Godhas revealed to me a viral principle,which, if you will put it into practice,could very easily make the differencebetween losing out by either falling intothe LUKEWARM condition of the Laodiceans or letting a root of bitternessspring up in your heart and turn youaway from God's Church, or-on theother hand--of remaining faithful andgaining eterna l life in God' s kingdom!

Many to Lose OutHave you never wondered why it isthat God takes so much time and space

to WARN us, by examples, and by directstatements, about falling away? Even inthis present age, filled with the turmoilof a dying world-with our ears attunedto the shrieks of the millions of sufferinghumans we read about every day, withthe prophecies of your Bible being fulf ~ l e d each day-some have FALLEN,


6/12

Page (,called and chosen people in this age.Are yo a person who desperatelyneeds something of God? Are you constantly beseeching your Heavenly Fatherfor some great gift, some answer toprayer? Are you in need of healing? And,at the same t ime , are you subconsciouslysaying to yourself, 'Til 'get spiritual 'enough for God to HEAR my prayerI'll 'do some righteousness' un til I GETthe answer, and then it'll be over-thenI can dri ft again-then I can, after I'veachieved my purpose, drift back into theeasy-going stream of lethargy, becauseit's so MUCH EASIER?

YES! Many are doing exacrly that!Do you ever decide, along aboutThursday afternoon, or perhaps late onFriday, that the Sabbath is coming, soyou'd bet ter get into a "spiri tual mood"before it catches you in the attitudeyou've been in during the middle of theweek? Do yOll then get into a TEMPO-RARY state of "righteousness" until Saturday night? Are you much HAPPIER whenthe SUN GOES DOWN, so you can rushOut to the pleasures of THIS WORLD? Ordo you wish the sun wouldn't go downso soon, and that the Church servicemight not be over so soon, or that youcould vis it with others of God's Churchlonger?If these things describe YOU-thenchances are, you're AWARE of YOllr rondition-s-yet seem to be powerless to doanything about it.

Th e Nearness of SinRegardless of how close to God a person becomes-SIN is always near! Most

of us have not really understood just howEASY it is for us to "slip over the line"and let the "bars" down-drifting intoour old ways and habits, and sinningagainst God by our actions. When Jesuswas perhaps the very closest to God, during His long fast of 40 days and nightsin the wilds of Palestine, Satan came toHim, personally, to tempt Him. Are youmore immune than Christ?Paul said, "I find then a law, that,when I would do good, EVIL is PRESENTWITH me" (Rom. 7:21). Paul said herecognized the evil tendencies in hisflesh-he knew his nature made him dothe opposite from the good he wantedso much to do, "For that which I do Iallow not : for what I would, that do Inot; but what I hate, that do I" (vs. 15).He said he DIDN'T KNOW HOW to perform that which was good! (vs. 18). ButGod showed him. "For they that areafter the flesh do mind the things of theflesh . . . for to be carnally minded isdeath . . . because the carnal mind isenmity against God . . . so then they thatare in the flesh cannot please God, bu t yeare not in the flesh, bu t IN THE SPIRIT,if so be that the Spi ri t of God dwell inyou" (Rom. 8:5-9).

The GOOD NEWSThe Spi rit of God did dwell in Paul,"Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2: 20), "ForI delight in the law of God after the in-ward man . . . so then with the mind Imyself serve the law of God" (Rom.7:22&25).All of us must come to see that weare literally standing on a huge precipice, with our backs to the damp, hor

ribly gaping maw of debauchery anddestruction! We must come to realizethat wherever we are, at whatever time,Satan will try to ensnare us in whateverway he can-by playing on our partic-ular weaknesses!I'll Do I t Tomorrow!

It is perhaps so simple, it won't soundlike a very important point to you-butthe real basic cause for much of thisspiri tual lethargy in God's Church is ana ttitude of PUTTING OFF everythinguntil LATER, of GOOD INTENT, coupledwith NEGLECTFULNESS, which couldfinally result in putting off your ownsalvation!For example, you have come to s""you really need to talk to God more-orhave you?-and you have decided to dosomething about it. You have made upyour mind. THIS TIME you really meanit! So, when it comes time to go to bed,you're very, very tired-and your mindjust doesn' t function very well. Afteronly a few minutes of drugged, halfawake prayer that didn't go any higherthan the ceiling, you tumble wearily intobedimending fully, and even promis-ing yourself that SURELY you'll "makeup for it" tomorrow morning!Tomorrow morning arrives. You haveoverslept, or perhaps you have children,and they awakened sooner than youplanned-perhaps the telephone rangearly, or something happened-maybeyou even FORGOT about it, but, at anyrate, you didn't pray as you intended!Is this you?Do YOU "put off" praying until a"more convenient time?"

Smoking Is an ExampleSome in God's Church still smoke.You know that others know i t - in fact,you may have even told them about it.

Some of you have told me, or else Imay know it just because the strongsmell of the smoker is almost impossibleto conceal from the non-smoker. Smoking is not the cardinal sin of the worldit is not the WORST sin there is, so tospeak-but it is a sin! So is chewing tobacco-and so is "dipping snuff!"I used to smoke, as did many othersin God's true Church. But I was justexactly like a lot of you. I always "putoff" quitting, because I would say tomyself, "Well , this wil l be absolutelymy LAST cigarette! I'll smoke just thisonce more, and then I'll really use a lot

September, 1957

of WILL power, and I'll just quit!" But-af ter having just that "one more" Iwould say the identical thing the nexttime, and the next, and the NEXT, untilI was constantly "kidding myself" that 1was in the PROCESS of qui tt ing, whatever that is. But there IS no such thingas a process of quitting-you've just gotto QUIT! Are you like this? I was, butnow I can give thanks to the Creator thatI was given the necessary WILL POWERto quit. By a severe case of laryngitis,in which I lost my voice completely, Ibecame so frightened, about losing myvoice that God has given me, that I justQUIT!Not only are smokers-like I USED to

be-continually defiling the temple ofGod's Holy Spiri t, and set ting a terribleexample for others, but are constantlytel ling themselves, and God, a lie, thatthey are in the "process" of quitting!Do You FAST Enough?

It's so easy to tell yourself that you'llget round to really doing things tomorrow. In this way, many have been put-ting off fasting. God only commandsyou to fast on one particular day, (Lev.23: 32), but by example, by many directstatements of Christ, and by the teachingof the Apostle Paul, we know you mus:fast often if you are to remain a spiritualminc1pc1 Christian.Jesus fasted, It was because of HisCONSTANT nearness to God that He wasable to cry out, even with tears, to Godfor deliverance from the temptations ufthe flesh (Heb. 5: 7) . That's how Hecan be a merciful High Priest to us now-because through FASTING and prayer,Jesus was so dose to God, that evenwhen evil impulses arvl temptationscame, He was able to cast them fromHim. "For we have not an high pries!which cannot be touched with the feelingat our infirmities; but was in all pointstempted like as we are, yet without sin"(Heb. 4: 15).Even in fasting to stay close to God,Christ set YOU an example (I Pet. 2:21) .Turn to John, the eleventh chapter, andread again the wonderful history of howthe living Head of Our Church raised aman (Lazarus) from the dead! J e s ~ swas so deeply moved by the lack offaith of the people that he "groaned inthe spirit, and was troubled" (vs. 33),and finally He wept (vs. 35).But when He carne to the tomb, jesus"lifted up his eyes and said, 'Father, Ithank thee that thou hast heard me.And I knew that thou hearest me always:but because of the people which standby I said it, that they may believe thatthou has sent me" (vs. 41-42 ) . Time thatshor t prayer! I did, with my stop watch,and even saying it slowly, it only takeseleven seconds!(Please continue on page 11)


7/12

Who Should Young People Date?Is it bes t for your children to date unbelievers? Here is th e BIBLEansuier to a crucial problem our young people have to face, reprintedfrom the October, 1953 issue.

by Roderick C. MeredithDATING is a custom which has beenpracticed, in differing ways, sincethe beginning of history. I frightly directed, it can be a natural andhelpful means of enabling young peopleto become bett er acquainted with themembers of the opposite sex.

I t is God who has made us male andfemale. I t is God who created sex andordained marriage. God intended thatyoung people come to know each other,fall in love, and marry. Therefore, a trueChristian should have no "prudish" feelings about the varied aspects of courtship and marriage. But he shoulddetermine how to glorify God in allthese things. It is God, after all, whomade us male and female.

Dating NecessaryThe Bible does not enjoin any particular method of acquainting youngpeople with one another, or of bringingabout a marriage. Even in the Biblehistory, customs have varied in this matter. In many instances, in ancient times,the parent s of a young couple arrangedfor their marriage. The laws in Exodus

and Deuteronomy indicate that menoften selected their own wives, andcourted them as they do today. Consequently, our present custom of courtshipand marriage is certainly not wrong, andit seems to be the best practice amongmodern peoples who are not living inlarge family groups as in patriarchaltimes.Dat ing, then, is a very necessary custom not only socially, bu t to enableyoung people to make a wise choice of alife partner. It is a pract ice which tendsto broaden social interests, to developpersonality, and to give that needed experience and companionship with manyrr-ernbers of the opposite sex..:.No one should date as though he were"looking for a wife." It should be anatural means of fellowship with therealization that some day a life par tnerwill be discovered, and that the practiceof dat ing will give that exper ience withthe oppos ite sex which should serve as avaluable guide in avoiding hasty decisions based upon "infatuation," and notreal love.Since daring is a form of intimatefellowship which may lead to marriage,Christians should exercise great care in

selecting the persons whom they date.God's Warning

Christians are COMMANDED by God:"Be ye not unequally yoked togetherwith unbelievers: for what fellowshiphath righteousness with unr ighteousness? and what communion hath lightwith darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14) . We areto AVOID anything which would causeus to fellowship or to be "yoked to gether" with unbelievers.Marriage is certainly the closest formof being "yoked together." And datingis a kind of dose fellowship whichu.sually precedes and may lead to rnarnage.Is God trying to impose His harshwill on you when He fUTbidJ this kindof fellowship?No! This instruction is a great BLESS

ING designed to help you live the happyand abundant life that God intends( John 10:10). True Christianity is away of life. It is the way that will bringgreatest happiness at this time, andeternal life in God's kingdom. It is theway of surrender and obedience to Godand His commands, and of spirituallygrowing each day more like God thatwe may finally be born into His familyand kingdom.

But an unconverted husband or wifeis going to oppose and fight the way oflife God reveals. Why? "Because thecarnal mind is enmity aga inst God: forit is not subject to the law of God,neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).I f you marry an unconverted person,you aretying yourself to a ball and chainfor the rest of your natural life! Godwants to spare you from such a mistake!

The Bible PrincipleFrom Genesis to Revelation, the Bibleshows that God's people are to remainseparate from this world. In Deut, 7:1-4,God commanded the Israelites not tomarry the heathen, "For they will turnaway thy son from following me, thatthey may serve other gods" (v. 4) .Joshua warned that if they marri ed theheathen, it would be as scourges in theirsides, and thorns in their eyes (Joshua

23:10-16).I Kings 11: 1 shows that King Solomon's foreign wives turned away hisheart from worshipping God. The Bible

shows time and again t ha t marrying acarnal, unconverted person will lead toretribution, misery, and may well proveto be an obstacle to prevellt yuu fromserving God as you should.Many of you whom we have met onthe bapt iz ing tours can testify to thisfact. How many times you have wishedthat your mate were converted so thatyou could share your lives more fully.What a wonderful BLESSING it is whenboth the husband and wife are converted. All of you who are blessed inthis way should get down on your kneesetJory day and thank God for it.A converted couple can encourageone another in prayer, in Bible study, inkeep ing the Sabbath, in rejoicing togerher during God's festivals. They canshare all the little things in life in away that is impossible when one party isunconverted.True Christianity involves the thingsyou eat, the places you go, your interestsand hobbies-your entire life. God intended that a husband and wife be a helpto each other in all things. That is whyHe commands: "Be ye not unequallyyoked together with unbelievers."What About Dating UnbelieversKnowing the definite command ofGod not to marry unbelievers, wha tabout dating them?As we have mentioned, dating is avery intimate SOrt of fellowship whichmay possibly lead to marriage. Shouldyou tempt yourself by dating those

whom you know that God forbids youto marry?You should NOT!And regardless of possible marriage,a Christian is no t to have fellowship

with unrighteousness (I I Cor. 6: 14).Unrighteousness is simply sin-breakingGod's commandments.In Ephesians 5: 1-17, the apostle Paulshows that Christians are not to be partakers with the children of this worldin their wrong ways. He exhorts: "Haveno fellowship with the unfruitful worksof darkness, but rather reprove them."Paul wrote to the saints at Rome topresent their bodies a "living sacrifice"to God and to "be not conformed to thiswotld: but be ye tn/.mfo1"7rwd by therenewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:1-2).

I f you are seeking God's will and His


8/12

Page !!guidance in your every thought andaction, you will find it a GREAT HINDRANCE to be closely associated with acarnal-minded person - whether onelMes, or in any other form of fellowship.There will always be the tendency tolet them pull you away from obeyingand serving your Creator. They will continually be urging you to break God'sSabbath, to eat unclean meats, to attendthe wrong kind of movies or spend yourtime in night clubs and other wrongkinds of amusement.A carnal-minded companion will exertjust the opposite kind of influence fromwhat you should have, IF you love Godmore than this world, its carnal people,and their wrong ways.

Draw the LineJames tells us, "Whosoever thereforewill be a friend of the world is theenemy of God" (James 4:4). As aChristian, put God first in your life.Have the courage to draw the line onwhom you will, and will not, date.You are to have no fellowship withunbelievers.Who is an unbeliever'?Christ said, "He that is not with me isagainst rnc; and he that gatheredl norwith me scatrereth abroad" (Mat.12: 30). A "believer" is not merely onewho believer in Christ as Saviour. Jesushimself prophesied that many wouldcome in His name, preaching about

Him. and would DECEIVE many (Mat.24: 5) .A "believer" is one who believes inChrist and His message. Fai th that is notacted upon is DEAD (James 2: 26) .Notice Acts 2: 14, "And all that believedwere together, and had all things incommon." They had acted upon thei rbelief, and were sharing the materialthings with one another during theirstay in Jerusalem.One who knows much of the truth,and yet reiuses to obey it is not to beregarded as a true believer at all. Suchpeople are of ten more slick and cleverin misleading others than one who is intotal ignorance of God's precious truths."And hereby we do know that weknow him, if we keep his commandments" ( I John 2: 3) . One who reallyknows God will believe that His way isright and will obey Him. People whorefuse to do this are not believers. Therefore, you should have no regular dates orfellowship with them.

Use WisdomOnce you understand the principle ofhaving no fellowship with the worldwhich might weaken your fai th , you canapply this to any case which arises.Fur instance, there might be a rareoccasion when a converted young person would be visit ing in another city and

Tbe GOOD NEWSa date might be arranged for him byfriends who didn't understand his views.In such a case, he should carefully surveythe circumstances. If he knew that thedate wouldn' t involve par ticipating illany wrong form of amusement, andwould not involve him in any futuredates of this nature, he might accept inorder not to offend others. Thi s wouldnot be a regular association or fellowshipwith unconverted persons. But eventhen, the Christian involved should care-fully avoid a recurrence of this practice,and ask God's guidance in the wholematter.To cite ano ther example, it would bepermissible to date occasionally someone whom you felt quite sure by the"frui ts" was being called to repentanceand obedience to God. You might havegood reason to believe that you werehelping such a person learn more aboutGod. But here too, be extremely carefulthat the association is not regular fellow-ship, and that the other party is not just"putting on" in order to date you. Ifyou are deceived into marrying such aperson it may wreck your life!Also, some of you who have been married and divor-ed may wish to date eventhough you know that it would beADULTERY to marry again. Commonsense should tell you that you are playingwith dynamite.' You are putting a veryserious temptation in your own path,and in the path of whoever you date. I fyou value eternal life, you will not dateexcept under very rare circumstances oruntil you become free to marry againthrough the death of your husband orwife. You may need God's Spirit tomaster yourself, but His puwer is without limit!

Your ChildrenIf you are converted and your childrenare not, should you force them to associate only with converted children?In the first place, very few people arereally converted until the ages ofeighteen to twenty years. You shouldnot deprive your child of the opporrunirvof developing a balanced personality andinterests through association with others.The ideal thing would be to have your

children in association with the childrenof other converted brethren. Althoughstill unconverted, the children would atleast have an easier time learning thetru th about pagan holidays and otherworldly practices. I t would certainly be abetter means of fellowship.But the parent's responsibility is to"train up a child in the way that heshould go: and when he is old, he willnot depar t from it" (Prov. 22:6). Whilehe is young, teach him God's truth in areasonable and tactful manner.But after your child reaches highschool age, if he or she is bound to have

September, 1957a "fling" and date worldly fellows orgirls, you may prejudice his mindagainst God if you are too overbearingabout this. Use discretion as any intelligem pareur should do, bur don't expectyour child to act converted when he isnot. JUSt be sure he is in decent company, and then ask God to convert himin His time and way.God has provided excellent means forconverted young people to become acquainted with one another. This isthrough attending the annual festivalsof God. We are to "rejoice" in thesefeasts, and they provide a wonderfulopportunity and atmosphere for mixedfellowship. Also, giving your child theadvantage of a college education at Ambassador College-God's college-mayalso prove a priceless blessing in themat ter of finding a truly converted lifepartner. This is far more important thanmost parents realize.The entire mat te r of dating, then, is

to be approached by understanding andobeying God's purpose in making usmale and female, and in ordaining marriage. A converted mate is commandedto love and remain faithful even to anunconverted husband or wife (I Cor.7: 10-14). But to those yet unmarned ,God has blessed us with the knowledgethat we MUST NOT marry unbelievers,but that we should choose a mate whowill truly help us grow "unto the measure of the stature of the fulness ofChrist" (Eph, 4: 13).

How God CallsHis Ministers(Continued from page 2)

LY signed it with his name.' In closingthis important letter, Paul purposelysigned it with his own hand-saying,"The salutation of Paul with mine ownhand, which is the token in every epistle,so I write [or, after this manner, 1write}" (I I Thess. 3:17).He had told them, "Let no man deceive you by any means" (I I Thess. 2: 3)and then went on to give them an absolute key as to what was sure to happenprior to the coming of Christ.

Peter GaveWarning, Too!Peter was not unaware of the undercurrent toward apostasy that was beginningthen. He wrote, "But there were falseprophets among the people, even a

ibere shall be [aise teachers among youwho privately shall bring in damnableheresies, even denying the Lord thabought them, and bring upon themselvesswift destruction" (I I Peter 2: 1 ). Pauhad said the "falling away" from truedoctrine was a mystery of lawlessnes


9/12

September, 1957t ha t was beg inning 10 his time! (I IThess. 2:7) .The ent ire second chapter of Peter'ssecond let ter is a grave warning againstfalse teachers.Not ice, however, that there is alwaysONE THING THESE TEACHERS HAVE INCOMMON. Even Korah, and the ones heled with him in his rebellion against

the authority of Moses, showed the sametraits (See Nos. 16:1-3)."But chiefly them t ha t walk afte r theflesh," who are concerned about thePHYSICAL SENSES, and the fleshly, carnalsensations, the vanity they might havein obtaining an office, the popularity,the money they covet,-"in the lust ofuncleanness, and despise government[AUTHORITY, asv]." (I I Pet. 2:10).Do you sec?These false teachers who are prophesied to enter in among you brethren wiUalways despise the Government of God.They will talk against the AUTHORITY inGod's Church - promising LIBERTY,emancipation from the authority of God!That is exactly what Nimrod did. Hepromised the people LIBERTY from anyrule, any order and government thatmight regulate t he ir lives in the ways ofGod's laws, which lead to everlastinghappiness and peace."Presumptuous are they," continuesPeter (I I Pet. 2:10). Yes, they are always PRESUMING to have office, positionand authority-while busily engaged inteaching against it! They wish to ARRO-GATE to themselves a position of authority-yet promulgate a doctrine ofNOauthority! They contradict their ownwords by their ACTIONS, which arevisible to all!"... self-willed [not doing the willof God, bu t of SELF}, they are not afraidto speak evil of dignities" (I I Pet. 2:10) .These arc never really submissive to theauthority in God's Church, bu t just "goalong" with it, until it steps on THEMthen, they suddenly show their t rue colors, and are not in the least bit fearfulto speak openly AGAINST Mr. Armstrong, or any other of God's called andchosen servants. Have you ever listenedto such a person? ARE you such a person? I f you ARE-then CHANGE yourways, before it is too late!God says of such: "But these, asnatural brute beasts, made to be taken

and destroyed, speak evil of the thingsthat they understand not" (they neverhave the facts of the picture, and sojump to false conclus ions), "and shallutterly PERISH in the ir own corruption"(I I Pet. 2: 12) .. The Church, during its first age, calledthe "Ephesian" age, or the Church atEphesus, in the letters to the Churchesin Revelation, was commended becauseit had "tried them which SAY they areapostles, and are not, and hast found

The GOOD NEWSthem LIARS" (Rev . 2:2 i . Jesus showedhere that many TOOK THE TITLES ofoffices in the Church and tried to usethe sanction of the Church, a cloak of"authority," to deceive the flock!

Same Situation Possible NowMost of us are asleep to the danger ofthat identical thing developing RIGHTNOW! Brethren, whe the r most of yourealize it or not, there are, at this verymoment, FALSE TEACHERS WITHINthe Church of God!God's true ministers are aware thatthere are, at this moment, men who arein scattered parts of the country, holding"Bible Studies" and meetings, evenpreaching, in so-called "campaigns" fromtime to time, visiting, perhaps,with someof YOU people. They DELIBERATELYLIE, saying they are from the Headquarters Church in Pasadena, saying theywere ordained by Mr. Armstrong andthe other ministers, and that we inPasadena have commissioned them tolabor in the doctrine!Yes, astounding though it may seem- some are deliberately LYING to listeners of the broadcast-deluding them intobelieving they represent the ministry ofthis Church.We have heard reports of men whohave been visit ing members, or perhapsjust listeners to the broadcas t and readers of the Plain Truth magazine, invarious par ts of the United States.Every year, at the Feast of Tabernacles,we realize we must be constantly onguard to prevent any lengthy "Biblestudies" from developing where certaindominant personalities begin to "teach"the people-FALSE DOCTRINES!

It is GOOD that God's people shouldtalk about the Bible. I t is right, justand godly that all of God's peopleSHOULD do rhis-but when certain onestry to set themselves forward as ministers; as teachers of the Word, then God'strue ministers must exercise the allpowerful AUTHORITY God has giventhem, with the very POWER OF GOD, inputting down such false teachings inorder to protect the flock!Watch for these things!Do not let yourself become an "interested" listener to damnable heresies, evilspeakings and gossip against someoneelse, or against God's great work, oragainst any of the ministe rs as individuals!Ministry a Grave ResponsibilityIt is because the ministers must laborin TEACHING others that God lays sucha heavy responsibi li ty on them. NoticePeter's exhortation: "The Elders [allministers are Elders] which are amongyou I exhort, who am also an elder ...feed the flock of God which is amongyou . . . neither as being lords over

Page 9God's heritage, but being ensamples tothe flock" (I Pet. 5: 1-3) .To cause another human being toLOSE SALVATION is the most dastardlyact a person can commit! Notice whatJesus said of such an act: "But whososhall offend one of these little oneswhich believe in me, it were better forhim that a millstone were hanged abouthis neck, and that he were drowned inthe depth of the sea. Woe unto theworld because of offences [causing another to stumble-and go back into sin).'for it must needs be that offences come,but woe to that man bywhom the offensecometh!" (Matt. 18:6-7).The well-known 3rd chapter ofJames, the lesson on the evils of thecongue-i-of evil speaking and gossip-is directed primarily to those who TEACHOTHERS-the MINISTRY.""My brethren, be not many masters,"is better translated, "My brethren, do notmany of you become teachers!" (vs. 1),"... knowing that we shall receive the

greater condemnation {judgment}."Why? Simply because, as Paul said toTimothy, "Take heed unto thyself, andunto the doctrine; continue in them, forin doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (I Tim.4:16). The minister can help SAVEpeople by the RIGHT, DILIGENT, FAITH-FUL preaching of God's true word! Hecan also be responsible for sendingpeople straight to Gehenna fire by thewrong use of the pos it ion in which Godhas placed him!

It is because of that TREMENDOUSresponsibility that James said, "Don'tmany of you become teachers!"But!Anyone-be he false minister, professing teacher, deliberate liar, or innocen t lay member trying to "do good"to others, who teaches doctrines to anyother person which LEAD THAT PERSONASTRAY-comes under the condemnation of the word of God-which saysWOE unto that man! (Luke 17:1-2).And, perhaps even without realizingit, YOU could be teaching false doctrinesto another person! "Examine yourselves,whether ye be in the faith; prove yourown selves. Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,except ye be reprobates?" (I I Cor.13: 5). "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (I Cor.10:12).Perhaps many of the brethren havenot realized the gravity of the responsibil ity of being a steward of God's word.Many times, "old wives' tales" and cureails for petty ailments and afflictions arefreely passed out when one person learnsanother is sick. This could constitute avitally serious infraction against AL-mighty God-and against the sick brother or sister! These are just a few of the


10/12

Page 10

ways in which it is possible to cause abrother to stumble! But remember, God'sword is literally filled with fearsomeWARNINGS to any and all who wouldprcsllmptllotl.rlJ' SET THEMSELVDS UP as"teachers" of the people, when God hasnot specifically PLACED them in thatoffice!

How God Calls His ServantsMy father fully explained the principles of ordination in his art ic le ent it led,"Must God's Minis ters be Ordained bythe Hand of Man?"It is GOD who chooses and calls Hisservants. (Eph. 4: I 1 , I Cor. 12: 28). The

WAY He calls them needs to be definitelyunderstood!Not ice, Jesus said to His disciples,"Ye have not chosen me, bu t I bai:chosen y01l. ,md ordained you . . .J !(john IS: 16). When He was walkingby the Sea of Galilee, He said to Peterand Andrew, "FOLLOW ME. and I willmake you fishers of men" (Ma tt . 4:19).Notice, NOT ONE of Jesus' discipleswhom He called and ORDAINED to theministry CHOSE THEMSELVES!I want you to think t 'ery carefullyabout this next statement! It constitutesa great pr inciple of God's word-and avitally important KEY to be used in God'strue ministry!THERE !S NOTONE SINGLE FXAMP!F-ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE, WHEREA CA LLED A ND CHOSEN SERVANT OFGOD CAME FORWARD AND VOLUNTEERED FOR THE OFFICE!Moses argued that he was unfit forthe job. Jeremiah said he was too young.[onah ran a/l'ay, Samuel was direct lycalled of God, David knew nothing untilSamuel announced it to him. Al l of theprophets say, "The Word of the LordCAME unto . . ." them, not that theyvolunteered for the office!Jesus called and appointed His truedisciples. Daul was strucl: down by amiracle. Paul "took" Timothy unto him,and so it is throughout the history ofGod's Church. My father fought vigor-ourly against the truth of God beforeHe was finally called.However-after a person has beencalled into the Church, and becomes aSpirit -begotten child of God. it is no twrong. but rather a good thing if heDESIRES an office in the ministry ( I Tim.3: I) .

God \-Y'orks Through HumanInstruments

But Jesus said, "Wherefore by theirfruits ye shall know them! " (Matt.7: 20). The Scriptural QUALIFICATIONSimposed upon any person whom God isGllling to the ministry are so absolutelyRIGID that t here is no possibility of unqualified, uncalled and unt ra ined menb::ing ordained.

The GOOD NEWSOne great principle that seems so difficul t for some few to understand is thatthe Creator who gives us every breath ofair we breathe accomplishes His planhere below-yes, and even gouerns HiJChurch-THROUGH HUMAN BEINGSHIS INSTRUMENTS!God is now sending the Gospel of Hissoon-coming Government in to many

par ts of this darkened world. But He isnot yet shout ing with His own booming,earth-shaking voice-He is sending theGospel over the airwaves by the voiceof HIS HUMAN INSTRUMENT, Mr. Armstrong!He is seeing to it that YOU are receiving this magazine, to feed andnourish you in His truth, to warn youof impending dangers, to try to HELPeach hungry "babe in Christ" gain anent rance into His glorious Kingdom.But the rnag.zine is wri tt en, edited,typed, printed, and mailed by humaninstruments.It is the same in calling His ministry!Many have assumed the Apost le Paulwas the exception to the rule that ministers were always ordained through HUMAN INSTRUMENTS, by the lay ing onof the hands of the ministrv!That assumption is false!

Paul's OrdinationRead the account of Paul's ORDINA-TION by human instruments with your

own eyes!Turn to Acts, the 13th chapter . Here,you see the gathering of the elders atAntioch, and the ordination of Paul. Theentire account was explained in a former

article, but very briefly, remember thatPaul had been struck down on rh, roadto Damascus, blinded, and made wil lingto receive God's Spiri t through a realREPENTANCE!He was able to "preach Christ" tothe Jews at Damascus then, "provingtha t this is very Chr is t! " (Acts 9: 20 &22), But no tice that Paul was not aMINISTER-he was not an act ive member in the Governmental body of theChurch-he was merely doing whatANY OF YOU should be able todo--". . . be ready always to give ananswer to every man that aslset]: youa reason of the hope tha t is in you withmeekness and fear" (I Pel. 3: 15 ) .After this short "witnessing" thatJesus was t he t rue Christ, Paul went to

Arabia (Gal. 1: 17) and returned toDamascus (vs. 18). After three years(vs. 18), Paul then went down to TAR-SUS, the city of his birth. Prior to thistime, however, Paul had been with theother Apostles in Jerusalem, after Barnabas had told them of the miraculous wayin which God struck him down. Helearned from them, "And he was withthem coming in and going Out at Je ru salem" (Acts 9: 28).

September, 1957Just as God's ministers are actuaIlysent out to a local church to preachsermonettes-or perhaps even serve asacting Pastor for a period of t ime-so

PAUL was TRlJ:m AND PROVED in theactual ministry.Notice how Barnabas, also a discipleof the Church , la ter took Paul with h im

when he went to Antioch, and theytaught many people for another additional YEAR (Acts 11:25-26). It was onlyafter this t ime of actual minis te ri al experience and t ra ining - having beenalone wi th Christ in the desert-havingbeen under the direct supervision of theheadquarters church at Jerusalem, thentaken with Barnabas who was older inthe faith, to Antioch, that God finallyled His servants to ordain Paul!Notice, as the elders were ministeringto the Lord at Antioch, they wereFASTING (Acts 13: 2). During this time,as they were in fasting and prayerthe "Holy Spirit said, 'Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereuntoI have called them" (vs. 2).God's Holy Spirit directed theminds of His praying, fasting servants-H i s HUMAN INSTRUMENTS! For example, the Holy Spi rit said, "SeparateHerman Hoeh and Roderick Meredithunto me for the work whereunto I havecalled them!" He directly REVEALED toMr. Armstrong-who could see by theFRUITS being borne of these men, bythe ir consecration and dedication toGod' s work, by the need of the workby their spiritual leadership and qualifications that God was doing the calling!And so it was with the Apostle Paul!The ministers were told to "separate"Paul! A sctt i ; apar t or a "separation"for an office IS just another word forORDINATION! Not ice wha t happened!"And when they had fasted andprayed [as in all cases of ordinations],

AND LAID THEIR HANDS ONTHEM, they sent them away" (Acts13:3) .There is the record of the ordinationof the Apost le Paul BY HUMAN INSTRU-MENTS, in the exact same way Godalu/avs caIls and chooses His t rue ministers - after conversion, a number ofyears of Jtuely and preparation, actualfield testing and proving in the ministry,and final ordination when GOD shows Hisministers His will!False "Visions" and "Dreams"Some, however, who are always looking for ways to GET AROUND the setand established ways of their Creatorand RULER, want to "have their ownway," and so try to achieve t hei r owngoals by wrong means!Frequently, some will get a certain"Feeling" they are being called to theministry! Setting their heart on the ministry, they DECIDE God has called them


11/12

September, 1957to be His stewards-and begin to FORCETHEMSELVES IN! Notice, they have NOTbeen trained-have NOT fulfilled theDivinely imposed Scriptural qualifications , have NOT been observed, testedand proved by God s true ministersthey merely "make up their minds" andthen VOLUNTEER!BUT NONEOFGOD'S TRUE SERVANTSHAVE EVER VOLUNTEERED IN THISMANNER!Others have a "dream" and then cometo the ministers, telling them God iscalling them to the ministry! But WHOHAD THE DREAMS IN THE BIBLE? Theone being called? Or the human instrument used in the actual calling?Notice! In the case of the ApostlePaul, the miraculous vision on the roadto Damascus WAS ALSO COUPLED WITHA VISION WHICH APPEARED TO ANANIAS-a truly converted man, who wasalready in God's Church-whom Godused as the instrument in baptizing Paul.Ananias DID NOT ordain Paul-hemerely baptized him!God's t rue servants are not called byweird dreams and visions which Godkeeps HIDDEN from His already-calledand ordained officers of the Church.A lay member will not be called to theministry without the MINISTERS beingthe FIRST ONES TO RECOGNIZE IT-BEFORE THE LAY MEMBER EVER DOES!

A Host of "Volunteers"The Bible is also explicit on a whole

GROUP of men who "volunteered" forthe ministry, or a p rophet ic office, or aposit ion of leadersh ip in the congregation!"Now Korah . . . rose up beforeMoses, with certain of the children ofIsrael . . . against Moses and againstAaron , and said unto them, 'You taketoo much upon you, seeing ALL thecongregation are holy . . . wherefore thenl if t ye up YOURSELVES above the congregation?" (Nos. 16: 1-3).Notice! Moses and Aaron were accused of having APPOINTED THEM-SELVES and "lifting up themselves" overthe congregation! You and I know,however, that Moses and Aaron werecalled of God!But-as is nearly ALWAYS the casewhen a presumptuous petson tries toUSURP authority, he repudiates the officeof the one in the already-establishedposition, and accuses that person of having arrogated the office to himself!Let's never let this happen to any ofus! Notice the fearsome END of Korah!"... the ground clave asunder that wasunder them, and the ea rth opened hermouth, and swallowed them up, andtheir houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all thei r goods. . . and they perished from among thecongregation" (Numbers 16:31-33).

The GOOD NEWSS a t a l ~ "volunteered" to take over th eoffice of God! All the FALSE prophetsset themsetues up, claiming to be the

true prophets at God! Adonijah, Solomon s natr-brother, tned to set rumselfup as King over Israel, and was finallykrlled ror nis presumptuousness! Simon,the sorcerer, wanted the power of God,and wed to buy it wirn money! Petersaid, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought tha t the girt ofGod may be purchased with money ...thy HEART ISNOT RIGHT in the sight ofGod" (Acts 8:20-21).Any person woo tries to arrogate tobimset] an office of the minist ry joinsranks with Korah, wi.th Adonijah and allthe false prophets, and with Satan theDevil himself!Many Do Not Know Who Al l ofGod'sMinisters Are!As God has granted such wonderfulgrowth and neui vitality to HIS trueChurch , it has presented another problem we need to overcome!Many ot you brethren are in scatteredareas-and do not ready KNOW WhO allthe ministers are! Usually, we have always pnnted in the Gooa News Magazine an article about any ordinations thathave occurred-but many new membershave been brought in to the flock oftrue believers .10 recent months andyears, and they are unsure as to WHOis a minis ter, and who is not!For that reason, we grve you the following list, which comprises ALL theGod-called and ordained ministers, deacons and deaconesses in the True Church

of God for today!The one whom God has placed in theoffice of APOSTLE AND GENERAL PAS-TOR: Herbert W. Armstrong;

EVANGELISTS: Garner fe d Armstrong, Richard D. Armstrong, RaymondC. Cole, Herman L. Hoeh, Raymond F.McNair, Dr. C. Paul Meredith, Roderick C. Meredith, Norman A. Smith;PASTORS: Dean C. Blackwell, C.Wayne Cole;PREACHING ELDERS: James L. Friddle, Jr., David Jon Hill, H. Burk McNair,George A. Meeker, Jr., R. Carlton Smith,Kenneth R. Swisher, Gerald D. Waterhouse;LOCAL ELDERS: Richard Prince, Jr.,BasilWolverton;DEACONS: Alton B.Billingsley,WiddBoyce, Gene Carter, Oti s Cole, EddieEckert, Buck Hammer, Roy Hammer,Dave Henion, F. William Hornberger,A. R. Jantzen, James F. Kunz, MalcolmMarrin, H. A. Olson, A. N. Roesler, OtisRowell, I. E. Starkey, Dwight Webster;DEACONESSES: Mrs. Roy Hammer,Mrs. Annie Mann.There you have a complete list of all

the ordained ministers and officers inGod's true Church of this age! I hope

Page 11all of you are really REJOICING in thegrowth God is granting, and, as everyone of us should be, praying "ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, tha t he WIllsend for th labourers into his harvest"(Matt. 9:38).

Remember brethren, God's wordWARNS us of false teachers who willarise-and try to deceive many of YOU!You should not only pray for additionaltrue ministers to be called, bu t youshould also be di ligent ly praying thatGod will protect His flock-and protectYOU-from being deceived and led awayfrom His only true Church by a FA1.$Eminister.God's true ministers are ordained forthe GOOD of the flock, for the spiritualedification and growth of each One ofyou, "TILL we all come in the unity ofthe faith, and of the knowledge of theSon of God, unto a pe rfec t man, untothe measure of the stature of the fullnessof Christ !" (Eph. 4:13).

Are You "PuttingOff" Salvation?

(Continued from page 6)."And when he thus had spoken, hecried with a loud voice, 'LAZARUSCOME FORTH!'" (vs. 43). And a man

who had been DEAD four days walkedali've out of his tomb.Why was Christ able to speak onlya short, eleven-second prayer, and publically, in f ront of the people there, andstill perform one of His greatest miracles?Simply because He was FASTING andpraying constantly, nor just working upa temporary "spiritual att itude" to perform some great thing-not just "getnng in the mood" for a while. He wasin such constant communion with God,that He needed only to lift His eyesto heaven, and break off one conversation, with other human beings, and begin a new conversation - with HisHeavenly Father. Remember, Jesus isyour example.Bur, sadly enough, most of us don'thave the WILL POWER Jesus had. Weconstantly tell ourselves, "Well, I'm toohungry today, I'll pu t it off until tomorrow" or, "I've got too much work to do,that will require all my physical strength

- I ' l l pu t it off until later" or, "I won'thave a good opportunity to PRAY today,so the fasting would only be starving myphysical body for nothing-I'll wait until I 'm not so busy!" In JUSt this fashion,


12/12

Page 12you can drift rapidly into a state ofspiritual lethargy!GODSCHURCH ISNOT FASTING ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH!

The Leaky RoofThis type of neglect is about like thefarmer wnose root leaks. Always, whenhe is reminded about the holes in the

roof, he begins to reason, "Well, it's notraining now, and I've got so much elseto do-I ' l l pu t it off until tomorrow."Tomorrow comes, and then several tomorrows, until it finally rains, and he isforced to scatter several pots and pansaround in the house to catch the rainwater coming through the holes in theroof. He certainly can't get up on theroof in the rain, can he? And then-a fte r the rain has stopped, he thinksthere is no need to repai r the roof yet,because it isn't raining anymore!Are you like that farmer?Brethren, never forget that" ... the

time is come that judgment must beginat the house of God: and if it first beginat us, what shall the end be of them thatobey not the gospel of God?" (I Pet.4: 17). I f you're constantly puttingthings off until tomorrow, you're beingjudged on the strength of EMPTY PROMISES and HYPOCRISY! Rather than realworks being nored in your record, youhave a record filled with half-heartedpromises and "good intentions."Listen!GOOD INTENT;ONS are not going tosave one single soul from the damnation. of physical agonies and final spiritualdeath! I f they could, then God wouldallow almost the majority of the sinning,ignorant, degenerate humans on earthinto His glorious Kingdom! You'd betterge t busy while the sun is shining , andstop up that leaky roof-fill the gapsin your study and prayer habits, untilyou 're ready for the strongest typhoonsand hurricanes of temptation and persecution-because THEY ARE COMINGt

The Time Is NOW!Peter warns us ". . . the end of allthings IS AT HAND: be 'Ie thereforesober, and watch unto prayer!" (I Pet.

4:7). We are exhorted to be dil igent lyWORKING OUT our own salvation, withfear and trembling (Phil. 2: 12) and tobe putting off DAILY the traits and characteristics of the "old man" of sin!(Col. 3:9-10, I Cor. 15:31).Jesus illustrated this DAY-BY-DAY fightof the Christian when He said, "Sufficient unto t he DAY is the evil thereof"(Matt. 6:31). You've go t to conquertoday's problems TODAY - not makeempty promises about "get ting around"to it tomorrow!Christ tells us, "Let your loins begirded about, and your lights burning;And ye yourselves like zcnto men that

The GOOD NEWSwait for the Lord, when he wi ll returnfrom the wedding; that when he comethand knocketh, tiley may open unto himimmedtatetyl" (Luke 12;j5-36). Arewe going to say to Chr ist, "I'Ii get upand let you in tomorrow' at HIS coming?

" . . . I t any man will come alter me,let him deny himself, and take up hiscross DAILY, and follow me" (Luke9:23). Jesus said it is a day-to-day process! Notice the example at the bereans,who were so intrigued by the reachingof the Aposue Paul that they "searchedthe scriptures DAILY . . . THEREFOREmany at them believed" (Acts 17: 1112).Many are comforting themselves bytelling themselves, "I'm trying to quitthis or that . .. I'm in the process ofdoing what I know I shourd and, con

tent to be in a constant state of "trying,"they never seem to ge t around to rea.lyDOING anything about it!Notice how much emphasis Godplaces on doing things TODAY! "But ex-

hort one another daily, WHILE IT ISCALLED TODAY; lest any of you behardened through the deceitfulness ofsin" (Heb. 3:13).A Broad Principle

Perhaps this sounds like a simple key,a rudimentary truth, which is certainlyunderstood readily enough by the majority of God's people. But it is actuallymuch more than that! It constitutes atremendous, all-encompassing PRINCIPLE,which, IF REALLY PRACTICED, willresult in eternal life!

QUIT PUTTING THINGS OFF-AS OF NOW.Had you promised yourself yuu wouldpray more today? THEN DO IT! STOPreading this ar ticle right now! It willstill be here when you return-butTIME is passing! Go to your closet orbedroom NOW and pray, if you had intended to do so. Learn this lesson onceand for all-DON'T PUT THINGS OFF, ifyou intend to enter God's Kingdom!

You can return and finish this articlelater-but you probably WON'Ttake timeto PRAY later.God tells us the coming of Chr ist isjust around the corner in world affairs!It's much later than most of us think!Have YOU been so securely self-satisfied

HOLY DAY CALENDARFall 1957

Festival of Trumpets, Thursday, Sept ember 26 .Day of Atonement, fast day, Saturday,October 5.Festival of Tabernacles, begins sunset,\'V'ednesday, October 9; ends sunset,\'V'ednesday, October 16.Last Great Day, Thursday, October 17.

September, 1957in the knowledge of prophecy God hasrevealed that you reason in your mindt ha t Chr is t probably won't come foranother FIFTEEN YEARS or more? Haveyou begun to REASON tha t there remainsPLENTY of time-and said to yourself,"I LL REALLY pu t on the pressure rightdown in the last few years - there'splenty of time yet - I'll pu t off overcoming until tomorrow?" Probably youhave.'But God says to cast down reasoningsand face the truth! (I I Cor. 10:5) ."But ye, brethren, are not in darkness,

t ha t t ha t day should overtake you as athief. Y c arc all the children of light,and the chi ldren of the DAY: we are notof the night , nor of darkness. Thereforelet us not sleep, as do others, but let uswatch and be sober!" (I Thes. 5:4-6) .Yet many of you ARE asleep!I know some of you BY NAME-and,the chances are, YOU KNOW that I know,and that other ministers know, and thatothers of the congregation know! BUT

what is MOST important-GOD KNOWS!Are you going to continue "kiddingyourself' that you'll begin putting onthe pressure later? Some of you havebeen physically associated with God'sChurch for YEARS-ANV HAVH NOTGROWN!Every time you put off until tomorrowwhat you could accomplish today, youare weakening-and possibly even DESTROYING part of your character! AndCHARACTER is the very reason for life!CHARACTER iswhat you should take withyou into God's Kingdom!

Brethren-DON'T let this be " jus t another interesting article" to you! DON'rread it, agree with it, and then forgetabout it! D O ~ < ' T allow Satan to deceiveyou that you're all right spiritually!You KNOW you're not!

Then, in the name of Christ ourSaviour, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT -NOW! DON'T PUT IT OFF ANYLONGER!

Work GoesForward

(Continued from page 4)especially of the local congregat ionsthrough a regular "Church News" column. We welcome your suggestions,your comments, and any local churchnews that you wish to contribute to thiscolumn.Let us know how God is blessing,healing and strengthening each of youin the local congregations-and you scattered brethren as well. Let us all come torealize more fully that-wherever wea1'e-we are members of God's Church ,brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 09) Sep_w

Documents

Transcript of Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 09) Sep_w