,\\\e

Good NewsInternational magazine of

THE CHURCH OF GODministering to its members

scattered abroad

More About Our Cover...7:~ ~l5}t't.h'e}t'tu/ A/1"ll-1.t t~ u tlmu' at many mooas. Ourphotographer captures the sun's last rays as it settles

behind the African bush, and as a family of farm laborers gathersaround a fire to eat their evening meal. Two of God's ministersvisi"tea 'just such ptaces on their 'tiaptizing tour of the "dark con­tinent" last fall. Read about some of their experiences in the firstinstallment of Mr. Jackson's diary.

Ambassador College Photo

March-April 1972

Volume XXI Number 2

READERS SAY

Thanks Ior "Triple-header"I want to pass on a few comments about

the November-December issue of TheGOOD NEWS. My heartfelt and gratefulthank-yous to Mr. Knowles, Mr. Sharp andMr. H. Wilson for the inspired "triple.header" they delivered in this issue. Neverhave three articles been more timely inmy life!

Mr. Knowles helped me to have adeeper insight on how to be more effectual

GOOD NEWS Really "Good News"Each month you receive hundreds of

letters Irom the readership of The GOODNEWS saying, "I know this issue waswritten especially for me." We!I, yo.u. ma~ada' IIi,s letter to that growing file ofgrateful readers. Thank you for theNovember-December GOOD NEWS!

Mr. Knowles, thank you for plunging:nt«, -hI\; -very ':l~.cr, 'If, -nry "vrdyn lJT~Ju­

lem." Your succinct article about 'pr~YIng

fOI the WOlk dearly defines my diff icultvand gives workable solutions. And, Mr.Dart, your "Answers to. Question~" sec­tion goes hand-in-hand WIth the article onprayer. It's so easy to become UNcon­cerned - UNinvolved - with the brethrenin the Foreign Work and to lose thevision of Matt. 24: [4. Hence, Mr. Sharp,your corrective article on "~ndif~ere~ce"was an ideal follow-up WIth inspiredguidelines for res~orin~ perso~al sacrific~

and involvement In this end-time Work.Finally, Mr. Wilson's crisp metaphoricalparable of our s!,irit\l"l "Title Bout" ­giving much needed spiritual "coaching"to thousands - rounded out the truly in­spired editorial content!

I was in Pasadena recently. I touredAmbassador Press, the editorial offices, artstudios, bindery operations, and the mailrooms. I KNOW firsthand what a mas­sive undertaking it is for all of you atheadquarters to get this vital informationinto our hands - and MINDS. And weare grateful, not only to you, but to ourHeavenly Father who is the real sourceof it all! With each isue of The GOODNEWS we come closer to the profoundrealization that He is so cognizant, soalert, so aware of our individual spiritualneeds that He directly inspires each new(and oh so timely) article. And that reallyIS "good news."

M. M., Battle Creek, Michigan

Published at Pasadena. California(1J 1972 Worldwide Church of God

EditorsDennis G. LukerErnest 1. Martin

Leslie 1. McCulloughBill 1. McDowell

Raymond F. McNair1. Leroy Neff

Richard F. PlacheJohn E. Portune

John RobinsonPaul S. Royer

Norman A. SmithDean R. Wilson

Clint C. Zimmerman

Associate Editors

Richard H. Sedliacik Ronald Kelly

SENIOR EDITORS

Roderick C. MeredithAlbert J. PortuneHerman L. Hoeh

AnDRE" AT T. r.OMMr,TNICAT.fON.' to the Editor,P. O. Box 111. Pasadena, California 91109.

Canadian members should address P. O. Box4·i, Station A. Vancouver 1. B. c.. Canada.

Our members in United Kingdom, Europe, andAfrica should address the Editor, P. O. Box Ill,St. Albans. Herts., England.

South Africa: P. O. Box 1060. Johannesburg,Transvaal. R. S. A.

Members in Australia and Southeast Asia shouldaddress the Editor, P. O .. Box 345. NorthSydney. NSW 2060, Australia.

In the Philippines, P. O. Box 1111, Makati,Rizal D·708.

BE SURE TO NOTIFY US IMM~DIATELY of anJchange in your address. Please Include both 01and new address. IMPORTANT!

BUSINESS MANAGER

Albert J. Portune

Lawson C Briggs, CO!IY Fdi/or

Thomas Haworth, Art Editor

MANAGING EDITOR

David Jon Hill

EDITORHERBERT W. ARMSTRONG

ContributingDavid AlbertDavid 1. AntionDibar K. ApartianFrank BrownAlfred E. CarrozzaC. Wayne ColeRaymond C. Cole"'\Tilliam DankcnbringRonald 1. DartCharles V. DorothyCharles F. HuntingPa ul W KrollRobert 1. Kuhn

• • •

Had the "Blahs"I have just finished reading the latest

issue of The GOOD NEWS. I found eacharticle full of the knowledge I have beenlooking for and needed. I have beenwondering (of late espec ial ly) how theWork is progressing worldwide, whatexactly we were doing in Japan and itseffect, and how our brethren in the Philip­pines are doing. Also I was wondennghow to pray more for the Work and theministers.

I have been guilty of the sin of indif­ference, only I didn't know quite what itwas so I lalled it the "blahs." Thanks tothe' article on this subject I now see theproblem for what it is and know how toovercome it. I also understand more fullythe fight we are all engaged in and howto "win."

Thank you for the November-December1971 GOOD NEWS. Never has anyone

(Continued on page 7)

Mrs. P. S., Albion, Michigan

in "How Should I Pray for the W~rk?"

Then examination of mys~If on t~e ~~venpoints thar Mr. Sh"r!, laid out 1Il TheSin of Indifference" caught me shortseveral places and revealed some soiled~ .ir uh£l·Jl1.a~ auriuulr amr' rrrenrar'outlook. Thus - I'm scrubbing up!!!

Mr. H. Wilson's "Fight of the Cen­tury" was the clincher. It was the addedincentive. to "lJlInch_ m~ w;tv, oJl1;' Qf. the,paper bag that I, somehow have g~tten

bundled up in. One sentence, especial lyconcerning the three "uglies," really struckme - "They never plan to retire whileyou're alive!" ....

So with all these things m mind, I in­tend' to strive to not again become lax,in any way, no matter how slight - forit surely is a matter of life or de~th; andwhen or if I go down I want It to befighting - NOT for the count!

Also, please thank Mr. Dart for thewonderful article on the Foreign Work.I hadn't realized that the PT and TWwere reaching so many countries. Thankyou also for the pictures of the directorsand the areas they serve. Please pass onmy thanks to these men and all who havea part in this wonderful magazine. It is aprivilege to receive it!

Shirley R., Glen Burnie, Maryland

ourWhat

ItIAR'? of the AI~lrlt;AN

1141·1~1_'NG rrOUllFor the second consecutive year God has made it possible for a team of His mInIS­

ters to tour Africa and reach those few people He is calling on the "dark continent." Thisyear Mr. Harold Jackson and Mr. Robert Morton traveled twenty-five thousand miles, reachingthe capitals of sixteen different countries throughout Africa and the Mediterranean!

Not all who requested visits, however, were contacted. In many places transportruns only weekly - maybe. Even letters take weeks, and sometimes months, to reach theirdestination. Some live hundreds of miles from the towns where they were to be met. Andit takes a long time in Africa to save enough money to cover a journey of hundreds ofmiles and back.

Yet it is sobering to realize the great personal sacrifice some were willing to makein order to meet with two of Mr. Armstrong's representatives. Some even sold their posses­sions to raise enough money to make the journey to meet God's ministers.

In the following DIARY, Mr. Harold Jackson gives us a vivid, descriptive, picturesqueand sobering account of the African baptizing tour.

by Harold l. Jackson

September 5, 1971:

ILEFT International Airport in LosAngeles for London, supposedly apolar flight, but aerial disaster of a

previous flight a few days before causeda change in the flight path.

We crossed the United States to De­troit, then flew northeast across Canada,and after eleven hours in the air non­stop reached the British Isles and Lon­don Airport.

We became aware of trouble whenthe plane circled the field for twentyminutes after arrival. We were finallytold we were going in. On landing the

brakes seemed not to hold, but somehow

we stopped. Fire engines were waitingand ran alongside the plane until we

came to a stop. Then we were told we

would await a tow-tractor to pull us intothe terminal.

I left the plane, cleared customs andrushed to the home of Mr. Bob Morton.

Then I made a hasty trip to the bank to

change currency, and went on to Am­bassador College at Bricket Wood for

a brief tour before returning to the air-

port for our flight across the Channelto Paris.

September 7:

After staying in a side-street hotelin a room with seventeenth century fur­nishings and a pub below, we went outto the airport to await the flight toDouala, Camerouns.

I'd like to forget that stop except forthe people we met. Accommodationswere good, but service left much to bedesired. Everyone it seemed was out to"take us."

On inquiring about a rent-a-caragency, we were told there was none.But as we sat down to eat at a sidewalkcafe the following morning, to ouramazement we found ourselves staringat a rent-a-car sign directly across thestreet!

Five people met with us the firstday, giving us a good start. Two wereteachers. Next morning a married couplemet us. He is an ecology professor ata wildlife reservation, with a master'sdegree, and she is an elementary schoolteacher. Upon learning that our nextvisitor was French-speaking, she volun-

teered to interpret for us if needed.Sure enough she was needed, and han­dled the situation very well. The pros­pective member turned out to be anindustrial chemist in an aluminumplant.

September 10-17:

Off to Ghana and the capital city ofAccra, a sprawling metropolis. We ar­rived at the airport, cleared customs andmade necessary exchange in currency.This is a beautitul airport.

We went to the Continental Hotel'where international flavor is strong.Then we spent the day touring the city,a mixture of ultramodern buildingsamidst old dilapidated and deterioratedones.

There are three major problems here:(1) economics, (2) health and welfare,and (3) education.

The gigantic indebtedness inheritedfrom former regimes will burden thechildren's children of Accra.

Filth and squalor are a constant con­cern. A health inspector stated, "Dope,VD and leprosy run rampant throughoutthe city of Accra."

Morton - Ambassador College

INTREPID TRIO - Three zealous Nigerian school teachers surmountedmany obstacles to reach Mr. Harold Jackson (second from left) in Accra,Ghana, to counsel about baptism.

2

Rf>twf>f>n prospective member VISitS,

we visited the Superintendent of theMinistry of Agriculture in Accra. Oneof our members works in his depart­ment. The Superintendent is a highlyeducated person and was curious to learnour business. He was in Oklahoma andKansas last year, and liked our countryvery much. Also visiting him in hisoffice was a local magistrate who gaveme his number and asked me to corre­spond on my return to the states.

We also visited the Parliament House,enshrined in its pomp and dignity. ThePrime Minister was not present, buteveryone else was. After securing passes,we were ushered to a balcony whereall can look down on the proceedings,which were much like those one sees inall governments - debates, lengthyspeeches, but strict protocol.

Seventeen miles west of Accra, onthe east side of a mountain range over­looking the city, stands the palatial resi­dence of the Prime Minister of Ghana.Built by the former leader KwarneNkrumah, it is an ever-present reminderof .thnse .illJJ'<,s .nf .u.~~'iP ~'iMMi.~ ,(\~

good times and gargantuan economicmistakes. Still we could not but admirethis beautiful edifice - a citadel ofpomp and splendor. Guards dressed inred and black uniforms stood erect withrifles at attention, seeming to reflect thestrict discipline of the mansion's occu­

I?ant over those whom he l[Pverns.September 11 was to be a big day.

Mr. Morton had previously notifiedseveral in Nigeria of our inability toget visas, so they were asked to meetus in Accra. Wt: had reserved a roomfor a Bible study and question andanswer session. Others in the localarea were also invited. We eagerlyawaited their arrival, but none came.So while we waited, we spent the timelearning something about the proverbsof that country.

Ghana is an interesting nation, withproverbs and Biblical slogans evidencedeverywhere - on trucks, highways,clothing and what-have-you. There werenineteen figures similar to Egyptianhieroglyphics mounted atop scepterscarved in a wall, each symbolic of aproverb or principle. We could not un­derstand the significance of some, butwe learned that the figures act out the

The GOOD NEWS

proverb A man with a lightecl cigar;n mouth and a keg of gunpowder onhis head meant: "A fool is as a fooldoes." Another one - a man with anegg falling from his hand - exempli­fied the principle that "Life is like anegg, when you die there is no more."Another - a man holding a snake'shead firmly by the neck: "The snakeor man is harmless when his head iscontrolled." Another - a proud andcolorful parrot atop a scepter: "A newking - new laws." Unfortunately, wecould not find the interpretation ofthem all.

After we had retired, near midnight,the desk clerk called to say that threemen from Nigeria were in the lobby

March-April 1972

desiring to see us. So we rolled out ofbed, got dressed, and brought them upto our room for counseling.

We learned that eight had left to­gether to come to see us. Four bordershad to be crossed. Five of the eightturned back at the first border, havingforgotten to bring the letter sent tothem by Mr. Morton. Three continuedby bus, though encountering many ob­stacles which would have discouragedmost.

They could only travel during theday, because of robbers on the roadsat night. Lodging in hotels, they werecontinually harassed by room bandits,who gained entrance by putting a smallperson through the transom. They also

ITINERARY OF AFRICAN TOUR

LegendThis Installment _Next Installment __

Ambassador College Art

had immigration problems. Nigeria doesnot permit free crossing of its borders.

It is reported that one must have a taxreceipt showing that his taxes are paidto date before being permitted to leavethe country.

But these three men were determined,and make it they did! The three werebaptized. All three are teachers.

By letter we had arranged a simpleway to recognize those who had askedfor counsel: They were to meet us onthe steps of the local post office, andwere to have a PLAIN TRUTH magazinein hand as identification.

One morning 1 walked to the postoffice and, seeing a young man with aPLAIN TRUTH displayed, 1 introducedmyself. But 1 received only a quizzicalexnression in .retutn Thinkitg'.h!- .tru'l'not have. undersmod, EnJtlisb. tnn well., 1pointed to the magazine, telling him Iwas a representative of the editor. Hefinally recovered, saying, "I don't believeyou." He could not believe a represen­tative from the United States could bein Accra. Then I knew I had the wrongman. After apologies, we left and found0Ur man aoour one-nair" dour later and'departed wiser and determined to bemore cautious in the future.

On September 17, we had to go to'Kumasl, some hundred and sixty-five.miles .Mrl!;lw'!:''it .nf .k,!;.';2. W'..? kc:;\.rl;'Jto go by car so we could see some ofthe villages en route.

We passed through many small vil­.~ edUr ill1'\; ~1'"l::uin\Z1irglIT proouctsof some kind, such as vegetables, fruitsand meats for marketing, Their wareswere on display along the roadside.Others included colorful locally hand­woven baskets, artwork and pottery.

Their colorful dress was very attrac­tive. Women's hair styles were a workof art, braided in long braids runningfrom front to back, and wrapped withhair instead of strings. Others had shortbraids about two inches in length, stand­ing straight up from the head andwrapped in an unusual pattern or em­bossed design.

Villages generally are familiesgrouped together under one leader whohas formed a governing body to assisthim, composed mainly of the more pros·perous men. There is a communal life

to which all contribute and all benefit.

Above: Rhodesian lady cheerfully displays her market produce for photog­rapher. Right: Proverbs and slogans are seen on vehicles and other placesthroughout the country of Ghana.

March-April 1972

The laws are highly respected. Thepeople also recognize the authority oftheir leaders, as they are taught fromchildhood, and see the example of theirelders.

In religion, which plays a major partin village life, Christo-pagan tribal cus­toms predominate. The mixture is quiteapparent in black Africa, although thereare strong ties with the major denomi­nations who have sent missionaries intothe area.

The laws of marriage are of longstanding. For example, parents promisetheir eight or nine-year-old daughter toa teen-age boy, and he will wait for heruntil she becomes of age, or until hehas the price of her dowry. Then, ac­cording to custom, he can claim her.However, in many cases he selectsanother girl with whom he lives untilthe one promised develops into woman­hood. Then he makes the change.

On arriving at Kumasi, we found itsmaller than Accra, but more up to date.It has wider streets, shopping centersare much cleaner and more inviting,and we found the people more friendlyand more direct in a positive way.

One man was baptized there - hewas deaf, so we had to write outwhatever we wanted to say and whatwe were going to do and place it beforehim to read. After he understood what

The GOOD NEWS

we were asking him, he would nod hisapproval, then we would proceed to thenext sentence. This process was con­tinued until he fully understood; thenhe was baptized.

We look forward to more baptismsin Kumasi next year.

We later baptized a woman in herseventies who could neither speak norunderstand English. Her nephew, abaptized young man age 22, had to in­terpret for her. We would tell himwhat to ask her, and he would speak toher in her dialect and she wouldanswer, after which he would interpret.She was in a hurry to be baptized andreceive the Holy Spirit, wanting to banthe preliminaries and get on with thejob! I believe these people are morezealous in a way because they have togo through much more than we do,even for the simplest things of life.

Fortunately, this woman is able toread the Bible in her native tongue, andher nephew translates articles and book­lets for her.

September 19:Back once more in Accra, we had a

number of people scheduled to see usat 8 :00 a.m. They began arrivingshortly afterward for a question andanswer period, after which those desir­ing to be counseled for baptism werecounseled privately.

5

After about two hours, we called anintermission. Shortly after we had re­convened in the large room, the dooropened, but I could not see who camein. However, about twenty minuteslater, as we finished answering questionson the Sabbath and Holy Days, thearmed policeman who normally guardsthe bank upstairs stepped from seclusionin the shadows of the door and walkedout.

Later, when the meeting broke up,he took the first opportunity to engageus in conversation, and asked: "Whatsort of meeting is this? Can anybodyattend? You mentioned The PLAIN

TRUTH - are you representatives?"We smiled and did our best to answerhis questions in a way that would raiseno hostility, praying God would give usfavor in his eyes.

It turned out that he had been re­ceiving The PLAIN TRUTH for nearlythree years and was very happy to meetus. Then we had quite a laugh, becausein talking to those serving us, we foundthat one of them had also been receiv­ing The PLAIN TRUTH for over twoyears. And one of his relatives hadreferred The PLAIN TRUTH to him.

September 20 - The Feast of Trumpets:We spent the Feast of Trumpets

quietly studying, and discussing thepeople with whom we had visited,

Faces ofAfricaKilburn - Ambassador College

evaluating their situations and trying todetermine the future course of growthand development of these people. Theirplight is a most unusual one - whatwith Christo-paganism and heathenistictribal customs. The African that Godcalls today is one who has been exposedto opportunities not generally accessibleto the majority of his fellowmen.

After sundown we went down tohave dinner in the beautiful dining roomof our hotel. After a light meal, weretired for the evening.

September 21:

On to Monrovia, Liberia. A curvingpeninsular shore of the South Atlanticprovides a beautiful, breath-taking lo­cation for the city.

Liberia's late president, Mr. Tubman,had died in July. The city was still inmourning. His policies, which invitedforeign investments, had stimulated theeconomy. This was well illustrated bythe hotel in which we stayed. It wasbeautiful, a one and one-half milliondollar super establishment built on the

highest point in the city. Providing itsdaily services creates regular income formany of the local people.

However, not three hundred yardsaway, between the hotel and the clearsandy beach, are wood and tin shacks- hovels - housing the poor of thecity. Taxis cruise the area, picking upand discharging passengers between thehotel and the shacks.

September 22:

We felt some apprehension about theJ:It~xt J.rg ..!'If Slllr .t':.¥' - }nhan~'mll'5l

Union of South Africa. We knew ofthe apartheid system which has calledforth much adverse criticism, both na­tional and international. A black manfrom another country was hardlywanted! But we had an assignment, avisa had been secured, and well­formulated plans were in action on ourarrival.

The flight took ten and one-halfhours. We were very tired when wearrived about 9 :00 p.m. Immigrationauthorities, as we expected, took about

twenty minutes to check my visa.Everything being in order, we asked

to extend our stay about two weeks, forwe wished to take sume side trips. Iwas told to go to the local police stationfor this service. We traveled to Germis­ton not far from Johannesburg and re­ceived favor from the police sergeant,who accorded us a stay for one month.I had to send my visa to Pretoria forconfirmation. But I was given a receiptfor the visa and papers stating the cir­cumstances, also the assurance that Icouic' travei' tfirougnout tfie Repubiicwithout any trouble.

But in the meantime we made a trioto Lesotho. Lesotho is a black-ruledcountry, one of two located inside thelarger country of South Africa. Uponreturning to the border of South Africa,as you may guess, I could not get backacross, being without the visa itself.Apologies were given, but no exceptionwas made. Finally, we induced them tosend a telex message to confirm what Isaid, and after a three and one-halfhour delay, I was re-admitted.

Mr. & Mrs. N. F.,Long Beach, Calif.

March-April 1972

One gets a bleak picture and feelscompletely forsaken when cut off fromall outside communications. However,we knew all would work out and it did.

When we had first checked into thebeautiful Intercontinental Hotel in Jo­hannesburg, there had been some raisedeyebrows. After a good night's rest, wewent down the next morning to thedining room for breakfast. Immediatelyas I entered the door, three blacksrushed up with the obvious intentionof putting me out. The assistant man­ager, sitting at a table a short distanceaway, rushed from his seat to my aid,and assured them I could enter. Therewere puzzled faces at the tables, butan International Hotel is intended toaccommodate all peoples of all races.

After order was restored, we got ourmeal. While eating I suggested that themanagement instruct the employees thatblacks coming into the hotel should beaccorded the same treatment as others.And to please inform them of my resi­dence there. I was assured that wouldbe done. We proceeded back to ourroom feeling better in one way, butworse in another.

On the trip to Lesotho, I was accom­panied by Mr. Sydney Hull, head ofthe mailing department of AmbassadorCollege Agency in Johannesburg. Hewas reared in this country. We had avisit with the Minister of Education, andhe told us about the country's economicand commercial interests and its resi­dential areas.

We made an appointment to see thePrime Minister about three o'clock thatafternoon. But because he had not re­turned, we were ushered in to see theMinister of Education, who spoke withus until the Prime Minister arrivedabout forty-five minutes later.

The Prime Minister was very tired, sowe only stayed one-half hour. He toldus that Lesotho is friendly with SouthAfrica, whereas the other black countriesare not. Since Lesotho is located com­pletely within the boundaries of SouthAfrica, there is extensive trade betweenthe two countries. We discussed variousomer aspectS orr government, and' toerelationship' of Lesotho with the otherblack nations. Both ministers statedtheir desires to receive The PLAIN

TRUTH and the Prime Minister re-

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quested a copy of the ENVOY, but wedid not have one to present at the time.

The Prime Minister made an ap­pointment to see us again. He was verycongenial, a wise man, one who knowshis country well. He is aware of itspotential, yet at the same time, herecognizes that education is a veryessential thing for his people.

September 29 - The Day of Atonement:Mr. Fahey, the head of our South

African office in Johannesburg, had ar­ranged a meeting with all our blacks inthe Johannesburg area for the afternoonof the Day of Atonement. We hadrented a conference room on the mainfloor of the hotel and facilities wereset up to conduct a study.

By about 1 :00 p.m. everyone had ar­rived. Since this was my first meetingwith blacks of South Africa, the onething that struck me was their shyness.Soft voices and a sincere humility struckme as being very extraordinary. Then Irealized they were awed by my presence!

After introductions, the first questionasked was concerning the welfare of theAmerican blacks. Their interest runshigh, but after a short time I realizedthey were laboring under a misconcep­tion of long standing. They were judg­ing all foreign blacks by the standardsof the American black entertainersbooked in the country.

Their enthusiasm was so great thatthey kept us until 6:00 p.m. They wereindeed thirsty for the Word of God!Answers were given to the many ques­tions that they had. They all weredeeply grateful for the service that wewere able to render.

After a dinner held that evening forall the area ministers and their wives,we all retired to the suite of Mr. GeraldWaterhouse to discuss the various Feastsites to which we would be going. Weall departed the following morning.

I met Mr. Russel Johnson, our minis­ter in Salisbury, at the airport. We flewto Bulawayo, Rhodesia, arriving at12:30 p.m., secured a car and pro­

L=rl:t.f LV u'n,Vl: Z/~f unies (0 Hc(onaFalls, the Zambezi River cam!;> site forthe first Feast of Tabernacles in Rhode­sian history!

(to be continued)

7

Reader's Say ...(Continued from imide front cover)

of The GOOD NEWS magazines we'vereceived in the past (that I recall) beenso strong and helpful in personal over­coming and praying for this Work. I satdown to read it, deciding to mark the"important" points in each article in red.When I finished it looked like I'd paintedEVERY page!

Answered Their QuestionsI haven't ever written in about The

GOOD NEWS magazine before, but thistime I really felt I wanted to let youknow how much I enjoyed the November­December issue.

The whole issue was fantastic, but Iwanted to say thank you for the articleon the Foreign Work by Mr. Dart. Wereally don't get to hear much in this areaand I learned a lot and hope you con­tinue it. Also would like something onwhat's happening at Headquarters. Thingslike this really make us feel a closer partin God's Work.

Louis A., Affton, Missouri

For the time in which I have been as­sociated with this great Work, there isabsolutely no doubt in my mind that Godis using this Work mightily to carry forthHis Gospel of truth to the world. I amindeed privileged to be associated withthe very Work of God. Thank y/?u sovery much for informing us of the tre­mendous scope of the Foreign Work inthe last issue of The GOOD NEWS. Itreally revealed the extent to which God'sGospel is going to the world.

Mr. G. H., Bronx, New York

I want to thank you for the last issueof The GOOD NEWS. It was really ananswer to my prayer to learn more aboutthe Work and how to pray more effec­tively. I didn't realize the vastness of ourmagazine circulation and to what extentthey reached the world. Thank you somuch.

Laurie L.,Santa Barbara, Calif.

The latest GOOD NEWS is the bestyet. Would like to see an article like theone by Mr. Dart in every issue. I hadwondered about many of those things.

Mrs. L. N., Panama City, Florida

"Fight of the Century"I would like to comment on a particular

article in the November-December issueof The GOOD NEWS. The article, "Fightof the Century," by Hugh E. Wilson wasextremely vivid, and I especially like theway it was written. I have heard Mr.Wilson give a sermon at Sabbath services

and as I read this article, I could almosthear him giving it. I certainly can applythis article to my life because it was areal "eye-opener." The comparisons in thisarticle were fantastic and let me add ­I've read the article three times!

Mary S., Augusta, Georgia

March-April 1972

"It was this stubborn resistance tonew ideas which caused the ancientBantu to kill men and women whodared invent things that could havemade their life less rigorous" (ibid., p.108) .

So only the gods (which seems toinclude the white man in some cases)have the prerogative of inventing newthings! As a result African societyremained extremely primitive until thewhites arrived. "... the Bantu dependedon alien invaders to show them, first,how to use firearms ... when the Portu­guese arrived in our country only amatter of seven hundred years ago, wehad still not discovered the wheel. Itcertainly cannot be denied that the Bantuhave shown little mechanical ability"(ibid., p. 173).

The second prerogative of the gods­beauty - likewise had great influenceon the life of the Bantu. For centuriesthe Western world has believed thatdeep scarring, which can sometimescover the entire torso, was the African'sattempt to make the body more beau­tiful. In actual fact, the opposite is thecase. Only the gods could be beautifuland, tragically, in order not to appear tobe in competition with the gods, Afri­can tribes in some areas deliberatelyhorribly disfigure their bodies so no onewill ever think them beautiful.

There is yet another reason for somedisfigurations. Some tribes put discs inthe upper and lower lips of theirwomen. These discs can sometimes be aswide as the span of a man's hand oreven more. The reason for this is thatthe Arab slave traders considered thewomen in these tribes particularly beau­tiful. After the tribes began disfiguringtheir women in this way, the slave trad­ers didn't bother them anymore.

Ancestor Worship

The African system of ancestor wor­ship covers two main fields. First, manybelieve in a continuous cycle of reincar­nation of the "soul" from grass to trees,then to reptiles, birds and, finally, tothe stars - then back again.

Special tribal markings (in additionto those designed deliberately to dis­figure) are deeply rooted in this belief.k Ii> CS"';{Cl1\'iiftl ,'in.Y <2 'N'Y' k .anI.!- ./;!\

recogmze t'de ttloe It' once 6eJ.\.nrgeo' tU;

The GOOD NEWS

because for the "soul" of a great leaderor chief to be reincarnated into an enemytribe would be disastrous!

The second aspect of ancestor wor­ship is the "feeding" of the spirits ofthe dead. Once the individual has diedand the "soul" has passed on into a rep­tile (a supposedly "higher" form oflife) his "spirit" lives on, always hov­ering around the tribe, and can be con­sulted through a medium for advice orto intercede with the gods on behalf ofthe tribe. However, these "spirits" mustbe fed, because no "food" exists in thespirit world. Without regular sacrificesto their dead ancestors, the Bantubelieve tt··~ spirits of the dead wouldcease to exist and the tribe itself woulddie out.

Ancestor worship causes one ofAfrica's most serious problems - theever-burgeoning population. The Bantubelieves his highest duty is to begetchildren, that he merely lives "to linkhis ancestors with his descendants." Thebegettal of children is not only a moralobligation, it is the means of eternalsurvival. You can never convince aBantu tu use birth control methodswhen he believes he must beget enoughdescendants to "feed" his spirit after hisdeath.

For this reason, polygamy is rife inAfrica. The king of Swaziland has morethan 50 wives! One man from Nigeriatold me his father has fourteen wivesand he himself has fifty-three brothersand sisters. For a man to have onehundred children is not unusual, andfor a woman to give birth to twentychildren is considered to be a greathonor in the fulfillment of her duty to­ward her tribe and her dead ancestors.

Socially, ancestor worship keeps thetribe together. No tribal member wantsto be too far from or to lose contactwith his ancestors. To be ostracized byone's tribe not only can mean losingone's physical livelihood and home ­it can mean death forever according totheir religion.

Another major aspect of tribalismand ancestor worship is the unwrittenlaw of revenge. If someone in your tribeor family (or even race in some cases)is murdered, you and your descendants.mnsr _un/' .rJ:st until .the crime .hasbeen<f\1t:l~• .llffi- ,'ihif 1~.c,'Vli; Jl\AAil .~J.df

9

rage all over Africa: Zulus feud withBasutus in South Africa; Zulus fightShanganes in Portuguese East Africa -­this feud has raged for over one hun­dred years. The Baluba have been set­tling old scores with their neighbors fornearly six hundred years. In Kenya, arevenge war between the Masai and theWakambi is in its tenth century. TheBahutu-Watutsi feud, which resulted inthe deaths of about one hundred thou­sand Watutsis in 1963, has been goingon for over one thousand years!

During the slave raids into theCongo, writes Vusa'mazulu Mutwa,Zulu witch-doctor, a small figure of ahuman being in chains was carved forevery man, woman and child taken intoslavery. These in turn have been passeddown from generation to generation asa reminder of the score to be settled.By these figures every growing childis made to swear an oath of revengefor the lives of fellow tribe members.

Clearly, it is impossible for peace,prosperity and real progress to come toblack Africa as long as false religionshackles the ignorant masses. Such peo­ples are the unhappy victims of circum­stance - born into the wrong religionand taught superstition from childhood.

They, as well as all others who havenot had their eyes opened to God'struth, are "destroyed (margin, cut off]for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6). AsPaul wrote to the ancient Romans ofhis time, we could say of black Africaas well: "Destruction and misery are intheir ways: and the WAY OF PEACE havethey not known" (Rom. 3:16-17). Theyneed the knowledge of God's Law,which would free them (James 2:12).

They desperately need an opportunityto learn the truth which will makethem "free" (John 8:32).

We can all be thankful that soon theshackles of superstition and ignorancewill be loosened, the bonds of false reli­gion will be snapped - that Christ willsoon return and rescue the impoverishedBantu and all peoples of Africa fromthe curse of false religion. Soon " ... theearth shall beecome] FULL OF THE

KNOWLEDGE OF THE Lord, as the waterscover the sea" (Isa. 11 :9). Dark super­stition and ignorance allover the worldwill be rllPlaced bv the shining light of.c..M~~ .tlJ.ttJ:..' D

March-April 1972

Johannesburg, South Africa

MOST people think of Africa as a

land of steaming jungles, vine­bedecked trees, weird wild ani­

mals, black men beating drums andwhite men only on safari. Some of thatpicture does exist - but not in theRepublic of South Africa! South Africais as modern as today, with high-risecities, burgeoning industries, plush res­taurants, motorways - and traffic con­gestion enough to do any British orAmerican city proud!

And - God is working here!

A Wealthy Nation

South Africa is a wealthy country.Three-quarters of the free world's goldoutput comes from beneath SouthAfrican ground. The world's largestreserves of platinum are also found inSouth Africa - in 1969 she minedtwo-thirds of the world's supply. SouthAfrica also possesses three-quarters ofthe world's known chromium reservesand one-third of the world's knownuranium reserves.

In 1970, she unearthed 7.7 millioncarats of diamonds - 20 percent ofthe world's total. The Congo producedslightly more, but 40 percent of SouthAfrica's diamond production was gemquality, compared to only 3 percent ofthe Congo's. Added to this, South Af­rica mines coal, iron ore, manganese,antimony, zinc, vanadium and copper.

South Africa sits midway on theCape route from the Far East to Europe(see map on page 3), a location ofvastly increased importance since theSuez Canal was blocked in 1967.Presently, 2,270 ships pass by the Capeof Good Hope every month - 75every day.

All these factors combined have madeSouth Africa far wealthier than mostrealize. And the whites are not the onlyones to enjoy it. South African blackshave the highest average annual incomeand are the best educated in Africa.Although much remains to be done,black progress has been much greaterthan is generally realized.

"The Work" In South Africa

Radio Lourenco Marques, locatedjust across the border in the tip ofMocambique, has carried the WORLD

The GOOD NEWS

TOMORROW radio program since theearly 1950s. For the first several years,listeners were advised to send their let­ters to our office in London, England.But as the volume of mail began toincrease, it became obvious we shouldhave an office in South Africa.

This office was opened by Mr. GeraldWaterhouse in March 1963. The loca­tion chosen was Johannesburg (popula­tion: 1,364,000), largest city in theRepublic. Later developments haveshown that the choice of this site forour office was correct, since most ofthe responses to the broadcast and thebusiness contacts necessary to carry onthe Work required us to be near thisindustrial and financial hub of SouthAfrica.

"Jo'burg" is a city set on a hill ­perched on the Witwatersrand (orsimply "the Rand") 6,200 feet abovesea level, an area about fifty-six mileslong and sixteen miles wide which risesout of the surrounding hills of theTransvaal.

Mr. Waterhouse set up the basic pat­tern of the Johannesburg office, follow­ing the example of the systems used inPasadena. He also acquired our presentmailing address, Box 1060, Johannes­burg.

In late 1965, Mr. Waterhouse, anAmerican citizen, left South Africa be­cause of visa difficulties. At his depar­ture Mr. Ernest Williams, a SouthAfrican citizen and graduate of Am­bassador College, California, was putin charge. He served four years in thiscapacity.

In August 1969, Mr. Williams wastransferred to the Ambassador Collegefaculty in Big Sandy, and I was sentfrom Melbourne, Australia to supervisethe office in Johannesburg. Before leav­ing Australia, I was granted a oneyear's business visa in South Africa.I have since been granted a permanentresidence visa, but still retain my Ameri­can citizenship and travel on an Ameri­can passport.

Steady Growth

Over a period of eight and one-halfyears, "steady growth" sums up theWork of God in South Africa.

In addition to broadcasting overRadio Lourenco Marques, in 1965 we

11

began advertising in nationwide maga­zines. Many responded to these ads,requesting Ambassador College litera­ture. This, of course, resulted in thenecessity of hiring additional staff tohelp cope with the additional mail,typing, posting operations and personalcontact with those who requested it. Italso necessitated a change of offices tothe present quarters in the NetherlandsInsurance Building on North EloffStreet.

As time went on, we expanded ourads to various national media, includingnational newspapers. This campaign hasproved very successful. Today we areusing regional newspapers throughoutSouth Africa. Our staff of fifteen iskept busy, catching up on the backlogof mail resulting from the regionaladvertisements.

The Work in South Africa has beenbuilt largely as a result of the printedword in the form of ads. South Africansof all races have responded to themand many have gone further in desiringto help others in receiving the vitalknowledge they themselves have foundprofitable.

Presently, the 54,000 PLAIN TRUTHand the 22,000 TOMORROW'S WORLDmagazines distributed in South Africaare printed and posted from our plantin Radlett, England. Our other litera­ture is printed overseas also, but thenshipped to us, and posted directly fromJohannesburg.

The Johannesburg office serves notonly South Africa, but also Rhodesia.We have recently sent an AmbassadorCollege graduate, Mr. Russell Johnson,to process the mail in that country. Wealso handle the mail from SouthwestAfrica, Mocambique, the black statesof Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambiaand Swaziland, as well as from theisland of Mauritius over 2,000 mileseast of Jo'burg in the Indian Ocean.

Some of the Problems

One problem we have is language.South Africa itself has two official lan­guages, English and Afrikaans. Thelatter is used mostly by the descend­dants of Dutch settlers who first ar­rived in South Africa in 1652. Wenow advertise in both languages. TheBantu have several tongues as well,

The GOOD NEWS March-April 1972

though most speak English or Afrikaans.Mr. Dan Botha, representing Ambas­

sador College in the Durban area,speaks three languages: English, Afri­kaans and Zulu! He would be a hardman to replace since he uses these threelanguages in visiting!

Mauritians speak French and English,but they prefer a mixture of the two,called Creole, that has been influencedby a variety of Eastern languages aswell. Mr. Johnson, our representative inRhodesia, also speaks French, so he isable to help in Mauritius when needed.

A growing number of Rhodesians andSouth Africans see the value of the

spiritual knowledge disseminated byAmbassador College. Many have con­tributed financially to help others receivethis same priceless knowledge, to theextent that the South African office isable to pay all of its own operatingexpenses.

Although we can afford it, we are notallowed to pay completely for the litera­ture that we receive from overseas, be­cause of government regulations oncurrency exchanges. But we are able topay for our full-color, double-page adsin the South African edition of Reader'sDigest, and all other ads run in SouthAfrica, as well as for all our broadcasttime on Radio Lourenco Marques. Wewere able to pick up most of the tabwhen Mr. Ted Armstrong and the tele­vision crew came to South Africa todo the three programs on Rhodesia.Travel costs for the African baptizingtour, covering many East and WestAfrican nations, were also met by theSouth African office.

Most .imoortant of .all, Pfflnk nf .allraces in Southern Africa are coming tofind THE WAY to peace and harmony,THE WAY that most people in the worldare so far from today. And that's whatthe Work of God and Ambassador Col­lege are all about - helping people, allpeople, find THE WAY! 0

Kirch - Ambassador College

D1lI AF..JJU..w 501Im.4.F..8Jt:.4The Netherlands Insurance Build­ing in Johannesburg (just belowinset ~hoto of our ReQ.ional Di­rector, Mr. Robert Fahey) housesour staff of fifteen employeeswho are helping to carryonGod's Work in Southern Africa.

SPIRITUAL "Thalidomide"There is a potent spiritual I/drugl/ with horrible effects. Itcan warp, twist and DESTROY your spiritual life! That drugis SIN. God's people need to realize the DEVASTATINGEFFECTS OF ALL SIN - especially as the Days 01 Unleavened

Bread draw near!

by Keith Crouch

M AN Y of us don't really grasp theall-encompassing seriousness ofall that God calls sin. It's easy

for us, even in God's Church, to fallinto the error of thinking "little sins"are not all that bad. It's easy to be­come calloused as the result of contactwith the prevailing attitude of a societyindifferent to God's way, in rebelliontoward God's Laws.

Each sin has a cumulative effect,weakening and stunting one's spiritualgrowth. Each time we sin, it becomesa little bit easier to sin the next time- especially if we fail to repent deeply.Very soon we can become hardened toa particular sin, begin to think nothingof committing it again, and becomelulled into a feeling of comfortableco-existence with it - forgetting thedevastating effects of all sin!

From Embryo to Baby

The cumulative effect of sin on ourspiritual development can be well vis­ualized in terms of the analogy Goduses - comparing our spiritual life as a£:h'i:r.'ii..'\~ .~ .'ih? J\.'g'-<I!tu,\1 u'\M &-r6Wtl;.\>S\f

a human baby.A tiny human embryo grows from

an unbelievably small cell into a won­derfully organized, expertly designedbaby, looking in most every respect likeits parents. Similarly, on the spiritualplane, we also develop from a smallbeginning, with the potential to be borninto God's Family as His spiritual sons- in the image of our spiritual Father!

Have you seen, or ever been, an ex­pectant father? Remember the excite­ment, the thrill, the exhilarating antici-

pation of the imminent birth of anheir?

Our God is an expectant Father. Heis anticipating our spiritual birth intoHis family-kingdom. He also is excited.

One of the primary concerns of ahuman father at his child's birth is thequestion of deformity. Expectant parentswonder, "will our child be a whole, per­fect, well-formed baby?" When thechild is born most parents carefullycheck to see that all fingers, toes, etc.are there. For a growing number willcome the anguished discovery of a phys­ical lack or deformity!

Every year a quarter million babies,in the United States alone, are bornwith abnormalities which may rangefrom slight to such gross malformationsas the flipper-like appendages instead ofarms of the so-called "thalidomidebabies."

Some abnormalities in newborn chil­dren appear to be hereditary. But manymust be attributed to adverse factors intheir prenatal environment, which in­terfered with the execution of an other­m~ ['!"<'if~~,*'t, ~Ji.~ru".,.l fll.w S\{ ~~I!i~­

ment. Many deformities are clearly theresult of the prenatal influence ofDRUGS. And thalidomide is just oneexample.

The tiny developing fetus is wellprotected against extremes of heat andcold, and buffered against physical in­jury. But it is totally dependent forfood, water, minerals and vitaminsfound in the body of its mother.

If the mother carelessly or ignorantlyfails to provide the essential amino acids,vitamins, or even iron, in her diet,

abnormal development could result. Onthe other hand, the blood stream mayalso permit harmful - even poisonoussubstances, including drugs, to passthrough the placenta, drastically affect­ing the unborn child. The poisoningeffects of such factors can dramaticallyalter the development of the embryo,producing the horrifying, twisted resultsso many anguished parents are experi­encing today.

The Spiritually Begotten Child

As God's spiritually begotten chil­dren, we are also subject to externalinfluences which - if we allow them- will definitely have a deforming effecton us spiritually. But God is eagerlyexpecting and awaiting the birth ofspiritually perfect sons. "You, there­fore, must be perfect, as your heavenlyFather is perfect [that is, grow intocomplete maturity of godliness in mindand character, having reached the properheight of virtue and integrity)" (Matt.5:48, Amplified Bible). It is our jobto become perfect God's way.

:r:.h? .hg. d~ful~n!".:' .re~~~'l.~ ~ fll)'$.\!,,al

embryo and an unborn spiritual childof God, is that the spiritual child hasthe ability to determine its own develop­ment - while a physical embryo is com­pletely subject to its environment. Itcannot choose and determine whetherdeleterious substances will reach itthrough the blood stream. It has noopportunity to act or counteract - noknowledge, wisdom or decision-makingability. The physical embryo has nocontrol over its end result. But despitethe fact that we are spiritually yet un-

14

born, we do have, as begotten sons ofGod, the ability (if we will) to shapeour pre-birth development, and person­ally determine the external influencesthat mold us.

We are dealing now, not with thephysical formation of limbs and organs,but with the spiritual formation ofcharacter. God intends that we grow inmind and character - that we maturein godliness. This is a responsibility Godhas given us as His spiritually begottensons.

However, brethren, there is a tre­mendous power working through amyriad of external sources to ensnareand trap us. Satan has seduced anddeceived all humanity (Rev. 12:9). Inthese end times there is nothing he en­joys more than to get into his clutchesa potential son of God, and to bend,twist, pervert and DEFORM him!

The GOOD NEWS

The Deforming Effects

of SIN!

Sin deforms!If we allow ourselves to sin and to

become increasingly indifferent to God'scommands, then we contribute to aspiritual deformity.

If physical parents are horrified atdeformities in their children, what aboutGod? God's family is eternal. His meRyand justice will not allow spiritual mis­takes in that family who would be aneternal liability - both to themselves orto others. Those who allow themselvesto be twisted and perverted into spiritual"monsters" are simply not going to beborn into that family! They will bespiritual miscarriages.

In Revelation 21: 7-8, God explainsthat the overcomers will be His sons, butthe defectives will be annihilated for alleternity: "He who is victorious shall in-

March-April 1972

herit all these things, and I will be Godto him and he shall be My son. But asfor the cowards and the ignoble and thecontemptible and the cravenly lacking incourage and the cowardly submissive;and as for the unbelieving and faithless;and as for the depraved and defiled withabominations; and as for murderers andthe lewd and adulterous and the prac­ticers of magic arts and the idolaters[those who gave supreme devotion toanyone or anything other than God]and all liars [those who knowingly con­vey untruth by word or deed, all ofthese shall have] their part in the lakethat blazes with fire and brimstone. Thisis the second death" (Amplified Bible).

This is the long-term effect of sin.But do we keep the long-term effect inmind continually?

As members of God's Church, Godhas given us the understanding of howbest to shape our developing spirituallives to resist Satan's wiles and not beplunged into even "little sins" with theirspiritually deforming results. God haslovingly given us His royal law to pro­tect us against the destructive externalinfluences that can so readily twist us outof shape by poisoning our minds. But itis so easy to allow one sin after anotherto pervert us, in spite of God's warningo'nrt'bk rerverserr~ or" transgressorsshall destroy them" (Prov. 11:3).

The harm and heartache of deformedchildren is only too real when presentedto us in the tangible form of grotesquelymalformed limbs and flesh. Regrettably,the impact does not seem as great whenwe think in spiritual terms.

For God's people, however, the im­pact should be even greater!

Guard Your Mind

James was inspired of God to write:"Every person is tempted when he isdrawn away, enticed and baited by hisown evil desire [lust, passions). Thenthe evil desire when it has conceivedgives birth to sin, and sin when it isfully matured brings forth death"(James 1 :14-15, Amplified Bible).

There is a plain warning! Our mindsare subject to enticement through evil de­sire. The sin which begins in our minds,unless resisted, can lead to our death.

AmI don't kid yuurself! God's peo­ple are not immune to the barrage of

Wide World Photos

"THALIDOMIDE BABIES" - Nearly ten years ago, thousands of deformedbnbies were born 10 European mothers who had taken a tranquilizer-typedrug called "thalidomide." On opposite page, armless sixteen-month-oldboy picks up toys with his feet. Above, three-year-old armless girl learns touse power-driven artificial arms.

March-April 1972

influences from society that daily pum­mels our minds. You have humannature. You have desires. These pullsand passions, under Satanic worldlyinfluence, will lead you if you givethem the slightest leeway. If yourefuse to realize that you can sin, andneglect to guard against it, then you'reon the threshold of trouble - and thefate of a spiritual simpleton.

Your mind is priceless! Combinedwith God's Spirit, it becomes the em­bryonic beginning of a unique, eternal,

The GOOD NEWS

spirit being in God's family. You havethe power to direct that mind, to openor close its doors to whatever you will.Is your mind guarded in a manner be­fitting the priceless treasure it is? "Keepthy heart [mindJ with all diligence;for out of it are the issues of life"(Prov. 4:23).

"As It Was In The Daysof Noah"

It takes an urgent, strong, drivingeffort to control your mind - it is not

15

easy. At this time, of all times, ourminds need diligent, wholehearted per­sistent protection.

In the days of Noah, God saw "thatthe wickedness of man was great in theearth, and that every imagination andintention of all human thinking wasonly evil continually" (Gen. 6:5,Amplified Bible). Our day, again - asprophesied (Matt. 24:37-39) - is justsuch a time when the human mind, asan instrument capable of conceiving andcommunicating unimaginable torrents oftotally demented Satanic filth, is givingitself over to such. Society is beinginundated and saturated with it. Pre­

-':aJU', litt~ft; T'd1, 1m: li'~fl.rl.. "'lfJllly?'Stealing, lying, cheating, hating, vio­lence and all types of sexual loosenessare condoned. People say what theylike, write what they like and do whatthey like.

This is just what Satan wants. Heknows that once sin has started todeform a mind, its hold is so tenacious,its call so appealing, its short-term"benefits" and attractions so exciting,that even a once-converted mind canrapidly degenerate into the mire of thisworld and lose all concern for a God­plane relationship and eternal futurewith our Creator!

"The wicked man is doomed by hisown sins; they are ropes that catch andhold him" (Prov. :;:23, Living Psalmsand Proverbs). To the mind devoid ofGod's judgment, stolen waters are thesweetest (Prov. 9: 17). There is an illicitattraction in things known to be wrong,yet appearing to be pleasing or thrilling.

God's Law Protects

By their actions, words and thoughts,some in God's Church appear to be say­ing they want to become twisted, de­formed spiritual embryos. But howironic. The very ones who seek thethrills, the "fun," the kicks, are theones who receive the kick-backs, theheadaches, the "mornings after thenights before." THEY REAP THE PEN­ALTY FOR GOING THE WRONG WAY!

As our spiritual Father, God haswrapped us in a protective environ­ment delineated by His Law. As a spirit­ual parent He is concerned about keep­ing us from all harm, wrong emotions,

16

degenerative tendencies. David thrilledto this knowledge of God's Law:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, con­verting the soul: the testimony of theLord is sure, making wise the simple.The statutes of the Lord are right, re­joicing the heart: the commandment ofthe Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.The fear of the Lord is clean, enduringforever: the judgments of the Lord aretrue and righteous altogether. More tobe desired are they than gold, yea, thanmuch fine gold: sweeter also than honeyand the honeycomb. Moreover by themis thy servant warned: and in keepingof them there is great reward" (Ps.19:7-11).

God's laws, revealed to us in theirspiritual intent, provide us with an .effJ'.!­tive Early Warning System. Written in'mr. '1]indfJ, '~ue}' ~.!«d"hy -m!iafC'Jre 'tnelimits of right and wrong, and cry outa warning when we carelessly get tooclose to the edge!

-Bow concerned most of us are whenwe have a physical unborn baby to pro­tect and nourish! How industriously and

thoughtfully we restrict the intake ofanything that may be even remotelyharmful. How particular we are aboutobserving all the rules and regulationsdesigned for the protection and healthydevelopment of that tiny child.

But when it comes to the protectionand care of ourselves as unborn spiritual

babies, is there the same diligentcaution?

& Hm sssc: iF HAmSin?

God hates evil because He realizes itsdeforming effects on our spiritual char­acter. If we are to remain unmarred bythe evil influences gripping this society,we too must hate the wrong and flee itsclutches.

N ~~ dl'C' wtTh'l: LV GLJU' we- WIt!' nare

what God hates. We will be developingthe mind and attitude of our Father."If aDJ5()JJf'- f.f'_'\JfF.rls. wiL (p~V'.", ~, ~ft.

will hate evil. For wisdom hates pride,arrogance, corruption and deceit of everykind" (Prov. 8:13, Living Psalms and1'roverI:JS'). 'But GO you, as a member ofGod's Church, have such awe and fear

.of God, and consequently such hate and

The GOOD NEWS

abhorrence of all evil ways andinfluences?

Or are you easily tempted, easily at­tracted by that which you know iswrong, yet somehow just can't resist?Have you found that certain thingsyou would not have done earlier in yourChristian life don't appear so bad now?Have you gradually come to feel thatgossip, lusting, coveting, lying and other"little sins" aren't too bad after all?

If you have so foolishly toleratedsuch permissiveness and complacency inyour Christian life, then WAKE UP!God says, "The foolishness of manperuertetb his way" (Prov. 19:3), Ifyou compromise with sin, you are allow­ing, in spite of God's warning, your

~'}tli.!;.i.t•.u~J Ji~ LW k .·~Ii>"dt alnf 0\5'­torted, your embryonic spiritual charac­'rer 'to 'oecorne malrorrned, unfit to beborn into God's glorious kingdom!

Joseph hated the illicit sexual sug­gestions _pro.posed ~y Potiphar's wifebecause he knew God designated thisas evil. Under stress of temptation, hewas able to say, "How then can I dothis grea: wickedness and SIN againstGod?" (Gen. 39:9.) For him, to sub­mit to evil became a direct effronteryto God.

Does the same hold true for you?Do you successfully resist temptation,even in areas of particular weaknessbecause, for God's and your sake, you

want to be a dean, pure, spirituallywell-formed son in His Kingdom?

Notice once more David's attitudetoward sin and evil.. See. bnw Gmt'\­Law provided the warning system and

barricade against character-deforminginfluences. David declared: "Since onlyyour rules can give me wisdom andunderstanding, no wonder 1 hate everyfalse teaching. . . . Every law of God isright, whatever it concerns. I bate every~~MtVuy: . ,. bbw- l rrare ali' raisenooc;but how I love y011Y laws" (Ps. 119:104,128, 163, Living Psalms and Proverbs).

~R.Jlh '$'L1£1dr.etfu; me inc onlY ones

which will provide the type of environ­ment needed for spiritual yerfection.If we work at steeping ourselves in

God's Word, learning His Law, askingfor wisdom to apply it, and acceptingcorrection from it, then we will be

March-April 1972

purposefully creating the spiritual sur­roundings needed to develop a perfectspiritual son of God. Remember, "Allscripture is given by inspiration of God,and is profitable for doctrine, for re­proof, for correction, for instruction inrighteou.rne.rJ: that the man of Godmay be perfect, throughly furnished untoall good works" (II Tim. 3: 16-17) .

Any evil, any sin, "big" or "little,"will separate you from God (Isa.59:1-2). The stakes are high - farhigher than the desire for a physicallyperfect baby. By submitting to sin, andplaying with tantalizing temptations,you are meddling with eternal life, Youare tampering with the one characteris­tic that is destined to live forever ­your sprniuai' ClJaraeter :'

"L-X'dlIfaa: 'Iuur "L{re

So, brethren, let's EXAMINE our livescarefully at this season of the Passoverand D~ys of Unleavened Bread. Do _youhate evil as Joseph and David did?Are you allowing evil to pervert anddestroy your most precious possession ­your mind? Is the effect of sin on yourcharacter real to you?

For some, the reality will never fullydawn until the moment they are to be­come spiritual miscarriages - disposedof for all eternity.

God as a Father is deeply concerned:"Who will have all men to be saved,and to come unto the knowledge of thetruth" (I Tim. 2:4). But it is yourresponsibility to yield to God's callingand' De purged- of your sins!

"But if we walk in the light, as heis in the light, we have fellowship onewith another, and the blood of JesusChrist his son cleansetb us from all sin.H we say that we have no sin, we de­ceive ourselves, and the truth is not inus. If we confess our sins, he is faithfuland just to forgive us our sins, and tocleanse us from all Imrighteousness"(I John 1 :7-9).

Your success in becoming a well­formed spiritual son of God dependson the seriousness and depth of yourview of sin. See .sio .as {;M v'i!".!'J' ,i.~

Thank God that He will pardon sin;and clean you up when you falter. Purgeyour life of all sins, brethren, and striveto walk pleasing before God! DI

The signilicance 01 thePassover almost transcendshuman understandinglTherefore, as this most sol­emn observance 01 the yearapproaches once again, weshould review the meaning01 the Passover, and con­sider the tremendous priceChrist paid - FOR US - sowe can partake 01 the Pass­over "in a worthy manner,"and with a sense 01 deep

appreciation.

by William F. Dankenbring

T o most of the Jews, He was justanother rabble-rouser - a religi­ous fanatic who disrupted society.

To the Pharisees, He was an archrival,a competitor, a dangerous ringleader ofa new "cult," a threat to their authorityover the people. To the Romans, He wasJust another Jewish troublemaker - apopular "magician" who deceived peo­ple and stirred up discontent. To Pilate,He seemed "harmless" - but since theJewish leaders wanted Him put to death,and to avoid a seditious riot, Pilate gavein to their request.

But what is Christ Jesus to you?Those of us in God's Church know

the truth, We know, as Peter declared,that Jesus Christ is the Son of God ­the Messiah - our Savior!

Importance of the Passover

Every year as the Passover season ap­proaches, God's people stop to examinethemselves and their relationship toJesus Christ, our "Passover Lamb" who

Ambassador College Photo

GOLGOTHA - Hillock in Jeru­salem where Christ died for oursins.

was sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7). ThePassover is the most solemn occasion ofthe whole year, a time when we reviewin our minds the meaning of humanlife, and how Christ made salvation pos­sible for us.

The Passover marks the BEGINNING ofGod's Plan - the first step toward sal­vation. Christ made salvation possibleby giving His life for us. For this reasonthe Apostle Paul wrote: "Let this mindbe in you, which was also in ChristJesus: Who, being in the form of God,thought it not robbery to be equal withGod: But made himself of NO reputa­

tion ["emptied" Himself], and tookupon him the form of a servant, andwas made in the likeness of men: andbeing found in fashion as a man, hehumbled himself, and became obedient

18

unto death, even the death of the cross"(Phil. 2:5-8).

We need to think deeply about theprice Christ paid, and consider theexample He set - for we are com­manded by God to have the same atti­tude toward each other that Christ hadtoward us - one of self-sacrifice andoutgoing love.

Our Savior Was Human

We read in John 1 :14 that the Word,the Logos of God, actually "WAS MADEFLESH." SO Christ most definitely wasnot a remote, unreachable, isolated, non­human "God-being" who could not behurt or affiicted by anything physical,fleshly or earthly. He divested Himselfof His primordial divinity. He literallybecame a man!

Says the Apostle Paul: "Forasmuchthen as the children are partakers offlesh and blood, he also himself like­wise took part of the same .... Forverily he took not on him the natureof angels; but he took on him [thenature of] the seed of Abraham"(Heb. 2: 14-16) . Christ was human- just as you and I are human. He hadto struggle against Satan and hisworld just as we do. He also had toresist temptation and fight against thelusts of the flesh.

As Paul continued, "For in that hehimself hath suffered being tempted,he is able to succour them that aretempted" (verse 18).

Hebrews 4, verse 15 explains further:"For we have not an high priest whichcannot be touched with the feeling ofour infirmities; but was in all ,vointstempted like as we are, yet withoutsin."

How qlain it is that Christ, wentthrough all the human temptationswhich are natural to man. But there wasone great difference - He never gavein. He never SINNED! Yet consideringthe fact that Christ was in excellenthealth, and lived a vigorous masculinelife, and considering the sufferings andtrials He had to go through; no doubtHe was tempted far more than any otherman who has ever lived.

"Who in the days of his flesh, whenhe had offered up prayers and suppli­cations with strong crying and tearsunto him that was able to save him

The GOOD NEWS

from death, and was heard in that hefeared; though he were a Son, yetlearned he obedience by the thingswhich he suffered; and being MADEPERFECT, he became the author ofeternal salvation unto all them that obeyhim" (Heb. 5:7-9).

Christ, the Son of God, the Logosmade flesh, was acutely human. But Herose above His humanity. He lived aperfect, sinless life. He struggled againsttemptation. And in S0 doing, He be­came our Savior. He, God in the flesh,died for us - took our place on deathrow - so that we might live foreverwith Him!

The Passover is God's yearly memorialof that fact.

But just how much was Christtempted? Just what did He have to gothrough for us? Is there any way inwhich we can begin to grasp just whatHe did for us, as individuals?

Let's review the events leading up tothe crucifixion and death of Christ, andthink deeply about those final hours inHis life as His earthly ministry came toa close.

That Fateful Evening

The last day of Christ's human lifeprobably began much as any other day- with one difference: It was the cele­bration of the annual Passover when thepeople of Israel killed the Passoverlamb, in remembrance of the first Pass­over kept in Egypt when the firstbornchildren of Israel were sparecl

But Christ knew, as that Passover ap­proached, that it would be His last oneon earth at .that time. _At that .lasr .Pass­

over dinner Christ told His disciples:"Verily I say unto you, that one of youshall, !)pjr.iUj I]}f'':' (M".att.. ?A· .?X\,. 8"1'_added: "He that dippeth his hand withme in the dish, the same shall betrayme" (verse 23).

One of the twelve apostles - JudasIscariot - was the one who betrayedHim. One of Christ's closest friends ­a person with whom He had spentmany hours during the past three andone-half years. Christ felt as Davidwrote in the Psalms: "Even my bosomfriend in whom I trusted, who ate ofmy bread, has lifted up his heel againstme" (Ps. 41 :9, RSV).

Can you imagine what it would be

March-April 1972

like for one of your closest friends andconfidants to betray you? What must itbe like to know that a close and lovedfriend is about to cause you to be putto death?

After partaking of the Passoversupper and changing the emblems ofthe Passover to the bread and wine,typifying Christ's broken body and shedblood for our sins, Christ Jesus gatheredwith His disciples for a final hymn(Mark 14:26).

Late that same evening Jesus took Hisdisciples, as was His custom, to theMount of Olives - that mountain towhich He is soon going to return (Zech.14: 4 ). They came to a garden nearbycalled Gethsemane, meaning "an oilpress," probably a small olive grove.Jesus then took with Him James, Peterand John, "and began to be greatly dis­tressed and troubled" (Mark 14:33,RSV). He was no doubt thinking aboutHis impending death and crucifixion.Knowing that He would soon die ­the first and only time that God hasever DIED! - and that His death wouldbe preceded by extreme pain, sufferingand humiliation - Christ was humanenough not to want to go through withit, if there were any other way.

"And he went forward a little, andfell on the ground, and prayed that,if it were possible, the hour might passfrom him. And he said Abba, Father,all things are possible unto thee; takeaway this cup from me: neverthelessnot what I will, but what thou wilt"(Mark 14:35-36).

The outpouring of deep emotion priorJ:!' .snrtb -" .tt::uml2..ti!",ncl~'ll m.'1J' .£' ,'i',l\·,l1m'

reaction. But notice that even in themidst of such inner torment and mental~l1ffR...;n'b C-'",;rJ".. "-''1(, 1ft.",~~'!-h}' "~Uvnir~­

sive to the Father's will. He did notbeg, whine, or wheedle for His ownway. His request was earnest, heart­rending and heartfelt - just the waywe should pray.

But there was no alternative to befound. There was only one way man­kind could be saved. A life moreprecious than that of all men put to­gether would have to be sacrificed topay the penalty for man's sins. Onlyone life could do that - the life ofGod. So Christ had no option; therewas no other course.

March-April 1972

Even in the midst of this tremendouspersonal suffering, Christ did not falter."And being in an agony he prayed moreearnestly: and his sweat was as it weregreat drops of blood falling down tothe ground" (Luke 22: 44). But the dis­ciples, during this fervent prayer, fell""'1~ (l~{d\t~ L\f.'-M'-.fJ). l1m~at'cly'

1£.te..r.. that., ~u!a.s r~w]F-. t~ ~J""'L11J Bim..

The Arrest and Trial of Jesus

Christ, very God in the flesh, theCreator of mankind (Col. 1: 13-18), wasnunrec' obwrr l\Ke- a corrrrrrorr cnrrnrrai'

- a man with a "reward" on His head.A band of soldiers, an armed possewith swords ana Clubs'lea 'by the traitorJudas, searched for Him. Judas, towhom Christ had given every oppor­tunity for greatness, despised and re­jected His promises, and came to Himsaying, "Rabbi," and betrayed Him witha kiss (Mark 14:44-45).

"And they laid their hands on himand took him" (verse 46). They tookthe Christ, the Messiah, the AnointedOne, the Savior - their very Creator- into custody, arresting Him at theinstigation of the chief priests and Jew­ish authorities who looked upon Himas a menace and a dire threat to theestablishment.

Jesus was brusquely seized, and Hishands were tied (John 18: 12) . Hewas hauled away to Annas, father-in-lawof Caiaphas, the high priest that year(John 18:13), and then to Caiaphashimself (verse 24).

Then Caiaphas began to question Himabout His disciples and His teachings,even though Christ had taught nothingin secret - His teachings were wellknown (verses 19-20) . When Jesusreminded Caiaphas of this fact, one ofthe officers standing nearby smashedHim across the face.

The high priest and the whole councilsought witnesses against Jesus so theycould legally put Him to death, buttheir witnesses disagreed among them­selves (Mark 14:56-59). The testimonywas false and self-contradictory. Frus­trated, the high priest stood up anddemanded of Jesus, "Answerest thounothing? What is it which these witnessagainst thee?" (Matt. 26:62.) But Jesusdidn't reply.

In obvious anger, the high priest

The GOOD NEWS

then exclaimed, "I adjure thee by theliving God, that thou tell us whetherthou be the Christ, the Son of God"(Matt. 26:63).

When Jesus then answered, and toldhim the TRUTH, the high priest becamelivid with fury. He ripped his clothesamr' ~l\uured, ''lI': Ifd\1T SpUKtlI Olks""­~ft-71IY, 'Wlilt, {arthft.'i '1Ll.'l..i. 711ivt ';vt -if..witnesses? behold, now ye have heardhis blasphemy. What think ye?" (verse65.)

All those around nodded their headsanc' repried': "He ceserves a'eat"IJ'"(verse 66, RSV).

This was without a doubt the moststaged, 'biased, contrived, unlawful

court procedure in history - the origi­nal "kangaroo court." There was no evi­deuce to condcuur Christ - so He wasrailroaded, framed!

"And some began to spit on him, andto cover his face, and to strike him,saying to him, 'Prophesy!' And theguards received him with BLOWS"

(Mark 14:65, RSV)."And the men that held Jesus

mocked him, and smote him. And whenthey had blindfolded him, they struckhim on the face, and asked him, saying,Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?And many other things blasphemouslyspake they against him" (Luke22 :63-65).

And this was only the beginning.

The Daylight Hours

As soon as the sun rose that morning,the chief priests, elders, scribes and thewhole council gathered together to de­cide how to put Jesus to death. Theytied Him up again and led Him awayto Pilate the governor (Mark 15: 1-5) .Pilate, asking Him what He had done,and if He were the king of the Jews(John 18:33-35), marveled that Christdid not bother to dispute all the falsetestimony of the Jews who railed againstHim (Mark 15: 5). He told the as­sembled Jewish leaders, "I find no faultin this man" (Luke 23:4).

At that unexpected setback, the chiefpriests became vehement, and cried,"He stirreth up the people" (verse 5).Pilate, upon learning that Jesus wasfrom Galilee, sent him to Herod whohad jurisdiction over the land ot Gali­lee (verses 6-7).

19

Herod had heard of Jesus' miraclesand had wanted to see Him performsome "trick." The chief priests andscribes accused Him before Herod, butJesus answered nothing. "And Herodwith his men of war set him at nought,and mocked him, and arrayed him ina glJrgeutl5" rorre, arm' serrr rum a-galIrta, q:h1t.x' (\'vt:"[.ft. ',',";. ~7dft, "'1f~

further humiliated, mistreated, andabused.

Pilate, by this time, perceived thatthe chief priests had delivered Christto rum out or" envy and' malice (M"arK15:10). He was therefore ready to re­lease Jesus from custody since it wasthe custom at that time for a prisonerto be released on the day of the Pass­over (Mark 15 :6).

But the chief priests and eldersswayed the multitude of people to de­mand that Christ be put to death! Andthey cried out, "Away with this man,and release unto us Barabbas" (Luke23 :18). Pilate asked them, "What shallI do then with Jesus which is calledChrist?" (Matt. 27:22.) And the mobcried out:

"Let him be CRUCIFIED!"

"Why, what evil hath he done?"Pilate asked.

But the mob screamed, "Let him be

CRUCIFIED"! (Matt. 27 :22-23.)Pilate, wishing to calm down the

roaring, tumultuous crowd anel preventa riot, had Jesus scourged and sent Himto be crucified (Matt. 27: 26). Thesoldiers led Him away to the courtcalled the Praetorium. They clothedHim with purple, jammed a crown ofthorns down on His head, and mockedHim. They struck His head with a reed,spat upon Him and beat Him severely.

What did it mean to be "scourged"?A scourge was an instrument made ofcords or thongs of leather fastenedto a handle. Usually there were threeof these thongs in each scourge, andthey were often reinforced with bits ofmetal which tore the skin and flesh.Thus Jesus literally had flesh rippedfrom His body under the lashing andwhipping of the Roman soldiers.

Isaiah described Christ's disfigure­ment in prophetic language: "As manywere astonied at thee; his visage was somarred more than any man, and hisform more than the sons of men" (Isa.

20

JL",'l'<-f'/. clh1~1.· was- wruppec' (0 wrnunan inch of His life! His body was a

mass of welts, bruises, raw open cuts,

bloody lacerations and jagged wounds.And then, about eleven o'clock in the

morning, the soldiers led Him away tobe crucified. He was so weak fromfatigue and loss of blood that He could

only carry His own cross a short dis­

tance (compare John 19: 16-1 7 withLuke 23:26).

Why was Christ beaten, bloodied

and scourged before _HL~ .final .r.r~l,r.i­

fixion? There is a very important

reason which we must understand as we

observe the Passover. The Apostle Peterl'llt :It Thirrlry: "'W'nD 'nis own se{r 'Dare

our sins in his own body on the tree,

that we, being dead to sins, shouldlive unto righteousness: by whose

stripes ye trere heeded" (I Peter 2: 24).

The Prophet Isaiah elaborated: "Buthe was wounded for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities: the

chastisement of our peace was uponhim; autl uitb his stripes [or bruise,

margin} IN are HEALED" (Isa, 53: 5) .

Christ suffered physical beating andtorture to pay the penalty of our physi­

cal sins - that we might be HEALED

of our physical illnesses, sicknesses anddiseases. For He Himself had clearly

explained that such sickness is the re­

sult of sin, and that healing is the for­git!eness of that sin (Matt. 9: 1-7) .

And so Jesus not only paid the

penalty of our spiritual sins by dyingfor us, but He also paid the penalty

of our physical sins by allowing Him­

self to be beaten and His flesh rippedopen. Therefore, when we are sick, God

commands us to call on the elders of

the Church for prayer and anointing,

and promises to HEAL us (James5: 14-15 ) .

Death by Crucifixion

''dt1V wireir dRy Gl.1D" nr nre piace

which is called The Skull, there they

crucified him" (Luke 23 :22, RSV).According, to historians; crucifixion

was a punishment inflicted by Egyptians

(Gen. 40: 19), Carthaginians, Persians(Esther 7 :10) , Assyrians, Scythians,.Inrli-i1m, -Ger-a1ilfrs, -Creeks -and Romans.

It was unanimously considered the mosthorrible form of death - the degrada­

tion was part of the inflicted punish-

The GOOD NEWS

rnent, anl'y tne vrlesr or" cnrnlna Is weregenerally crucified among the Romans.

The one to be crucified was stripped

naked and laid down upon the imple­ment of torture. His arms were stretched

along the cross beam, if any, or together

over the head if not, and at the centerof the open palms the end of a huge

iron nail was placed; the nail was thendriven through the hands into the wood

of the beam by a hammer. Similarly,an iron nail was driven through the

J.t'..f'..~ ..J5 ..tht'lr »r.t',.r.,f' {1.la.r.f'~ ~Uf' ~'{f'.Lr ...+;.h!'other.

To prevent the hands and feet from

being torn away by the weight of the'DOOY 'nangll1g hom the stake, there was

a wooden projection near the center C?f

the stake strong enough to support partot the weight of the body.

Then the upper end of the stake was

heaved upward, the bottom jarring intoa hole 111 the ground prepared to re­

ceive it.

There, in the sight of all the people,Christ was pilloried - abused, de­

nounced, sneered at, taunted and

mocked with hoots of derision andscorn. The very CREATOR OF THEUNIVERSE suffered the derisive taunts

and ridicule of the very ones He hadcreated!

As His lacerated nerves throbbed,

and His inflamed wounds ached withpain, as His muscles cramped and His

head felt dizzy, He suffered the taunts

and reproach of those who villifiedHim. From noon until three in the

afternoon, He hung on the stake, the

object of obloquy and shame, the en­durer of indescribable agony.

"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM!"

And yet, while experiencing the most

horrible form of suffering known to

man, Jesus still was most concerned

with something greater than His ownpersonal' parn. WYllie lite was eoolng

away, He cried, "Father, forgive them;

for they know not what they do"(Luke. 2l:,'1.4.\,

"Father, forgive them" - think about

those selfless words. It wasn't just thechief priests, elders and scribes among-the Jews -who 'wen: l.<:spuHsibh:: imChrist's death; nor was it the commonpeople who had cried out "Crucify

Him!" Nor was it only the Roman

March-April 1972

soldrers who nailed Him to the stake.

It was OUR SINS ~ YOURS ANDMINE - that caused the DEATH ofour Savior, our Cre~tor, the Messiah I

YOU were responsible! I was re­

sponsible! We were guilty of the bloodof the Son of God. When we were

yet unconverted, we, with those who

lived then, would have cried out,"CRUCIFY HIM I CRUCIFY HiM I"

But thank God for His priceless

mercy and forgiveness and pardon!Thank God' that Christ was willing to

pray, while under extreme duress,"Father, forgive them." Thank Godthat we r an confess our sins and still

receive mercy (I John 1 :9). As Davidwrote: "For as the heaven is high abovethe earth, so great is his mercy towardthem that fear him. As far as the east

is from the west, so far hath he re­

moved our transgressions from us" (Ps.103:11-12).

Christ BECAME Sin

In the midst of such incredible, un­

paralleled suffering, Christ cried out,

"My God, my God, why hast thou for­saken me?" (Mark 15:34) - for trulythe Father had turned His back on

Him. Christ had become SIN for us ­He was paying the penalty for OUR

transgressions - and therefore the

Father had to disregard His very ownSon and let Him die - FOR US (seeII Cor. 5: 21) .

Christ went through extreme suffer­ing for all mankind. But consider also

the enormous grief and pain the Father

must have gone through, seeing Hisonly begotten Son die an excruciating,

shameful, horrible death.

Yet, as the Apostle John wrote, "Inthis was manifested the love of God

toward us, because that God sent his

only begotten Son into the world, that~'..f' ,m~h· ,\;~<:"' ,'ih'UU~r IniIT. hb'elir is­love, not that we loved God, but that

he loved us, and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins" (I [ohn4:9-10).

Consider the great all-encompassingscope of that supreme LOVE!

Y-es, 'brethren, 'God "loves you. He

loves ALL MANKIND! Otherwise Hesurely wouldn't have allowed Christ to

go through with the awesome ordeal

He experienced! Don't ever forget thatsupreme LOVE which God has for Jotl.

Christ Died for OUR Sins!

About three o'clock in the afternoon,.the ~ru1 .nf .tbf> -'H'SlO.,v .came "J:hf:o Jk'Ul-'i

crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father,into thy hands I commit my spirit!'And having said this he breathed hislast" (Luke 23 :46-47, RSV).

Christ had been stabbed in the sidewith a spear, and His blood gushed outof the wound, running down onto andover the ground (John 19: 33-34). Hisprecious blood was shed for your sinsand mine - to reconcile us to God.

"But God commendeth his love to­ward us, in that, while we were yetsinners, Christ died for us. Much morethen, being now jltstified by his blood,we shall be saved from wrath throughhim. For if, when we were enemies,we were reconciled to God by theDEATH of his Son, much more, being11:~umnil"l.f, 1/'<' JnmF J-.- surea' flY his­LIFE" (Rom. 5 :8-10).

So now we can have peace with Godthrough Jesus Christ (Rom. 5: 1) . Wenow have access to the Throne of Godin heaven (Heb. 10:19-22). We needno longer be CUT OFF from God be­cause of our sins (Isa. 59:1-2). Godnow promises to HEAR US when we cryout to Him in prayer and supplication(John 16: 23-24). Because of the sacri­fice of Christ, and our repentance fromsin, God now gives us His Holy Spiritto enable us to KEEP His command­ments in the spirit (Gal. 2: 20; Rom.8:1-2; Phil. 4:13). With God's helpand inspiration, we are now on theROAD TO ETERNAL LIFE AND SALVA­TION! But brethren, it was all madepossible ONLY because Jesus Christ waswilling to die for us, suffering themiserable death of crucifixion. It wasonly possible because God the Fatherwas willing to let His precious Son diefor us, because He loved us so much!

Notice what the Apostle Pall I wasinspired by God to write: "What shallwe then say to these things? If God befor us, who can be against us? He thatspared not his own Son, but deliveredhim UI? for us all, how shall he notwith him also freely give us allthings? Who shall lay any thing to thecharge of God's elect? It is God that

justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?It is Christ that DIED, yea rather, thatis RISEN AGAIN, who is even at theright hand of God, who also makethintercession for us" (Rom. 8: 31-34).

L:bt;.~t .'i\SW' ~.r~~.:L' .l~lW J.Irt..= .l~ sC'dlt~

at God's right hand in heaven, to inter­cede for us when we sin - when wefall short of the mark - so that wecan be forgiven and continue to pressforward in the Christian faith, over­coming and growing in grace andknowledge of Christ until we becomespiritually mature and are ready to beborn into God's Kingdom! (See Heb.4:14-16; 7:25; Phil. 3:12-14.)

The MEANING of the Passover

Thus the whole plan of God re­volves around the sacrifice of JesusChrist - our Passover Lamb, "Christour passover [who] is sacrificed forus" (I Cor. 5:7). The Passover is mostassuredly of PARAMOUNT importanceIn GOd'S srgnr, sornenung we must nottake lightly! As we partake of the Pass­over symbols this year, and remem­ber the sufferings and death of ourSavior, let's do so with a profound senseof gratitude, appreciation and thanks.

As we partake of the broken bread,symbolizing the beaten, whipped bodyof Christ, by whose stripes we areHEALED (I Pet. 2:24), and as wedrink of the cup of wine, symbolizingHis shed blood on behalf of ourspiritual transgressions, let us do sowith incisive awareness, with renewedfaith, with penetrating understandingand a thorough comprehension of theREALITY which these symbols rep­resent!

"... The Lord Jesus the same night inwhich he was betrayed took bread· Andwhen he had given thanks, he brakeit, and said, Take, eat: this is my body,which is BROKEN FOR YOlJ: this no inremembrance of me. After the samemanner also he took the cup, when hehan supped, saying, This cup is thenew testament in my blood: this do ye,as oft as ye drink it, in remembranceof me, For as often as ye eat thisbread, and drink this cqq. ye do shewthe Lord's death till he come" (I Cor.11:23-26).

Remember the gruesome ordeal JesusChrist went through - for YOlt. Keep

In mind His humility and attitude ofservice when you wash the feet of yourbrother or sister and partake of thePassover. Be renewed and inspired infaith as you commemorate His death

,\1' l'<X"<5lru\h~ )'ml' t'u' Cud, lirrp-£L1'Iirg-ltryou a NEW lease on life!

"Wherefore whosoever shall eat thisbread, and drink this cup' of the Lord,unu-ortbil y [without being in arepentant attitude and without fullyunderstanding or appreciating the signi­ficance of the Passover], shall be guiltyof the body and blood of the Lord.But let a man EXAMINE himself, andso let him eat of that bread, and drinkof that cup. For he that eateth anddrinketh unworthily, eateth and drinkethdamnation [judgment] to himself, notdiscerning the Lord's body. For thiscause many are weak and sickly amongyou, and many sleep" (verses 27-30).

When we partake of the cup, symbo­lizing the shed blood of Christ for ourspiritual' Sins, let's De deeply aware ofthe price He paid for us. And when wepartake of the bread, symbolizing Hisbeaten, bruised, whipped body, let'srealize that He suffered such punish­ment on our behalf so we might behealed of our physical infirmities, sick­nesses and disease. The Corinthians didnot fully grasp the significance of thebroken body of Christ, represented bythe broken bread - therefore many ofthem were weak, sickly and had died.

Brethren, let's take the Passover thisyear - lI'()rthily Let's take it fullyunderstanding its total meaning, beingin a humble, sincerely repentant atti­tude, anel eleep!y appreciating the Pass­over's awesome significance as a memo­rial of the day Christ - GOD in theflesh - suffered and died - FOR us!

As the solemn occasion of the Pass­over approaches, examine yourself, scru­tinize your attitude, look over your lifeduring the past year, and determinewith vigorous zeal to overcome weak­nesses, sins and shortcomings that stillplague you. And let's go forward inthe faith of Christ with renewed zeal,energy, dedication and inspiration to DO

Il:I.F W,m!..", Slf L'~.' l.t'J~s .d~w£h'\!:.r.0

God., imbued with EAIIH., aod.r.tir. u.!lthe Spirit which He has given us soHis Work can be accomplished withDYNAMIC POWER! 0

. '

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