good news 1957 (vol vi no 03) mar_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1957 (Vol VI No 03) Mar_w

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VOL. VI, NUMBER 3

International Ma g a z I n e ofTH E CHUR CH OF GOD

MARCH, 1957How Impor tan t Is YourPHYSICAL Life?Perhaps YOU have unwittingly begun to "take thought" for yourphysical life! God's Church is to be given PROTECTION duringthe coming tribulation. But will EVERY PERSON in the Churchbe given physical protection?

by Garner Ted ArmstrongM ANY IN God's true Churchstand in mortal dangerNOW! With every passingday, the overawing, world-shakingevents prophesied to happen are swiftly drawing nearer! As God's peoplehave grown in His revealed truth ofthe Bible, we have come to see it isHis will to PROTECT the Philadelphia Church during the perilous timesof world wars and violence! (Rev. 3: 10and 12:14).As most of you know, God's minis

ters believe the Bible most prohablyindicates the place of that protectionwill be PETRA, the "Rose-red city ofrock," buried deep in the rugged mountains to the south-east of Palestine, inthe rocky, desolate and pract ical ly inaccessable vastness of the ancient landof Edam.Hundreds of you heard Mr. Arm

strong describe Pet ra dur ing the lastFeast of Tabernacles-thrilled to themotion pictures of the actual PLACEwhich God evidently is preparing forHis saints!

But a grave danger accompanies this

precious knowledge! A danger to whichmos t o f our people are ASLEEP!Is Your Physical life Important?Almost without realizing it, many

earnest and sincere bre th ren have begun to "take thought" for their lives(Matt. 6:25) and set their hearts onsaving and preserving the ir physicalbodies!Stop to THINK!What did you really DO when you

were baptized?I f your baptism was REAL, and if

you were an unblemished sacrifice(Rom. 12: 1 ) holding back nothingfrom your Creator, then you GAVEyour very life to HIM when you wereplunged into the watery grave! "Knowyon not, that so many of us as werebaptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?" (Rom. 6: 3 ) .Just as Jesus Christ was dead and bmiedfor three days and three nights-so weare figuratively DEAD once we havegiven our lives into God's hands, andour bodies regarded as crucified withHim! "Therefore we are buried with

Him by baptism into death ... knowing this, that our old man is crucifiedwith Him, that the body of sin mightbe destroyed, that henceforth we shouldnot serve sin;' (Rom. 6: 4-6) .The Apostle Paul, who had vigorous

ly persecuted God's t rue Church priorto his conversion, realized fully that hislife was OWNED of God-literallyPOSSESSED of God! He said, in Galatians 2: 20, "I am crucified with Christ,nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christliveth in me . . ." Paul regarded hisbody as hanging on the cross withJesus. "I die daily," wrote Paul (I Cor.15:31).

Christ Bought UsHow important is your physical life?

VERY IMPORTANT-but not toYOU-to Jesus Christ! Remember,when you are baptized, you were cruci-fied with Christ. The old vo, with yourformer aspirations, desires, motives,vanity and lust-DIED! And now, instead of the old self, just slightly dif-ferent in the t hings you believe, andwith a few changed habits-you are to


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Page 2be an entirely NEW self, a CHANGED,DIFFERENT PERSON1 ".. . put offconcerning the former conversation(conduct, ways) the old man, which iscorrupt according to the deceitful lusts;and be renewed in the spirit of yourmind; and that you pu t on the newman, which after God is created inrighteousness and t rue holiness" (Eph.4:22-24).When Christ shed His life blood on

the cross (Isa. 52:12; Lev. 17:11), Hepaid the penalty for your sins-INFULL! Since Jesus was God in theflesh, His life was worth far more thanthe sum total of all other human beings. Therefore, Christ was able throughHis death and resurrection to BUY andPAY FOR ALL HUMANITY-INFULL!Whether you completely realize it or

nat-you do not belong to yourself!You are the property , the owned andcompletely unattached property, ofJesus Christ! "For you are BOUGHTwith a price . . ." (I Cor. 6:20). "Youare bought with a price, be not (become not) the servants of men" (I Cor.7:23).Therefore, your very life, your years,

months , days, hours and minutes, BELONGS TO CHRISTl Your time isnot your own-your very life is notyour own to do with as YOU see fit!Have you ever complettdy realized thatfact?

Count the CostApparently, many brethren didn't

really si t down and count the costwhen they were baptized. Some didn' tfully realize what they were doing!Did YOU visualize yourself, standingnaked before a group of harsh-facedenemy soldiers in a field, with rifles andsub-machine guns pointed at YOU? DidYOU realize that YOUR childrencould well be carted away to a slavelabour camp, or else horribly mutilatedand brutally murdered before your veryeyes? Did you stop to think that YOUmay someday be mercilessly WHIPPEDand BEATEN even in a CHURCH inthis country? Did you s,it down andcount the cost-realizing that all thesethings and even more horrible thingscould well happen to you in the futuresimply because yo were giving your

The GOOD NEWSphysical life to Jesus Christ?Jesus plainly tells us unless we love

Him MORE than we love our verymates, or our own children, MOREthan we love our parents, relatives andclose friends, MORE THAN EVENOUR VERY OWN LIVES-we cannotbe His disciples! (Luke 14:26).

WHY Were You Baptized?Many of us need to survey ourselves

- look into a spiritual mirror, and begin to ask ourselves, candidly, WHYwere we baptized?Did you ask one of God's servants

to baptize you simply because many ofthe members of your family were baptized, and you felt looked down upon,or had that "left out" feeling? Did youstand in the water and go through theordinance of bap ti sm simply to "join"the group with whom you had beenIellowshipping?Or were you baptized because you

could SEE the horrible things comingon this country, you BELIEVED theprophecies contained in your Bible, andthe prophetic messages you'd heard Mr.Armstrong pre-aching, and you wanteda WAY OUT-a WAY OF ESCAPE?Were you?

I f you were baptized [or ANY ofthese reasons-YOUR BAPTISM WASNOT A VALID BAPTISM, ANDYOUR MOTIVES WERE NOTRIGHT!Yes-startling though it may sound

to many, NONE of these motives arethe correct ones to qualify for baptism!On the Day of Pentecost, after Peter 's

inspired sermon, the Jews were fright-ened-they were suddenly aware ofthe hideousness, the total consequencesof what they had done! They said,"Men and brethren, what shall we do?"What was Peter's inspired answer?"REPENT, and be baptized every oneof you in the name of Jesus Christ . .."WHY were they to repent?"... for the remission of sins! ..."(Acts 2: 38). There was the purposefor their repentance-their surrenderto God! That their SINS, their TRANSGRESSIONS against the perfect andholy laws of God could be blo tted outthrough Christ's shed blood!"REPENT ye therefore, and be con-

verted (CHANGED) that your sins

March, 1957may be blotted ou t ..." (Acts 3: 19) .Notice - that their SINS might beblotted out-not so their physicalbodies could be saved from the firstdeath!

I f YOU were truly repentant, throwing yourself on God's limitless mercy,and really surrendering your will to Himat your repentance and baptism, then youwere beseeching God to FORGIVE youfor your PAST sins, to blot them out-towipe the slate clean-to give you a"fresh star t" in life! You were literallyburying your life--erucifying the "bodyof sin" that you could begin to LIVEA NEW KIND OF LIFE! (Rom. 6:6).

What Has God Promised?What has God actually bound Him-

self to perform in protecting thechurch? Perhaps many of us have notunderstood the scriptures properly, andhave been led by an assumption into adangerous state of mind! Most of youheard Mr. Armstrong's sermon at theFeast of Tabernacles about God's protection that is coming for His Church.Mr. Armstrong told of the place Godis preparing, and of the many indications which have led us to believe ittruly will be PETRA, the rose-red cityof rock!It is important to remember, how

ever, that Mr. Armstrong did not sayevery single individual will be takento a place of protection-nor does God'sword say this! In the letter Christ addresses to the Philadelphia ChurchTHIS Church, He says "Because youhave kept the word of my patience, Ialso will keep you from the hour oftempta tion, which shall come upon allthe world, to try them tha t dwell uponthe earth" (Rev. 3;10) .We find God promises to protect His

people, His Church-the PhiladelphiaChurch, before whom He has set anopen door. See also Rev. 12:14-16,where the woman (here, as elsewhere,symbolical of a church) is taken to aplace, described as being in the wilderness!But notice!Chri st has promised to pro tect who

ever is included in the word "you" contained in Revelation 3: 10.Could the "you" refer to every il1di-

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WHY Local Churches?Believe it or not, assembling together in local groups or churches maylead /0 loss of salt/a/ion to many-unless these pitfalls are avoided!

by Herbert W. Armstrong

T RUE, we are commanded not toforsake assembling ourselves to gether-and so much the more inthese last days, as we approach the Dayof the Eternal and the second comingof Christ.

But there are pitfalls. Those inexperienced and unlearned in all the instruct ion of God to His minis ters would never see them. They would trap theunwary and the innocent. But they arethere. And they are a very real and potential danger!

Nine New Churches EstablishedDuring 1956 nine! new local congre

gations were established in these cities:Fresno, California; Longmont andPueblo, Colorado; Garden City, Kansas;Minden, Louisiana; Dallas and Houston,Texas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; andLondon, England. Evangelistic campaigns to build up the local churcheswere held in both Fresno and Dallas.Another campaign is at this momentbeing conducted in London, England,with increasing attendance.Every member of God's true Churchwill rejoice in this. But we have had tolearn to "go slow with God," and to"wait on the Lord." It's human to waneto jump off half-cocked, as the saying is- t o get in a hurry-to get ahead ofthe Eternal.When the PURPOSE of this assem

bling in a local group departs fromGod's purpose-when the method ofconducting the local assembly departsfrom the Bible instructions and example, members often are driven awayfrom God and into loss of eternal life!You have heard me say often that

most of the worldly churches have degenerated into social clubs. But of coursemost of us probably would never believethar could happen to any of us! We justdon't think of ourselves in that language.Yet some of those oldest in our fellowship have actually fallen into that snarewithout realizing it!For the safety and welfare of all, I

must speak plainly and candidly. Godcommands His true ministers: "Themthat sin rebuke before all, tha t othersalso may fear. I charge thee before God,and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the electangels, that thou observe these thingswithout preferring one before another,doing nothing by partiality" (I Tim.5:20-21).

An Unscriptural AttitudeSome, who have attended a local con

gregation of God's church for years,have gradually succumbed to the influence of Satan and the pull of the flesh,until they have come to look on thepurpose and function of the local churchsomething like this (and I summarizetheir unscr iptural view as a warning toALL! ):

"We just want to have peace," theyprotest, justifying their departure fromthe BIBLE ways. "We just want to att end church every Sabbath, and enjoythe fellowship, without having anypreacher lambast us, or tell us what'swrong with us, or use the Scriptures tohi t at us. We want a pastor who willshow LOVE toward us, by letting us doas we please, and as each of us sees itfor himself. We don't want a pastor touse the Bible to strike Out at us, andtell us we're wrong, and make us feeluncomfortable.

"And another thing," this attitudecontinues, "we want to have the 'say-so'in what we do, and how our servicesare conducted. We don 't want any partin what our pas tor calls 'God's work'- that 's just his own personal work, andwe're not interes ted, and we don't wantto hear about i t -we want no part in it.We don't Careanything about going intoall the world and proclaiming the Gospel. We don't care anything aboutwhether people in Florida or Maine orAlabama are being brought into thet ru th and converted-they live too faraway for us to enjoy fellowship withthem, and so we have no interest inthem, and don't want to be bothered or

made uncomfortable even hearing aboutthem."

Rather astonishing, isn't it, that people who have heard God's TRUTHpreached for many years-people whoat first accepted it in the love of God,professed it, s tarted out practising it-should, through the years, fallaway fromthe truth, reject new truth as it is uncovered, begin to embrace false doctrines and errors, and finally come tosuch an attitude as above quoted?

It Has Happened Here!But I assure you, my brethren, that

such has happened! I do not here accuseany individual. 1 say to those concerned,

.. look down deep into your own hearts!I f the shoe fits, e ither pu t it on andwear it-INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE, TOBE BURNED!-or else REPENT before itis everlastingly TOO LATE! But to thosewho do not share this degenerated carnalattitude, 1 say,"I don't mean you!"

But that's not all. Hear some more ofthis att itude into which ANY ONE OFUS might degenerate, unless we areAWAKE to the danger!These people, if they express how

they really feel, would continue to say:"We just want to ENJOY this fellow

ship and Sabbath service each Sabbath.We want it to be a change-a rest fromour weekly work and routines-s-a placewhere we can come';"for diversion andENJOYMENT, and we want it to be upl if ting and encouraging, so that we cango home feeling better pleased withourselves. We don't want a pastor getting us all upset by showing us our sins-telling us that because we were divorced and remarried we are living inadultery-telling us we are robbing Godif we don't pay tithes. Why, we don'tthink God would be fair if He split upfamilies just because one member has aformer living husband or wife-and wedon't want any of OUR money to go intoa work we don't consider is OUR work,and we don 't want any of OUR money togo to the preacher, either. Just because it


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Page 4 The GOOD NEWS March, 1')57

Address communications to the Editor,Box 111, Pasadena, California.Copyright, March, 1957By the Radio Church of God

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GODministering to its membersscattered abroad

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExecutive EditorRoderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

of the saints," wri tes Paul in Eph. 4: 1213; "for the WORK of the minis try, forthe edi fy ing of the Body of Christ, TILLwe all come in the unity of the faith,and of the KNOWLEDGE of the Son ofGod, unto a perfect man, unto themeasure of the s ta ture of the fulness ofChrist."

And HOW does God ins truc t HISministers to preach? Does He say,"Don't tell them their sins?" Does Godsay, as I know one man is representedto believe, "You are a sinner yourself,so you can't tell others their sins-instead, show love by ENCOURAGING themin their sins?" He does not! God commands, "CRY ALOUD, and SPARE NOT,and SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR SINS."God's instruction to ministers of local

churches is this:"I charge thee the refore be fo re God

. . . PREACH THE WORD; keep at it inseason, out of season; REPROVE, RE-BUKE, EXHORT with all patience anddoctrine" ( I I Tim. 4: 1-2). He said thetime would come when some in congregations minis tered by GOD'S TRUEMINISTERS will not endure sound doct rine ; bur after their own lusts heap tothemselves teachers-turning away theirears from the TRUTH."

Brethren, do you realize what thatmeans? In God' s rrue Church GOD hasset HIS ministers in charge, He hasgiven them AUTHORITY. He has authorized them to bind and to loose. Hehas told them to RULE-to preach thewonn which, like a sharp two-edgedsword cuts both ways-is profitable forcorrection, reproof, instruction. But thisshows the people would try to SELECTTHEIR OWN pastor-"heap to them-selves teachers." Not the teachers Godset over them-those of THEIR choosingwho will show their k ind of perve rt ed"love" by turning them away from theTRUTH, pleasing them with what theywant to hear!God's true minister s will never do

that!Should the brethren HATE God's min

ister when he properly uses God's Wordand declares it boldly? I f he does thisGod will CHASTEN many in the congregation thru him.

True, God SClyS, "Now no chasteningfor the present seemeth to be joyousbu t grievous."

Yes, it is GOD who has set apostles,evangelists, pastors and teachers in HisChurch. The call must come from GOD.These men are merely HIS INSTRU-MENTs. He trains them and preparesthem. And WHY) To FRRD the Churchof God, as Paul told the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20). "For the PERFECTING

Purpose of ChurchesBrethren, if we are to continue to

grow-and to grow SPIRITUALLY aswell as in numbers-we must rememberthat the PURPOSE of the Church is, first,to GO INTO ALL THEWORLD and preachChrist's GOSPEL. The FIRST commissionto the Church is just that. Anyone wholooks on that Great Commission ofChris t as "Armstrong's priva te work" isJUSt nor a member of Goo's Church.Anyone who does not have his wholeheart in that work ISNOTA MEMBER OFGOD'S TRUE CHURCH, and has no rightwhatsoever to attend or fellowship inany of its local congregations. The veryFIRST purpose , then, of each local congregation is the FIRST purpose of God 'sChurch as a whole-to encourage, prayfor, hear r eports about, and help i n -in whatever manner may be possiblethe great work of God preaching andpublishing the true GOSPEL to the world.

After that comes the SECOND commission Christ gave His Church-"FEEDTHE FLOCK." For this purpose, CODhas set some in His Church, first, apostles, then preachers, and then teachers,to be HIS instr uments in feeding thelocal flocks each Sabbath.

heard the TRUTH?" But I assure you,brethren, it has happened already, to asmall few! Thank God!-only a few!

What is God 's sentence upon them?Listen!

"I t is IMPOSSIBLE for those who wereonce enlightened, and have tasted theheavenly gif t, and were made partakersof the Holy Spirit, and have tasted ofthe good Word of God . . . if theyshall fall away, to renew them again untorepentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh" (Heb.6:4-6) .

Let it be a warning to ALL, and let allFEAR, and TREMBLE before the all-powerful WORD OF GOD!

No Elections or Politics

NUMBER 3OL. VI

Perverted Love!To these people, the minis ter who

properly uses God's Word as God commands, to correct and reprove, is notshowing love. The preacher who willtwist the Word of God to lull them tosleep in their sins-actually condemning them to everlasting DEATH-isshowing what they call love!

Some of them derive a certa in satisfaction out of a disagreement withGod's chosen servant. Instead of feelingguilty where the llTRLR condemns whatthey are doing or believing, it seemingly elevates their ego. If they can convince themselves that God's chosen servan t is wrong, and they are right invarious points of Scripture, then they feelsuperior. This helps them ride rightover the ir sins. But they are ridingst ra ight into th e jaws of ETERNALDEATH!

\'Ve might think : "Why, tha t couldn'thappen to any of OUR people who have

is taught from Pasadena that divorce andremarriage is adultery-just becauseArmstrong and his worshippers say it'sa sin if we don't pay tithes-well, if wedisagree with wha t is taught at Pasadena, that's our God-given right! Wewant the right to believe as we reasonit our fur ourselves, We wam a preacherto show LOVE toward us by telling ushow good we are, and sending us homebetter pleased with ourselves, feelinggood, encouraged for the week ahead."


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March, 1957What Is Love?

But what is GOD'S kind of LOVE inthis regard? "For whom the Lord LOV-ETH He cbasieneib" (Heb. 12:6). "Myson, despise NOT thou the chastening ofthe Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him," says God (verse 5) . "Ifye are without chastisement . . . thenare ye bastards, and not sons" (verse8) .What about those few disgruntled,

unhappy and rebellious ones who twistrhe rrurh into believing a preacher showsLOVE by condoning them in the ir sins?"For this is the LOVE of GOD, that wekeep His commandments" (I John 5:3) . And we break one of God's commandments when we live in adultery.And when we STUAL from God by embezzling HIS TITHE, we break another!There are TEN Commandments-notjust one about the Sabbath!God has given instruction in HIS

WORD as to how His minis ters whom Hehas set in authority shall deal with thosewho have thus depar ted from HIS LOVE,and who stir up dissension among brethren.

Authority to Act!We learn by experience. In past years

your Pastor t ried to show love by notacting drastically or harshly with suchpeople. God has punished him, andbrought him to see how such peopleMUST be dealt with, for a little leavenwill leaven the whole lump. And hereafter God's ministers will demonstrateIN POWER, if necessary, the authori tyGod has given, and carry out His instructions, that the love and the spiritualg rowth of THE MANY shall not be perverted and destroyed by FEW!

If, in any local church, one member,or a few, offend and endanger the spiritual health of the whole body, Jesus'teaching is to "CUT IT OUT," for it'sbetter to enter into the Kingdom withone arm, or one foot, than to perish ingehenna fire!In this way, it shall be possible in the

future for ALL the membership to beFILLED with the true LOVE and theJOY of God the Father-and, rejoicingtogether, we may PRESS FORWARD to ward the mark for the prize of theHIGH CALLING of God in Chr ist Jesus!

The GOOD NEWS

How Importantis PHYSICAL Life?

( Cnnt inued from page 2)vidual within the Church? Let Christanswer this question. We may read, inJesus' prophecy of the climactic worldshaking events to precede His secondcoming, of other specific statements regarding the future state of God's trueChurch! "For nat ion shall rise againstnation, and kingdom against kingdom,"and these wars, together with the diseaseepidemics and famines will be bu t "...the beginning of sorrows. THEN shallthey deliver YOU up to be afflicted,and shall kill YOU, and YOU shall behated of all nations for my names'sake" (Matr. 24: 7-9).Did those to whom Christ spoke

here constitute the entirety of thechurch? Was Christ referring to everyindividual in the Church?NO! Of course not. If He had been

including all the Church, then theChurch, which is Christ's body, wouldcease to exist-every individual in itbeing killed!Putting ALL the scriptures together

as to the future of the PhiladelphiaChurch, God tells us the Church ingeneral-that is, MOST of the Churchwill undoubtedly be taken to a placeof safety. But others within God 's trueChurch will be selected to suffer forChrist's sake! Christ was speaking,specifically, to His disciples in theprophecy He gave on the Mount ofOlives. In the broader sense, however,He referred to "you" who are Christians, "you" who will obey and serveJesus Christ-regardless of who "you"are! Since the disciples were the nucleus around which Christ was goingto form His Church, He spoke moreparticularly to them in this case-orto His ministers!Therefore it becomes clear that the

larger part of those faithful, watching,praying, OVERCOMING bre thren inthe Phi ladelphia Church WILL be sheltered from the "hour of temptation(trial) which shall come upon all theworld." And it also becomes clear thatcertain individuals within the Church,whom GOD will choose and select, willhave to suffer physical tor tures, andultimate physical DEATH for the sake

Page 5of Christ and the gospel!God has seen fit to bless His work

on this earth with myriad and almostbreathtaking gifts! He has granted HisChurch favor in the sight of the Uni tedStates government agencies, and before state officials. He has poured Outupon us every spiritual and physicalblessing we could ask for-and more!Certainly all of us whose hearts are

firmly in the great work being doneof God through His human instruments thrilled at the acquisition of thenew properties God granted, and thenew students He sent to His own college!And yet -This time of peace and safety for

God's Church will have to end sudden-ly in the not too distant future!

Great Persecutions Ahead!As God's work grows-so does its

renown, and its notoriety! The largerwe become, the more the huge religiousorganizations and denominations ofthis world will take notice of us. Whenthey beg in to really notice our work-PERSECUTION will begin-on ascale such as none of us has knownbefore!The very growth, then, which God is

graciously granting His own work, willultimately bring a great amount ofridicule, andof open persecution fromthe world!Did Christ foretell any such thing?

YES,He certainly did!"If the world hateth you, you know

that it has hated me before it hated you.I f you were of the world, the worldwould love its own, and because youare NOT OF the world, but I chose youout of the world, therefore the worldhateth you!" (John 15:18-19).But is it just a matter of empty hatred

on the part of our former acquaintances- ou r friends and relatives? Or willthere actually be any real suffering connected with it?

"Remember the word that I said toyou: 'A bondman is NOT greater thanhis Lord.' If they perseciaed me, theywill also persecute you!" (John 15: 20).Jesus Christ, the living HEAD of thisvery Church, promises us PERSECUTION!Actually, many of you brethren livingin scattered areas, and even in many of


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Page 6the cities where a local congregation ISblessed with a minister are presentlysuffering a certa in amount of persecution! You should be glad, and REJOICE!For great is your reward in heaven!(Matt. 5: 11-12 ).Since Jesus Christ suffered while in

the flesh, and learned by those sufferings(Heb. 5:8 ), so He intends that welearn lessons of patience and faith bythe same means. "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience saketoward God endure grief, sufferingwrongfully [not even deserving thesuffering he receives}. For what gloryis it, if, when you be buffeted for yourfaults you take it patiently? But if,when you do WELL, and suffer for it,you take it patiently, this is acceptablewi th God" (I Peter 2:19-20). Here,Peter shows that even those who areliving perfectly should learn to EXPECT sufferings and persecutionssince that is the very reason we're called!Notice! "For even hereunto were youcalled, because Christ also suffered forus, leaving us an example, that youshould follow His steps" (I Peter 2: 21 ) .

Some Must DieJesus' commands to His disciples con

cerning the preaching of the Kingdomof God pertained not only to thoseoriginal twelve, but to Christ's ministersthroughout the ages of His Church.However, it meant even more specifical-ly those ministers who would be alivejust prior to His return to this earth!"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in

the midst of wolves, be you thereforewise as serpents, and harmless as doves.But beware of men, for they will deliveryou up to the councils, and they willscourge you in the ir synagogues; andyou shall be brought before governorsand kings for my sake, for a testimonyagainst them and the Genti les!" (Matt .10 :16-18). God's ministers, being sentfrom city to city on evangelistic campaigns in future years, can fully expectthis prophecy of Jesus Christ to be fulfilled! Some of us may well be lashed,and beaten in the 1)ery cht/rches whichclaim to be "Christian" in this nationof ours!"And the brother shall deliver up the

brother to death, and the father thechild; and the children shall rise up

The GOOD NEWSagainst thei r parents, and cause themto be pu t to death. And you shall behated of all men for my name's sake:but he tha t endureth to the end shallbe saved" (vs. 21-22) . Was Christspeaking only of that great persecutionimmediately ahead of the ApostolicChurch? Notice-"But when they persecute you in this city, flee you into another, for truly I say unto you, youshall not have gone over the cities ofIsrael, till the Son of man be come!"(vs. 23). Jesus was speaking of thattime immediately preceding His verysecond coming-ouR lifetime--NOW!Remember-when you were baptized,

you said to God you were giving yourlife to Him! Your physical life is al-ready considered as DEAD--DEAD ANDBURIED. Did you realize that fact?Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ"(Gal. 2:20), and, "I die daily" ( l Cor.15:31 ).

Some Have Wrong GoalSurely you must remember how often

Mr. Armstrong has spoken of havingthe right GOAL as the primary rule forachieving success! He has told all ofus that having the correct GOAL in ourChristian lives is perhaps the most im-portant ingredient of all! Some, however, not fully realizing it, have allowedthemselves to "get their eye off the ball"and to pu t their eye on the WRONGGOAL!Christ did tell you, over and over

again, NOT to seek to save your physi-cal life-but to seek to save yourSPIRITUAL life! To seek SALVATIONFOR ALL ETERNITY!"And I say unto you, my friends, Be

not afraid of them that kill the body,and after that have no more that theycan do. But I will FOREWARN youwhom you shall fear: Fear Him, whichafter He hath killed hath power to castinto gehenna fire. Yea, I say unto you,fear Him!" (luke 12:4-5). See alsoIsaiah 66: 1-2.

NOTICE!The Sacred Calendar for 1957

has been mailed to every member.I f you have not already receivedyour copy write us immediately, asy.our copy may have been lost.

March, 1957We are told NOT to fear the physical

harm tha t MAN can do to us-but tobe concerned with what God will do tous if we disobey Him (Man. 10:28).

Yes-surprising tho it may seemmany of God's own people have begunto "take thought" for their PHYSICALcomfort, their PHYSICAL well-being andsafety in the perilous times ahead! Theyhave begun to pu t the "cart before thehorse" without realizing it!

The purpose of this article is to REVEAL this error to y o u ~ t o ask YOU tosearch deep into your own heart, andSEE if perhaps you had begun to do thesame things! Have you? God knows!

REMEMBER, brethren, "He that findshis life shall lose it, and he that LOSEShis life for my sake shall find it!" (Matt.10: 39). Never forget the example ofour forefathers, the ancient Israelites,when they were tried of God in thewilderness! These very lessons are written for YOUR admonition and MINE, inthis last time ( l Cor. 10:11) Whenthey arrived at the Red Sea, they com-plained. When they came to Marah,where the water was bitter, they grum-bled. When they got hungry, theygriped, they complained, they mur-mured about their PHYSICAL WELFARE!WHAT ABOUT US?The real GOAL which you should be

seeking is the Kingdom of God! YourGOAL is to be CHANGED--TRANSFORMED INTO A VERY SON OFGOD--ACOMPLETELY, ENTIRELY DIFFERENTSPIRIT BEING! Petra is not an end initself-it is, rather, merely a means toan end. The end is SALVATION! Salvation is SPIRITUAL, not physical protection for a time in some caves!

let's seek FIRST the Spiritual things-let 's be so CLOSE to God, that REGARDLESS of what HE determines is tobe our own individual duty in the coming tribulation-we will accept withJOY the calling He gives us, whetherHe says, "Go to Petra with the saints,"or whether He says, "You shall beKILLED for my name's sake!"Then you KNOW you are safe-thenyou HAVE ASSURANCE and need be in

no doubt as to the outcome! Be willingto die for Christ-and then accept withgratitude and JOY the deliverance fromtorture should He see fit to grant it toYOU!


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Should You ASSEMBLEWithout a Minister?

We know you brethren long for local church fellowship. We knowyou need it. BUT, should you assemble by yourselves without aminister whom God has sent to feed the local flock?by Herman L. Hoeh

R:CENTLY we were again broughtface to face with this seriousproblem.In California, Arkansas, Florida, and

even as far away as Hawaii groups wantto assemble each sabbath. The desireusually commences after learning ofnearby brethren and visiting with them,or after meeting them at the festivals.

With social fellowship comes the inevitable desire to assemble on the sabbaths for round-table discussions.Many feel the necessity of social con

tact with brethren. They equally desire tolearn more about the Bible, What couldbe better than meeting each sabbath forBible study, it is reasoned! And thinkof the social fellowship!Immediately some will think of He

brews 10:25. "We should assemble ourselves together," they will say.But what happens?Wherever groups gather together a

dominant individual inevitably arises.By force of personality others begin tolook to him-even though he may notunderstand the Bible as well as they. Hebecomes a leader. Yet he may not becapable of keeping order. He is usuallythe center of arguments, doubts anddivisions. Dissension and errors gradually arise. Some brethren leave in disgust-soured on the t ruth.Is this God's way of feeding the flock?

New Testament ExampleThere are two methods by which we

can LEARN the solution to this problem:1) by New Testament example, 2) byJesus' instruction.First, let us understand the example of

the Bible itself. Weare experiencingtoday the same problem which confronted the early inspired, Spirit-filled

Church of God. The apostolic Churchwas a scattered Church (Acts 11: 19) .So are you brethren today! But what didthat early scattered Church do?

Open your Bible to Acts 11. Not icethat some "which were scattered abroad"(verse 19) "came to Antioch ... anda great number believed, and turnedunto the Lord. Then tidings of thesethings came unto the ears of the churchwhich was in Jerusalem." What didthey do? Notice it! "They sent forthBarnabas, that he should go as far asAntioch" (verses 20-22).Barnabas was a trained teacher (Acts

13: 1). Barnabas also sought out Paul(verses 25-26), who had already beentrained personally by Jesus Christ (Gal.3:17-18). They were eminently qualifiedto feed the flock.Jesus Chris t directed His apostles atJerusalem to send pastors lest the Antioch brethren would assemble withoutleadership. TIle SAME example occursin Acts 14.

The apostles, Barnabas and Paul, fledthe city of !conium because of persecution (verses 1-5). They came to Lystrawhere the Jews soon attacked them asthey were conducting their evangelisticwork. Thereupon they fled to Derbe(verse 20). In each of these cities theapostles were prevented momentari lyf rom con tinuing the ir ministry. Theysoon returned, however, to confirm thedisciples in the faith (verse 21). Nowobserve verse 23: "And when they hadordained them elders in EVERY church,and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord."Paul did not establish churches with

out pastors! EVERY local church had itspastor. Jesus called His people sheep.They need a shepherd. Paul therefore

gave them pastors, or shepherds, whowould feed the flock. We are NO different today. God's people still need pastors to lead them into truth.

And notice, too, tha t they were or-dained, with prayer and fasting, by theapostles. God did not leave it to thebre thren to gather together and to follow anyone who had a desire to becomean elder. In these cities, where hundreds

-. were being converted, Paul establishedlocal churches and ordained elders forEVERY church! But before ordainingelders Paul's practice was to teach thempersonally, both in pub lic and in theirhomes. He said so in Acts 20: 17, 20.This is God's pattern-God's WAY.

Joined to ChristIf we are to enter the Kingdom ofGod, we must come under the govern

ment of God. We must learn to conductourselves God's WAY. Chris tiani ty is aWAY of life.

To many people, a local congregationbecomes a place of social rather thanspiritual fellowship. People join themselves together, instead of being joinedto Christ. In John 15: 5, Jesus said: "Iam the vine, ye are the branches." Whatwould you think if the branches wouldsay to themselves, let us bundle ourselves together? Yet that is exactly whatyou are doing when you meet of yourown accord without ministers!

To be a Christian you need to "abide"in Christ-you need to live by His instruction. Do the branches of a grapevine receive their sap from each other?Or do they receive it from the centralstump? You need to receive your spiritual power from Christ-the vine. Notfrom a branch-an individual whothinks he would like to hold a study


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Page 8group on the sabbath day.Your spiritual fellowship is not merely with one another, but "with theFather, and with His Son Jesus Christ"through the Holy Spiri t (I John 1:3).Notice what John writes in verse 6: "I fwe say that we have fellowship withHim, and walk in darkness, we lie, anddo not the truth." I f you claim to havereal fellowship with God, and "walkin darkness"-disobey the instructionof the Bible-you are not doing thetruth. You are actually cut off from realfellowship with the Heavenly Father."But if we walk in the light"-if we

obey the Biblical instruction-"we havefellowship with one another" (verse 7).How plain! In order to have real fellowship with one another, you need toabide in the teachings of Jesus and Hisapostles-you need to follow the example and the instruction of the Bible,which isABSOLUTE and FINAl_ AUTHORlIT!

New Testament InstructionNow let us turn once again to He

brews 10:24-25. What is the purposeof assembling in local churches? "Toprovoke unto love and to good works . . .exhorting one another."Notice carefully that Paul explains thepurpose of our assembling, bu t he does

not explain HOW the local assemblyshould be conducted. To understand this,we must turn to other verses which explain this phase fully.In Eph. 4: 11-17 Paul explains that

Chris t gave evangelists, pastors andteachers and other ministerial offices "forthe perfecting of the saints . . . for theedifying of the body of Christ: till weall come in the unity of the faith, andof the knowledge of the Son of God,unto a perfect man ... that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to andfro, and carried about with every windof doctrine, by the slight of men, andcunning craftiness . . . bu t speakingthe t ruth in love, may grow up into himin all things."What is the purpose of the ministry?To instruct the bre thren to grow in

love and in good deeds-exactly as Heb.10:24 mentions. Then God intends thepastors to set the right example and toinstruct the flock which should assemblewith a minister. IF BRETHREN COULDACCOMPLISH THIS BY ASSEMBLING

The GOOD NEWSWITHOUT A MINISTER, THEN JESUSWASTED HIS TIME TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME PASTORS OR ELDERS.Then He was mistaken in train ing thedisciples to preach and to feed the flock,if the flock could feed itself!The very fact that the ministry is FOR

the edifying of the Church is PROOFPOSITIVE that assembling without ashepherd will NOT lead to unity andperfection in knowledge. Without apastor, disunity, content ion and errorwill inevitably arise in a local group.Experience proves it!Where Two or Three Gather TogetherBut didn' t Jesus promise that wher

ever two or three brethren gather to gether, He will be in their midst?The common misapplication of this

text comes from careless reading. Christwas discussing with His apostles themat ter of making binding decisions inthe Church (Mat. 18: 17). He promisesto back every decision-even where onlytwO or three are gathered together INHIS NAME!What does "in His name" mean?It means "by His authority"! We baptize "in the name of Jesus Christ"-"by

His authority." But Jesus never gaveauthority for His converts to hold meetings by themselves without a pastor!Any who do so are not acting accordingto Jesus' commands. They are going contrary to Christ's authority. He does notpromise to be in the ir midst. Besides,

RECIPES FOR DAYS OFUNLEAVENED BREADThe Days of Unleavened Breadwill soon be here! Many of youmay be wondering what to serveyour family during this festival.To solve your problem we haveprepared several surprising recipesusing unleavened bread.Our oldermembers already havethese recipes, bu t if you do nothave them wri te us immediatelyrequesting them.The recipes include CocoanutCrisps, Plain Wafers, CheeseCrackers, Whole Wheat or Graham Gems, Cornmeal Gems, IceBox Crescent Cookies, MacaroonCrunchles.Included will also be information on the purchase of cornmercial unleavened bread.

March, 1957according to the pattern laid down inLev. 23:24, God orders His ministersto convoke assemblies-to order meetings. God tells us upon which days wemust meet, and He orders His ministersto tell the people when and where Hewants the assemblies held. It is God'sdoing, not man's. Ministers are God'sbond-servants and the shepherds of theflock.Now we can also understand clearly

other New Testament passages. In writing to Philemon, Paul spoke of "thechurch in thy house" (Philemon 2 ) .This is not speaking of brethren gathering for discussion groups or Bible studies. It is speaking of a church-an organized body of saints-over whomPhilemon presided. Notice tha t Pauladdressed him as "fellow-laborer" (verse1). In verse 24 Paul lists "Mark, Arisrarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow-laborers." These men were elders andevangelists laboring with Paul in theministry. Philemon was also a "fellowlaborer"-a minister. Paul even calls him"a partner" (verse 17). The churchin his house was NOT without a pastor.Another important consideration

many brethren still overlook is that thelocal church is for the instruction ofthose who are converted. It is not theplace to convert outsiders! Yet it seemsthat some, not understanding this important principle, want to hold sabbathstudy groups to convert outsiders. Andsometimes the unconverted are the veryones who dominate the meeting!Mr. Armstrong has learned by experience that every group needs competent spiritual leadership. It cannot be leftto zealous, but unwise, desire to haveChristian fellowship. True fellowshipcomes by obedience to God'sWAY. Eventhough most of you are scattered andhave no regular sabbath service, yet bethankful that you are again being fedthrough two magazines, The PLAINTRUTH and The GOOD NEWS. Youcan hear the daily broadcasts-you actually hear Mr. Armstrong on the radioin your own homes! When the WorldTomorrow Broadcast is on the air, youare attending, in a sense, a church service with a minister. This is how God isfeeding His flock! And we hope thatsoon a minister may be sent to spend hisentire time visiting scattered membersto answer their personal questions.

good news 1957 (vol vi no 03) mar_w

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