Good News 1953 (Vol III No 07) Aug_w

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o fG O D

National Magaz,ne

CHURCH O F

The

THE

VOL. III, NUMBER 7 AUGUST, 1953

Come to the TABERNACLEMany of you wish to see the Tabernacle being built at Gladewater,

Texas. Here's the right way to do it.

by Roderick C. Meredith

HAVE you seen the Tabernacle thatis being constructed for God'speople near Gladewater, Texas?

If not, then you're missing somethingbig!Most of you have heard and read

about this inspiring project, and you areprobably anxious to see it. When shouldyou come? How can you afford to makethe trip? Why should you come?The answers to these questions are

far more important than you may realize!

Purpose of Tabernacle

As Mr. Armstrong has explained, thechief purpose of this large Tabernacleis to enable God's children to conveneat the annual Holy Days as He hascommanded. This world's churches havetheir man-devised "camp meetings" at atime and in a way that seems right to

man. But we have proved in past articles- and will continue to do so--that theannual sabbaths or feast days God gaveHis people were commanded and intended to be kept forever (Lev. 23:21,31, 41). Christ set us a perfect examplein keeping them, and the apostles continued keeping them and even commanding Gentile converts to keep thesedays of God (1 Cor. 5:8).The world is busy observing the

paganholidays of Christmas and Easter.Its camp meetings are organized anddirected as man reasons-not as God

commands. Then it sneers at the daysGod has made holy-at the festivals theCreator instituted to keep men in remembrance of His true plan.Carnal menscoffingly, sneeringly call these days"Jewish" and they ridicule them as theinvention of a harsh, inconsiderate "Godof the Old Testament." They seem toforget that Christ and the apostles keptthese days in the New Testament. Theyignore the fact that God calls these days"MY sabbaths"-holy unto the Lord!These days are never referred to as

being "holy to the Jews." But they areholy to the Eternal Creator who givesyou every breath of air you breathe. Youare defying Him i f you refuse to keepthem! In so doing, you will lose knowledge of the true God and of His planwhich is pictured by these days.In their disobedience, the churches

of this world have lost knowledge ofGod's plan of salvation. They preachmany different gospels. They are inconfusion-"Babylon" (Rev. 17)-andwe are commanded to "come out" of thismixed-up, deceived churchianity (Rev.18:4).

God's Way

Many of you brethren have come outof this world, and thea have found yourselves unable to have fellowship withany of God's people. It is often impossible to meet with other true brethren onthe weekly Sabbath. You must simply

worship God alone "in Spirit and intruth." BUT God's annual Sabbaths orholy days provide an opportunity totravel even some distance and havethat needed fellowship with other members of the true church of God.These festive occasions are command

ed to be kept in the place that Godshould choose., Deuteronomy 16:16shows particularly that the days of Unleavened Bread (wi th the Passover,verse 6), the day of Pentecost, and theFeast of Tabernacles were all to be keptwhere God would choose.When God first revealed the truth

about His Holy Days toMr. Armstrong,He soon caused Belknap Springs, Oregon, to become available for holding theFeast of Tabernacles. This happened ina most unusual way, and we were permitted the use of this resort only aslong as it was suitable-exactly sevenyears. Then God directed His servant,Mr. Armstrong, to choose SeiglerSprings, California, as the ideal place forthe Feast last year. But we all knew thatSeigler Springs was only a stopoverlocation until God led us to a placebetter adapted in every way for use inholding these annual festivals.And now GOD HAS DONE SO!

As Mr. Armstrong has reported indetail, we have now come into possession of properties in northeast Texas,near Gladewater, and are buildingthere a Tabernacle in which to hold



Page2

services at these annual convocations.This property is in the very center ofour heaviest listening area for the broadcast. It has much natural beauty, a warmclimate similar to that in Palestine, andis ideal in every way for holding God'sannual festivals!To one who knows the facts, this ;s

God's selection-s-God's way!

A Duty and Privilege

At last we have been blessed witha place owned by God, deeded in Hisname through the Radio Church ofGod. It is the location that is closest tothe greatest number of you brethren.God has brought this about so that allof us may worship and rejoice t o g ~ t h e rin the annual festivals He has ordained,

The three great feasts of the year arethe Passover with the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the Feastof Tabernacles. God commands the convened men to attend these three feasts

(Deut, 16:16). As the heads and representatives of the households, the men'spresence is absolutely commanded. AndGod's word shows in Deut, 12:5-7 andother places that the entire familyshould try to attend these festivals.These occasions are not man-made.

They are holy convocations-COMMANDED ASSEMBLIES! (Lev. 23:7, 21, 35)God does nut say "if" you want tocome. He orders you to attend. D? youthink your Creator has the authority toorder you to do something? Apparentlysome of you brethren have not fullyrealized the seriousnessof this command.

May God help you to be zealous inobeying Him!Besides being the command of a lov

ing God, attending these festivals is agreat joy and privilege. God &ave thesedays tor our good-that we might cometo know Him better, to know and lovethe brethren, and that the true church ofGod might be bound together.Many of you whom we have met .on

baptizing tours say that you would g t ~ eanything to experience the joy and thrillof meeting with more of God's ownchildren-the type of humble, sincere,God-fearing people with whom you canfreely discuss God's word in love and

harmony.Attending God's annual festivals is

His solution-the Bible solution-the

right way to solve this problem! Youwill have to experience the Feast ofTabernacles before you can fully realizethe joy, peace, happiness and the spirit

\ 1 ~ J "life" on e feels at this f p s t i v ~ LFor every true Christian, it is both a

duty and a priceless blessing and privilege to attend these spiritual "feasts."

How to Afford I t

God has not only provided, but also

The GOOD NEWS

commanded a way to make i t financiallypossible for everyone to keep His HolyDays!

It is a way which requires continualEFFORT and determination from trueChristians. But i f we are to be OVER-

cOMERS-and they only will be priestsand kings in the Kingdom of Godthen we will have to exercise enoughstrength of character and will to obeythis command of God. Actually it worksno real hardship, but brings a great blessing to ourselves and others. I t is a waythat builds faith, hope, and patient love.What does God command?God commands us in Deuteronomy

14:22-27 to save a special or secondtithe, to go to the place God selects foreach of His festivals, and to rejoice inthem. This second tithe is for expensemoney to enable us to keep God's annual Holy Days. In ancient Israel mostof the money was spent for food there,as the expense for traveling was almost

nothing. Today, however, out greatestexpense is often transportation ratherthan food. As the purpose of this secondtithe is to enable us to attend the festivals, we will often spend a good portionin transportation.This second or special tithe should be

saved out of each pay check or bit ofincome. It should be set aside regularlyand saved as expense money to enableyou and the convened members of yourfamily to attend God's feasts.That is God's way--God's command!Do you think it will be impossible to

do what God says? Certainly not! Allthrough your Bible, God has promisedblessings on those who obey Him. AndGod keeps His promises! We will actually be better off financially and everyother way if we obey these commands.Be sure to stan saving this tithe

immediately so you can attend the Feastof Tabernacles and God's other feaststhis year! It may require determinationand sacrifice,but that is the very way todevelop character. And you'll be blessedin every way i f you do.

Not the First Tithe

Please do not confuse this secondtithe, especially for these occasions,with

the first tithe which God has commandedus to render to His true ministers forproclaiming to the whole world theGospel. Unlike the second tithe, thefirst tenth or tithe of our income belongsto God. He created all things and isonly permittingman to use this materialworld anyway. "The earth is the Lord's,and the fulness thereof; the world, andthey that dwell therein" (Ps. 24: 1).In Numbers 18:21 we read that God

gave a tenth or "tithe" of Israel's incometo the Levites for an inheritance. Thistithe does not belong to us, it is the

August, 1953

inheritance of God's ministry. Todaythe priesthood has been changed (Hebrews 7: 12) - the ministry of CHRIST

superseding the Levitical priesthoodso we now pay our tithes to God's representatives, Christ's true ministers, forthe gospel work ( I Cor. 9:14).In Malachi 4:8-12, it says that we are

robbing God if we fail to render toHim (through His true servants) tithesAND offerings. Most people in this confused world don't even realize this. Butonce we have the knowledge of thetruth, we had better repent and begin toobey God in this matter. It is all for ourown good though. As we just read inMalachi, if we do obey God by payingour tithes and giving offerings-He willbless us abundantly. But God does wantus to be willing to obey Him, and toput that ahead of our own selfish desires.In Deuteronomy 14:22-27, we find

that our Creator commands us to lay bya second tithe of our increase or income

and go to the place which God haschosen. From this tithe we ourselvesare to eat, drink, and rejoice in this place- the place God has chosen for Hisannual Holy Days are to be held.We setaside this special tithe (or tenth) of ourincome every year in order that wemight have the expense money to attendand to rejoice with the brethren.Notice it saysin verse 23, "and THOU

shalt eat before the Lord thy God . . ."This tithe is to be spent on yourself

-no t for the ministry. Since there is acommanded tithe for the ministry, thismust be another, different tithe.In the twelfth chapter of Deuterono

my, this special tithe is mentioned inverses6, 11 and 17 along with the offerings Israel used to bring. Here againthis second or special tithe is for youto use at the place which God haschosen for you to appear before Himon these annual Holy Days.Yes, God has provided a method by

which we can keep His festivals IF weare willing to do our pan! It isn't diffi-cult once we try. God has promised tocare for our every need (I Peter 5:1) .And it we love the brethren we won'tfail to do it.Are we going to followChrist or not?

Let every one examine his own heart!

Use \X!isdom

Let's use the minds God has enr'owedus with to carry out these commands ina reasonable manner. Deut, 14:22 statesthat you shall tithe the increase of yourseed.Then it is certainly permissible foryou farmers to bring some of your produce or canned goods to the feasts insteadof money.Sad as it sometimes is, with some

families,the second tithe jmt hasn't been(Please continue on page 6)



•1nGOVERNMENT

Our Church

When Jesus founded our church-Cod's Church-did He permit us todecide how the church should be run? Who heads the church and directsits work-the congregation, Mr. Armstrong, or Jesus Christ? Are wefree to establish any kind of church government-or no governmentat all, if it pleases us? Let's learn the TRUTH on this vital question!

by Herman L. Hoeh

JESUS gave his disciples the trueform of government for His church-ou r church.

The true gospel is the good news ofthe kingdom-the government of God.

God is Supreme Ruler. From Him proceeds ALL authority and power.

The true church-our church-is sub-ject to God. The authority of God mustbe carried out in our church to whichthe gospel of the kingdom or govern-ment of God is committed.

What Kind of Government?

We, who have separated from theworld, have come to realize that societyis organized in hundreds of forms ofhuman government-man ruling man.Even the churches are organized withdifferent types of human government

the congregational, the presbyterian, orthe episcopal forms. Some are controlled by boards of men, others are runby one-man dictatorships.Naturally, we have assumed that ifwe

arc to come out of the world and beseparated from it, as Jesus commanded,then we must reject all authority orrule. It seems most of us take for granted that there should be no governmentin the church.

What we have failed to grasp is notthat all government is wrong, but thathuman government-of man rulingman-is wrong. When we repented ofbreaking God's laws and surrendered to

obey Him, we were putting ourselvesunder God's government, his powerand authority, whether or not we realizedit!The whole issue confronting the

world at this very crucial moment inhistory is whether it will obey God'sgovernment or man's government,The very fact that there IS · human

government proves that there is alsoDIVINE government-theocracy. I f therewere no divine authority, there wouldhave been no need for numerous formsof counterfeit human administrations.

The gospel of the kingdom is thegood news of God's government. Thechurch is composed of the advanceagents, the emissaries, of that government. To inherit and rule in that king

dom we must come under the authorityof the rule of God now, in this lifetime.

Source of Common Error

Especially in the United States, ithas become that accepted teaching thatauthority was established to be flaunted and disobeyed. From childhood wewere allowed to disobey our parents.We grew up seeing our friends andneighbors laugh and joke about anyonebearing authority-from the presidentof the Uaired States to the teachers ingrade schools.To do as we please and to despise

authority have become the accepted philosophy. Even after conversion, most, ofus have carried this same philosophywith us into the church. That's why wemisunderstand the teachings of Jesus onchurch government. It's time we expelled this false philosophy from ourthinking.Notice Jesus' own words in Luke

22:25-26. He is contrasting the government in the church with the wrong kindof human administration."And he said unto them, The kings

of the Gentiles exercise lordship overthem; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefac

tors."Isn't this a perfect description of

Gentile dictatorships today? Dictatorsexercising lordship, claiming to be benefactors!"But you shall not be so," said Jesus

to the disciples. Here Jesus is givingthe principle of divine go·vernment

God's government for our church.Notice it! There is to be no exer

cising of lordship by human will andhuman desire. But does Jesus say thereis to he no government, no difference inauthority? Let's read what He con-

tinues to say-what most people haveoverlooked!

Right Principle of Government

"But HE THAT IS GREATEST AMONG

YOU, let him be as the younger; andHE THAT IS CHIEF, as he that dothserve. For," said Jesus, "I am amongyou as he that serveth"-yet he was theirLord and Master!So there are differences in authority

in God's government; some are greaterthan others; some are chief. But theyact as servants of God, not as lords overGod's heritage.Do we grasp the all-important sig

nificance of this teaching? Do we reallyunderstand the great meaning of it?Among God's people, in His churchour church-there are some who carry

greater responsibility and authority. Butthey exercise their power as the servantsof God for the other members of thechurch.Far from prohibit ing all authority,

Jesus sanctioned the r ight kind of government-Gad's rule, theocracy-for

our church!

WHY Church Government?

God's government in His church ismerely His rule over our lives. It is themeans by which He guides the work ofthe church and perfects its members.

Notice how clearly Paul explainedthe need of God's authority in the

church.What is the purpose of the ministry?

"For the perfecting of the saints"-tomake us complete in understanding thewill of God; "for the work of the min-istry"-to carry out the gospel to thewhole world; "for the edifying of thebody of Christ"-tO correct, to instructand to improve the whole church "tillwe all come in the unity of the faith,and of the knowledge of the Son ofGod, unto a perfect man."God's rule in our church is to direct

the work of the gospel, to keep you



Page 4 The GOOD NEWS August, 1953

HerbertW. Armstrong

Publisher ana Editor

Address communications to the Editor,Box 111, Pasadena, California.

Copyright, August, 1953By the Radio Chu rch of God

The national magazine of

THE CHURCH OF GOD

m in is te ri ng to its m em be rsscattered abroad, and

r ep or ti ng on c am pu s h ap pe ni ng sat Ambassador College

among themselyes by uyiug tv build unone another's foundation as some woulddo today (Rom. 15:20). They did notcompete with one another or take disciples from another.However, it is in the experiences of

Paul that we find the detailed operationof God's government, since little is recorded with regard to the work of thetwelve apostles in Judea and nothingof their ministry to the ten tribes ofIsrael.

How God Operated Through Paul

Always Paul spoke of what God hadwrought through his labors (Acts15:12). Paul the apostle was subjectto Christ, so yielded to God that Jesuscould make His will known to him andcould use him in directing the work ofthe church and the preaching of thegospel. More than once Paul wanted togo one place or do one thing, but Jesusordered otherwise (Acts 16:6) .

Thus we find the government of Godoperating rhrough Jesus who used Pauland the other apostles as direct representatives bearing His authority. Paulwas not free to go and to act as hepleased.Next, in government authority, we

find the evangelists-Timothy, Tirus,Demas, Silas and many others-who directly assisted the apostle Paul as hewas directed by Christ. Paul had theauthority when necessary to c om ma ndSilas and Timothy to go wherever hedesignated (Acts 17:15); although inother instances when duties were not

imperative, Paul sometimes left it tothe convenience of the evangelists (ICor. 16:12). Paul was not a dictator.Even though evangelists were next

in authority under the apostles, next inspiritual order and above the evangelistsare listed the prophets (I Cor. 12:28).Often in the Bible, prophet meanspreacher Ot poet. But in the New Testament history there are several instancesmentioned in which prophets-both

men and women-were used to foretellby special and personal revelation fromGod (Acts 11:27-30; 21:9-10). Theyspoke and exhorted the brethren and, if

men, sometimes preached, although notusually evangelistic for the purpose ofraising up churches.Those who evangelized had authority

over local churches, whereas the prophets had no government office or authority. Even in the Old Testament,where both men and women were usedas prophets, none of the prophers hadgovernment authority unless they werealso judges. In the New Testament,the only prophets with government authority were also apostles, evangelists,or elders (Acts 15:32; I Tim. 4:14).

(Please continue on page 7)

TO THE NATION & CANADA:

SUNDAYS ONLYDURING SUMMER

XEG-l050 on dial, new time,8 :30 P.M. Central Standardtime.

Other stations at usual time.

Herbert W. Armstrong analyzes today's news, with the prophecies ofThe WORLD TOMORROW!

TO ALL OF EUROPE:RADIO LUXEMBOURG-4:15 P.M.

-Thursdays Luxembourg time.

"The WORLD TOMORROW"

RADIO LOG

New Testament not only in Acts, but

also in Paul's epistles.

New Testament Example

In the historic record of the early

church, we find that God ruled thechurch by Jesus Christ, its Head (Eph,5:23). JESUS IS THE HEAD OF OUR

CHURCH TODAY!

Christ directed the church throughthe apostles who were chosen directlyby Him (Luke 6:13). The apostleswere His direct representatives, His

delegates, sent into the world as ambassadors bearing authority. The wordapostle means "one sent bearing authority:' The apostles were instruments inJesus' hands, through which He couldspread the gospel, correct, reprove andlead the church.Among the twelve apostles, Peter was

pre-eminent, although they all heldequality of office. Peter had no one-mandictatorial authority over the other elev

en. Peter was never a pope. The sameauthority vested in Peter was also vestedby Jesus in the other apostles (Mat.16:19; 18:18 and John 20:23). YetPeter was their leader because he wasborn with special leadership qualities.Jesus gives spiritual talents accordingto the natural talents with which a person is born.Paul, himself, said that Jesus entrust

ed Peter with the direction of the gospelto Israel as Jesus has entrusted Paulwith the direction of the gospel to theGentiles (Galatians 2:7 and 8) . But inanother place we find that the apostles

sent Peter and John to Samaria, althoughPeter may have suggested this (Acts8: 14). His gifts carried the greatestweight in the church and would havebeen especially helpful to the newlyconverted Samaritans. Among the twelvethere must have been such a spirit ofpeace and love that they had perfectharmony without jealousy in equality ofrank and office. They did not quarrel

NUMBER 7OL. III

from being "carried about with everywind of doctrine" through the craftinessof cunning men who are already tryingto enter in among you to deceive you(Eph. 4:12.14).Nuw let's um!erstaud exactly what

kind of authority Jesus established forour church today.

New Testament Instruction

Our knowledge of church government must come from the New Testament; for after the historic book ofActs closes there is a gap of more thanfifty years after which we find changed

doctrines, changed customs and achanged form of government-humanrule instead of divine-s-in the churchesof this world.In the New Testament there are two

sources through which we learn theform of God's administration: 1) instruction, and 2) example.Let us notice first the instruction

from Jesus Christ about church officersand administration as found in I Corinthians 12:28."AmI God"-not man, but God-

"has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teach

ers, after that mira\Jes, then gifts ofhealings, helps, governments, diversitiesof tongues."The most complete list of the gifts

of spiritual administtation, however,is found in Ephesians 4: 11. "And He(Jesus) gave some, apostles; and some,prophets; and some, evangelists; andsome, pastors and teachers."Again, we observe that Paul, under

inspiration, mentions bishops (elders)and deacons as church officersin 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. Before weexamine these offices and gifts in detail,let us also notice the example of the



WHO Should Perform the

Marriage Ceremony?Does it make any difference who performs the marriage ceremony?Is it right that our young people should go to a justice of the peaceor a minister of any denomination? Here is what young people

NEED to know!

by Herman L. Hoeh

AWEDDING is undoubtedly the mostdelightful event young peopleexperience. It is the moment for

which they have waited, perhaps months,or maybe years.You parents experiencedthe same joys when you were married,

didn't you?Mothers, especially, can't keep fromthe natural desire to live over againtheir marriages in their daughters. JUSt

ask any husband!Yet wi th all the joys, anticipations

and hopes-as God intended marriageto be-there is also the SERIOUS sideof marriage. Responsibility comes withit-financial, emotional, parental andspiritual problems present themselves.Marriage is indeed the most seriousphysical union in which human beingscan be united. But how few understandwhat is involved before they are married!

World in Confusion

As our church is growing constantlyeach year, we are confronted withyoung people who inevitably do as Godintended-they want to marry. It thusis becoming one of our great responsibilities to teach and train and prepareour young people who are anticipatingmarriage. How many of you wish now

that you had understood what marriageand life were all about when you wereyoung!The very first principle which all

children, and especially young couples

planning to marry, should realize is thatGOD ORDAINED MARRIAGE. He is theAuthor of this physical union. It is to

Him that we should ultimately look foradvice and counsel. He is the One whohas explained WHY marriage has beenordained, WHAT its duties are. It is toGod that we must ga i f we are to understand the truth about marriage ceremonies and WHO should perform them.Let's understand what the Bible re-

ueals about this most important union.The world is in confusion. Each State

has its own marriage laws. Every de-

nomination has its opinion about whatconstitutes marriage. But almost no oneseems to understand the significance ofthe Biblical revelation that God is theAuthor of marriage. Human beings goto human courtS of law, they go to rep

resentatives of this world-justices ofthe peace and worldly ministers-tohave the marriage ceremony performed.Most everyone believes that some official of this world "binds" husband andwife.Isn't that exactly how most of you

were married? Of course, God, recognizing your hearts, did bind you. You weremarried, bu t it was God and not man,by the authority of a sovereign State,who bound you till death.But is this the way God intended

marriage to be solemnized? Now thatyou know the TRUTH, would you havethe marriage ceremony performed in

that manner-eontrary to God's will?God has overlooked our past mistakes,

but let us teach our children the rightway so they won't make the same mistakes.

Is a Ceremony Wrong?

Some people who carelessly read theBible have arrived at the mistaken notion that all ceremony is wrong.Jesus attended a wedding at which

he performed his first miracle-turning

water into wine. The church is to bemarried to Christ at a "marriage supper,"-a ceremony. It is a matter of the kind

of ceremony that is important. God ap-proves and sanctions ceremony, but notthe ritualistic practices that attendworldly social ceremonies which haveno other purpose than exciting prideand vanity.

The TRUE Marriage Ceremony

No t every detail in the marriageceremony is revealed, bu t we can understand the .principles. God was presentat the first marriage-He brought Eveto Adam and gave her to be his wife.There was a time of festive rejoicing

at the marriage of Jacob (Gen. 29:22) .A simple ceremony is absolutely nec

essary to avoid the evils of fornication,adultery, bigamy and kindred practicesthat would result without a ceremony.Marriage is a union, involving vows,

which is BOUND BY GOD through prayer(Matt. 19:6). It is a setting apart oftwo young people to become husbandand wife. Throughout the Bible, inceremony, there is the constant exampleof setting apart for special purpose byPRAYER TO GOD and LAYING ON OF

HANDS (Num, 27:18-23; Acts 6 :6;8:18).

How plain it is, then, that the marriage ceremony ought to be performedby one who stands as God's representa-tive, since it is God who binds.The ceremony ought to be performed

by one whom God hears-one of God'sministers whose prayers God will an-

swer. How foolish to go to some onewhom God doesn't hear to have theceremony performed, and then go to

God's minister to ask him for God'sblessing.The true ceremony should be per

formed by laying on of the minister'shands on the clasped hands of the couple and, through prayer to God, askingGod to bind the couple according toHis Word (Matt. 19:6) . Of course, alllegal requirements of the State shouldbe attended to also.

Young People Need Counsel

Before marriage, more than any othertime, young people need advice. Mostof you who are parents have come torealize this by hard experience. Youprobably didn't have the kind of counsel you really needed. God did not intend that young people should go toministers who do not even know the lawof God for advice on problems whichinvolve some of the most importantspiritual and physical laws which Godordained.

But how are young people-perhaps(Please continne on page 8)



~ e s t i o n r:BoxYour questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to have

discussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's church.

Page 6

What Should You Do with Your

Copies of The PLAIN TRUTH andThe GOOD NEWS?

You are very fortunate, indeed, i f youhave preserved all your copies of thePLAIN TRUTH and the GOOD NEWS.

Many of you have not been able to doso, either because friends to whom youhave loaned copies never returned them,or because you have not fully realizedWHY you need to reta in them.Beginning wi th the July numbers, a

new policy has been adopted, whichMr. Armstrong explained in the last issue of the GOOD NEWS. The GOOD NEWSbecomes the national magazine of our

church-the medium in print throughwhich we can FEED THE FLOCK.

The GOOD NEWS contains articles ofspecial importance which you need tostudy and restudy constantly. Without

back copies to which you can refer, youwill not "be ready ALWAYS to give ananswer to every man who asks you areason" for the true faith that God hasrevealed to His church. By experiencewe know that unless you do restudy thearticles you will gradually forget whatyou have read! The GOOD NEWS is also

Come to Tabernacle(Continued from page 2)

enough to get them to the Feast ofTabernacles. In this case, those havingmore than enough second tithe shouldhelp those who lack. Remember, Goddoesn't expect the poor to save morethan their small tenth, bu t they must dotheir part! God often blesses othershowever, with a larger tenth so they canhelp those who have less.

We find in Acts 4:32-35 that theearly church helped its needy membersand we try to follow this principle. If.

there is not enough second t ithe to takethe entire family to the three greatfeasts, then just the man, as head of thefamily, should go (Deut, 16:16). The

other members of the family are expected if circumstances permit, and Godwill help us work it out in time if wedo our part. Of course, if the husband isan unbeliever, the wife should certainlycome anyway.

Tithe for the Poor

In reading the reference given inDeut. 14:22-27, some of you may havewondered about the meaning of verses28-29. In these verses, God is command-

The GOOD NEWS

of immense help in teaching your children. It will encourage them to studythe Bible. That is WHY you need to retain every copy.

The PLAIN TRUTH is now the evangelistic magazine to the world. It isedited especially for the public, but youneed to study its s triking articles onprophecy, general Christian living anddoctrine.Although you must NOT give or loan

copies of The GOOD NEWS, becausepeople may become offended by the"strong meat," you should feel free togive or loan copies of The PLAIN TRUTH

to sincerely interested friends. I f yourcopy is not returned to you, be sure to

write us for another copy so you willhave a complete file of all issues of ThePLAIN TRUTH.

The most satisfactory method of preserving the magazines is to buy a binderin which you can insert each new issue.You can punch two or three holes inthe margin of each copy, according tothe style binder you purchase. Whenyou want to study any particular number, you can easily remove it. So besure, from now on, to preserve everycopy of both magazines!

ing another, altogether different tithe.

Now don't be shocked! You may nothave known it before, but God wants usto save one more tithe every third yearto help the poor and needy! This isGod's way of providing money forcharitable purposes.In both Deut, 14:28-29 and Deut,

26:12-15 we find this tithe commanded.It used to be set aside in every walledcity, "within thy gates" (Deut, 26: 12).But now many poor are so far awaythat we simply send it wherever needed.This third tithe is to be saved onlyevery third year.Since the laws of letting the land

rest, releasing the poor debtors, etc. werebased on a cycle of seven years, we areto save this special tithe in the thirdand sixth years out of every seven yearperiod. None of you were really God'schildren-spiritually Israelites (Gal. 3:29) -unt i l you were converted andbaptized. So you won 't save this thirdtithe until the third year after you wereconverted.Remember tha t this tithe is for the

poor and needy. I f YOlt are really infinancial straits God does not expectyon to saue this t ithe ! This is a matterbetween you and God alone, and you

August, 1953

should be honest about it before Him.This tithe is for the poor, not from

the poor!And remember that this special tithe

is only to be saved every third and sixthyear out of seven.Some of you may think that paying

God's (not yours!) first tithe to Hiswork, saving a second tithe with which

to attend His feasts, and, every thi rdyear only, saving an additional thirdtithe to give the poor and needy isgoing to be impossible. That's what theworld believes! But we are not of theworld but of the household of faith.Do you think God has commanded

you to do something which He knowsyou will be unable to perform? NO!

Those of us who have saved these threetithes know by EXPERIENCE that Godis able to bless us sufficiently tha t weabound to every good work (I I Corinthians 9:6-8). He is doing it this moment for many of the brethren and he

will do it for you. You JUSt do YOUR

par t, and God will be faithful to do HIS!

Historical Example

A most convincing example from areliable historical source of how theJews paid these tithes is given in thebook of Tobit. This book is found inthe Apocrypha-a collection of Jewishhistory and wntings covering and extending beyond the period between theOld and New Testaments.These writings were not inspired but

they give us much reliable information.Tobit was a man of the tribe of Naph

tali, which was among the ten tribes ofIsrael taken captive by Assyria. He continued to keep the commandments ofGod even after the rest of his tribe beganoffering sacrifices to Baal and leavingtheir land of captivity for NorthwesternEurope where Isr ...el is today.In the thi rd paragraph of the book of

Tobit, he tells us, "But I alone wentmany a time to Jerusalem for the festivals, as the Scripture commands all Israel with an everlasting decree, takingwith me the first fruits and the tenthpart of my crops and my first shearings,and I would give them to the priests.the sons of Aaron, at the altar. A tenthpart of all my produce I would giveto the sons of Levi, who officiated atJerusalem, and another tenth I wouldsell, and go and spend the proceeds inJerusalem each year, and a thirdtenth I would give to those to whom itwas fitting to give it, as Deborah mygrandmother had instructed me-for Iwas left an orphan of my father."Thus we see that the Israelites had

always understood that they were tosave all three tithes, and that each onewas to be used for a different purpose.God's commandments are not hidden



August, 1953

from anyone who sincerely desires to

know the truth.Are you living by every word of God?

Let us obey our own spiritual Father bykeeping His annual Holy Days and saving the tithes that He has commanded!

The Great Blessings

Obeying these commands of God willbring greater blessings than you haveever experienced! Hundreds of you havewritten us asking, "How can we havefellowship with other true believers"?God in His infinite wisdom knew thatHis children should congregate for instruction and fellowship. That is why

God blessed us by giving us His annualfestivals.Saving your second tithe will make

the joyous privilege of attending thesefestivals possible. Because God has commanded this special tithe, He is boundto help you fulfill this command. I f youdo YOUR part, you can know that God

will enable you to attend His HolyDays!Do you realize what this means?It means that God is commanding us,

instructing us-and will BLESS us thatwe may take a vacation in joyous fellowship with His people! This is thetime to take your vacation. It is a timewhen God will make it possible for allHis children to rest from their regularduties and to worship and rejoice together in His festivals.So by all means come to the Taber

nacle!

When? At the time God has se t -

at His three great spir itual feasts eachyear.How? By setting aside your second

tithe regularly which God has commanded that you use in attending His HolyDays.Why? Because your Creator knows

that you need the spiritual fellowshipmade possible by these festivals. He hascommanded you to attend.Honestly, you can't afford NOT to at

tend God's festivals! Write us if youwish future help and information onGod's festivals. Also be sure to writeus if you plan to attend so that all arrangements can be made in advance.

God has made your presence possibleif you do your part! Are you willing?Government in

Our Church(Continued tram page 4)

The evangelists, under the directionof Paul the apostle, preached-evange

list means an announcer of good news-made converts, established localchurches and appointed elders anddeacons (Titus 1:5) , and visited esrab-

The GOOD NEWS

lished churches (Phil. 2: 19-20) with

authority over local officers.The apostlePaul commanded Timothy to reproveand rebuke publicly any elder thatsinned so that the congregation wouldfear to do wrong (I Tim. 5:19-20).The evangelists ministered to the brethren, corrected them and encouragedthem whenever and wherever it was im

possible for the apostle Paul.

Government in Local Congregations

Jesus commissioned the apostles topreach the gospel to the world and gavethem the assistance of evangelists. ButHe also told Peter to "feed my sheep"(John 21:15-17).

Peter called himself a fellow-elder(I Peter 5: 1) even though he was alsoan apostle. Paul designated himself asa teacher of the Gentiles (I Tim. 2:7)though he was also an apostle.The t erm elder or teacher is used to

designate the general office of authority

in the local congregations, in whichthe apostles and evangelists spent partof their time. Acts 20:7 and 28 plainlyprove that there were often severalelders (called also bishops or overseers)in a local church. It was their duty topreach, teach and rule by example, asshepherds and not lords, not for "filthylucre" but ou t of love.In I Corinthians 12 :28 and Ephesians

4:11 we find only the mention of pastors and teachers rather than bishops,elders, presbyters or overseers, but theyrepresent the same general office ofauthority in the local churches.

Duties of EldersThe word pastor means a "shepherd:'

He is one who tends the flock. Jesusnot only is the Chief Apostle and HighPriest (Hebrews 3:1 ); He is also theChief Shepherd and Bishop of the churchof God ( I Peter 5:4; 2:25). Peter isnot the bishop of bishops. There is onlyOne Supreme Pastor or Shepherd overthe entire church-Jesus Christ (John10:16).But over each local church congrega

tion there is also a local pastor directlyunder the apostles and evangelists. Heis the presiding elder or bishop over

other elders in a local congregation.Notice that in the gathering at Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15, there weremany elders in Jerusalem, together withthe apostles. Yet it was James--not theapostle James, but the brother of Jesus-who, in the capacity of pastor inauthority over the other elders, voicedhis decision (Acts 15: 14) .All elders must be apt to teach ( I

Tim. 3:2), hence they are called teachers in I Cor. 12:28 and Eph. 4:11.Elders who rule well are to be highlyrespected for their works' sake, espe-

Page 7

cially those who labor in preaching andteaching (I Tim. 5; 17).The congregations are admonished to

submit to the elders (I Peter 5:5).The members do not elect and dis

miss elders, nor do they vote on doctrines which the elders are to preach.Rather, elders are chosen by the apostle,or as he directs and authorizes, by an

evangelist, according to the qualifications given in the letters to Timothyand Titus. Elders must first be provenbefore they are to be ordained by thelaying on of hands with prayer andfasting (I Tim. 5:22). Thus there maybe in local congregations those who areable to teach, but who must first beproven sound in the faith, even thoughthey might "desire the office of a bishop:'

Here, then, is the spiritual government of God in the early church plainlystated: The Father manifested His willto Jesus, the living Head of our

church, Who in turn manifested Hiswill to the apostles. They in turn instructed the evangelists in carrying Ou t

the gospel. The evangelists, togetherwith the apostles,'taught the elders whopresided over the local congregations.In each congregation was a presidingpastor, usually with other elders, whotaught the members. There was nomembership politics, nor voting onchurch offices or doctrines. The eldersruled the local church, but were notruled by the congregation or lay boards.

Office of Deacon

Paul wrote to the Corinthians thatbeside the spiritual administration, therewas also a physical jadministrarion madeup of helps or helpers, usually referredto in Scripture as deacons. They werephysical or material helpers, who waitedon tables, did janitor work and manyother physical duties.Philip, originally ordained as one of

seven deacons to serve at tables (Acts6: 6) , was so filled with the Holy Spiritthat he later became an evangelist(Acts 21 :8). Those who helped in material duties were sometimes called"ministers" in old English usage. Theapostles Barnabas and Paul had Luke and

John Mark to minister to them (Acts13:5). Today, however, the term "minister" is used to designate a pastor.Elderly women also helped in physi

cal needs. Paul wrote to the saints atRome: "I commend unro you Phebe oursister, which is a servant (the originalword means helper) . . . that ye receiveher in the Lord, as becometh saints, andthat ye assist her in whatsoever businessshe hath need of you: for she has been asuccorer of many, and of myself also"(Rom. 16: 1) . They usually were aidedby the church as they were widows over



PageS

sixty and without other relatives whocould suppon them (I Tim. 5:9-10).

We read in Acts 9:36-43 that Dorcas,an elderly woman, had died. Peter cameto raise her from the dead, but beforedoing so, "all the widows stood by himweeping, and showing the coats andgarments which Dorcas made"-materi

al service.

OfficesAre Gifts of Holy Spirit

All offices in God's church are giftsof the Holy Spirit. It is God who createdus with our natural talents and who addsto those talents, portions of His talentsthrough the Holy Spirit. Many of thegifts are offices with authority, but othersare purely Spiritual gifts which belongnot only to the mi nis tr y but to othersalso. There are the gifts of healing andspeaking and interpreting foreign lan-

guages. There are the gifts of knowledge by which TRUTH hidden for centuries is revealed, and the gifts of

wisdom and of faith.All these gifts are distributed throughout the church as God sees fit so thatHe may work through the church andgovern it. God, not man, decides whoshall be given the responsibilities incarrying out His work.

Government in Ou r Church Today

Down through the ages Jesus haschosen directly those who serve in thecapacity of apostles-His direct representatives bearing His authority. Theworld does not use the t itle apostle forthe highest office in the church under

Christ. Instead, it has invented otherlofty tides-primate, archbishop, pope,all offices of men's devising. Somechurches call every pastor a minister nomatter what the rank.But in our church, the church of God,

in which the g ov er nme nt of God existstoday, Jesus has chosen Mr. Armstrongas His direct representative, as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God to the

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nations of this world, as a man throughwhom He can work in preaching andpublishing the true gospel to the wholeworld. Mr. Armstrong's office carrieswith it divine authority, backed up bythe power of God. Jesus has sent himto speak in His name and by His authority, and has given testimony to itby the fruits which only God can pro-

duce.When Jesus was asked by John the

Baptist if He were the One who shoulddeliver the world from its headlongplunge to destruction, Jesus told John'sdisciples to LOOK TO THE FRUITS

the sick were being healed, me gospelof the kingdom was being preached(Luke 7:22). It is by the fruits thatwe recognize the officewith which Godhas invested His direct representative.In the work of carrying the gospel

to the nations, Mr. Armstrong has hadto choose young men, as did the apostlePaul; and as God has given proof by

their fruits, he has ordained them asministers, with the authority of evangelists ministering to local churches andserving in various other fields in ourcomplex ministry of today when wemust use the radio and the printingpress.In our local congregations today,

there are eiders pastoring the. localflocks, and deacons, who serve the congregations. In every way it is the government of God. Those who are thegreatest in authority serve the most.It is not a rule by the will of man, butby the will of God. The critics who

think God's government is man's government DO NOT KNOW THE POWER

OF GOD. God's ministers know only toowell that God will DESTROY those whoseek to devour the church by leadingaway disciples after them.How plain it is that God rules our

church. The congregations are ruled bythe elders, who are ruled by the evangelists, and they are ruled by the apostle

August,1953

who is ruled by Christ who is ruled byGod! All offices are appointive, by asuperior office. It is government fromGod down to each individual memberin the church.

Marriage Ceremony(Continued from page5)

your children-going to receive theproper advice before marrying if theylive great distances from God's ministers? How can they have the marriageperformed if they can't afford to traveltar? Is it fair?

At Annual Festivals

God is always fair. Since He intendshis ministers to perform marriages forthose who have come to understand thetruth, He has provided the way and atno extra cost! God loves our young people, and so He has made the way possi

ble.We who have come to know the

truth understand that it is a commandto attend the annual festivals. With theTabernacle being built in Texas at themost central point, many hundreds ofyou will be able to attend three times ayear, Since you are also commanded tosave a second tithe anyway in order toattend, it wouldn't be any extra expenseto have the marriages of young peopleoccur at the annual festivals!God intended his annual occasions to

be times of great joy apart from theworld. He wants young people to be

free from unnecessary problems as theyenter marriage (Dent 24:5)_ What

time could be more appropriate thanthese holy occasions? It is the perfectsolution to encouraging young peoplein the church not to have such fellowship with the world as would lead tomarriage outside of the faith.Yes, what a joy it is to understand the

TRUTH!

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