 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
This document is also available in PDF format with pre-defined book marks. If you have the Adobe PDF plug-in for your brower, just click on the icon. |
The Work of God in the Laodicean Era | ||
|
Chapter Four Problems Of A Divided Church If Christ gave His approval for every group to “do their own thing” in preaching the gospel to the world, many problems would result. Problems occur when the Church eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus Christ would not be guiding them. That’s a law set in motion by God. He does not compromise. When the Church, as a whole, decide for themselves which doctrines they will hold fast and which ones they will compromise or dismiss altogether, there definitely will be problems. What are some of these problems a divided Church must face? And how should we deal with them? Of course, the best thing to do is hold fast to all the doctrines faithfully as given and avoid such problems in the first place. Since the Church today has not done this, it faces several controversial problems of which the leadership must now address. If Jesus Christ opened the door at this time to preach the gospel to the world in a large way as was done under Mr. Armstrong, one problem would be with prospective members seeking to be baptized. If that door were wide open in this Laodicean era, in most cases, it would be inviting people to come and eat polluted spiritual food. Malachi 1 speaks of this being done. You see, every group believes it is the right one and all the others are wrong. Leaders of these groups believe they certainly are not the ones serving polluted bread. It’s always the other guy! They are not together because they believe the other leaders are wrong to some degree or another, and that they themselves are in the right. This is easy to figure out because it is so obvious. Just think how difficult it would be for a prospective member or new convert to understand what are the true doctrines of God’s Church, and to see who truly is holding fast and who is not. Because these differing groups are not speaking the same things, we have a divided Church. This would place a doubt in the mind of a prospective member or new convert. He could become confused. God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). Jesus Christ reprimanded the Pharisees and the scribes for this same type of behavior. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). Those preaching the gospel to the world today, while not truly holding fast to all the doctrines given to them, must take warning from this scripture. This is especially true if a new person inquires of them and wants to be with them. Authority For Doctrine In The Church How could a perspective member or new convert possibly determine if a doctrine or the message has been polluted or not? What standard would a person use to determine if a doctrine is right or wrong? The Bible, of course, is always our final authority. From time to time certain issues of controversy and questions arose in the Church that needed further clarification or ruling by God’s end-time apostle. God has made it clear how to settle such matters in Deuteronomy 17:8-13, Matthew 16:19 and 18:18. Mr. Armstrong, being an apostle of God, was given that authority. Since he was in the office of an apostle, he had to make those determinations and decisions based on the spirit of God’s Law in such matters. After he made a decision on Church wide issue or problem, that judgment then became a Church doctrine. A judgment is just an extension of God’s law, based on the spirit of the law, clarifying it in more detail to fit the times in which the judgment was given. Jesus Christ gave many judgments to us through Mr. Armstrong. Which group faithfully holds fast to all those truths? Which group will point a new member to all those judgments made by the apostle? Mr. Armstrong ruled that only an apostle has the authority to make rulings and judgments that are instilled into the Church. That decision itself became a doctrine for the Church under his leadership. “God's Church today, as in the first century, receives its teachings from the living Christ, through an apostle, just as in A.D. 31” (Mystery of the Ages, 1985, page 350). This was also stated in the following publications: Good News magazine, Oct-Nov 1979, and Pastor General’s Report, May 23, 1980. Each Church of God organization has, and teaches, its own standards. Each teaches doctrines differently than the next group by adding to, taking away from, or altering the doctrines that had been given to them, from God, through an apostle. Most say they haven’t done this. With a little research, it can be seen they indeed have changed or omitted something. Not teaching all the truth given through the apostle amounts to deception by those who are doing this. The Word of God says: “Cursed be the deceiver” (Mal 1:14). Read and understand what God says about men who hold back part of His truth from others. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (back, suppress) the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in (to) them; for God hath shewed it unto them. ...so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20). God will not tolerate such behavior in His ministers for very long. They are WITHOUT EXCUSE! A high price will be paid by anyone that withholds the truth from God’s people. Ministers today know better, yet they continue to do it. This punishment will be especially true if it involves a little one, a newly converted member, who comes to believe in Christ (Matthew 18:6-10). Which group leader will truly help a new person to understand all the doctrines we have learned? Is any leader doing this now? If the leaders themselves are not adhering to everything they were taught in doctrine, they certainly wouldn’t point another to all of them. That would defeat the very purpose why they formed a separate group. God Wants Unity We can now understand the confusion and problems a new convert would have trying to properly learn all the doctrines. Someone getting started on the road that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of God could find it very difficult. If the door to preach the gospel to the world were wide open for the Church today, this scenario would be multiplied many hundreds, even thousands, of times over. There would be a greater mess in the Church than that with which we presently have to deal. Can Jesus Christ properly form an orderly, united and effective team to work with Him in the Kingdom under such circumstances? This is only one of the many problems facing the Church in this era. We, who are in God's Church, are supposed to be learning to work together as a team. That is part of our training. We need to become unified into one body: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:13-16). We are to be speaking and teaching the same things, in the same judgment, and using the same standard for making decisions. God wants unity in His Church. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10). “Finally, brethren, .....Be(come) perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (II Corinthians 13:11). “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing” (I Peter 3:8-9). This kind of unity is not the description of God’s Church today. We don’t have it. God is not pleased with this condition. Scattered, Shattered and in Confusion The Church is scattered and shattered because of doctrinal differences in the various splintered groups. Their leaders are failing to speak the same things as commanded in I Corinthians 1:10. We read in Daniel 12:7 where it speaks about the power of the holy people being scattered. Sadly enough, this has been happening over the past several years and is still going on. It’s time to stop this scattering and gather the church back together. Jesus Christ has been very patient with us. Time will come in the near future when He will spew out of His mouth the Church into the great tribulation. He’s sick of it! Only those holding fast to His truth and doctrines, those with a Philadelphian attitude, are given a promise to be spared (Malachi 3:16-17, Revelation 3:10 and 12:14). Where is the truth of God being taught today without being compromised, added to, or perverted in some way? How about you, do you know? How many groups have you personally come through? Why did you go there to be with them? Why did you leave them? Why did you leave the last group you were in? Maybe you were cast out and disfellowshipped from the last one you were in. Many have been disfellowshipped from or left one or more groups because of doctrinal differences. Others may have left because of mistreatment by the ministry or other members. Maybe you are one who has left a group or have been cast out of a group because of standing up for the full truth when you heard wrong teachings. Some members of God’s Church have been cast out of a group without knowing why. On the other hand, maybe you really did deserve to be disfellowshipped for some wrong doing or causing division, according to scriptural grounds, and your disfellowshipment was valid in the eyes of God. Possibly you are presently in a group and really should be cast out but no one has the authority or the will to do it. Can we see where a new convert would be even more confused than a seasoned Church member about such things? Would God, in His great love and mercy, allow these problems to confront new converts on a large scale? Hardly! He is not the author of confusion, but of peace, harmony and order (I Corinthians 14:33, 40). You can now begin to understand why there have been only small increases in membership of the Church in this Laodicean era. Even then this increase has come mostly from the youth in the Church reaching baptism age. Would an all wise God call and choose a large number of people from the world to come into His Church at this time, knowing that many of them would almost surely be condemned to go into the Great Tribulation? Being babes, what chance would they have to overcome themselves, this world and Satan? It takes years for one to build resistance to sin and put in the righteousness of God, His Character. It would be very difficult for someone new in the faith to qualify and make it into the Kingdom in the first resurrection. That would not be a fair and just opportunity for them to overcome as Christ did and sit with Him on His throne (Revelation 3:21). God is fair and just. God Wants Repentance We are in the Church era which desperately needs to heed Christ’s warning for it to repent (Revelation 3:18-19). It is much easier to repent and grow in God’s character now than in the tribulation. Some members have drifted into thinking that the tribulation won’t be so bad. Your Bible says it will be the greatest time of trouble in the history of man (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21-22). It will be a time of terrible persecution upon the Church. It is a time when the saints will be martyred as explained in the book of Revelation. No one should want to experience those things. Many members living in this era of the Church are going into the tribulation unless they repent before it happens: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:18-20). In the parable of the ten virgins, Christ tells us that only half will make it into the Kingdom (Matthew 25:1-13). This is a sobering scripture. It can be avoided simply by repenting and getting back to all the truth of God, asking Him to replenish the oil (God’s Holy Spirit) in our lives. He gives His Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). He is very patient, merciful and willing to forgive us: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;... Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness” (II Peter 3:9, 14-15, 17). Now we can better understand why the door to preach the gospel to the world is not wide for the Laodicean Church era. Doing so at this time could bring disaster upon even more people. New converts would have a very difficult time sorting out error from the truth. Jesus Christ, in His mercy, has shut the door in this Church era to preach the gospel to the world in any expanded way knowing such problems would arise. It just proves how merciful our loving God is. We should be very thankful that it is Jesus Christ who makes such decisions and not men or leaders in the Church. He is much wiser than men who want to do things their way. Also we can now understand more clearly why Jesus Christ is not pleased with this era of the Church. It isn’t paying much attention to His warnings. He is going to chasten it severely in the tribulation. He wants to get it’s attention and to repent of it’s rebellion toward Him and His government. He will spare those who respond now to His warnings and return to the standard set in the Church through His apostle during the Philadelphia era (Revelation 3:10). Some will not pass this test that is on the Church today. Some will not be ready to graduate from God's college. They will have become too weak from lack of God’s Spirit. They will not be ready to go into the Kingdom of God as a spirit being (Matthew 25:1-13). That is sad. Jesus Christ is not fooling around with us. This is serious business for God’s people. Do you hear His knock (Revelation 3:20)? Are you answering it? It’s time to wake up! It’s time to trim our lamps and make sure we have enough oil (God’s Spirit in us). Remember, He gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Trimming our lamps means to get our nose into the Word of God and sharpen our knowledge of His will for us, and then do it! It's time to set our personal spiritual houses in order, and to get ourselves ready for the return of Jesus Christ as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will soon return with great power to restore order and His truth all over this earth (Isaiah 11:9). God Chastens Those He Loves God is equitable and righteous. His ways are perfect. Most members of the Church who end up suffering in the tribulation will be there because they knew God's will but didn’t prepare themselves. “And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47). It doesn’t have to happen. It can be avoided IF there is repentance. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). The Church has been given an understanding of God’s truth and the doctrines of the Church under an apostle's tutorship. Leaders willingly have departed from at least part of these teachings. This is the major problem that has caused the division we find in the Church today. Do we truly understand where all this is leading? God is going to chasten the Laodicean era of the Church in the tribulation in one final attempt to get them to repent and return fully to Him. He wants them to be spared the second death in the lake of fire. He wants them to be rulers in the Kingdom (Revelation 3:21). Some may become so weakened by the time the tribulation starts they may not have enough strength (Holy Spirit) to continue in God’s way. They could give up and lose their salvation altogether. Some may give up completely and accept the mark of the beast. Some ministers and members have already abandoned worshipping on God’s Sabbath Day and now worship on Sunday. Listen! We are not even in the tribulation yet and some have already done this! This is an amazing turn of events. How tragic! If they do this now when the going isn’t as hard, what will it be like for others when it gets really tough to be a true Christian? Christ gave us a warning about this right before He was crucified: “For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry” (Luke 23:31)? Difficult times are coming soon! Jesus says there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). It is not His desire to see people suffer. Wouldn’t it be better for us to repent now while there is time to overcome our weaknesses and faults? Jesus Christ wants all of us in His Church to serve with Him as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. The Church is in that preparatory period right now. We are in school. He wants us to graduate. We need to be trimming our spiritual lamps, making sure they are full of the oil of God’s Holy Spirit. We need to clean the dirt and soot (spots and blemishes) out of our dirty chimneys (our character). Let’s do all we can to make our lights shine brightly with good works before men. Then they will glorify God in the day of visitation (I Peter 2:12). Setting proper examples for the world to see that God’s way of life is good and right is commanded of us (Matthew 5:14-16). It is the way that we will teach as priests in the Kingdom of God. We must desire God’s way with our whole heart. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus Christ wants us to be there with Him at the marriage supper. He wants to dine spiritually with us now. Is He dining with you? Are you holding fast to all doctrines? If not, will you now return to them? “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). Are you ready for His return? Hold fast to those things which we have been taught in the Philadelphia era of the Church. Let no man take your crown. |
|||
| [Next] | |||
 |
|
|
|