Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 06) Jun_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 06) Jun_w

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VOL. VI, NUMBER 6

International MagazIne ofTH E CHUR CH OF GOD

JUNE, 1957

Here's How to KEEPthe Feast of TabernaclesMany who attend the Feast of Tabernacles are not really

KEEPING the Feast at all! Here's why!byRichard D. Armstrong

I s IT an ABSOLUTE command fromGod that you attend the Feast ofTabernacles in Gladewater each year. . . even if you must "crawl on yourhands and knees"? Or, is it all right inGod's sight, if you find it too difficult,financially, to stay home this year?Is not attending the Feast a sin sogreat that you should mortgage yourhome, car or borrow from others in orderto get to Texas?A few of you brethren have had exactly this idea and have done these thingsin past years .. . then come to the ministers faced with the sad problem of thepossibility of losing your home or owingothers a large debt that you are unableto pay.Others, seeing the problems of thesefew, have decided that, if they don'tcome this year, then they can come nextyear or wait until they are able or unt ilthings work out to make it easy for them.WHAT IS THE ANSWER? Let's understand just what the BIBLE does say aboutthis very important Feast of Tabernacles,what it means and WHY God institutedthe Feast in the first place.

The Feast of TabernaclesNow in verse 33 of Lev. 23: "TheLord spoke unto Moses saying, 'Speakunto the children of Israel, saying, The

fifteenth day of this seventh month shallbe the Feast of Tabernacles for sevendays unto the Lord.' " This Feast picturesto us the millennium of Chris t's rulehere on this earth when the whole worldwill be at peace ... enjoying the fruitof their labors, living by the laws ofGod, LIVING ABUNDANTLYI (Hosea 2:18-23, Micah 4:1-17).Notice that the Feast of Tabernaclesis to last seven days, the first of whichis an holy convocation or COMMANDEDgathering. A convocation from God isa SUMMONS from Him.

I f we receive a summons from thesheriff to appear before a judge on acertain date in a certain place and failto do so we incur a penalty and havebroken man's law. God here in Lev. 23issues us a SUMMONS to appear beforeHIM!! And if we fail, we have brokenGod's law.Now let us notice a vital part of thecommand to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Remember, a definite SUMMONSfrom God to present ourselves beforeHim occurs with this Feast.First. turn over to Deuteronomy 16:16.God here gives the command, "Threetimes in a year shall all the males appearbefore the Lord thy God in the placewhich He shall choose."God knew that perhaps women would

be having babies or that other difficulties might arise, so He commanded thehead of each household to appear beforeHim. Continuing with Deur, 16: 16, "Inthe feast of Unleavened Bread, and inthe Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) , and inthe Feast of Tabernacles."Now, notice the next INTEGRAL partof the SAME COMMAND: "And they shallnot appear before the Lord empty." Andverse 17, "Every man shall give as heis able, according to the blessing of theLord"thy God which He hath giventhee.

You cannot properly keep the com-mand given here which is a commandto appear before the Lord your GodUNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED BYHIM. Then, WHEN He has blessed you,you are not to appear empty-handed.

YEAR-LONG ObedienceNow let us notice just a few versesbeginning with verse 13 of Deut. 16:

"Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days: After that thou hastgathered in thy corn and thy wine:'Notice this could not be done until aftera yearly harvest. "And thou shalt RE-JOICE in thy feast, thou, and thy son,and thy daughter , and thy manservant,and thy maidservant, and the Levite, thestranger, and the fatherless, and the wid-


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Page 2 The GOOD NEWS June, 1957

Address communications to the Editor,Box Ill, Pasadena,California.Copyright, June, 1957Bythe Radio Churchof God

International magazineofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroad

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

tended manner . . . then DO NOTCOME.What I f You've Been Faithful?Some of you HAVE been faithful insaving your second tithe but have foundit insufficient to enable you to go toGladewater or to keep the Feast in theprescribed manner.Here is the answer from personal experience.When my father first became converted and started out on a life of obedience to God he had to be taught manyhard lessons which he is now able topass on to you so that you need notsuffer to learn them.Our family lost all the financial wealthit had in the 1920's. My father had tolearn to live on a salary of little more

than $3.00 a week-and that was be-fore the depression-AFTER he HADbeen making the equivalent of $25,000a year! He had to learn the true valueof finances and to let God manage allhis l ife inc luding his financial affairs.Once he had done this he began to receive some of the promises God hasgiven to us who obey Him. "God is arewarder of them that diligently seekhim" (Heb. 11:6).The way to financial success and happiness is to obey God's financial laws,one of which iJ that you save a secondtithe.Now let us turn to Deuteronomy 14and begin with verse 26. When you haveturned your t ithe into money and cometo KEEP the feast, "thou shalt bestow

that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after [rightly translated "desires"}for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine [Hebrew "Yahyin: fermented product of thegrape - intoxicating"}, or for strongdrink [Hebrew, "Shekar: an intoxicant,or intensely alcoholic liquor"}, or forwhatsoever thy soul desirerh: and thoushal t eat there before the Lord thy God,and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thinehousehold, and the Levite that is withinthy gates; thou shalt not forsake him;for he hath no part nor inheritance withthee." You are to REJOICE at the feastit is not to be a burdensome task to you!The feast of tabernacles is ONLY forthose families who HAVE SAVED A SECOND TITHE, WHO ARE PREPARED TOKEEP THE FEAST. With the exceptionof widows, orphans and strangers whomthe Church tries to help in accordancewith the amount of extra second titheturned in by more prosperous brethrenOTHERS SHOULD NOT BE THERE. (Theword "strangers" may include those whohave just learned of the truth and havenot had a full year to save the tithe.) DoNOT invite your friends and relativesjust because they are interested or because you think they might need the(Please continue on page 8)

God Must FIRST Prosper YouYou cannot fully obey this commandin its given meaning UNTIL God hasblessed you and you have SAVED A

TITHE (tenth) of all your yearly income. THEN you are to go to Gladewater.I know that in explaining this to manyof you for the first time you are amazedto find tha t God has already definitelymanaged 20% of your income beforeyou have a thing to say about it! Let's

not KID ourselves! Weare called to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God,to come ou t of this world and to betransformed by the renewing of ourminds (Romans 12:1-2). We are nolonger our own but have been purchasedwith a price (I Cor. 6:20). Being amember of the true Church of God involves more than just attending certainmeetings . . . we are to worship God "inspiri t and in truth" (John 4: 23).Due to a lack of unders tanding a fewhave NOT SAVED THIS SECOND TITHE.Others, who have had insufficient secondtithe, have mor tgaged the ir homes, orborrowed by other means in order toATTEND the meetings at Gladewater.But just ATTENDING is NOT KEEP-

ING THE FEAST!Because some have NOT saved a second tithe and have found it a great financial hardship to attend the feast (theywere only attending, not really KEEPINGit), others seeing this have believed thatis was NOT necessary to be obedient toGod because saving the ti the was "toohard."LET US UNDERSTAND! GOD COMMANDS US BOTH TO SAVE THE SECONDTITf-fE AND TO KEEP THE FEAST OFTABERNACLES. Failure to attend theFeast when you have been blessed is asin ( I John 3:4 and James 2:10). IfGod has NOT blessed you and it wouldwork a severe hardship on you and yourfamily . . . if you can not come PREPARED TO KEEP THE FEAST in its in-

the TITHE of thy com, of thy wine[Hebrew, "Yahyin: fermented productof the grape; intoxicating" . . . seeStrong's Exhaustive Concordance}, andof thine oil, and the firstlings of thyherds and of thy floces: THAT THOUMAYEST LEARN TO FEAR THELORD THYGOD ALWAYS."And if the way be too long for thee,so that thou are not able to carry it; ori f the place be too far from thee whichthe Lord thy God shall choose to set Hisname there, WHEN THE LORD THYGOD HATH BLESSED THEE: THEN(after you've been blessed) shalt thouturn it into money, and bind up themoney in thine hand, and shalt GO untothe place which the Lord thy God shallchoose."

NUMBER 6OL. VI

ow, that are wi th in thy gates (THOSEIN THECHURCH) . Seven days shalt thoukeep a solemn feast unto the Lord thyGod in the place which the Lord shallchoose."Notice the REASON for keeping theFEAST-"BECAUSE THE I.ORD THY GODSHALL BLESS THEE IN ALL THINE IN-CREASE, and in all the works of thinehands, THEREFORE thou shalt surelyrejoice." This is a Feast of rejoicing, NOTsomething to pu t a hard, heavy burdenon us!You cannot keep the Feast of Tabernacles by partially obeying thi s command-merely by at tending at Gladewater, Texas. This command to keepthe Feast involves obedience ALL YEAR

LONG! Remember that God saidthrough James in the second chapter andthe tenth verse, "For whosoever shallkeep the whole law, and yet offend inone pnint, HE IS GUlLTY OF ALL."In Deuteronomy the fourteenth chapter, God told the Israelites to take par ticular care NOT to offer their sacrificesand offerings in every place that pleasedthem, bu t only in the place in ONE of

the tribes where He would choose toset His name. God knew, however, thatthey would not be able to bring them tothe Feast every time because of the greatdistance it was for some to go to theplace He chose to set His name--Jerusalem. Many people in tribes other thanJudah lived a good distance from Jerusalem. Notice the Scripture, Deuteronornv 14:22:"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increaseof thy seed, that the field bringeth forthyear by year and thou shall eat beforethe Lord thy God, in the place whichHe shall choose to place His name there,


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Help the Underdog!It is natural to sympathize with the underdog-the fellow who ispersecuted or "picked-on:" How does this apply in God's Church?You need to read this article reprinted from the January, 1954, issue.

by Roderick C. Meredith

HAVE you ever had what is knownas a "suffering hero" complex?Chances are, you probably have.Most of us have it once in a great while,bu t quickly solve our problem and getover it.But with some people, this complexbecomes a fixed mental habit. Whenthese people are denied what they want-even though they don't deserve it-they begin to feel sorry for themselvesand to place the blame on others. Theyusually set out immediately to win sym-pathy for their "cause." They often leada great many others in to an attitude ofbitterness toward those who are supposed to be persecuting them-the "un-derdogs."Psychologists are quire familiar withthis complex. Every organization or busi-ness of any size has its share of "suffer-ing heroes." Every political party andreligious group has its share. And, innearly every case, one factor seems tobe constant with these "underdogs."

They place the blame for their troublesand lack of success UP011 their leaders,whose position and success they secretlyenvy. But they are unwil ling or unableto pay the price to produce the resultswhich would entitle them to similar position and success.Christian "Martyrs"

Even after conversion, you have thesame human nature to contend with thatyou always did. Only you then have thehelp of God's Spirit in overcoming it.But the fact remains that even breth-ren in God's church are subject to allthe temptations and deceits of humannature--one of which is the tendencyof some to regard themselves as perse-cuted "martyrs" or "suffering heroes," ifthey are unable to have their own wayin church matters or problems with theirbrethren. These people get their "feel-ings" hurt and feel persecuted if theyare not allowed to do as they please.Jesus Christ was never inclined toget his feelings hurt when He wasn't al-lowed to have His own way. Just beforeHe had to give His life in an agonizingdeath on the cross,Jesus prayed, "Father,

if thou be willing, remove this cupfrom me: nevertheless not my will, butthine be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesuswas still flesh and blood, and He dread-ed what was coming. But He surrenderedHis own will, that God's will might bedone. Jesus wasn't too concerned aboutHis "feelings" or having His own waythat night before the crucifixion. I f Hehad been, we would be without a Savior!In spite of Jesus' example, some whocall themselves Christians are contin-ually getting their feelings hurt, eitherby imagining that they are being perse-cuted, or by sympathizing with some-one else whom they mistakenly believeis an "underdog."A good example of this might be acase in which a couple who have comeinto association with God's church in thepast, are later found to be living inadultery. One of them may have a liv-ing husband or wife. Upon realizingthis situation, God's ministers shouldimmediately take it up with the couple

-f ind out if the previous marriage wasbinding according to God's laws-andif so, try to give the couple any adviceor help possible to aid them in breakingup their adulterous union. This is onlyto help them keep God's laws, and to

~ e e p God's church clean and pure fromS1O.But it is only human nature for sucha couple to start feeling sorry for them-selves. They will feel tha t they are he-ing singled out for "persecut ion; ' andwill often accuse God's ministers oftrying to hurt them. They will resort toevery device of human reason to try toshow others why their l iving in ADUL-TERY is all right. By making others feelthat it is a personal disagreement, andthat they are the "underdog," they winsympathy.Why?Because nearly everyone tends tosympathize wi th an "underdog," andbecause too few people realize tha t in

GOD'S CHURCH such disagreements arenot between the people and a human"preacher," bu t actually against GodHimself and the way of God! In plainlanguage, anyone who sympathizes with

such people is sympathizing with Satanthe Devil!How it S tarts

Naturally, when we speak of "sym-pathizing" with evil, we mean the atti-tude of condoning and agreeing withthe wrong principle involved. Weshould have compassion on sinners, justas Christ did.But herein lies the trouble.Most people confuse the love weshould have for those who err with anactive sympathy for their WRONG way oflife.God loves those of us who are Hischildren. Yet, we read in Hebrews 12:6that, "whom the Lord louetb, he CHAS-

TENETH, and SCOURGETH every sonwhom he receiveth,' God's chasteningisn't something that we enjoy. But Hedoes it, nevertheless, for our ultimategood.In like manner, the true ministers of

Jesus Christ have the responsibility ofcorrecting and rebuking the church (Ti-tus 2:15). As we have fully explainedin previous articles, Jesus gave His min-isters the authMity, under God, to makebinding decisions in thei r function ofteaching and directing the church (Mat.16:19; 18: 18). In matters involvingthe governing and directing of thechurch, Christians are commanded toobey those whom Christ has used infaithfully preaching the Word to themand in bringing them to the t ruth (Heb,13:7, 17). Such true ministers are re-sponsible to Christ for ruling His church,and He will guide them through theHoly Spirit.So, like Jesus, a true minister should-and with God's help always willuse his authority in love and for the up-building of the church.But God's ministers have to make agreat many decisions in directing thework of the gospel which may be mis-construed if all the facts are not known,or if human reason is used to pervertthe facts.That is WHY some misunderstandingsmay develop even in God's church from


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Page 4time to time, and why some person whothinks he is "wronged" will often seekthe sympathy of others who are proneto help an "underdog." These thingscan happcn in God's own church because He has decreed that we still haveour human nature, vanity, and selfishdesires to overcome. God wants us tobuild character by overcoming this nature, and solving the problems it causes.Problems arise because brethren oftenmisunderstand the difficulties that God'sservants face in carrying on a worldwide ministry. They often do not realizethe. authority vested in ministers byChrist to preserve order and governmentin carrying out this mission, and in directing His church.

A Common ErrorSome brethren who lack understanding want to take it upon themselves toenter the ministry, or to force them-selves into an active place in .God'swork. The number of such requests, andsometimes DEMANDS, of this nature thathave come to Mr. Armstrong over theyears is rather amusing. And yet itreally isn't amusing, because these people usually mean business and their"feelings" are hurt if they are nut placedin whatever position they think theyshould have. They overlook the factthat God chooses whom He will.Here again, if God's ministers do notsatisfy their human desires, then theyoften turn sour, feel "persecuted," andgo around to other brethren seekingsympathy as an "underdog" who is being "picked on."You might be surprised at the number of "self-called" individuals who thinkthey should take over Mr. Armstrong'sbroadcast, or take over one of God'schurches and make it their own church,or take over some other position in thechurch of God.All such individuals-and all of youbrethren-should realize that God RULESHis church! He always has, and He always will. The Father has appointedJesus Christ as the living Head of Hischurch (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18). Thetrue church is the body of Jesus Christ(I Cor. 12:27). I t is the organism

through which He carries on His work.No one should try to "appoint" him-self as a minister, an elder, a teacher,or to any other position in God's church.The apostle Paul tells us, "And God hathset some in the church, first apostles,secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps. governments, diversities oftongues" (I Cor. 12:28).Here we find that it is GOD who"sets" those in positions of authority inHis church.How do we know when God has

The GOOD NEWSdone the appointing? Do we find scriptural examples of how God directs Hiswork?

God's DirectionIn Luke 6: 12-16, we find the account of how Jesus prayed all night toGod for guidance before "he chosetwelve, whom he also named apostles."Not one of these men appointed himself. Jesus chose each one. Later, Hetold them, "Ye have not chosen me,but I have chosen you" (John 15:16).After Jesus ascended to heaven andthe church began to grow, the apostlesfound that roo much of their time wasbeing taken up with physical servicewhich could be performed by others.So they asked the brethren, "Look yeout among you seven men of honest re-port, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom,whom WE may appoint over this business" (Acts 6: 3).Notice that these men were appoint-ed by the apostles, who had alreadybeen specially called and chosen byJesus. They did NOT appoint themselves.Later, a man named Saulwas feverishly engaged in persecuting and destroying the church when he was struckdown and blinded by Christ, andbrought to repentance. One of thedisciples, Annanias, was told in a vision:"He (Paul) is a chosen vessel unto me,to bear my name before the Gentiles,and kings, and the children of Israel"(Acts 9:15).The apostle Paul was specially chosenby God, but this was revealed to onewho was already in God's church.Later, God revealed to the prophetsand teachers at Antioch that He wantedPaul and Barnabas separated for a special work. Notice that in every caseGodrevealed any "calling" to those whowere already in authority in His church-ei ther the apostles themselves, or theprophets, or the elders and teacherswhom they had appointed through God'sdirection.God's church was governed and supervised from the top down. When call-ing or choosing someone for an officein the church, God always workedthrough those He had already set inauthority. That way there would be nodivision or confusion in His church.That is God's way-the revealed Bibleway. Let us follow it!

Training NecessaryAnother fundamental fact which fewrealize is that God always used menwho were trained and prepared for thework to which He called them.Moses was reared in the Pharaoh'spalace where he would be trained andschooled in the knowledge of the Egyptians-one of the most cultured peoples

June, 1957of that period of time (Exodus 2).Daniel was instructed in all the wisdom and learning of the Chaldeansthe greatest nation of that era (Dan.1 :4) .The apostles were first called "disciples" or students. They were trained andschooled for more than three years byJcsus Christ Himself.Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wasprepared for his mission by studying atthe feet of Gamaliel-recognized asprobably the greatest Jewish teacher ofthat time.In our day, Herbert Armstrong wasprepared for his world-wide ministry bybeing led to enter the advertising andpublishing field-where he received thespecial kind of training necessary toprepare him for conducting the international gospel crusade by radio and theprinting press.Then God miraculously opened theway for Ambassador College-whereMr. Armstrong could train young mento help him just as Jesus did, and asPaul did with the evangelists Timothy,Titus, Silas,and others.It is GOD'S revealedWILL-not humanreason-which has led Mr. Armstrongto see the necessity of thoroughly train-ing those who are to be actively used inGod's work. This principle holds truein regard to almost any office in God'schurch.In I Timothy 3:1-13, Paul instructsTimothy in the qualities which a manmust have before he can be ordained asa local elder or deacon. Even of thedeacons, Paul wrote, "And let thesefirst be proved; then let them use theoffice of a deacon, being found blameless" (verse 10). A deacon must be"proved" or "tested" in his ability andwillingness to exercise his office in a"blameless" manner before being ordained. The evangelists were instructedto be sure that any elder or deaconwould submit to God's gooernmentbefore ordaining them.Yes, God's ministers must be verycareful whom they appoint to aid in thespiritual ministry of Jesus Christ. Theymust be called of God, thoroughlytrained and prepared, and able to prove

their reliability and complete willing-ness to obey God's government in Hischurch.As has been thoroughly explained inprevious articles in The GOOD NEWS,Christ has promised to be with, andspecially guide, his called servants inmatters of church government and discipline (Mat. 18:15-20). That is theway that Christ rules the true church.The example of how a supposedlyconverted couple found living in adul-tery should be helped is only one exam

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Where Are YOU Headed?Your ultimate destiny may depend upon certain key factors

in your daily life more than you realize.by Roderick C. Meredith

W HAT will YOU be doing exactlyone hundreds years from now?Will you then be a king or apriest in God's kingdom? Will you holda position of authority over ten cities, orfive cities, or will you perhaps just be a"doorkeeper"? Or will YOU even bethere?Just where are YOU really headed? Doyou realize that you are right now inthe process of determining your eternaldestiny?As I write this, my wife and babydaughter and I have JUSt returned froma stay of over six months in Britain

helping to build up our church in London, England. Many new brethren overthere have recently been added to ourchurch-God's church. They have re-pented and been baptized. They havesurrendered the human 1Janit" and sel]will to God.My wife and I had grown to love thesepeople very much. When we left, manyof them were in the "first flush" of zeal,interest, and love for God's truth.Most truly converted people-including most of you--have started out withthis initial zeal and love. But all toooften this zeal slackens, and many breth

ren go through periods of time whenthey bog down spiritually. Sometimesthis proves fatal!What is the reason for this? What isthe prophesied future for them-foryou-for all who have surrendered toGod's truth?

Many Trial s AheadThe apostle Peter warned Christiansof his day, "Beloved, think it not strangeconcerning the fiery trial which is totry you, as though some strange th inghappened unto you: But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suf

ferings" ( I Pet. 4:12-13). God's peopleare to be tried and tested by persecution,by tribulation, and by Satan himself.Peter went on to show that these trialsare part of our judgment. "For the timeis come that judgment must begin atthe house of God: and if it first beginat us, what shall be the end of them thatobey not the gospel of God?" (Verse17). We who have received of God'sSpirit are in the Church of God-thehouse of God.Weare now being judged!Is the trial easy? Peter says, "And ifthe righteous scarcely be saved, where

shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"(Verse 18). The natural tendency afterbeing converted is to bog down andlose your original zeal.Do you think youcan afford to "rest on your oars" for awhile? Peter says that even the righteouswill scarcely be saved! God tries us tokeep us alive and growing spiritually.The church at Thessalonica was toldby Paul (I I Thes. 1:4-5) that the persecutions and tribulations they enduredwere a token of God's judgment.In Hebrews 12:6-10, we find that Godchastens every son He loves so that wemight profit thereby and eventually bepartakers of God's ownhoIiness. At conversion, we have only started on theroad to becoming a born son of God.Let us not be "puffed up" with the precious knowledge that God is revealing

to our church-His church-in theselast days. We are only unborn "babes"of God, not yet even born of the Spiritas members of God's family.Thus, we need chastening and tribu-lation to keep us humble and zealouslyGROWING as we should. We poor humans are inclined to overlook and justify our sins and faults. Too often, wethink that we have "arrived" while ourlives still contain sin. We forget thatour goal is perfection-to be like God!In I Corinthians 11:20-30, Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for taking thePassover in a careless and licentiousmanner. Because of this, many of themwere weak and sickly-and many haddied! The apostle continued, "For if wewould judge ourselves, we should not bejudged. But when we are judged, weare chastened of the Lord, that we shouldnot be condemned with the world"(Verses 31-32). Because we do not"judge" ourselves as we should andpurge sin out of our lives, God chastens

us to wake us up and keep us growingspiritually.How you respond to God's instruc-t ion-to God's chastening -wi l l determine your future. Many of you reading this may become spiritually luke-warm and finally dead unless you heedthis warning! I t is up to you!

What Will HappenThe condition God's people fall intois revealed in Matthew 25. Jesus hererefers to Christians as "virgins"-thosewho have kept themselves pure from

the spiritual fornication of fellowshipwith false churches. They had all repented of the wrong ways of this worldand had come out of this world to serveGod. They all went forth to meet thebridegroom--expecting to receive salvation.But some of them had lost the "oil"of God's Spirit. They thought that justknowing the truth, coming out of theworld, and fellowshipping with God'schurch was enough. They had not been

GROWING spiritually as had the othervirgins. Perhaps they thought that theywould JUSt naturally get into God's kingdom because they were in the fellowship and love of the brethren who werespiritually alive.Just knowing the truth and havingfellowship wi th God's church is NOT

ENOUGH!You are either receiving more ofGod's Spirit each day through ferventprayer, diligent Bible study, and submit ting your will completely to Godthat He may direct your every thoughtand action, or you are stagnating andspiritually DYING! Tbere is no middleground. The door to the kingdom wasshut in the face of those who thought

they were "saved," but had not yieldedthemselves to grow into more truth andto practice the truth more perfectly eachday of their lives.God's people will be in these twoclasseswhen Christ returns. Which classwill you be in?

Do Your Par tThe fearful temptation to "do nothing" is described in Mat. 25: 1430. Jesusportrayed the two faithful servants whohad put the ir talents and resources towork in His service, and the servantwho had not.Notice that the two servants who hadreceived the most talents were moreeager to use them. It is even so in God'sChurch.Many of YOU fecI that because youhave no great talents or resources, youcan let down and not do your part withthe same zeal as others. You are mis-taken! This parable shows that youought to be using your talents just asmuch as other true Christians. Thisparable is a warning to beware of sucha wrong attitude!Each one has his part to do in God's


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Page 6work. Perhaps your part is simply topray for God's work and His ministers,to study tha t you may answer the ques-tions of others, to pay God's t ithe andcheerfully give offerings to His work,and to set a shining example of love andservice to those about you. But are youdoing these thingswith all your strength?God's word shows that many of youwill become lukewarm and will fail tocarry out your part in God's work. Howcan you prevent this?Right Habit s Are Vitally ImportantYour destiny will be determined ina grea t measure by how well you prac-tice certain virtues in your daily life.

The zealous performance or carelessomission of these duties is largely amatter of HABIT.This is a k.ey that can build or wreckyour life!You should get in the habit of kneel-ing down two or three times a day andearnestly praying to God-getting toknow Him as your Father. This shouldbe the most important habit of yourlife. Don't let circumstances break thishabit!Studying your Bible for a few hourseach week is next in importance. Unusual circumstancesmay necessarily inter-fere with daily Bible study at times,but you can arrange to study the Biblefor at least four or five hours each week.

And this means the Bible itself-notliterature about the Bible. Diligentlyand prayerfully studying God's word isa habit that will give you the faith andunderstanding you long for. Make ityour habit!An important habit which most ofyou have not realized is that of fasting.When you are faced with a specialproblem, when you are in a tempta tionor if you feel you are growing luke-warm, one of the surest remedies is tofast and pray. This subject will be dis-cussed at length in future articles. Butzealous Christians should fast at leastone or two days during each month.This habit is vital.'Many brethren know it is God'scommand that we faithfully rendert ithes and offerings for His work, bu tthey have not acquired the habit ofdoing this as they should. God loves acheerful giver (I I Cor. 9:7). I f you arenot in the habit, it may be hard for youto give cheerfully to the most importantwork on earth. Study the twelfth chapterof Luke. Here Christ is clearly and force-fully showing tha t your life is not maderich by the things you possess. Rather ,your true wealth is what is laid up inheaven because your poceesbooi: as wellas your heart has been converted toGod's service.Was Christ mercenary? Decidedly not!But He knew that if you weren't t rying

The GOOD NEWShard to put more of your material wealthinto God's work, your interest and zealwould soon die out. "For where yourtreasure is, there will your heart be also"(Luke 12: 34). I stress this point becauseI well know that most of you have notbeen trying to make more money for thepurpose of helping God's work. Someof our o lder brethren who fully under-stand the significance of this work andthe times we are in work extra hoursin order that they may give more towardcarrying out the true gospel.

How important is God's work to you?This habit shows God that you reallymean it lA Constant Practice

The very basis of real Christianity isthat you pattern your life after JesusChrist. He is our perfect example. Weneed to study God's word continuallyto know how to follow Christ's example.A vital habit that can aid you mar-velously in achieving this is the follow-ing: Whenever you are about to do any-thing significant, stop and ask yourself,"How would Jesus handle this situation?"Then ask God to guide you in actingas Christ would. This can alter the courseof yuur life!

You must have studied God's wordand Jesus' example for this to help as itshould. But even trying this as you learnwill bring you closer to God every singleday.This habit may be exercised beforeyou walk into a room, before a party,before work, at the start of each newday. Just ask God, "How would Jesusact now?" Then, with God's help-ACTthat way!

I f you sow this habit, you should reapeternal life.The Result

According to prophecy, God's peoplewill soon enter the per iod of the churchof Laodicea. Many will not overcome thetrials which God will set before us.They will not profit from His chastening.They will have fallen into wrong habits.Their condition will be LUKEWARM(Rev. 3:14-16). Chr ist will cast themout of His church unless they REPENT.They will not have been watching andpraying that they might be worthy toescape the coming tribulation on God'speople (Luke 21: 36). Therefore theywill be among those saints who will bepermitted to SUFFER in order to learn(Rev, 6:9-11).God's people will be divided into twoclasses: those who are zealously growing,and those who gradually become luke-warm. The first class will be protectedduring the tribulation and because theyhave overcome (Rev. 2:26) , they willbe given rule over the nations as kingsand priests under Christ. The other class

June, i95iwill be allowed to suffer in this comingtribulation in hope that they migh tlearn to put God first.

Your practice of the habits hereindescribed will largely determine whichclass you will be in. You will need God'shelp to form and keep these habits. Heis more than willing to guide youthrough His Spirit (Luke 11: 13). Andremember that the regularity of a righthabit and right attitude makes it somuch easier!Your destiny is in your own hands.Remember tha t it is largely a matter ofhabit.

Help theUnderdog!(Continued from page 4)

ple of the serious decisions and responsi-bilities which God's ministers mustshoulder. There will be problems ofpeople want ing a job in the work, ofpeople seeking after offices in the churchto which God has not called them, offalse prophets or disgruntled elders try-ing to lead off the flock after themselves.All these problems will not be solvedto the complete satisfaction of everyone.This is because very few people keepclose enough to God to know His willin directing the church. And when per-sonal desires and ambitions enter intothe picture, it is easy even for a con-verted person to let self-will get in theway of God's wilLThese factors will give opportuni tyfor those who continue in self-will tocry out that they are being trea ted un-fairly, that they are "martyrs" or "under-dogs." You need to realize this, and askGod to help you get all sides of thecase before feeling very sorry for the"underdog."

Jesus Guides His Church!Although Jesus specially promised toguide His ministers in exercising theirauthori ty to "bind" or "loose" in apply-ing God's law to a particular case, He

did not promise tha t they would nevermake a mistake in appointing some tooffices in the church. Paul told the Ephe-sian elders whom he ordained: "Of yourown selves shall men arise, speakingperverse things, to draw away disciplesafter them" (Acts 20: 30) .So even though they diligently seekGod's direction, God's ministers todaymay make a few human errors in theappointments of elders, deacons, or others to offices in the church. But that isfor CHRiST to judge! God's ministers(Please continue on page 8)


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Love Not the World!Jf/hat should be your attitude toward the world? What about

unconverted relatives, neighbors and friends? Hereis the answer which may surprise you!

by Garner Ted Armstrong

M ANY TIMES, you have heardGod' s ministers expound thescriptures PROVING this is thetrue Church of God! You have readarticles in the Good News and PlainTruth magazines showing little-knownfacts about the history of this ChurchGod's Church.Somehow, God has brought YOU tothe wonderfu l knowledge that He isdealing directly through His called andchosen ministers, and that He is activelyleading and guiding His Church, whichis performing His WORK on this earth!But what should be your attitude afterreceiving this precious knowledge?As Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong explained that attitude in his closingsermon during the last day of unleavenedbread, it became evident the true attitude of the Christ ian toward the worldshould be differont from that of manyof us!

Come Out of the WorldWe have published many articles dealing with the sins of the world, and withthe absolute requirement God lays onevery newly-begotten child of His tocome out of this Babylon of confusion(Rev. 18:4) and not to be a "friend"of the world! (James 4:4).Many scriptures show we are to regard ourselves as strangers and foreign-ers here on this earth (I Pet. 2: 11) NOTtaking part in this world and its ways,bu t CHANGING our ways to conform toGod's ways! (Rom. 12:2).God expressly commands, "Love NOTthe world, neither the things that arein the world. If any man love the world,the love of the Father is not in him"

( I John 2: 15). Of course, it is obviousGod is not talking about the round, terrestrial ball under our feet, but the sys-tem, the SOCIETY in which we live! TheGreek word is either "aeon" or "cosmos" which both actually refer to the"age" or the society or system of thingsabout us!Usually always, the newly converted"babe" in Christ comes out of the worldwith a will! I did, and I distinctly remember the many criticisms and cynicalexpressions of disgust and ridicule Iused when talking of the others in theworld who did not know the truth!

I know many of YOU have done andare doing the same things! 'I have come to see that is not the correct attitude!YES! We're absolutely COMMANDED

to come out of this world! God tells uswe will even be spoken evil of by ourformer friends (I Pet. 4: 1-5) and thatin some cases homes will be broken bythe conversion of some within that home(Matt. 10:34).But!Even though God expressly forbidsus to fellowship with the world andworldly people in their ways, God doesnot intend that we begin to have a"superior" feeling--or a feeling of antagonism and critical cynicism towardthe people in the world!Fo r God So LOVED The WorldYes, God so loved this "cosmos" orthis SOCIETY, meaning the living, breathing human beings here on this earth,that he GAVE His only begotten Son, thatthis sin-sick world could be reconciled toGod! (John 3:16).Notice, God LOVES the world!How does this fit wit h I John 2: 15?In this way! While God enjoins Christians NOT to love the world, He means,as is proved by all the New Testamentscr iptures on the subject, the WAYS ofthe world, the ACTS of the world, the

DEEDS of the world, which are contraryto God's law, and end in death! But GodNOWHERE says we are to hate or despisethe PEOPLE in this world! Christ instructs us even to LOVE OUR ENEMIES!(Matt. 5:44).Therefore, you should LOVE your unconverted relatives, your friends andneighbors-but YOU ARE NOT TO FEL-LOWSHIP WITH THEM IN THEIR OWNWORLDLY WAYS! Certainly it is acceptable in God's sight to have a certainamount of fellowship with your own

NOTICE!The Sacred Calendar fo r 1957

has been mailed to every member.I f you have no t already receivedyour copy write us immediately, asyour copy may have been lost.

family, even though unconverted, andto be a light to them, bu t not to "argue"with them or to condemn them for theircarnal ways! It is all right to visit withcarnal people, and try to HELP themgain understanding by your example.But it is NOTright to constantly criticizeand find "fault" wi th those who are asyet blinded to God's truth!God's Responsibility

Remember , it is GODwho has deliberately lSLlNDED this world, so it CAN-NOT see the truth that has so graciouslybeen given you! Christ said it was notgiven to the masses of people to understand! (Matt. 13: 10-15).We know it isSatan who is the ins trument used inblinding the world at this t ime (I I Cor.4:4) but God has told us He is directly responsible for "concluding ("shutting up") them ail in unbelief" that Hemight ultimately have mercy on them all(Rom. 11: 32). Remember, God is "notwilling that ANY should perish, bu t thatALL should come to repentance" (I I Pet.3:9).God wants ail carnal-minded, painted,cigarette-smoking, cursing, drinking, irresponsible, perverted, sin-filled humansto come humbly before Him and CON-FESS their sins, throwing themselves onHis abundant mercy, and asking, "God,be MERCIFUL to me, a sinner!" Let's allLONG for the day this will be possible-realizing these people who are nowblinded and duped by the wiles of Satanwill soon have their eyes OPENED tosee the same glorious t ru th YOU havebeen privileged to understand!

"If a man say, 'I love God,' and harethhis brother, he is a liar, for he that lovethnot his brother whom he hath seen, howcan he love God whom he hath not seen?And this commandment have we fromHim, that he who loveth God love hisbrother also!" (I John 4:20-21).Do you see? We are to LOVE otherhuman beings, but we are not to love ortake part in their ways. Can we find arigh t balance? Can we realize we havethis knowledge through God' s grace,and not our own good works? I f we can

not have love for our brother, we cannot love our Creator!


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How toPage 8

Help theUnderdog!

(Continued from page 6)are responsible directly to HIM.If God's ministers seem a l it tle slowin appointing someone to an office inthe church, or if they appear to havemade a mistake in such an appointment--or in any other decision they mayhave to make, the truly Christian thingfor you to do is not to criticize and condemn, nor to bitterly think that we arepersecuting a so-called "underdog," butto get down on your knees before Godand ask Him to show us His will, torebuke and chasten us if necessary, andto gttide us in d irecting His church asHe has promised to do.And while you are at it, you had better ask God also to show you if YOU arethe one who is. wrong! The Bible reveals that when individuals disagreedwith God's called servants, they werenearly always the ones who were wrong;So mistakes will be made. But God'sWord shows that those who criticize oraccuse God's servants of being unfairwill probably be the ones in the wrong,In the past, Jesus has always directedHis church and His true servants sothat they were far more fair and just indirecting the church than others wouldhave been. Jesus is "the same yesterday, and TODAY, and for ever" (Heb.13: 8 ). Think it over.

Help the UnderdogKnowing that the t rue church of Godis a spiritual organism which Christrules and directs through His ministers,you should be very careful not to letSatan the Devil pu t a spirit of antagonism in you against them. Once Godhas shown you where He is working incarrying the t rue gospel to the world,and whom He is using in this minis try,you should obey them in matters ofchurch government and direction (Heb.13:8). In matters of faith, you shouldfollow them as they fol low Christ (ICor. 11 : 1). This way leads to unity,peace, and love as God intends. I tavoids strife and confusion which is ofthe Devil.If occasions arise where other brethren become disgruntled over a supposedinjustice, you had bet te r r emind yourself that Christ has promised to guideHis church into all truth-and ask Himto do it. I f someone in the church feelsthat he is an "underdog," that he hasbeen wronged or discriminated againstby God's servants, and if he comes

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Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 06) Jun_w