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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 Seven A Faithful Minister's Duties Mr. Armstrong states some overall duties of true ministers of God in his book Mystery of the Ages. One of the duties of a minister is to protect the begotten children of God. “It is the duty of Christ's TRUE ministers (and how scarce today) to PROTECT the begotten but yet unborn saints from false doctrines, from false ministers. The HUMAN mother carries her unborn baby in that part of her body where she can best PROTECT it from physical harm; and that protection is part of her function, as well as to nourish the unborn child! Even so, the CHURCH, through Christ's ministers, instructs, teaches, counsels with, advises, and PROTECTS from spiritual harm the unborn members! What a WONDERFUL picture is human reproduction of spiritual SALVATION!” (HWA, Mystery of the Ages, page 262). Ministers are instructed to protect those called and chosen by God from being misled into falsehoods. They are to keep the spiritual food they feed to them pure and unpolluted (Malachi 1). The opposite has happened within God's Church today. These instructions came from an apostle of God. They have gone unheeded by most of the ministers in this era. Ministers not faithful in keeping the truth and doctrines pure certainly cannot be trusted to protect the sheep from false doctrines and false ministers since he himself is one who has compromised on these things. He would be polluted himself. “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:7-9). God holds the ministry directly responsible for what has happened to His Church in this era. “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray.....All that found them have devoured them:” (Jeremiah 50:6-7). In Ezekiel there is another passage of scriptures that show very clearly God’s warning to the ministry. The excerpts from the following verses describe quite well what has taken place in the Church today. “...Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. ...neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat... ...neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; ...I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them” (Ezekiel 34:1-10). Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing Shortly after the death of Mr. Armstrong most ministers in God’s Church became guilty of these verses. They have failed terribly to faithfully adhere to specific instructions from His apostle to protect the sheep. Notice where God calls these sheep “MY FLOCK”. This is speaking of God’s own Church. They are His sheep (John 10:1-16). Many ministers today appear to be protecting the sheep entrusted to them for safe keeping. Looking closely we find in most cases this is not always true. Listen! Think for a minute! Will a wolf protect his own prey from other wolves? Absolutely! But it's neither for the good of the sheep nor for their safety. He has another motive. He will fight vigorously to protect from wolves those sheep within his fold alright, but for the wrong purpose. He doesn’t do it out of care for them, but for his own welfare. It's not done out of love for them, but for the love of them. He himself is a wolf. He wants to devour them. They are his meal ticket. His motive is toward self. That, brethren, is about the best description one could give about most leaders in God’s Church today. They claim to be protecting God’s flock from wolves, yet they themselves are wolves. Wolves think about their own bellies, their own paychecks. Romans 16:17-18 makes this quite clear: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Here the word “simple” means innocent, unsuspecting or harmless (see Strong’s Concordance #172). Here are leaders that are skilled in the use of words. Because they are excellent speakers, they use this talent to deceive innocent or unsuspecting members of the Church, those who are trusting them to speak the truth. These verses warn us to be careful when listening to such leaders. We are to avoid them. That means we are to WATCH! These men have an ability to influence others into wrong thinking and actions. Remember, Hitler used words that influenced people into taking wrong actions. Winston Churchill did just the opposite. The problem is compounded for a minister who truly is speaking the truth unpolluted. Once members discover that deceit has been perpetuated on them by another, they begin to distrust all leaders, even those who are speaking properly and truthfully. Satan has caused this doubt. He has sown these seeds of distrust and discord. As a result of his influence, the Church has been crippled. It can no longer effectively do a work of preaching the gospel to the world. He’s done a real number on the Church. Sadly, many members are not even aware that he’s behind it all. As a result of his deception, we have the condition of the Church as it is today, all divided, with no one trusting anyone. Especially the leadership. We must never forget where all this turmoil originated. Satan is the great deceiver. His demons help him do his dirty work. They want to destroy us any way they can. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9). The next few verses show that he is angry with God’s Church. Satan and his demons hate us more than anyone else on earth. There is a reason for this persecution. Just as Jesus Christ is going to replace Satan as ruler over this earth, we are going to replace those evil spirits that are now ruling with him. We will help Christ bring peace and God’s way of life to all the nations of the earth. This is why Satan and his demons hate us more than anyone else on earth. He knows he has a very short time! We need to keep this overview in mind in order to have the right perspective and purpose for the Church’s existence in the first place. We must remain faithful to all the truth and doctrines to the very end. We can’t be faithful witnesses for Christ if we don’t keep all these things as they were given to us. We must remember what we have been taught. “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance” (II Peter 1:12-13, 15). “...I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:” (II Peter 3:1-2). Most leaders today in the Church have not remained faithful to keep and teach all the doctrines as we learned them through an apostle of God. They claim they are, but the fruits show otherwise. They are not being true and faithful witnesses for Christ. We are to take note of such men and avoid them (Romans 16:17). Ministers and leaders may pull the wool over many of the brethren's eyes, but they can't fool God. He sees such leaders simply as wolves disguised in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). He, who knows the intent of our hearts, knows what their real motives are (Hebrews 4:12-13). There is warning after warning all through the scriptures to watch and be on guard for such men. They want to take your crown from you. They think they are right, but God says they are deceivers. Hold fast to the truth, let no man take your crown (Revelation 3:11). God is soon going to intervene to take care of these and other problems that are in the Church today. He's going to make things right again. It is just a matter of time. Knowing that, we can take heart. Faithful and True Witnesses for Christ We, individually, must do our part by keeping all these things unpolluted and pure ourselves. If we keep everything as taught, then we are a testimony and a true witness for Christ. He will afford protection for those who remain faithful through this time of trouble (Revelation 3:10, 12:14-16). In Revelation 3:14, Jesus Christ states He is the true and faithful witness. Why does He start addressing the Laodicean era of the Church by this reminder to them? Because they are not presenting themselves as true and faithful witnesses for Him. He wants them to be as He is, true and faithful. That is the crux of the problem for the Laodicean era of the Church. The membership, as a whole, is not remaining faithful. The next few verses in Revelation 3 further substantiates their problem. We are to be putting on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We are to remain faithful to those teachings given to us through the leader in the previous era of Philadelphia. Remaining faithful qualifies us to rule with Christ as kings and priests. “.....they that are with him are called, and chosen, and FAITHFUL” (Revelation 17:14). This present era of the Church, as a whole, has deceived themselves into thinking they are remaining faithful. But that is self-deception. Verse 17 points out just how steeped they are into fooling themselves. They are blind to this fact. They think they are right. Any one of us can get caught up in this same attitude. Most of the Church has and don’t even know it. Someone must warn them about these things. There’s still time for repentance before the tribulation. We then, knowing these things, must also stay on watch more than ever before in our daily lives. We are to watch and let no man deceive us, knowing deception is all around us, even in God’s Church (Matthew 24:4-5, 10-12, 25:13, Mark 13:21-22, 33-37, Luke 21:34-36, etc.). If the ministry as a whole were to repent of straying from the purity of the truth and doctrines as given through Mr. Armstrong, members would follow their example. At this point in time it certainly doesn't look like this will take place on any grand scale. This attitude, however, will change dramatically when the tribulation is here. Sadly, according to scripture, it appears only 50% will repent and make it into the Kingdom (Matthew 25:1-13). Some will wait too long and lose out on the Kingdom of God. They will not remain faithful to that which had been delivered to them. They will not be able to stand up for God’s way because of a polluted spiritual diet. It could be too late for them. That’s a tragedy. That, sadly enough, will be the pitiful and final outcome for some members. They are being led by leaders and ministers who have not kept the truth and doctrines pure and unpolluted. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, God’s late apostle, served pure and unpolluted food we needed to stay spiritually healthy. That food is still available for those who desire to have it. Listen! Whether the ministry or other members repent at this time or not, you and I personally still have the responsibility to return and hold fast to the true doctrines. We, individually, must keep them pure and unpolluted. We are in an era where most of the ministry has failed to remain faithful to Christ and His teachings as given to us through His apostle. You cannot hang onto a minister’s shirt-tail and expect to make it into the Kingdom of God. Where would that take you if he is teaching and serving polluted bread? The minister’s job is to teach properly and faithfully the truth of God to you (Ephesians 4:11-15). Whether he teaches these things faithfully or not you still have to account for your own actions. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). Church is Being Judged Now I Peter 4:17 tells us that we, who are in the Church, are now under judgment: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” This is the time of our evaluation. We are working toward graduation. We must prove our loyalty and faithfulness striving to be a true witness for Christ now. This calling we have accepted is our chance to prove to God we mean what we said at baptism about being loyal to Him. We made a covenant with Him that we would put Him first in our lives no matter what obstacles we might face. Now we must prove it to Him. We must remain faithful. We either succeed now or lose out forever. In the book of Hebrews we find an interesting and sobering verse: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). A minister is required to give an account of watching for you. They must give an account of and for you, but not for your personal behavior. He’s not held accountable for your personal spiritual life. That responsibility belongs to each individual Christian. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10). The minister’s responsibility is to teach the pure truth to us showing how to apply it in our lives. After that it is between us and God whether we will obey, or not obey, Him. God holds us directly responsible for our own words and actions: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36). We personally must give an account in this matter of WHETHER or not we properly apply His truth in our lives. We stand before Christ each day after we have been baptized. Our judgment is now. The minister is responsible to teach to you the truth of God. He is held accountable and will pay a heavy price if he either pollutes the truths and doctrines of God or if he withholds part of them from you. Malachi 1 says polluted bread is being served upon God’s Altar. In verse 14 we find there is a curse upon those who deceive others by means of any pollution or corruption of His truth. Most of the ministry has not fully heeded instructions from the apostle to protect the begotten children of God from false doctrines and false ministers. Thankfully, we still have those instructions available to us so we can evaluate whether a minister is or isn’t holding fast to them. Ministers and members alike, as a whole, have gotten off the track doctrinally and spiritually in this era of the Church. They must return to the pure truth and doctrines as they were given through an apostle of God. They must love them, embrace them and help others do the same thing. We should continually thank God and Jesus Christ for preserving this wonderful information for us. They gave to us a standard so we can make a definite evaluation of a minister. We can know if he is truly holding fast to the truth and doctrines once delivered. This is done by comparing what he teaches with what the apostle taught to us. It’s just that easy. Each one of us, minister or layman, must continually strive to hold fast to all these truths and never let them slip away from us. We must place great value on them. If we let them slip away from us, we could lose our crown. LET NO MAN TAKE YOUR CROWN (Revelation 3:11). |
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