Good News 1954 (Vol IV No 02) Mar_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1954 (Vol IV No 02) Mar_w

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VOL. IV, NUMBER 2

T h eTHE

NatIonal MagazIne 01CHURCH OF GOD

MARCH, 1954

WHY Local Assemblies?Believe it or not, assembling together in local groups or churchesmaylead to loss of salvation to many-unless these pitfalls are avoided!

by Herbert W. ArmstrongT RUE, we are commanded not tnforsake assembling ourselves together-and so much the more inthese last days, as we approach the Dayof the Eternal and the second comingof Christ.Bur there are pitfalls. Those inexperienced and unlearned in all the instruct ion of God to His ministers would never see them. They would trap theunwary and the innocent. But they ar tthere. And they are a very real and potential danger!

Three New ChurchesThe indication and hope BUW is tha tGod will establish at least three newlocal congregations among us duringthis presen t year. We are hoping toplace local pastors to conduc t regularSabbath services in the vicinity ofGeorge West or Alice, Texas , at Long

mont, Colorado, and to raise up a newchurch in Los Angeles.Every member of God's true Churchwill rejoice in this. But we have had tolearn La "go slow with God:' and to"wait on the Lord." It's human to wantto jump off half-cocked, as the saying is- t o get in a hurry-to get ahead ofThe Eternal.

When the PURPOSE of this assembling in a local group departs fromGod's purpose-when the method ofconducting the local assembly departsfrom the Bible ins tructions and exam-

pIe, members often are driven awayfrom God and into loss of eternal life!You have heard me say often thatmost of the worldly churches have degenerated into social clubs. Bur of coursemost of us probably would never believethat could happen to any of us! We just

don't think of ourselves in that language.Yet some of those oldest in our fellowship have actually fal len into that snareuithout realizing it!For the safety and welfare of all, Imust speak plainly and candidly. Godcommands His true ministers: "Themthat sin rebuke before all, thar othersalso may fear. I charge thee before God,and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the electangels, t ha t t hou observe these thingswithout preferring one before anotherdoing nothing by partiality" (I Tim.5:20-21).

An Unscriptural AttitudeSome, who have attended a local congregation 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 T summarizetheir unscriprural view as a warning to

ALL!) :"We JUSt want to have peace," theyprotest , justifying their departure fromthe BIBLE ways. "We just want to attend church every Sabbath, and enjoy

the fellowship, without having anypreache r lambast us, or tell us what' swrong with us, or use the Scriptures tohit 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 ano ther thing," this attitudecontinues, "we want [0 have the 'say-so'in what we do, and how our servicesare conducted. We don 't want any partin what our pastor calls 'God's work'--that's just his own personal work, andwe're not in teres ted, and we don't wantto hear about i t -we want no part in it.We don't care anything about going intoaU the world and proclaiming the Gospel. We don't care anything aboutwhe ther people in Florida or Maine orAlabama are being brought into thet ru th and converted-they live too faraway for us to enjoy feUowship withthem, and so we have no interest inthem, and don 't want to be bothered ormade 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, started out praerising it-should, through the years, fall away fromthe t ru th , rejec t new truth as it is un-


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Page 2covered, 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, thatsuch has happened! I do not here accuseany individual. I say to those concerned,look down deep into your own hearts!

If 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, I say, "I don't mean you!"But that's not all. Hear some more ofthis attitude into which ANY ONEOFUSmight degenerate, unless we are AWAKEto the danger'.These people, if they express howthey really feel, would continue to say:

"We just want to ENJOY this fellowship and Sabbath service each Sabbath,We want it to be a change-a rest fromour weekly work and routines-a placewhere we can come for diversion andENJOYMeNT , and we want it to be uplifting and encouraging, so that we cango home feeling better pleased withourselves. We don't want a pastor getting us all upse t by showing us our sins-telling us that because we were divorced and remarried we are living inadultery-telling us we are robbing Godit 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 itis 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 what is taught at Pasadena, that 's our God-given right! Wewant the right to believe as we reasonit out for ourselves. We want 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."

Perverted Love!To these people, the minister whoproperly 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 certain satisfaction out of a disagreement withGod's chosen servant. Instead of feelingguilty where the BIBLE condemns whatthey are doing or believing, it seeming-

The GOOD NEWSly elevates their ego. I f they can convince themselves that God's chosen servant is wrong, and they are right invarious points of Scripture, then they feelsuperior. This helps them ride rightover their sins. But they are ridingstraight into the jaws of ETERNALDEATH!We might think: "Why, that couldn'thappen to any of OUR people who haveheard the TRUTH?" Bur 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 gift, and were made partakersof the Holy Spirit, and bat. 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 allPEAR, and TREMBLE before the all-powerful WORD OF GOD!Why, we would not be the trueChurch of God, unless a few had turned

~ w a y from the truth!It happened in the churches Godraised up thru the apostle Paul. Leadersrose up and turned brethren againstPau!. To the elders from Ephesus, Paulsaid:"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter inamong you, not sparing the flock. Alsoof your own selves shall men arise,speaking perverse things, to draw awaydisciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30).It happened to Paul. It has happenedin our experience, But never fear! Allsuch shall be dealt with, by the powerof God. God is showing His servantswhat they must do. And we shall knowby the fruits-the RESULTS-whetherthe power and the authority of GOD inHis chosen ministers is the stronger, andmaster of the si tuation, or whether perverted and disgruntled human self-willcan triumph! God will DEMONSTRATEHis power thru His servants! The gatesof hell shall not preva il against GOD'SChurch!

God's Work GrowingThe work of God is multiplying inpower and scope! We expect to have atleast two or three men graduat ing thiscoming June who shall then be prepared to go our and pastor new localcongregations. One or two others mayhave to go to England and to Europe.It begins to appear that in less than ayear we shall have to send an evangelistic team ( 0 conduct dynamic evangelisticcampaigns in two or three cities in England. The indication now is that we

March, 1954may have from one to three churchesraised up in England within abour ayear.It appf'BfS now, also, that we shallsoon have to send two men to India,and possibly to establish a branch headquarters there. The broadcasts are nowgoing to India and to all China, anelthe ent ire far-east! An office is soon tobe established in London, and a European edition of The PLAIN TRUTHwill be printed in London. Plans havebeen made to have the ent ire magazineset to type here, the plates or negativesair-mailed to London, and primed andmailed out from there. The letters arenow arriving from England and Europeat the rate of about 150 per week. Weshall have to establish au office, staffedwith at least two of our men, and competent secretaries, within the nexttwo or three months.Yes, PRAISE GOD! - the work is GROW-ING as never before!About early December, I had a reportthat around 50 were at tend ing regularSabbath services in the Gladewater

(Tex.) tabernacle. But by January 15,when Elder and Mrs. Marion McNairvisited Pasadena during inid-winter vacation, the report was that around 70were attending-and our own gradeschool with 19 pupils!frankly , I had not realized until twoor three days ago how many were attending every Sabbath here in Pasadena. I assumed we have around 100in regular attendance, Bur I am told bythose who have counted a few timesrecently that we are now having around160 or 170 in aitendancc every Sab-bath! The Portland, Tacoma, and SanDiego congregations are growing all thetime-around 40 every Sabbath, now,at Portland, 35 at Tacoma, and 25 atSan Diego. I understand there are some30 or more just wait ing to attend regularly, as soon as we can send a pastor,in the vicinity of GeorgeWest or Alice,Texas. Several are wai ting for a pastorat Longmont, Colorado,

Purpose of ChurchesBrethren, if we are to continue togrow-and to grow SPIRITUALLY as

well as in numbers-we must rememberthat the PURPOSE of the Church is, first,to GO INTOALL THEWORLD and preachChrist's GOSPEL. The FIRST commissionto the Church is just that. Anyone wholooks on that Great Commission ofChrist as "Armstrong's private work" isjust not a member of GOD'S Church.Anyone who does not have his wholeheart in that work IS NOT A MEMBER OFGOD'S TRUE CHURCH, and has no rightwhatsoever to attend or fellowship inany of its local congregations. The very(Please continue on pag 6)


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Your Part in God's WorkHundreds of you brethren have asked about this question. AsChrist's own gospel now starts around the world, the true answer

becomes vitally important! You must KNOW-and ACT!by Roderick C. Meredith

I s YOUR life literally filled with a dynamic, pulsating, driving PURPOSE?I f not, WHY?Your life sbonld be so packed withinterest and activity tha t you begrudgeeven the few hours which you necessarily must spend in bed asleep. Is yourlife that exciting? Is it full of that kindof challenge?

Whether you realize it or not, yourDESTINY has been to be placed as amember of the most important team onearth! This team has the most importantjob a ll earth to do. Every single member is VITALLY needed! On offense andon defense, every posit ion on this teamis important.There should NEVER be any "benchwaimers" on this team. The rule booksays that every member must be an AC-TIVE participant in the strugg]. Anymember who lags too far behind orwho quits will be dropped from theteam roster. Victory mus be achievedat alI costs! Christ's Body

The body of Jesus Christ is the "team"described.The apostle Paul told the saints atCorinth, "Now ye are the body ofChrist , and members in par ticular" (ICor. 12:27). Except in Spirit, Jesus isnot here on earth any more. The workHe began must be carried on by othersas His human instruments.Jesus committed His wurk to Hischurch to carry on. That is why Paulcalls the church Christ's "body." It is theorganism through which Christ can nowcarry out His work. To do this t remendous job, Christ's church must be totally consecrated to its calling. It mustwork with dynamic ZEAL and rely withimplicit faith in the POWER of GodHimself to remove otherwise impassablebarriers.You and I did not ask to be called atthis crucial time, brethren. This is God'sdoing. We in God's Church cannot patourselves on rhe back for having had ourminds opened to so much of God's precious trutb.

On the other hand, we dare not shirkthe solemn responsibility which comeswith this knowledge. God has called usto be members of Christ's body-the or ganism through which the work of thegospel must be accomplished.When you were baptized, your old"self" was symbolically buried in a watery grave. You acknowledged thatChrist paid for you, and you gave yourvery LIFE to Him. I f you are reallyconverted, then "ye are DEAD, and yourlife is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3) .You are no longer to think of yourlife, your time, and your talents as yourown any more. Rather, you should regardthem as belonging to jesus Christ-whobas bought and paid for your life withHis perfect life. As the apostle Paulwrote, "For ye are bought with a price:therefore glorify God in your body,and in your spirit, which are God's"( I Cor. 6:20).Your body-your very self, then,should bc given completely to God asan instrument through which He canwork.Have you ever thought of it tha t way?May God help you to do so if you everintend to get in to the kingdom of God!You must prove your willingness to letGod TOTALLY direct yoftr life.Consider yourself, then, a member ofChrist's body-a member of the mostimportant team on earth.

Our MissionIn our day, Christ's church is calledupon to fulfill prophecy. In describing

the very closing events of this age justbefore His return, Jesus prophesied,"And this gospel of the kingdom shallbe preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shallthe end come" (Mat. 24: 14) .I f we are Christ's church-His body,then we must yield ourselves completely to Him as instruments in carryingout this mission. In addition to this general commission, we must particularlywarn Israel and other nations of thei rcoming judgments for sin. And, when

necessary, we must raise up churchesand "feed the flock" who are alreadyconverted.In carrying out this world-wide mission, a great many different kinds oftalent must be employed, and a greatdeal of sacrifice must be made by eachand every member of Christ's church.Some must sacrifice by giving their entire time and lives to this work. Othersmust give parr of their time to activeservice, and employ the rest of theirt ime and talents in a manner which willaid further in carrying out the gospel.Everyone in God' s church must consider their part in the work of Christ asthei r highest calling-their supremePURPOSE in life. Each must work, andstudy, and pray, and sacrifice daily toachieve this great purpose. The magnitude of this calling should fill everyreal Chris tian 's life with a driving pur-pose and zeal in life.

Our purpose is to reach this ENTIREEARTH with a vital message. It is the07lly Im:ssage of real HOP):; for a worldwhich is on the verge of total cbaos.Our mission is to act as Ambassadorsas representatives-of Christ, and to letHim use us in warning this world ofapproaching doom, and in telling themthe good news of the world tomorrow.I f any member of Christ' s body failsto bear his full share of the load, theaccomplishment of this mission is impeded and delayed. If you are really inGod's church and guided by His Spirit,you will recognize both the responsi bility and the opportunity given you.How do yOll stack up to it? Are yoltdoing your full share?

Important JobsAs God opens more great DOORS forthe proclaiming of His message, anincreasing number of active positionsin God's work continually open up.These must be filled by people who arethoroughly trained for whatever placethey will fill, and who show by theirfruits God has called them and that theyare fully consecrated to serve Him.As the radio stations now open up to


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The GOOD NEWS March, 1954

Address communications to the Editor,Box Ill, Pasadena, California.Copyright, March, 1954By the Radio Church of God

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExecntir e EditorRoderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

The national magazineofTHE CHURCH OF GODministering to its membersscattered abroad, andreporting on campus happeningsat Ambassador College

Different GiftsIn Romans 12: 1-8, the apostle Paulexhorts the saints at Rome, "Presentyour bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (verse 1) . He goes on

to instruct them not to become vainoyer any spiri tual gifts, bu t to remember that it was all "according asGod hathdealt to every man the measure of faith"(verse 3) .Paul reminds them that they "are onebody in Christ" (verse 5).He then speaks of their various opportuni ties for service as giftJ. Whatare these opportunities for actively serv-ing God? Do we have these opportunities today!Paul first mentions the gifts of propb-ecy and the ministry. These involve aspecial calling of God anc1 special training such as all of God's prophets andapostles had. The average person in thechurch could not go back and preparefor such a position. But God has openedup Ambassador College in out day toprovide the trained minis try needed inthis world-wide gospel crusade by radioand the pr innng press. We should allpray earnestly that God would send herethose whom He has called for His work.

Teaching is the next gift Paul mentions. As we begin to start our ownschools, converted and thoroughly quali-fied teachers will be needed. As localchurches are formed, elders who nder-stand and can teach the Word of Godwill be needed. Paul was inspired towrite Timothy, "Thi s is a true saying,I f a man desire the office of a bishop (o relder), he desirerh a good work" ( ITim. 3:1 ). An elder must meet all thescriptural requirements, and prove himself worthy of this trust. He must be"apt to teach." But he may rejoice inbeing privileged to actively serve inrbe church of God.The next gift mentioned in Romans12 is that of exhortation. This is a giftparticularly employed by the ministry,but also should be exercised by the localelders, teachers, and even brethren whoshould be "exhort ing one another" to befaithful as we see the day of Christ'sreturn approaching (Heb. 10:2'5).All these gifts mentioned here fit intothe same pattern as those described in ICorinthians 1? Rut in this particularchapter (Romans 12) Paul is describingthese functions of service to explainboio we may present our bodies a "living sacrifice" as He commanded in verseone. Real Christians, then, are to devote

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that it was the servant with only onet alen t who gtew discouraged and laydown on the job.Could this be you?

alu/eys revealed to HIS ministers theneed to appoint others to any duties inthe gospel work. Ask God to show usHis will. And )'011 should be seekingGod's will in this-not your own!God wants us to develop our talentsand abilities. We should constantly bestudying, praying, growing, and overcoming self so that we may be preparedif God should call us to active service.But at the same time, don't get aheadof God. His time may not yet be ready.Weare commanded to "wait on theLord" (Ps. 24:14).God's Doing

The main thing all of us need to cultivate is a willingness to give ourselvescompletely as instruments for God towork through. We should hold backnothing.

God Himself is responsible for thegifts and talents we may possess. Noticethe parable of the talents (Mat. 25:1430). God gave talents "to every manaccording to his several ability" (verse15). The Bible shows that God grantsspiritual gifts and offices always accord-ing to our natural abilities. To give eminent spiritual gifts to persons incapableof properly exercising them would onlylead to trouble.Whatever your natural abilities andthe place God has fitted you for, remember it is His doing. Glorify andserve God zealously in whatever capacity He makes possible at the time.And, according to the direction in whichyour natural talents lie, ask God to helpyou perfect them and make it possible

for you to employ them actively in Hisservice if He wills.BEWARE lest you despise the opportunit ies for service God has made possible, and bog down and bmy your talentin the sand. Notice in Jesus' parable

Herhert W. Armstrong analyzes today's news, with the prophecies ofThe WORLD T O ~ O R R O W !TO Al.L OF EUROPE:

RADIO LUXEMBOURG - 23:30Mondays,Greenwich time.

"The WORLD TOMORROW"RADIO LOG

ABC NElWORK, TRANSCONTINENTAL-Every Sunday. Consultlocal newspaper radio schedules fortime and station, or keep on handthe log printed in the January issueof The PLAIN TROTHTO THE NATION & CANADA:XEG-I050 on dial, every night,

8:30 P.M. Central Std. time.Other stations at usual time.

NUMBER 2OL. IV

reach all of Indi a and China, it is evenas Jesus said, "The harvest truly isplenteous, but the labourers are few"(Mat. 9:37). And the injunction topray seems more important than ever:"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourersinto his harvest" (verse 38) .Yes, PRAY tha t God will provide theservants for His work! He knoUlS thehearts of men-and He alone can callthe ones wi th both the ability and theright spiri t to fill posit ions in His work.You brethren in God's church shouldrealize that as God makes it possible forus to open up offices overseas, to haveour own schools, perhaps later our ownprinting facilities, and other similarprojects in conjunction with the gospelwork, that we will be asking God toprovide the right kind of trained andconsecrated help.As ment ioned in a previous article,one great problem Mr. Armstrong hasto face is the practice of some peoplewho wan t to "bulldoze" the ir way intoGod's work when they are unqualified.Such an a tt itude and practice can onlvbinder the gospel work. But on the othe"rhand, if any of you brethren do havespecial talents, abilities, and experiencewhich would fit you to take an activepart in God's work as you see it developing, you should not be too backward about asking God that you mightuse those abili ties if He sees fit.Then, be sure to write us or contactus otherwise and let li S know all aboutyour background, training, experience,and what type of job you feel God maybe calling you to perform. .Don't write with the attitude of de-

i ! ! ({ l tdi l tg anything. Remember that God


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Stud y the LAW!The Ol d Covenant is abolished. Then wh y turn to the Ol d Testamentto learn which L A W S we are to observe?

by Herman L. HoebSNCE the old covenant is abolished,why refer to Exodus 20 to provethat the ten commandments are inforce today?And, why refer to Deuteronomy 16

to prove how we ought to observe theannual festivals? To Leviticus 27: 30 toprove tha t t ithing is one of God's lawsfor us today? And why use Deuteronomy 14 to enumerate which are the c lean ,healthful meats?Yes, w I I Y ? ~ s i n c e the old covenantis abolished'

The Usual ArgumentIt is a common assumption-i-acceptedby the great majority of the Christian

professing world-s-that the Old Testament HAS NO AUTHORITY FOR US TODAY! The usual argument is as fol lows:'The laws of the Old Testament area part o f the old covenant, They beganwith Moses, God never made the oldcovenant with Abraham; He made itonly with the 'Jews' at Sinai. Besidesthat, Christ abolished the law and builta New Testament church."You have heard this argument before.What is wrong with it?First, did God's law begin at Sinaiwith the old covenant? Let's notice

when it real ly commenced, The sabbathbegan at the close of the six days ofphysical re-creation-s-nor in the days ofMoses. God hallowed t he s even th day.He made it ho ly t ime 2500 years beforeMoses! Read it in Genesis 2: 3. I t is si1tto profane whatever God hallows atmakes holy. The heathen-s-from theirown historical records-i-knew of thesabbath long before the days of Abraham.Another point of the law is "Thoushalt not commit adultery." How could

it have been a " sin aga in st God" forJoseph to commit adultery, if the tencommandments were no t in exi st enceprior to Moses? (Gen. 39:9) .Second, how could Abraham keepGod's commandments, if they did notexist? (Gen. 26: 5). The undeniablefact remains that it was SIN to breaka e r y one of th e ten commandments be-fore Moses.Here is what most people don't realize. God's inexorable laws have beenin ac tive force from the beginning. Th efact that God wrote them down on

tables of stone merely means that Go dcataloged them for us, Men write downlaws of physics , chemist ry , and mathematics in a book. They catalog theselaws for ready reference, bu t the ir wri ting the natural laws does no t originatethem anymore than Newton's "law ofgravity" brought gravity into being!WETURNTO EXODUS 20, no t becausethe old covenant is binding, BUT BECAUSE IN THE OLD COVENANT ISFOUND THE ONLY PORTION OF SCRIP-TUREWHERE ALLTHE COMMANDMENTSARE LISTED SYSTEMATICALLY. Let's re-member that!The ten commandments are no t binding because they were written in s tone ,

bu t because they are God's law from creation. Only in Exodus 20 do we haveall the poiutJ of the law. James, thebishop of Jerusalem, quoted from Exodus 20 when he wanted to enumeratethe points of "the law of liberty'l-e-theten commandments ( James 2: 10-11) .IVe are to follow James' example todaywhen quot ing the commandments.

The Book o f t he CovenantThe same pit iful a rgument utilized

against th e t en commandments is repeated concerning God's statutes andjudgments. As we read in the previousissue of The GOOD NEWS, the statutesand judgments of God were bindingprinciples BEFORE Sinai (Exodus 18:16) .

If they were no t in force , how couldGod have told Noah BEFORE THE FLOODt ha t cer ta in anima ls were "clean" andothers "unclean"? (Gen. 7: 2 ). If thestatutes and t he judgmen ts began onlywhen they were recorded in the book ofthe covenant by Moses, what r ight couldGod have in taking tithes of Abrahamand Jacob 400 years earlier? (Genesis14:20; 28:22).Now consider this: Even t hough the

distinction between clean and uncleanmeats was known to Noah, yet he did

NOTICEThere was no February

issue of Th e GOOD NEWS

no t tell us which the clean are! WECOULD NOT KNOW unless they werelater recorded for us. And we find thatrecord in the statutes and judgments(Lev. 11 and Deue. 14 ) which Godcommanded Moses to write. No lawwritten by Moses cou ld make an animalunclean (unhealthful for food). Moses,under inspiration, merely codif ied thelaws for us. Moses and the prophets"received the l ively oracles TO GIVE TOUS." (Acts 7:58).

Incorporated into the BibleYou will remember that the ten com

mandments, as origina lly given werewritten in t ab le s of stone by the fingerof God. The lesser laws were writtenas a civil code in the let ters of the Hebrew alphabet by Moses in a book, How,then, did the t en commandment s cometo be written in a book today-s-rhe Bible?Jesus said man shall live by "everyword of God." God has committed Hisrevelation of essential knowledge to usin the form of a book-s-che Bible. Hetherefore caused the old covenant withits commandments, s tatutes and judgments to be incorporated i nt o the Bibleso we would have a systematic formof His laws. We refer to the OldTestament for God's l a w s - n o t BECAUSEthey are a part of th e old covenant,which is no longer in f o r c e ~ B U T BECAUSE THEY ARE A PART OF THE BIBLE, the very Word of God .In the New Testament Paul quoted

tw ice from the book of the law ofMoses (Deur. 25:4) to prove his doctrines ( I Cor. 9:9 and I Tim. 5:18)Jesus used the old covenant as the basisfor His New Testament teaching inMatthew 5: 17-48. Jesus recognizedthat the old covenant was the only port ion of scripture where God's laws weresystematically arranged. Instead of destroying God's law, he came "to magnifyit and make it honorable" (Isaiah 42:21). He said: "I f you believed Moses,you would believe me . . ." (John 546). In place of the letter of the lawJesus restored its spiritual priuciples->as it was in the BEGINNING! Jesuand the New Testament church constantly referred to the Old Testamenas FINAL AUTHORITY. Let us do thesame TODAY!


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What Booklets Do We Publish?

~ e s t i o n 'BoxYour questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to havediscussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's church.

Page (,

Perhaps you have recently been approached by one of your relatives orinterested friends about your belief andyou found it difficult to answer thequestions. Then here is the solutionfor you!There are seventeen booklets nowbeing published, plus the "Sacred Cal-

endar" that was printed for the firsttime last year. If you have not receivedeveryone of these, be sure to write fortbcni immediately. Here they are.The amazing booklet "United States

in Prophecy" is now being published ina European edition-"The UnitedStates and the British Commonwealth 111Prophecy." It will reveal up-to-date factsabout our national identity, and giveyou the key to dozens of Old Tes tamentprophecies for today.You may have been confronted by aquestion about your bapt ism. Did you

explain it convincingly from the Bible?There are many man-made ideas aboutbaptism-sprinkling, pouring, immersion into a church denomination-thatyou need to be familiar with. The scriptural answer to these and other arguments are presented in the pamphlet"All about Wilter Baptism." Another related problem is the contention thatChristians ought to be baptized by fire!Read the clear explanation to this doctrine in "Baptism by Fire."A fact tha t is becoming increasinglyknown to people in general is the paganorigin of Christmas and Easter. Can youexplain to your friendswby God forbidsus to embrace these pagan holidays?Can you prove how these holidays werecleverly substituted for the annual holydays God has ordained? The astoundingorigin and history of these holidays aregiven in the pamphlets "Christmas" and

'Easter."What about the Saturday-Sabbathquestion? You, of course, under standwhich day is the Sabbath, bu t can youthoroughly answer the arguments ofSunday-observers? Many of their arguments are simply explained in the booklet "Which Day Is the Sabbath of theNew 'Testament?" Bur is the day we callSaturday the same day God sanctifiedfor man in the Genesis account of creation? It has been a long time sincecreation; perhaps time has been lost?Read the seven absolute proofs that

Tbe GOOD NEWS

lime has not been lost ill the booklet"Has Time Been Lost?" The Sabbathwas given as a sign to God's people.If it is a sign of obedience, what isthe "Mark of the Beast"? Write for thisbooklet, too, and see!It is a universal assumption thatChrist's resurrection was on Sunday, andfrom that supposition it is argued tha tSunday is the "Christ ian Sabbath:' Canyou explain the true facts about theresurrection? "The Resurrection Was

Not on Sunday" is a MUST on your reading list.Have the people who lived in pastages been lost because they didn't knowof Christ's sacrifice for sin? What of themillions living today who have heardthe name of Christ but are not believers? Are they doomed? Have you worried about your relatives who have died"unsaved"? The answer to these questions is given in the free booklet"Predestination."Have you been asked to take communion Sunday morning? The truthabout the communion service is given in"When and How Often Should We Ob-ser-ve the Lord's Supper?"

The book of Revelation is supposedto be the book that no one can understand. "The Key to the Book of Revela-tion" presents you with that key thatwill unlock the real meaning .Two pamphlets are available on faith."What is Faith?" and "What Kind ofFaith is Required for Salvation?" Answers to prayers for healing depend onfaith. Write for these tWO booklets, ifyou have not already done so, and alsofor the pamphlet "Does God HealToday?"Where did Lazarus go when he died?Is the rich man burning in hell today?The real meaning of this much-misunderstood account is given in "Lazars:and the Rich Man" now in bookletform. Another article which appeared ina past issue of the PLAIN TRUTH, "Di-vorce and Remarriage," is now off thepress.Be sure to wri te immediately for anyof these attractive free booklets thatyou may not have already received. YouNEED th em for your personal study tohelp you understand the Bible.Also, be sure to wr ite for any backissues of "The PLAIN TRUTH" whichyou are lacking.

March, 1954Local Assemblies?

( Continued from page 2)FIRST purpose, then, of each local congregation is the FIRST purpose of God'sChurch as a whole-to encourage, prayfor, hear reports about, and help i n -in whatever manner may be possiblethe grea t work of God of preaching andpublishing the true GOSPEL to the world.After that comes the SECOND commission Christ gave His Church-"FEEDTHE FLOCK." For this purpose, GODhas set some in His Church, first, apostles, then preachers, and then teachers,to be HIS instruments in feeding thelocal flocks each Sabbath.

No Elections or PoliticsYes, it is GOD who has set apostles,evangelists, pastors and teachers in HisChurch. The caU must come from GOD.These men are merely HIS INSTRU-

MENTS. He trains them and preparesthem. And WHY? To FEED the Churchof God, as Paul told the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20). "For the PERFECTINGof the saints," writes Paul in Eph. 4: 12I'); "for the WORK of the ministry, forthe edifying 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 mun., unto themeasure of the Stature of the fullness ofChrist."

And HOW does God instruct HISministers to preach? Does He say."Don't tell them thei r sins"? Does Godsay, as I know one man is representedto believe, "You are a s inner yourself,so you can't tell others their sins-instead, show love by ENCOURAGING themin their sins"?

God's CommandBy your life, He does not! God commands, "CRY ALOUD, and SPARE NOT,and SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR SINS."God's instruction to ministers of localchurches is this:"I charge thee therefore before 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 doctrine; but after their own lusts heap totbemselues teachers-turning away theirears from the TRUTH."Brethren, do you realize what thatmeans? In God' s true 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 theWORD which, like a sharp two-edged


7/8

March, 1954sword 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 THEIRchoosing,who will show the ir kind of perverted"Jove" by turning them away from theTRUTH, pleasing them with what theytcant to hear!God's t rue minis ters u.ill uc u cr doI bal.'Should the brethren HATE God's minister when he properly uses God's Word,and declares it boldly? I f he does this,God will CHASTEN many in the congregation rhru him.True, God says, "Now no chasteningfor the present seemr-rh to be joyous,bur grievous."

What Is Love?But what is GOD'S kind of LOVE illthis regard? "For whom the Lord LOV-

ETH He chastcncth' (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 , .. thencue ye bastards, and not sons." (Verse8.)What about those few disgruntled ,

unhappy and rebellious ones who twistthe truth into believing a preacher showsLOVE by condoning them in their sins?"For this is the LOVE of GOD, that wekeep His commandments" (I John 5:, ) . And we break one of God's commandments when we live in adultery.And when we STEAL 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 ministers whom Hehas set in authority shall deal with thosewho have thus departed from HIS LOVE,and who sti r up dissension among brethren.

Authority to Act!We learn by exper ience. In pas t yearsyour Pastor tried to show love by notact ing drast ical ly or harshly with suchpeople. God has punished him, and

hrought him to see how such peopleMUST be dealt with, for a little leavenwill leaven the whole lump. And herea fter God 's mini ster s will demonstrateIN POWER, if necessary, the authori tyGod has given, and carry our His instructions, that the love and the spiritualgrowth of THE MANY shall nor 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, JeslIs'teaching is to "CUT IT OUT," for it'sbetter to enter into the Kingdom with

The GOOD NEWSone arm, or one foot, than to perish 10gehenna fire!In th is way, it shall be possible in thefuture for ALL the membership to heFILLED 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 Christ Jesus!

Your Part inGod's Work

(Continued from petge 4)their very lives as a liuing sacrifice inzealously exercis ing these gifts . Theseare the ways in which we can be activeinstruments in God's hands,Now we come to ano ther most important gift. I t is also a precious opporruniry for actiue service to God. I t is a

gift which many of you brethren havebeen failing to exercise when you could!It is a VITAL gi ft. It MUST be under-stood and zealously employed if we areto continue to be God's instrument s incarrying His message to all the world!

The Neglected GiftYou brethren may not realize it, bu teven after we are converted most of usstill have a wrong sense of values. Thisis replaced only grilduCllly by God'sstandard. We have to study and to bet aught God 's Word for a long timebefore we come to have the mind of

Christ in viewing material objects andcircumstances.That is precisely why most of us havenot understood and leaped at the chanceto exercise the next gift mentioned inRomans 12.Paul commands: "He that GIVETH,let him do it with simplicity" (verse8). All modern translations show that"simplicity" should be translated liber-ality.Yes, God inspired the apostle Paul

to write that GIVING was a definitepart of the sp iri tual min ist ry. He describes this opportunity for service as a"gift" from God. The giuer, Paul says, isto be LIBERAL.lll'hy haven't most of you ever thoughtof it in this light before?

HERE'S WHY! The America we haveall grown up in has been described as"the most materialistic nation on earth."In this capitalistic society, we havelearned to lus t for money and the ma-terial things money will buy. We almostunconsciously look with suspicion onany religions or charitable ent erprisethat calls on us to contribute, bu t doesn'toffer an immediate material result inreturn.

Page 7Whether you realize it or not, money

- and the material things it will buy has become the GOD of most Americans.Many visitors from foreign nations norice this and remark about it.And GOD knows it too! In Malachi3: 6-12, God speaks to the "sons ofJacob"-w America and Britain todayto you! "Will a man rob God? Yet youhave robbed me. But ye say, Whereinhave we robbed thee? In tithes AND OFFERINGS" (verse 8) .T ragic as it seems, brethren, many ofyou, who have actually been baptizedand supposedly converted, changed, andfilled with God's Holy Spirit, have been

FAILING to heed this solemn warningto modern Israel! Some of you havefailed to pay your full tithe regularly tothe only work which is carrying Christ'smessage to the world.Many of you have failed to giveofferinfis according as God has blessedyou. You have failed to obey God's command to give LIBERALLY.Because of human tendency to wor ship money and regard it as your "security," many have failed to exercisetheir God-given "gi ft " of GIVING generously of their perishable material treasu re that God's work m ight reach all ofsuffering humanity. You just haven'tthought of this function as a special"gift"-a special opportunity and re-.rponsibility to actirely serve God.

Should We Apologize?Should God's ministers have to apologize for the necessity of telling youthese vital truths? Should we feel like

scoundrels for showing you what Godsays about the use you should make ofyour ma teri al wealth? Should we feelguilty?Jus t who is GUILTY?Frankly, brethren, although Mr. Armstrong knows he has to, he hates to haveto wri te urgent co-worker letters askingfor money for God's work.

But should he get out of the ministryto make money? Would this help God'swork?All of you brethren should well knowby the "f rui ts" t ha t God has called Mr.Armstrong to a job in thi s work whichis growing so big it is more than he canhumanly take care of. But who has Godcalled to help provide the money whichis so necessary in carrying out His work)As God's work now reaches out toEurope, India, China and other areaswith increas ing power , Mr. Armstrongand all of God's se rvants in thi s workhave much more to do than can bur nanlvbe accomplished, We feel whippetl andbeaten at times by the staggering loadof work which we face each day. Wehave to ask God for more st rength andfai th to carry our load.


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Page IlBut beloved brethren, we CANNOTcarryyour load as well!You must understand your part in exercising the "gift" of giving and theother gifts and functions you may perform in God's church. And you must

ACT with zeal and faith!Your Part

Each of you brethren should assessyour talents, experience, and capabilitiesto determine how to best serve yourGod and Creator in carrying out thegreat commission He has given Hischurch in the closing days of this age.And, of course, you must study and prayfor God's guidance in every way.

If you feel God has prepared you andiscalling you to some service as an elder,teacher, deacon, or some similar functionin His church, then pray about it earnestly and prepare yourself further thatyour "fruits" will be evident to God'sservants. As we have pointed out , youmay have to "wait on the Lord" untilGod opens up the way.But don't grow discouraged. Remember that God is the one directing Hiswork, and in His perfect wisdom Heknows what is best for the developmentof your character-and for the furtherance of His work. So seek God's will-not your own.However, at all times perform dili-ge1ltly and zealously those functionswhich you can in God' s work. God maybe using your zeal in those duties as agauge of what you could do if a grearerresponsibility were placed on your shoulders. Jesus said, "He that is faithful inthat which is least is faithful also inmuch" (Luke IG:IO).So be cognizant of the extreme lni-portallce of exercising the gift of GIV-lNG.As Goers work goes to foreign lands,the increase in expenses of conductingthis work has leaped. Bur God has

The GOOD NEWSPrinted in the U.S.A.

Box l l l -Pasadena, CaliforniaRETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

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Tbe GOOD NEWSchosen ro starr His work in the wealthi-est 1lation on earth.It is our solemn RESPONSIBILITY toshoulder most of the financial burden ofproclaiming God's messagt: to all nations. But it is also our great privilege,if we will only understand Jesus' words,"I t is more blessed to GIVE than to receive" (Acts 20:35). He set the example by giving His very life for youand me.

Here's HowBut we are to present our bodies as a"living sacrifice." One way some of ourmore zealous bre thren have glorifiedGod in exercising the gift of giving isthis: Realizing that their t ithes and offerings were a most importan t part oftheir active service to God, they havesought to work extra hours or to getextra par t- time work, and have in everyright and honest way possible soughtto employ their talents and abil ities toearn more mOlley to put into the workof God.'May God bless them for it!Carnal men are always scheming tomake more money in every way possible.They will miss sleep, meals, and drivethemselves on because they worshipMammon.How many Christians will show thesame ZEAL in earning money to give

to Christ?Will you?

COMINGNEXT ISSUE!Beginning with the April num-ber, we start publication of aseries of arti cles on foods-with helpful, healthful recipes.

March, 1954This is plain talk, brethren, but thet ime has come when those of you whoare in God' s own church should be toldthese things. God's servants here inPasadena are doing our best to giveourselves completely to God in carryingalit our par t in His growing work. Nowall of you must do the same!We cannot count on outsiders or even

our unconverted co-workers to put forththis kind of effort. But you convertedbrethren should have the Spirit andpower of God to inspire you to shouldermore of the load!Mr. Armstrong has spent many sleepless nights in concern and in earnestprayer during the seemingly impossiblefinancial struggles God's work has gonethrough. He has forced himself to writeco-worker letters when he wished andprayed that it wouldn't be necessary.And God has always delivered His work!But as this age draws to a dose andGod's work suddenly expands to theends of the earth, we must have more ofyou brethren with your whole HEAR1Sin th is work.Our Lord and Master said, "Whereyour treasure is, there will your heartbe also" (Mat. 6:21).God gram that each of you will putyour whole mind and heart into God'sservice, and present your bodies a "livingsacrifice" to Him in every way. Earnestlyseek how you may best serve God in amore active manner and be an instrument He can use.Neglect not the gift of GIVING. Itis vital at this time. Take this as youropportunity and responsibility in God's

work. Seek to exercise it more effectively. Go to extra effort and sacrifice forChrist! There is no greater purpose inlife.H em', and understand, and ACT. thatyou may be worthy of Jesus' words:"Well done, thou good and faithfulservant."

(Sec. 34,65 (e), P.L.&.R.)U. S. POSTAGEPAIDPermit No. 703 IPasadena, California

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Good News 1954 (Vol IV No 02) Mar_w