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Chapter Index 2 -Is That Door Still Open Today? 4 - Problems Of A Divided Church 7 - A Faithful Minister’s Duties 12 - The Conclusion Of The Matter
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The Work of God in the Laodicean Era | ||
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Chapter Three A Double Standard
Sometimes we are eager to help others when we may have a greater problem ourselves with which to deal. In the Word of God we find a key principle dealing with this kind of situation. Listen to these instructions from Jesus Christ: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). Although He is speaking about individuals in these scriptures, the principle can also apply to groups making efforts to preach the gospel and warning message to the world. The Church must get the beam, or big timber, out of it’s own eye first before it can show the world how to live. For a group to properly teach the world that God’s way works, it’s own house must first be clean. It must be an example of God’s way itself otherwise it is being hypocritical and has a double standard. The Bible says a double-minded man (or group) is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). Can a person teach another to play the piano if he himself can’t play one? Of course not! Jesus Christ said that if the blind lead the blind, they both would fall into the ditch. Two dominant conditions of the Church in the Laodicean era are being blind and naked. How can it show others the way of God when it can’t fully see it itself? This principle we find in the Old Testament. God had the priests bathe and give a sacrifice for the cleansing of themselves first before they could properly perform the duties of sacrificing for the sins of the people. God won’t purify the world until the Church is first purified. This is how God set it in His plan. If the Church is the Kingdom of God in embryo, then it must be practicing this same principle now. The bride must be making herself ready (Revelation 19:7). The bride is not yet ready. There are many spots, blemishes and wrinkles to remove for us to make our spiritual garments white. Listen! Can a garment become clean if you wash it in muddy water? Of course not! No matter how much soap is used, it won't come clean. It would be a futile effort. You can’t get dirt off with more dirt. This is the problem with the Church today. It needs to be cleansed first before it can effectively do a work approved by Jesus Christ. God will not work in a dirty house where there is spiritual leaven of a wrong attitude. A little leaven leavens the whole lump (I Corinthians 5:6). The Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches that lesson to us. This principle applies to God’s Church and to us individually. If the Church in general will not follow this principle, you and I individually, still have the responsibility to apply it in our own personal lives. The apostle Paul said he could preach to others and still be a castaway himself (I Corinthians 9:27). Something for us to think about! Can the Church, divided and splintered as it is today, effectively teach others that God’s Church should not be divided? That doesn’t make sense and is being hypocritical. Spiritual Hypocrisy God condemned ancient Israel for hypocrisy. Jesus Christ condemned the Pharisees and Scribes for this same attitude and conduct in Matthew 23. They had a double standard in their dealings. He warns us to be on guard against such thinking: “....Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). Despite Christ’s warning the Church today has fallen into this same attitude. This example is not what Jesus wants displayed in His disciples (Revelation 3:18-19). Some leaders, who are attempting to preach the gospel to the world, speak of peace and harmony while they are in a Church that is neither at peace nor in harmony. Does this portray a good example for someone who may be interested in the Church? Some leaders are not always truthful in dealing with brethren, or their conduct does not reflect true Christianity. Some ministers have revealed confidential information to other brethren, breaking the trust members have for the ministry. Our actions speak much louder than our words. The world is watching our conduct. If our works are good, and we set a good example, they will glorify God in the future (I Peter 2:12). Many members in God’s Church today do not really understand what is God’s Love. How can they teach it if they do not really know what it is? God’s love is outgoing, caring, giving, not turned inward toward self or one’s group. Today we hear both Church leaders and laymen speak of how we must love our neighbor while they themselves show dislike toward other brethren and ministers simply because they are not joined with their particular group. Christ tells us that if we love only those in our own group, we are no better than the rest of the world. This, sadly, is the case in most Church of God groups today. God’s love is not being shown. What does Jesus Christ have to say about this type of thinking? “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” (Matthew 5:46-47). “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same” (Luke 6:32-33). Members have often been cast out of a Church group because they had a disagreement with it. This is true especially if a member decides to return to the full truth of God, unpolluted, as given from Christ through His apostle to the Church during the Philadelphia era. This is also true if one decides to show leaders where they are off the track on doctrine or wrong in their personal conduct. Agree with us or “GET OUT!” is their way of showing love! Such leaders won't even entertain the possibility that they might be wrong. They see no need to repent. In essence, they are saying: “I have need of nothing” (see Revelation 3:17). They are blind to their own spiritual condition. Marriages and families have been divided, even destroyed, because of wrong conduct, bad counsel by a minister, or because doctrinal errors are being taught. Many leaders and members of the Church have rejected, at least in part, the teaching about marriage and divorce that Christ gave through Mr. Armstrong. Divorce and re-marriage is rampant today in the Church. Families have been divided and torn apart because of neglect in the area of marriage. How can the Church effectively teach the gospel message of love and peace in God's Family to the world unless or until it first gets it's own house in order in these things? In God’s Church there must be a return to His teaching of the purpose for the family. Leaders and members alike will speak about God’s truth on these matters, which were delivered through Mr. Armstrong, but their actions tell us a different story. They are not fully obeying past instructions given through the apostle which, sadly, is the condition of the Church of God today. “Behold, I Stand At the Door and Knock” Jesus Christ is knocking on the door of the Church. He’s asking individual members to open the door for Him. He wants to come back into their lives and sup with them (Revelation 3:20). The word sup means to dine. This verse implies that the Church, in general, is not dining with Jesus Christ at this present time. Some members have answered His knock. They have repented of being asleep and have returned, or are returning, to all the doctrines given through God’s end-time apostle, Mr. Armstrong. Questions pertaining to the condition of the Church and the Work of God are being answered for them. Christ is dining with them once again. Their eyes and ears are open. Since God’s truth and doctrines are once again in focus, things pertaining to this era are making sense to them. They are trimming their lamps and asking God to replenish the oil of His Holy Spirit within them (see Matthew 25:1-13). They are getting back on the track spiritually. They have returned to following the lead of God’s Spirit as a way of life (Romans 8:14). They’re striving to remain faithful to the very purpose for which we have been called and chosen at this time. They want to be part of the firstfruits, the bride of Christ. How about you? Have you returned to all the doctrines and truth delivered to us in this end-time? Are you acting on such precious knowledge? Are you awake, or are you asleep? |
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