Vol. 1, No. 1 A newsletter for servants of the Almighty Eternal Creator, wherever they may be April 1995

“For with the judg-ment you judge...”There are many Biblical cautionsabout judging others. At thistime of doctrinal difficulty,encouragement is needed morethan condemnation. The title is taken from Matthew 7:2. The previous

verse flatly states: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”Yet we find other scriptural commands to make judg-ments:

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judgewith righteous judgment” (John 7:2)

“...Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, noteven one, who will be able to judge between hisbrethren?” (1Cor 6:5.)

“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the othersjudge” (1Cor 15:29).

“...You have tested [tried] those who say they are apos-tles and are not, and have found them liars” (Rev 2:2).

Are the scriptures in conflict on the issue of judgment?No! There are times when we are to judge, and timeswhen we are to withhold judgment. There are two appar-ent cases when His saints are called upon to make judg-ments: 1) when they are asked to judge an issue byanother and 2) to determine if others are teachingtruth. This last category of judgment is usually a person-al issue; we are to decide for ourselveswho is teaching truth. We are not to takeit upon ourselves to examine the sins ofothers, to pronounce a judgment or con-demnation, or to proclaim their sins tothe public. In this article, we will look ateach of these concepts in a little moredetail.

If It Is Not Your Case, Do Not Judge It!It hurts when we see others make mis-

takes. Sin hurts the sinner as well as thevictim(s). Righteous indignation is a nat-

“...You shall bejudged.”

We must each personally realizethat we will be judged for whatwe do�we cannot use thegreater errors of others as anexcuse for our own sin.When a person first began to learn the basic truth of

the Bible, there is often a great personal struggle trying toobey. He or she may need to discontinue Sabbath jobs oractivities, clean up his or her diet or vocabulary. Each per-son certainly must learn to view his or herself in a com-pletely different perspective—as a person that needs theEternal for forgiveness, salvation and new life.

But as the years go by, the “first love” for the truth ofmany tends to fade. As long as we show up for services,continue contributing and do not “rock the boat” the otherbrethren seem to be happy with us. If, in addition to this,we are spending a reasonable amount of time in prayerand Bible study, we can easily become very content withourselves. But is that what our Father expects of us? Arewe being judged for what we do now?

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat ofChrist, that each one may receive the things done in thebody, according to what he has done, whether good orbad” (2 Cor 5:10). Not only are deeds important, but alsoour words: “But I say to you that for every idle word men

may speak, they will give account of it inthe day of judgment. For by your wordsyou will be justified, and by your wordsyou will be condemned” (Matt 12:36-37).

While it is the sacrifice of our saviorthat will ultimately make us clean in theday of judgment (1Jn 4:17, Rev 1:5), weare still accountable for what we do now.We will be rewarded based on what wedo in this life.

Wonderful Lessons in Luke 12The entire chapter of Luke 12 con-

IN THIS ISSUE:

3 Live Talk Radio

4 Statement of Purpose

5 Local Congregations

7 How Should We BearFruit?

9 Sabbath & CleanMeats

13 Letters & ResponsesContinued page 19Continued page 20

SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 2 April 1995

1. The things of God are spiritual-ly revealed. (1 Cor 2:10,11); thereforeask the Eternal for His holy spirit (Luke11:13). The holy spirit will teach you allthings and guide you into all truth (cf.John 14:26; 16:13). It will not speakfrom itself, or in words which man’swisdom teaches, but it will comparespiritual things with spiritual things,scripture with scripture (cf. John 16:13,1Cor 2:13; Isa 28:10). It “will bring toyour remembrance all things” (John14:26). It “knows the things of God”(1Cor 2:11); it knows how to properlycompare spiritual things with spiritualthings (1Cor 2:13).

2. Get all the scriptures. “One wit-ness is not sufficient testimony” (Num.35:30) By the mouth of two or three wit-nesses every word shall be established(2Cor 13:1). This does not mean that wedo not believe statements contained onlyonce in the Bible, but it means you can-not leave out scriptures that have a bear-ing on your topic of study. You must take

the whole Bible in its entire context,before you can come to the knowledge ofthat particular subject from the Eternal’sviewpoint.

3. Check the context. In order tounderstand any scripture thoroughly, inits context, ask and answer all the follow-ing questions: What? When? Where?Why? Who? How? No verse should beinterpreted in isolation from its context.Both the immediate context and the larg-er context may need to be carefully con-sidered. Whois the scripture about. Whois writing it? And to whomare they writ-ing? Whatis this passage about? Whatishappening? When did the eventsdescribed here take place? Where didthese events happen? Why did theseevents happen? Whydid the author writethis passage? How is something to bedone? Or how does the author illustratehis point? Howdoes this apply to me?

4. Seek the meaning of the originallanguage. Translation is an art, not ascience. Translators must choose words

based on what they think the writermeant. Use several Bible translations tosee if there are other possible meanings.Use a Hebrew or Greek concordance tosee where the same word was used else-where in scripture.

5. Do not establish doctrine basedon a single Bible help. E.g., Strong’sword number 5590 defines the Greekword pneuma as the “rational andimmortal soul,” implying that man is, orhas, an immortal soul—probably a per-sonal belief of the author. Yet, in referringto mankind, 1 Corinthians 15;53 says that“this mortal must put on immortality.”Also, we read “in Adam all die” (1Cor15:22) and “[Jesus Christ] alone hasimmortality” (1Tim 6:16).

6. Study the historical setting andbackground which produced the writ-ing. Make use of Bible dictionaries,atlases and encyclopedias.

7. What does the Bible say?Always ask and answer this question.E.g., John 3:6 is saying that flesh isflesh and spirit is spirit; and1 Corinthians 15:50 says that “flesh andblood cannot inherit the kingdom ofGod.” Therefore, the church cannot bethe kingdom of God.

8. Let the Bible interpret theBible. Meanings are derived by usageand by context—not by etymology.Good lexicons supply references tocontextual usage for our study. Studywords in contexts.

9. Do not put vague scripturesfirst. Difficult and apparently ambigu-ous verses should always be understoodin the light of the many verses that areperfectly clear.

10. The Bible never contradictsitself. “The scripture cannot be broken”(John 10:35). “For I am the Lord, I do notchange” (Mal 3:6). “Jesus Christ is thesame yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb13:8). If any particular scripture seems tocontradict another scripture, either yourunderstanding of the particular scriptureor the translation that you are reading isincorrect or misunderstood.

compiled by James R. Calvert

Servants Newsis published monthly by Friends of the Brethren.Subscriptions are freeto individuals interested in obeying their Creator as described in His Word. We believe Hislaw is the basis for living a life that is pleasing to Him in harmony with our neighbors. Webelieve the holy spirit gives us the power to live such a life as long as we continually repentof our sins and accept the salvation provided through our Messiah and Savior. We believein living “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Deut 8:3).

We believe the gospel should be given freely: you may copy any or all of this pub-lication and give it to others. Friends of the Brethren is financed by donations and hasno ties with any of the other organizations listed in this publication.

Editor: Norman S. EdwardsAssociate Editors: Robert Feith, Christine Feith, Rosemary EdwardsContributors: ( many) “Thanks” to everyone involved.

Servants’ News accepts articles for publication. Include a self-address stampedenvelope for items that you want returned. We do not publish materials that attackindividuals or organizations, nor do we publish materials that claim there is only onehuman organization through which the Eternal works. We are happy to print correc-tions for any significant errors. Address articles and letters to:

Vol. 1, No. 1 A newsletter for servants of the Almighty Eternal Creator, wherever they may be April 1995

Friends of the BrethrenPO Box 6516

Springdale, AR 72766-6516

Phone:501-872-1003Fax: 501-872-1004E-Mail: 75260.1603@Compuserve.com

Ten Principles of Bible StudyBible study should be a vital part of our lives. These 10 principles, derived from the scrip-tures and combined with years of experience should help in your search for understanding.

God has opened some incredible doorsfor us! One of them is talk radio. We must actfast to take advantage of these opportunities.Strike while the iron is hot!

While talk radio has existed for years, it hasrecently surged in popularity. The once-expensivetelephone connection hardware can now be foundat some of the smallest local radio stations.

The American people are just not as interested inthe taped radio/TV presentation anymore. We knowthat the "creative" media master can make day look likenight, bad look like good, or anything else he so desiresgiven enough time to carefully prepare a script andemploy the latest technological tricks. We have heard andseen it done from Hollywood for 30 years. And now we seeit from Washington DC.

Live presentations are where it's at. You cannothide behind carefully constructed deception.People tend to trust you more if you'renot afraid to face the mike live. It'sjust you, the listeners, and God; noexpensive production costs. Thoseinterested in learning more will have alocal person to contact.

The greatest advantage to live talk radiois instant communication. Take what myselfand a call-in guest speaker were doing the otherday. He was speaking about a fundamental Bibletopic from the comfort of his own home in anotherpart of the country. We were having a conversation withwhich close to a million Las Vegans had the option of lis-tening into. Any listeners with questions could call 731-1230 and get immediate answers. Instant gratification! Nosix-week wait! For every person that calls in, there are usu-ally hundreds of others listening. The same questions a callerasks have probably entered many of the other listenersminds. So for every single caller that receives an answer,many are edified. And if no one asks your question, you canalways make the call yourself!

The work God does often mirrors society. In the 30's, 40'sand 50's, America was making a transition from a rural societyto a centralized corporate America. Herbert Armstrong had adesire to want to reach more than just a few thousand people inWestern Oregon. He formed a large, centralized, hierarchicalorganization that did the work through the traditional means ofhis day: mass communication channels like TV, radio and print.Now, communications technology has advanced to whereeveryone can be an independent contractor. Corporate employ-ees put in their hours sitting in front of word processors in homeoffices connected by a modem. More pioneering individuals runtheir entire operations this way. Quality publications can be pro-

duced with home desk-top publishing equipment. Near-instantwritten communications are possible via Electronic mail.

Talk radio and cable TV are fulfilling Andy Warhol's pro-nouncement that in the future everyone would be famous forfifteen minutes. Regular Joe's make their voices heard nation-wide by dialing up Rush Limbaugh live on the air. The class“clown” can now reach millions by mailing a tape of his best

shenanigan to America's Funniest Home Videos.Although it is another subject, I cannot let this article

end without mentioning radio's big brother, television.Public-access cable TV is another open door. Cable

TV systems are required to provide a public-accesschannel for local use. This allows individuals in

the community to voice public concerns. Forinstance, the United Artists cable system

for North Hollywood, California, has astate-of-the-art studio and production

facility. They supply equipmentand crew free of charge! And

they'll let you go on the air and sayanything. Interestingly, the public access cable-

waves are not under the jurisdiction of the FCC.I am convinced that God has swung open the massive

talk radio door to, among other things, warn Israel ofwhat is coming. In this day of propagandized massmedia, talk radio is a bastion of truth and free speech.Some taped religious programs have already beenforced off of local stations for what they have saidabout homosexual lifestyles or political policies.There may be a tie-in with free speech and thePhiladelphia work. Philadelphia is the birthplacecity of our Constitution, which instituted free-dom of speech and worship. Free speech is anopen door through which the Good News andthe Ezekiel warning message must go.

Does talk radio bear fruit? So far, at leastten people with no previous Sabbath-keepingbackground have begun keeping the Sabbathfrom the efforts of The Eagle Show, myhalf-hour weekly program. About five con-tinue to do so on a regular basis. One hasbeen baptised. While this may seemsmall, the cost per person is far less than

most "big media efforts." The air-time has been provided to mein exchange for working a difficult-to-staff graveyard shift.

I would be most interested in talking with or helping outanyone interested in doing a similar thing in another city.You can reach my voice-mail box at any time:702-263-5852 or write to me, Lee Clark, at 1115 S. Casino Center#132, Las Vegas, NV 89104.

—Lee ClarkPage 3April 1995

�And this GGoossppeell ooff tthhee KKiinnggddoomm will be preachedin all the world as a witness to all the nations, and thenthe end willl come.� �Matt 24:14

�But wwhheenn tthheeyy ppeerrsseeccuuttee yyoouu iinn tthhiiss cciittyy,, fflleeee ttoo aannootthheerr.. Forassuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through thecities of Israel before the Son of man comes.� �Matt 10:23

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SSttaatteemmeenntt ooff PPuurrppoossee ffoorrFriends of the Brethren

Friends of the Brethren exists to help individuals andother organizations fulfill the missions given to the Church:to personally grow in grace and knowledge, to preach awarning to the world, to preach the Gospel to those whowill hear it, and to feed the brethren. We believe that theBasis for His work must be first spiritual, not organiza-tional or financial.

The only authority we have is from the Bible and theHoly Spirit (which is never in conflict with the Scriptures).We do not believe that the Eternal works exclusively oreven primarily through us. We do not claim to have “moretruth” than anyone else. The Eternal works through whoev-er will yield to Him and obey His commands (Isa 66:2,1Cor 1:26-31) In addition to our own Bible study, we learnfrom a variety of teachers.

We publish literature with which we can find no directscriptural or logical conflicts. When there seems to be morethan one reasonable way of understanding a certain doc-trine or group of scriptures, we may publish more than oneview. We will probably publish some things that are inerror—we are fallible humans still in the process of learn-ing. We realize that the Messiah taught “with authority,”not as the scribes in his day (Mark 1:22.) If we had theauthority of the Messiah, we would teach in the same man-ner. Unfortunately, we have seen many teachers teach with“great authority” then later change their teaching or beunable to answer scriptural challenges to it. The Messiahnever had these problems—He never had to issue correc-tions. We believe it is better to admit that we are still learn-ing, than to teach with great authority and be wrong.

We want to learn from others. We read and reply to let-ters we receive that seriously try to show us our mistakesfrom the scriptures. There are questions we are not able toanswer now. We believe that the Spirit of God reveals truthas we are “able to bear it” to anyone who seeks with alltheir heart (Deut 4:29, John 16:12, 1Cor 3:2). We hope toaccomplish our goals by these specific objectives:

1. Publish Servants’ News.This free monthly newsletter isthe primary vehicle used for accomplishing the otherobjectives. It is also intended to help provide a sense ofcommunity among scattered members—publishingbirths, marriages, deaths and news of local congregations.

2. Provide access to Bible-based literatureon a variety ofsubjects for the converted person. Emphasis is placed oneach individual’s need to bear fruit, not on following aparticular man or group. We write some literature our-selves, and recommend literature from a variety of othergroups. Anyone is free to contribute to this body of liter-ature—contributions will be assessed on their Biblicalaccuracy and usefulness to others—not on the notorietyof the author(s). Literature will be mailed free of charge.We also plan to make it available on the internet and/or

a computerized bulletin board.3. Help brethren find Sabbath-keeping congregations

where they may fellowship. These may include variousorganizations or meetings in homes. We plan to main-tain a list of cities with congregations and telephonecontact numbers.

4. Assist local congregations.This includes publishingsample plans for services, hymn books, methods ofinexpensive non-profit incorporation, etc.

5. Plan Festivals.We provide access to festivals held bygroups that will accept any of the Eternal’s people. Wewill list feasts based on multiple calendar systems sincemany serious Bible students differ on this issue. Wemay organize our own site if there is enough interest.

6. Help small groups preach the Gospel.We provide lit-erature and contacts to help small groups or even indi-viduals reach out by radio and television. Existingmethods include live talk radio, airing pre-recordedradio programs with a “trailer” giving a local addressand phone number, and public access cable TV—cost-ing as little as $10 per show.

7. Help feed those that hear the Gospel preaching.Weprovide access to basic literature that can be used toteach unbaptised and newly-converted people. This lit-erature will come from a variety of sources. It will con-tain the name of the author, but will also provide a placefor a local group to stamp an address and telephonenumber.

While all of these programs are in their beginningstages, each one has been successful in at least one loca-tion. It may be months before all of these programs can beimplemented in the way we would like to see them, but ifthe Eternal is willing, we will keep working at it until it isaccomplished.

We will not call ourselves a “church” or an “assembly”because it is the Eternal that has His assembly of “calledout” ones. While the scriptures certainly refer to “church-es” or “assemblies” in individual cities, too many peoplehave become confused when a national or worldwide orga-nization calls itself a church; they begin to think that acertain organization is the one true Church.

We will teach what we understand to be the truth inplain language that can be easily understood. Our literatureis truly free—it can be copied and redistributed by anyone.We will not attempt to control local congregations orgospel-preaching operations. Even the apostle Paul did nottry to stop others from preaching from a wrong motivation(Phil 1:14-18).

We believe that each person is responsible for what theydo with their spiritual gifts. “For the Son of Man will comein the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He willreward each according to his works”(Matt 16:27). &

Page 4 April 1995

This section is for short articles orletters about activities of local con-gregations. We will mention localcongregations as they form or as welearn of significant news. Groups list-ed in this section may have some doc-trines or policies which we cannotjustify from the scriptures, but webelieve most of them are a reasonableplace for fellowship with the brethren.We believe the holy spirit will guideyou in your fellowship decisions if youwill study and ask.

Please send your stories toServants’ News, PO Box 6516,Springdale, AR 72766.

United Churches of GodRay Wooten and over a score of

other long-time ministers have seenthe need to continue to be good shep-herds, teaching the truth and doing thework that the Eternal has given to hissaints. Although he is over 60 yearsold, Mr. Wooten gave up his retire-ment to continue to serve the localbrethren and to help other congrega-tions continue to teach the truth. Hehas expressed his hope that ministerseverywhere will have the courage toteach what they believe to be true andto consider first their obligation totheir Father and also to their congre-gations.

Mr. Wooten believes that localcongregations are best served byorganizing and incorporating (if nec-essary) on a local basis, then workingtogether on a national or internationalbasis in areas where a larger group ismore effective. Some of the other menin contact with him are in the processof setting up their own local congre-gations.

Mr. Wooten meets in Birminghamwith about 175 people each Sabbath.You may contact him for more infor-mation at 205-822-8938.

Worldwide Church of God TexasGeorge E. Crow,a Houston, TX

attorney and several other profession-al men have formed a corporationknown as the Worldwide Church ofGod Texas. Their purpose is to com-plete the paperwork necessary to forman organization to essentially contin-ue the work that the WorldwideChurch of God did for many years.

The corporate bylaws are differentin some areas to prevent a few menfrom reversing the doctrines of theorganization (as we have recently wit-nessed). The bylaws vest control ofthe corporation in the board of direc-tors—also called the Council ofElders. The Council of Elders wouldbe made up of all “ordained” eldersand any necessary additional advisorypersonnel. The council selects corpo-rate officers, approves all ordinationsand approves removal of ministers.

If the holy spirit moves the leadersand their congregations in this direc-tion, then Mr. Crow and his associatesare ready to serve. For additionalinformation, contact George Crow,1519 Miller Ave, Katy, TX 77493,713-391-9564.

Kansas City CongregationGerald Weston, David Burson,

and over 200 other people have beenmeeting independently since the mid-dle of March in Kansas City, MO.Members drive from a number of out-lying areas to meet with a congrega-tion that believes that the law (includ-ing the Sabbath) was given to usbecause it is good for us and ourneighbors.

Mr. Weston and many long-timemembers are considering the possibil-ities of working with one of the largerorganizations. For more information,contact Mr. Weston at 816-228-2035.

Joplin & Neosho MissouriOver 40 people have been meeting

each Sabbath at the home of KarlBeyersdorfer in SouthwesternMissouri. They have outgrown thecapacity of their home and will bemeeting in a hall in the near future.Mr. Beyersdorfer can be reached at417-623-8888.

Sabbath Rest in the WestLETTER: March 14, 1995Dear friends,One of our associates provided me

with a copy of your recent letter andpublication. Thank you very much!

I never cease to marvel at how ourheavenly father manages to provide“like minds” in various parts of thecountry for us to fellowship with.Your approach sounds virtually iden-tical to that which we have taken inthe past two years. We have takenslightly different names—we refer toourselves as the “scattered brethren”.

We currently have 9 regulars meet-ing in our homes in Oregon and thereare nine more in Southern California.Others in New Mexico, Wyoming,Illinois and Canada.

Our feast last year on the Oregoncoast was attended by 51 people andwhat a glorious feast it was.

We would very much like to hearfrom any and all of you, and wewould like to share some of the thingswe have been doing with you. Ofcourse, we would like reciprocityfrom you.

I am enclosing a copy of our latestpublication. As you can see, weencourage any and all to participate.Please put me on your mailing list,and advise whether you wish to con-tinue receiving the ScatteredBrethren.

Page 5April 1995

NNeewwss ffrroomm

LocalCongregations

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SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 6 April 1995

Sincerely,—Bob Strelow, 2951 SE Fuller Rd

#47, Portland, OR 97266, 503-777-9262.

RESPONSE: This letter wasanswered with a telephone call. Weagreed to remain on each other�s mail-ings list and exchange literature andother information.

Meeting in MontanaLETTER: March 21, 1995Dear Friends of the Brethren,

My son [name withheld] receiveda letter from your group the other day.I must say that as being former mem-bers of the WWC of G. we were veryimpressed with what you had to say.We had discontinued our membershipin the fall of 1989. We have beenmeeting with a few other formermembers since then every Sabbath.The few things that you have men-tioned in your short letter were veryencouraging because all of theseitems we have been discussing ingreat detail. It was very uplifting tosee others from another area that areof “one mind.”

We are interested to see what yourviews are on other matters such as1 Cor 14:1 and all of that chapter.Also, on Eph 5, especially 5:21.

[In your letter] on page 2 paragraph3 under “Does the Eternal workthrough one man or one organization”you say Moses commanded the peopleto choose the wise, understanding andknowledgeable “persons”. Please ex-plain; my Bible says “men” in verse13. Are you trying to be politically cor-rect or was this an inadvertent error?

We look forward to your response.—J.T., St. Ignatious, MT

RESPONSE: Thank you for yourencouragement. We believe that 1 Cor-inthians 14 and other chapters tell us alot about how Sabbath services shouldbe conducted. Many “Church of God”organizations today have based theirservices on the protestant model insteadof looking to the scriptures. We intendto write an article on this subject. Wewould be interested in hearing fromothers who have studied this matter.

Ephesians 5 and the questions ofauthority and submission are the topicof another article that is nearing com-pletion. No one should ever exert theirwill upon another just because they are“in charge.” From our Messiah’s wordsand life example, we see that the pur-pose of authority is service (Matt 20:26,Phil 2:6-7). We find no scripture wherea righteous person holds up his office oroccupation as a reason for others toobey (never “do it my way because I’man apostle”). I understand Ephesians5:21 to mean that we should submit toanyone “in the fear of God”—if anyoneshows us what the will of the Eternal is(usually via scriptures), then we shouldhear them, regardless of position.

The use of “persons” was inadver-tent. The Hebrew word there is enowshewhich has a meaning like the Englishword “man.” It usually means adultmales, but can be extended to includeeverybody. It is translated “people” inJonah 3:5 and persons in Zephaniah 3:4.I think it is unlikely that the “captains”included any women. Men were giventhe primary leadership role in Genesis3:16. Sometimes, when men would notstand up to do their job, women such asDeborah, Jael and Abigail did it for them(Judges 4-5, 1Sam 25). I believe menhave largely misused their authority overwomen just as they have largely misusedother positions of authority. They will beheld accountable for this abuse. How-ever, 1 Timothy 2:12 and other scrip-tures show that leadership responsibili-ties should be given to men if one isavailable to do the job. Again, this is thesubject for another good article.

Places to FellowshipThe True Church (assembly of

believers) are those people with theholy spirit. The Eternal’s peopleshould not create divisions amongthemselves based on the particularcorporation or leader they support orlearn from (1Cor 3). We all have aneed to fellowship with the Eternal’speople and do the work that He hasgiven us to do. That can be done withor without a corporate organization.

Individual circumstances such asdistance, family size, health and age

affect our options for fellowship. Ourown Biblical understanding of doc-trine is another crucial factor. We willprobably never find a group of peoplethat we agree with on everything. Weshould find a group where we canhave a peaceful working relationshipand where differences do not have tobecome points of constant division(see Romans 14).

Below, we list a number of organi-zations with many Sabbath-keepingcongregations across the country.Some welcome any seriously interest-ed visitors, others may insist you meetcertain requirements before attending.Our experience has shown that theacceptance given to visitors variestremendously even among congrega-tions of the same organization. If yousay, “they wouldn’t want me to attendwith them,” and never ask, you havenot been a peacemaker (Matt 5:9). Ifyou ask to attend and the organizationrefuses you, then they will have tosomeday explain whether or not theywere causing division.

Church of God, 7th Day [SalemWV]. PO Box 328, Salem, WV26426. 304-782-1411.

Church of God, International.P.O. Box 2530, Tyler TX 75710. 903-825-2525

General Conference of theChurch of God 7th Day. PO Box33677, Denver, CO 80233. 303-452-7973.

General Council of the Churchof God (7th day). 1827 W. 3rd St.Meredian, ID 83642. 208-888-3380.

Global Church of God. PO Box501111, San Diego CA 92150. 619-675-2222.

Philadelphia Church of God.POBox 3700, Edmond OK 73083. 405-340-7474.

1995 Sabbath-Keepers DirectoryHot off the press! The 1995

Directory of Sabbath-observingGroups is now available from theBible Sabbath Association, RD 1 Box222, Fairview, OK 73737. This booklists many small groups too numerous

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SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 7April 1995

to mention here. While some groupsin this publication would appear unac-ceptable to many of our readers, thisbook is a great aid in finding a placeto fellowship or people to correspondwith. BSA requests $12 for one bookpost-paid. Multiple-copy discountsare available.

If you discover a group that is notin this directory, Friends of theBrethren would appreciate hearingabout it. We will attempt to maintain afile for the benefit of others lookingfor a place to attend.

Tape Ministries AvailableIf you are not able to fellowship

with a Sabbath-keeping group thatfeeds you, there are organizations thatwill send tapes on a weekly basis, plusprovide other literature. While we donot endorse every teaching of theseorganizations, we feel there is muchto be learned from them:

Christian Biblical Church of God.PO Box 1442, Hollister, CA95024. 408-637-1875.

Church of the Great God. PO Box471846. Charlotte, NC 28247.800-878-8220 or 704-544-2100

Congregation of God Seventh Day.PO Box 2345, Kennesaw, GA30144.

Cornerstone Publications. 3802Olive Street, Texarkana, TX75503.

This list is by no means complete.There are many others. Also, most ofthe larger organizations listed under“Places to Fellowship” have cassettetape programs.

Feast of TabernaclesA number of organizations and indi-

viduals are making arrangements for theFeast of Tabernacles this year. Weencourage everyone to ask for theEternal’s guidance and then attend in theplace He leads you. If you are lookingfor a place to attend, there are a numberof groups that will welcome anyone thatis seriously interested in participating.We will all need some patience this year

as many people are changing the groupwith which they fellowship—accuratelyestimating attendance and facilitiesneeded will be difficult.

We will publish a list of sitesaccepting members without regard totheir corporate affiliation. If youknow of other sites that are open toany of the Eternal’s people, pleaselet us know and we will be glad tolist them here. We expect a muchlarger list for the next issue. In addi-tion to this list, some of the organiza-tions listed under “Places toFellowship” may allow you to attendone of their sites.

The festival dates are listed witheach site as multiple calendar systemsin use among the Eternal’s people.Please be sure to verify that the datesof the Feast you plan to attend corre-spond to your understanding of theEternal’s calendar. [We are not tryingto say that one calendar system is asgood as another, Many individualshave sincerely studied the scripturesand arrived at different conclusions.The Eternal honored alterations to hisfestivals when the intent was good(2Chr 30:1-3,20,23,27) but con-demned those with an evil intent(1Kngs 12:32-33,13:1-3). It is not ourjob to judge people for the understand-ing they have deduced from the scrip-ture on this rather complex subject.]

Feast Sites in Order by State:Florida, Destin. October 9-16.

Contact James Rector, 3802Olive St, Texarkana, TX 75503.

Oregon, (coast). Details to be final-ized soon.

South Carolina, Myrtle Beach.Contact John Pinkston, PO Box2345, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Texas. Details to be finalized soon.

We have leads to several other siteswhich will be announced in thenext issue.

Change Coming for the MinistryOnly a few years ago, many (but

not all) of our brethren believed thatthe Eternal worked primarily throughone organization. They believed that

the organization would continue togrow in truth and they should followtheir minister as long as he appearedto be following headquarters. Theybelieved that God “backed up” anydecisions that were made and if theywere wrong, He would correct them

This concept has been shattered.Most brethren now realize that theEternal does allow deception amonghis people to see who is with Him(1Cor 11:19). They realize that theycannot simply sit back and acceptwhatever comes our of their leader’s orminister’s mouth as the Truth. Theymust “try the spirits” (1 Jn 1:4).Members are going to want to seescriptural proof before they changedoctrines or practices or before theyobey an apparently arbitrary commandof a local minister. After so many justmen have been “disfellowshipped” forsimply talking about the same doc-trines they had believed for 10 years,fear of disfellowshipment from ahuman organization has also faded.

As most ministers are now seekingto work within organizations wherethey cannot be removed by one manfor any reason, so members are seek-ing congregations where they cannotbe removed by one man for any rea-son. Now that there are multiple simi-lar organizations, it is unlikely thatmembers will remain in an organiza-tion that treats them unjustly.(asdefined by scripture).

We encourage men that have madetheir living in church organizations toexamine themselves and ask “Will Ibe an effective leader if members arenot forced to follow me?” How can amember, whose minister commandedhim to quit his job to keep theSabbath, trust a “minister” who willnot oppose major errors just to keephis job? If you cooperated in disfel-lowshipping members for clinging tothe Truth, can they now look to you asa reliable source of truth?

The scripture is clear: each man’swork will be judged and a greaterjudgement falls on the leaders (1Cor3:11-15, Ezk 24:7-11, Jms 3:1). Whileit may be possible to fool many of oursubordinates and associates, we can-not fool our Father in Heaven.

A friend had recently given mecopies of two papers that attempted tominimize or abolish the need for con-verted people to keep the Sabbath orabstain from unclean meats. I foundthe position of these papers untenablefor several reasons.

First, Heb 4:9 clearly states that“there remains therefore a keeping ofthe Sabbath for the people of God” (lit-eral translation). I believe that in thisverse the Greek word sabbatismos (“akeeping of the Sabbath”) has a dualreference: (1) a literal reference to theseventh day weekly Sabbath, and (2) atypical reference to the seventh millen-nium as a 7th day weekly Sabbathbased on the 1,000-year day teachingof 2Pet 3:8. However, as Jamieson,Fausset, and Brown explain, thetypi-cal reference does not do away withthe literal reference (emphasis added) :“This verse [Heb 4:9] indirectly estab-lishes the obligation of the Sabbathstill; for the type continues until theantitype supersedes it:so legal sacri-fices continued till the great antitypicalSacrifice superseded it. As then theantitypical heavenly Sabbath rest [i.e.,the seventh millennium] will not be tillChrist, our Gospel “Joshua,” comes tousher us into it, the typical earthlySabbath must continue till then.”

Second, we have scriptures prov-ing a New Testament observance ofboth the annual and weekly Sabbaths.Concerning the annual Sabbaths, over50 days after the crucifixion, Godhonored the annual Sabbath ofPentecost by sending His holy spirit(Acts 2:1-4). In Acts 18:21, Paulexpresses concern about keeping “thiscoming feast in Jerusalem.” (The factthat Paul was concerned about beingin Jerusalemfor the feast stronglysuggests a reference to one of the

three annual pilgrim feasts.) Acts 20:6indicates that the Days of UnleavenedBread were still in effect. IN Acts20:16, Paul hurries to be in Jerusalemfor the Day of Pentecost. In 1Corinthians 5:8, we have an actualNew Testament command to keep theFeast of Unleavened Bread.Concerning the New Testamentobservance of the weekly Sabbath, wehave Paul’s example. In Acts 13:14,when Paul and his party came toAntioch, they “went into the syna-gogue on the Sabbath day.” TheGentiles of Antioch begged Paul topreach to them “the next Sabbath”(verse 42). Acts 17:2 says that it wasPaul’s custom to go to the synagogueon the Sabbath. Acts 18:4 says thatPaul reasoned with both Jews andGreeks in the synagogue everySabbath.

Third, it is incorrect to call theSabbath and the holy days “oldcovenant forms of worship.” The oldcovenant was not ratified untilExodus 24:7-8, yet the Passover andthe Feast of Unleavened Bread wereinstituted in Exodus 12. And theIsraelites were given the seventh daySabbath in Exodus 16. In Exodus16:27-28, when some of the Israeliteswent out on the seventh day to gathermanna, the Eternal asked Moses,“How long do you refuse to keep Mycommandments and My laws?”

Therefore, the weekly Sabbath andthe holy days were in existence beforethe old covenant was ratified.

Fourth, Bible prophecy indicatesthat the weekly Sabbath and the holydays will be observed under the NewTestament during the millennium (cf.Isa 66:23; Ezk 44:24, 45:17,21,25;46;1,3,9; Zech 14:16,19)

Finally the idea that “Christiansthat don’t keep the Sabbath aren’t anyless Christian” is simply not support-ed by scripture. Most of professingChristendom observes Sunday as theirday of worship. For many years manypeople have understood that Sundayworship is the “mark of the beast”(Rev 19:20). A Biblical interpretationof the symbols found in Revelation13:2, together with the events of actu-al history prove that the beast ofRevelation 13;2 is the Roman Empire.The “mark” of this beast is nothingless than Sunday worship. In AD 321,Constantine, emperor of the RomanEmpire, made Sunday the official“day of rest” and people were forcedto universally accept it. We knowfrom history that the Roman CatholicChurch, the 2-horned-lamb dragonbeast of Rev 13;11, by exercising theauthority of the Roman Empire (Rev13:12), forced people to acceptSunday worship. In AD 365, thetwenty-ninth canon of the Council ofLaodicea anathematized all who

Page 8 April 1995

The Eternal Has Not Given Up:

TThhee SSaabbbbaatthh .. .. ..and

CClleeaann MMeeaattSS

would “Judaize by resting on theSabbath.”

Does Sunday worship mean any-thing to the Eternal? “If anyone wor-ships the beast and his image, andreceives his mark on his forehead oron his hand, he himself shall alsodrink of the wine of the wrath of God,which is poured out full strength intothe cup of His indignation. He shall betormented with fire and brimstone inthe presence of the holy angels and inthe presence of the Lamb” (Rev 14:9-10). True Believers are supposed toget the victory over the “beast, overhis image and over his mark” (Rev15:2). While the papers I read indicat-ed that we should not accept the dis-comfort of poverty to keep theSabbath, the scriptures tell us that vic-tory over the beast may literally costus our heads (emphasis added): “AndI saw the souls of those who had beenbeheadedfor their witness to Jesusand for the word of God, who had notworshiped the beast or his image, andhad not received his mark on theirforeheads or in their hands”(Rev20:4).

In brief, if true Christians are notworshipping on Sunday, then theymust be worshipping on God’s sev-enth-day Sabbath.

Reasonings allowing the breakingof the Sabbath to keep one’s job areentirely humanistic; they are notbased on God’s word. The Eternal’sservants had “trial of mockings andscourgings, yes, and of chains andimprisonment. They were stoned,they were sawn in two, were tempted,were slain with the sword. They wan-dered about in sheepskins andgoatskins, being destitute, afflicted,tormented—of whom the world wasnot worthy. They wandered in desertsand mountains, in dens and caves ofthe earth” (Heb 11:36-38). Thesehumanistic positions make a mockeryof these examples of faith. He is say-ing that we cannot trust the Eternal tobless us and take care of us when weobey Him.

Eating Unclean Meats?Statements such as “the scriptures

do not require Christians to abstain

from unclean meat” are hard to com-prehend. Look at the millennialprophecy found in Isaiah 66:16-18(emphasis added): “For by fire and byHis sword the Lord will judge allflesh; and the slain of the Lord shallbe many. ‘Those who sanctify them-selves and purify themselves, to go tothe gardens after an idol in the midst,eating swines’ flesh and the abomi-nation and the mouse, shall be con-sumed together,’ says the Lord. For Iknow their works and their thoughts.It shall be that I will gather all nationsand tongues; and they shall come andsee My glory.”

This is a prophecy for the nearfuture. How can the Eternal describesomething being eaten as “theabomination” unless the very dietarylaws are still in full force and effectthat tell us exactly which creaturesare dietary abominations? If thedietary laws had been repealed, nocreature could be described as “theabomination,” now or in the imme-diate future. The Hebrew for “abom-ination” here is sheqets, the sameword that is used eight times inLeviticus 11, the chapter describingunclean meats. The abomination isstill the abomination at the begin-ning of the Messianic age, thusproving that the dietary laws havenot been repealed.

A New Testament witness thatunclean animals are still unclean canbe found in Revelation 18:2. This textdescribes Babylon as “a cage of everyunclean and hated bird.” Accordingto the dietary laws of Deuteronomy14:12-19, birds like the eagle, the vul-ture, the buzzard, and the raven werenot to be eaten. They were to be con-

sidered unclean. Therefore, howcould the holy spirit inspire state-ments about unclean and hated birdsif such distinctions were no longervalid?

What I see happening among someof the “Churches of God” todayreminds me of what happened duringthe Maccabean era among theHellenizing Jews; there are someexact parallels. The apostate Jewswere profaning the Sabbath (1 Macc1:43) and the feast days (v. 45). (Thebooks of Maccabees can be found in atranslation that includes the“Apocrypha.” They are useful fortheir historic value.) The orthodoxJews “fully resolved and confirmed inthemselves not to eat any uncleanthing. Wherefore they chose rather todie, that they might not be defiledwith meats (vv.62,63). They did notstop obeying the Eternal becausethings got difficult. The apostasy ofthe Hellenized Jews led to the calami-ties suffered under AntiochusEpiphanes (1 Macc 1;11-16; Dan11:30-31). Those that repeat that sameapostasy today will likely suffer underthe “man of sin” (2Thes 2:1-4). It isnot a matter of the apostasy reachinga certain “fullness” (Dan 8:23). I donot know what constitutes this “full-ness,” but once it is reached the beastand the man of sin will appear.

The Bible predicted that therewould “be false teachers among you,who will secretly bring in destructiveheresies” (2 Pet 2:1); that theseuntaught and unstable teachers wouldtwist the scriptures (2 Pet 3;16); andthat they would depart from the faithand give heed to deceiving spirits anddoctrines of demons, speaking lies inhypocrisy (1 Tim 4:1). “Many willcome ... and will deceive many” (Matt24:5).

These are strong words, but theyare all from the scriptures. Deceivedpeople think they are doing the rightthing, they do not know they aredeceived. Everyone needs to study thescriptures and pray to our Father fordeliverance from deception. Do nottrust us or anyone else to seek thetruth for you.

—James R. Calvert

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Page 9April 1995

If the dietarylaws had been re-pealed, no crea-ture could be

described as �theabomination.�

Before we begin talking aboutbearing fruit, we need to establish thescriptural need to bear fruit. “I am thetrue vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. Every branch in Me that doesnot bear fruit He takes away; andevery branch that bears fruit Heprunes, that it may bear more fruit.You are already clean because of theword which I have spoken to you.Abide in Me, and I in you. As thebranch cannot bear fruit of itself,unless it abides in the vine, neithercan you, unless you abide in Me. I amthe vine, you are the branches. Hewho abides in Me, and I in him, bearsmuch fruit; for without Me you can donothing. If anyone does not abide inMe, he is cast out as a branch and iswithered; and they gather them andthrow them into the fire, and they areburned. If you abide in Me, and Mywords abide in you, you will ask whatyou desire, and it shall be done foryou. By this My Father is glorified,that you bear much fruit; so youwill be My disciples” (John 15:1-8)

What happens if those with theHoly Spirit do not bear fruit? OurFather, like a good man tending anorchard, digs about us and puts insome manure (Luke 13:6-9). If we, inthis life occasionally feel as if we aregetting more than our share of digsand manure, this may be what is hap-pening to us. The purpose of these tri-als is not to make our lives miserable,but to help us bear fruit. We mustremember that we have a purpose forbeing here. “But you are a chosengeneration, a royal priesthood, a holynation, His own special people, thatyou may proclaim the praises of Himwho called you out of darkness intoHis marvelous light” (1Pet 2:9).Revelation 20:6 shows this priesthood

will continue into the thousand yearsof Messianic rule.

Rewarded According to WorksSalvation comes by grace, through

faith, not because of our works (Eph2:8-9). But the purpose for our salva-tion is so that we can do good works(Eph 2:10). Indeed, we will berewarded according to the works thatwe do: “For no other foundation cananyone lay than that which is laid,which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyonebuilds on this foundation with gold,sliver, precious stones, wood, hay,straw, each one’s work will becomemanifest; for the Day will declare it,because it will be revealed by fire;and the fire will test each one’s work,of what sort it is. If anyone’s work isburned, he will suffer loss; but hehimself will be saved, yet so asthrough fire. Do you not know thatyou are the temple of God and that theSpirit of God dwells in you?” (1Cor3:11-16).

This concept is illustrated throughthe parable of the minas. While theparable is long, every word is worthreading. It should be “required read-ing” for anyone that feels there is noreal work that can be done now.

“A certain nobleman went into afar country to receive for himself akingdom and to return. So he calledten of his servants, delivered to themten minas, and said to them, ‘Do busi-ness till I come.’ But his citizenshated him, and sent a delegation afterhim, saying, ‘We will not have thisman to reign over us.’ And so it wasthat when he returned, havingreceived the kingdom, he then com-manded these servants, to whom hehad given the money, to be called tohim, that he might know how much

every man had gained by trading.Then came the first, saying, ‘Master,your mina has earned ten minas.’ Andhe said to him, ‘Well done, good ser-vant; because you were faithful in avery little, have authority over tencities.’ And the second came, saying,‘Master, your mina has earned fiveminas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘Youalso be over five cities.’ Then anothercame, saying, ‘Master, here is yourmina, which I have kept put away in ahandkerchief. For I feared you,because you are an austere man. Youcollect what you did not deposit, andreap what you did not sow.’ And hesaid to him, ‘Out of your own mouth Iwill judge you, you wicked servant.You knew that I was an austere man,collecting what I did not deposit andreaping what I did not sow. Why thendid you not put my money in thebank, that at my coming I might havecollected it with interest?’ And hesaid to those who stood by, ‘Take themina from him, and give it to himwho has ten minas.’ (But they said tohim, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ‘ForI say to you, that to everyone who haswill be given; and from him who doesnot have, even what he has will betaken away from him. But bring herethose enemies of mine, who did notwant me to reign over them, and slaythem before me’” (Luke 19:12-27).

Now that we can see that we mustbear fruit, what kinds of fruit can webear? Some kinds are well known andwritten about often; others we maynot discuss as much as we should. Weneed to understand all of them to bean active part of the Eternal’s work.

Praise to the Eternal“Therefore by Him let us continu-

ally offer the sacrifice of praise toPage 10 April 1995

How Should We Bear Fruit?Most religions of the world teach in some way that there are two classesof people: an “ordained” ministry or priesthood responsible for teachingothers—harvesting their Father’s fields, and a lay-membershipresponsible for physical service and financial support. What does theBible say? For what kind of fruit is each person responsible?

God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giv-ing thanks to His name” (Heb 13:15).Singing songs, reciting poems, andoffering prayers are things very pleas-ing to the Eternal. The largest book inthe Bible is essentially a collection ofpraises to our Maker. When men suchas David and Hezekiah were verynear death, what did they promise theEternal in exchange for their life? Didthey promise to “be good?” To dogreat works in His name? No. Theypromised to sing Him praises if heredeemed their life (Ps 6:1-5, 30:8-10,88:10-18, Isa 38:3,18-20).

While not all have musical skills,many do have skills that they are notusing. Almost everyone can read thePsalms and praise God in personalprayer. Some have skills for writingthat they should be using. While itshould be our best effort that we giveto the Eternal, there is no scripturethat says we cannot praise the Eternalbecause another “does it better.” Eventhough there are many religions thatmake great shows of praising Godwhile teaching little of his truth, thatshould not stop us from David-style,energy-filled praises. The scripturesupports this (2Sam 6:12-22, Psalm98, 148, etc.). We should encourageeach other in these areas, rather thanbe “scale of 1 to 10” judges.

Personal Righteousness“But the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control. Against such there is nolaw” (Gal 5:22-23). This is a familiarscripture and rightly so. Everyonewants friends and neighbors that arelike this. We should all strive to havethese fruits. There are at least threeother scriptures that plainly show thatrighteousness is a fruit to be desired(Phil 1:11, Heb 12:11, Jms 3;18). Thethirteenth chapter of Corinthiansleaves no doubt that we can have allkinds of other great works and if wedo not have love for our neighbor(which is the fulfilling of thelaw–Rom 13:10, Gal 5;14), all of ourother great works are nothing.

A study of each of the fruits men-tioned in Galatians 5 would be quite

valuable, but many other writers havewritten on this subject and this articlewill take more time with some of theless-studied areas.

Truth“For you were once darkness, but

now you are light in the Lord. Walk aschildren of light (for the fruit of theSpirit is in all goodness, righteous-ness, and truth), proving what isacceptable to the Lord” (Eph 5:8-10).This passage mentions three fruits.Goodness and righteousness wereincluded in the previous section, buttruth is something different. A personwho is drawing near to the Eternaland obeying Him will begin to under-stand more truth.

“However, when He, the Spirit oftruth, has come, He will guide youinto all truth ; for He will not speakon His own authority, but whateverHe hears He will speak; and He willtell you things to come” (John 16:13).It is interesting that neither the scrip-tures nor the leadership are listed asthe path to all truth, although certain-ly His word is Truth (John 17:17), andwe are commanded to study the scrip-tures (2 Tim 2:15).

Proverbs 23:23 tells us to “Buy thetruth, and do not sell it, also wisdomand instruction and understanding.”Since Bible translators have notalways understood the truth in whatthey were translating, we sometimesneed to try our best to find the mean-ing of the original writings. We learnwhat it means to “buy the truth”: mul-tiple translations, concordances,word-books, histories, etc. Once welearn some truth, we should give itaway to those who want it. Do notpester people that do not want to hearit (they may not be ready yet—John16:12) or your “new truth” may be amistake. On the opposite side, truthshould not be a money-making propo-sition. If we have freely received ofthe Eternal, freely give (Mt 10:8).

Financial SupportScriptures about this fruit include

2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Rom 12:8,15;25-28 and 1 Corinthians 9:6-14.Most people who have been within a

church organization for any length oftime have heard more than enoughabout this type of fruit.

People are Fruit Too!This title is not an insult to the

human race, but a summary of themany places where people who learnthe Truth are called the fruit of thosethat the Eternal works through toteach them. “After these things theLord appointed seventy others also,and sent them two by two before Hisface into every city and place whereHe Himself was about to go. Then Hesaid to them, ‘The harvest is trulygreat, but the laborers are few;therefore pray the Lord of the harvestto send out laborers into His harvest.Go your way; behold I send you outas lambs among wolves’” (Luke 10:1-3). John 4:35-38 records a differentbut similar story,: the fields being“white and ready for harvest.”

Paul refers to those he has taughtas “his fruit” in Romans 1:13: “Now Ido not want you to be unaware,brethren, that I often planned to cometo you (but was hindered until now),that I might have some fruit amongyou also, just as among the otherGentiles.”

The parable of the sewer appears tofit into this analogy (Matt 13:3-9, 18-23). Seeds are scattered in manyplaces, but only those on good groundgrow. “But he who received seed onthe good ground is he who hears theword and understands it, who indeedbears fruit and produces: some a hun-dredfold, some sixty, some thirty”(Matt 13:23). A good seed producesmore seeds like itself. For a man whosefruit is to bring others to the truth, doesnot this mean that during his lifetimehe should teach 30, 60 or 100 others?And for those that do not teach direct-ly, should we not be a positive influ-ence on 30, 60 or 100 others?

Who Bears the Fruit?We are all responsible to bear fruit.

Some fruits are individual, and somecan be harvested as a group. “Personalrighteousness” we must bear our-selves (though some organizationshave tried to “enforce righteousness”

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with a myriad of enforced regula-tions). Most of the other fruits can beachieved on either a personal or agroup basis.

“But what do you think? A manhad two sons, and he came to the firstand said, ‘Son, go, work today in myvineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘Iwill not,’ but afterward he regretted itand went. Then he came to the secondand said likewise. And he answeredand said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.Which of the two did the will of hisfather?” They said to Him, “Thefirst.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly,I say to you that tax collectors andharlots enter the kingdom of Godbefore you. For John came to you inthe way of righteousness, and you didnot believe him; but tax collectors andharlots believed him; and when yousaw it, you did not afterward relentand believe him.” (Matt 21:28-32)

The Messiah was addressing,among others, the chief priests in thetemple. If there was an equivalent to a“big church organization” at that time,it was them. They could trace theirgenealogy back to Aaron and showhow the Eternal commanded them tobe teachers of the people (Mal 2:7).By contrast, John the Baptist was an“independent upstart.” Though theson of a priest, he had simple taste inclothes and food, and he spoke not atthe temple, but in the wilderness. Hespoke against the established leader-ship (Mat 3:4-10). But who will enterthe kingdom of God first, those thatlistened to the organization historical-ly established by the Eternal (thepriests, now corrupt), or those that lis-tened to a preacher of the “way ofrighteousness”?

While large organizations toooften lead people astray, do not thinkthat small organizations or individualefforts automatically stay on track.The New Testament has plenty of sto-ries of individuals and small groupsthat became lost on their own ideasand did not bear fruit (Matt 19:16-22,Luke 14:16-20, Luke 13;1-2, Acts19:13-16). Read these stories if youhave any doubt!

More than once I have seen peoplediscover that their organization was

“wasting” more than half of the fundsthat came to it. They stopped attend-ing and supporting it—planning tobear fruit themselves. When difficul-ties and trials came along, their effortsceased altogether. Their first estatewas better then their last. It is betterto be a part of a big organizationthat is 50% effective than to lookdirectly to the Father for leadershipbut end up doing nothing. We mustnever forget Paul’s instructions in1 Corinthians 3, quoted near thebeginning of this article: “If anyone’swork which he has built on it endures,he will receive a reward.” If your“work” is largely contributing toanother organization, then you shouldfind out if that organization is bearingfruit. If your work is as an individualor small group, you must stay close tothe Eternal and be diligent to keepmoving forward.

“Do not be deceived, God is notmocked; for whatever a man sows,that he will also reap. For he whosows to his flesh will of the flesh reapcorruption, but he who sows to theSpirit will of the Spirit reap everlast-ing life. And let us not grow wearywhile doing good, for in due seasonwe shall reap if we do not lose heart.Therefore, as we have opportunity, letus do good to all, especially to thosewho are of the household of faith”(Gal 6:7-10).

He Is the Vine,We Are the Branches

We must always remember that allof the articles, exhortations and otherdiligent efforts we can muster will notproduce good fruit unless it is done bythe power of His spirit. “I am the vine,you are the branches. He who abidesin Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;for without Me you can do nothing”(John 15:5).

If a branch is well-connected to thevine, it will naturally bear fruit. Allthe fruit needs is the light of Truth androom to grow, the vine provideseverything else. A shaded branch thatgets no light or a crowded branch withno room to bear fruit may have to bemoved to a new location on the vine.A good husbandman (the Father) will

often do this very thing. It may “hurt”the branch when it is cut off and thebranch may bear little fruit thatyear—many of the resources of thebranch are devoted to restrengtheningits connection with the vine. But later,the branch is far move productivethan it ever could have been in its for-mer location.

The lesson we can learn from thisanalogy is to not resist theHusbandman if it is time for Him to“move our branch.” It may be in ourbest interests to begin serving in anoth-er capacity, with a different group ofpeople, or in a different place. It is easyfor us to be comfortable where we areand think that we must always be there.But if he moves us to a new place onthe vine, then we should not long to bein the old location but settle in to ournew location, redirect our leaves tocatch the sun, and take advantage ofthe new opportunity to bear fruit.

Other people may recognize thattheir branch is in a “tight place” and“ask” the husbandman to move themelsewhere. They are elated when theymove to a new place on the vine. Butonce we have a new place, we need tobe about the business of bearing fruit,not about the business of looking foryet another place.

There is no “perfect” place on thevine. Some places receive morningsun, others afternoon sun; someplaces have lots of wind, others donot; some are visible to the outsideworld, others are shielded. A branchmay need to be moved more thanonce in its lifetime for it to keep bear-ing fruit, but a branch that movesevery year (or more) is unlikely tobear any significant fruit.

If we are not in a place where wecan grow and bear fruit, we need toask the Husbandman to put us in aplace where we can do it. Once there,we make sure we have a good con-nection with the vine. The fruit willcome. We need not worry about otherbranches that appear to have more orless fruit—the Husbandman will tendto them. “By this My Father is glori-fied, that you bear much fruit; so youwill be My disciples” (John 15:8).

—Norman S. Edwards

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We print a representative sampling ofour mail—both positive and negative. Wedo not include names unless we are fairlysure that the writer would not object. Weinclude our response to each letter in thistype-style. With long letters, we mayanswer each paragraph as the letter pro-ceeds rather than deal with all of the topicsat once. We have selected a title for eachletter for easy reference. If writers supplytheir own title, we will be happy to use it.

More Grace, Less LawLETTER: March 21, 1995Dear So Called Friends,

Our friends do not write us anony-mously. Especially with unsolicited pro-paganda attacking our true friends, andChristians as Paul defined them inRom 7. Why do you not sign yournames to your correspondence? Areyou afraid? Are you ashamed topreach the gospel of Jesus Christ, thegospel of grace and peace (Rom 1:16;Eph 6;15, Acts 20:24)? Why are youonly comfortable preaching about “theold covenant law” as if it were thatwhich saves. In my opinion your letteris riddled with borrowed archaic collec-tion of proof-texts for support of oldcovenant type obedience to the law.

RESPONSE: Thank you for your letterthat well-defines your understanding. Wedid not put any names on the letterbecause we felt the message was muchmore important than the messenger. Wehave not withheld our names from anythat asked. We are not afraid to preach allof the good news (gospel) mentioned inthe Scriptures. In the Bible we find theexpressions “gospel of grace,” “gospel ofpeace,” “gospel of the kingdom,” “gospelof Christ,” “gospel of God,” and “gospelof salvation.” The world has witnessedhundreds of years of the preaching of aGospel of grace without the gospel of thekingdom or the law or God. “Christian”nations sent their armies to fight eachother, with the blessings of their “new tes-tament” ministry—neither looking to theBiblical law that could prevent the con-flict. “But someone will say, ‘You havefaith, and I have works.’ Show me your

faith without your works, and I will showyou my faith by my works” (James 3:18).

We do not consider any part of theBible archaic. If we are misusing scrip-ture—reading in meanings that are not

there, please let usknow which verses youare referring to. Wecannot “improve upon”

His word.LETTER: All Christians agree on

many important issues, but you seemunable to see anything but the differ-ences. Many of us have been there -done that - & repented. Emphasis on“obedience to the law” rather thanobedience to Christ is divisive. Youhate the changes involving Sabbathobservance and dietary practices.These seem to be your “great com-mandments.” Have you forgottenProverbs 6:16-19 - the seven thingsGod hates and refers to as “abomina-tions” (KJV). Do you find Sabbath-breaking, eating pork or shrimp men-tioned here? Note carefully what isincluded in verse 19 (and many otherplaces including Galatians 5:20)“sowing discord among brethren.”

RESPONSE: We do not try to empha-size differences, but when we are talkingabout fundamental issues, truth and errorare going to be different! Our Messiahsaid “Do you suppose that I came to givepeace on earth? I tell you, not at all, butrather division” (Luke 12:51). We see onereason why He allows some divisions in1 Corinthians 11:18-19. The scripturalteaching regarding Sabbath observanceand dietary practices has not changed.Some, like David and Paul, have lovedthe law (Ps 119:97, Rom 7:12) and bene-fited from it. We encourage others to fol-low their practice.

The very same Hebrew word forabomination (tow‘ebah) used in Proverbs6:16 is also used in Deuteronomy 14:3:“Thou shalt not eat any abominablething.” A description of what to eat andwhat not to eat follows this verse. Proverbsdoes not say “only seven things,” so wemust conclude that these eight things andmany others expressed elsewhere in theBible are all abominations to the Eternal.

The great commandments were quot-ed by our Saviour from Deuteronomy 6:5and Leviticus 19:18; “...on these twocommandments hang all the Law and theProphets”—the entire “old covenant” isbased on love of our Father and ourneighbor (Matt 22:36-40.) We believe inliving by “every word of God” (Matt 4:4).Sowing discord is lying or deceiving oth-

ers into believing they have differencesthat they do not have. (e.g. Bob the Sowertells Mary that he thinks John does notlike her.) Our effort is to teach significantBiblical truth and let individuals maketheir own choices about their beliefs,friends and congregational attendance.

LETTER: How can you justify whatyou are doing in light of Phil 1:15-18?Paul taught the value and importanceof preaching Christ, even when forwrong motives! Yet you attack theWCG, a Christian group, because inyour opinion, it preaches too muchabout Christ (through whom alone issalvation - Acts 4:12) and too littleabout the law (though which no one isjustified - Acts 13:39, Rom 3:20, Gal2:16; 3:11&24; 5:14).

RESPONSE: We rejoice as Paul did inPhilippians when Christ is preached.Anyone that reads his words is learningtruth. While we feel many “Christian”groups do not understand His message, theworld has benefitted by the many Bibles,histories, and other writings they havemade available. We do not attack specificgroups, but teach what we read in the scrip-tures. We believe that salvation comesfrom His grace, not from our keeping of thelaw. Through the power of the holy spirit,we can keep His law and eventually, “youshall be perfect, just as your Father in heav-en is perfect” (Matt 5:48).

LETTER: You want thelaw/Sabbath/holydays to be thesign/badge of your discipleship? Thatis your prerogative. Who has forbid-den them you? I love and observethem too, but they are not the sign ofmy discipleship. These are no moreforbidden than is eating whole wheatflour or avoiding doctors. You are freeto observe the law -- any or all ofthem. But you will never be free,from a scriptural standpoint, to stirup division among brethren! Andnone will ever be justified by obedi-ence to the law. (Eph 2:8-9)

RESPONSE: The Sabbath is given as asign to show that the Eternal has set usapart (Ex 31:13); our love for the brethrenis a sign that we are His disciples (John13:35). The law of the Lord is perfect, con-verting the soul... (Ps 19:7). The Feasts area time of joy (Deut 16:13-15). We andmany others have believed these truths for20 or more years. Within the last few yearsthere has been great division as new teach-ers have ceased teaching these truths andbegan teaching a Gospel of “accept Christand don’t worry about what he taught.”

Letters& Responses

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But our Saviour has a purpose in thesedivisions (1Cor 11:18-19).

LETTER: Although I can certainlyrespect any honest effort to followone’s conscience as they feel God isdirecting it, it is difficult to respectthose whose conscience permits criti-cism of Christians whose “sin” isoveremphasizing Christ, and stress-ing what he and the apostle empha-sized -- love your neighbor as your-self. All who want to be respectedmust obey Christ, stop attackingChristians, and upgrade any law-cen-tered message to a Christ-centeredmessage.

RESPONSE: Thank you for yourrespect. We respect your sincere presenta-tion. We respect the sincere efforts of bil-lions of people over the past 2000 yearsthat have taught a Christ-centered messageand taught others to love their neighbor asthemselves. When their love correspondedto the Eternal’s love, this was a wonderfulthing. Unfortunately, without the law, peo-ple often do not know how to love theEternal or their neighbor. I have talkedwith people that have studied the Greekwords for adultery and fornication andbelieve there is nothing in the new testa-ment that prevents a single person fromhaving sex with multiple partners as longas there is “love” in the relationship and itis not “perverse.” I have talked with homo-sexuals that see no scriptural need tochange their ways as long as they are trust-ing in Christ’s grace. “Christian” nationshave a very poor track record for lovingtheir neighbors—they lost the knowledgeof what sin is (1Jn 3:4). We emphasize thelaw because most English-speaking peopleknow about the Savior, but they do notknow about the value of the law.

LETTER: Please put an end tosuggesting that anyone who does notagree with your doctrinal view, lackshonesty and integrity in their personalbible study. It is arrogant, and yourdenial makes it no less true. The bookof Acts with its’ history of ever-presenthonest controversy (and some not sohonest) led the church to understandthe importance of tolerance (Rom 14),and at other times to doctrinalchanges and growth in the earlyChristian church (Acts 15). Yourapproach slams the door to honestdiscussion of issues which could pro-mote growth, and help inspirestronger faith driven works whichglorify Christ!

RESPONSE: We are not sure which ofour statements you are objecting to here.

We tried to make it very clear in page 6 ofour letter that we did not have all of theanswers. We do not believe in pronounc-ing public judgments on individuals ororganizations (see first article on page 1of this issue.) I think many need to growin doctrinal toleration as described inRomans 14, but 2John 7-11 shows thatwhen people no longer believe Christ washere in the flesh, you should avoid them.

LETTER: I look forward to the timewhen all will understand the admoni-tion to “speak the same thing...thatthere be no divisions”. Is salvationreally so complicated? Is it more thanlife changing faith in the resurrectedand active Jesus Christ as a result ofHis supreme sacrifice - made for theforgiveness of sin (pride, selfishness,vanity, greed, etc. or absence of love),demonstrating his awesome love forus in terms we humans can easilyunderstand? (John 15:13 no greaterlove...lay down life for sabbath?)

RESPONSE: I, too, look forward to atime when we can all speak the samething—probably the thousand years whenthe Messiah will rule and “the earth shall befull of the knowledge of the Lord” (Isa11:9). If what our Father wants of us is assimple as you describe, the Bible wouldneed to be only one chapter or maybe onebook. But He gave us 1189 chapters.Concepts are “here a little, there a little” andmost of us must study in “another tongue”[English, not Hebrew or Greek] (Is 28:9-11). Even after the understanding of salva-tion, Paul told Timothy that “from child-hood you have known the Holy Scriptures,[only the Old Testament existed] whichare able to make you wise for salvation...”(2 Tim 3:15). John 15:13 does not requireus to lay down our life for the Sabbath, butRev 14:9-13 probably does. It is very clearin these verses that it is better to lay downyour life rather than accept the “mark of thebeast.” Even if Sunday-worship is not the“mark of the beast” we still must be willingto die rather than accept that “mark.” Ibelieve what the opening chapters of thisbook say: it was given so His servantswould know what is happening, and there isa blessing for reading this book and keep-ing [doing] what it says.

LETTER: I pray this letter mightstrengthen your faith in Jesus Christ.

—R. W., Murfreesboro, TNRESPONSE: Thank you for your gen-

uine concern. May the Eternal bless youas you continue to study and “live byevery word of God.”

—Norman S. Edwards

Pleased to See InitiativeLETTER: March 15, 1995Dear fellow servant,

Mr. David Truan of the SeventhDay Christian Assembly of the Churchof God (Knoxville, Tennessee) gaveme a copy of the letter you sent tohim. I found it to be well written andBiblically sound. I took it upon myselfto fax a copy to my Christian brotherand pastor, Mr. John Pinkston, of theCongregation of God Seventh Day inKennesaw (Atlanta) Georgia. I hopethat you don’t mind.

While I am always pleased to learnof another person of like mind spiritu-ally, I am distressed at the circum-stances which are forcing manybrethren to leave the organizationswhich in times past have served totake the Gospel to the called ones. Iam thankful to see that some few aretaking the initiative to reach out to oth-ers in an effort to unite for fellowshipand Bible study. May the Eternal blessthose efforts with success.

I have enclosed an audio tape of asermon I gave on February 18, 1995in the Kennesaw church. Just thatmorning an article appeared in theKnoxville newspaper regarding howchanges in the Worldwide Churchdoctrine were causing large decreas-es in income and liquidation of manychurch holdings. We had been hear-ing even more disturbing reports ofenormous losses of members whoapparently had reached the end oftheir ability to hang on in the face ofdrastic changes in doctrine and policy.May the Eternal protect each one andprovide fellowship, and even growth,as a result of these trying times.

I pray that God will bless you withincreased understanding and spiritualgrowth. Please let me know if there isany way in which I may be of serviceto you.

Sincerely in Jesus Christ’s name,—Kenneth W Swiger, TN

RESPONSE: Thank you for your let-ter, tape and prayer. We have heard many“disturbing reports” as well, but weencourage all of our readers to get first-hand information wherever possible.Some of these “reports” are inaccurateand overblown. We hope others will joinwith your approach of asking the Eternalto protect each one as he sees fit.

—Norman S. Edwards

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20 Tough QuestionsLETTER: March 10, 1995Friends:

I recently received your mailing of2-27-95. Apparently it is specificallytargeted to members of Worldwide.[1] Who puts people in a church? [2]Who takes them out? [3] What comesfrom God? [4] What comes fromman? [5] Are people led or mislead?[6] How do we know how and whereGod works? [7] Can different organi-zations declare that their brand oftruth is correct and all others arewrong? [8] Can each cite scripturethat proves they are right and everyone else is wrong? [9] Can each citemiracles, healings, blessings, circum-stances and happenings that prove“their” truth is correct? [10] Can theBible be used to prove that two oppo-site opinions are correct? [11] Canmen pour their heart out to God inearnest and humble prayer and studyand then end up with the wrong“truth”? [12] Is simplicity in Christ socomplicated that men cannot under-stand or agree upon it? [13] Doesorganized “religion” answer thesequestions? [14] Do men have to followthe right organization to be saved?[15] Where is God in all this mess?[16] Are the answers to these ques-tions clear as mud?

[17] How much considerationshould someone give to an anony-mous mailing from an unknown orga-nization that is ashamed to even signtheir name to what they have written?[18] How did “Friends” get my nameand address? [19] Did they have per-mission, legally and ethically to obtainmy name and address? [20] Or doesGod wink at such things as long as itis done in their opinion for His glory?

—P.C., NebraskaRESPONSE: Congratulations on writ-

ing our most inquisitive letter to date. Wefeel your questions are good and they areon the minds of many people at this time.

(1) “But now God has set the mem-bers, each one of them, in the body just asHe pleased” (1Cor 12:18). The Church isthe “body of Christ” (1Cor 12:27, Col1:18,24).

(2) Our Father has promised to finishthe work he began in us (Phil 1:3, Heb13:5). No man can separate us from ourSavior (Rom 8:35-39). If we willfully sin,we can loose eternal life (Heb 10:26)

(3) Our Father gave us his Son as asacrifice for sins (John 3:16) and He gives

us His holy spirit (Luke 11:13). He givesus his word which shows the way ofSalvation (2Tim 3:15-17).

(4) We are required to repent and bebaptized to receive the holy spirit (Acts2:38). We are required to “live by everyword of God” (Luke 4:4). (While we donot physically carry out the instructionsfor animal sacrifices or stoning of adulter-ers, we read and understand these thingsto know the gravity of sin.) Most of thescripture is about things we either need toknow or need to do. We are required to“overcome” the ways of this world (1Jn5:5, Rev 3:5, 21:7)

(5) People are both led and misled.You can find examples of good and badleaders from Genesis to Revelation. Yes,there are false leaders apparently “in theChurch” (2Cor 11:13-14, Gal 1:6-9,2Thes 3:6, 1Tim 4:1-3, 6:3-5, 1Jn 4:1-3,2Jn 7-11, 3Jn 9-11, Jude 5-19). TheEphesian congregation was praised forfinding their false apostles to be liars,(Rev 2:2), the Pergamos church was criti-cized for putting up with those that taughtthe doctrine of Balaam (Rev 2:14). Goodleaders can be a great help to the people,but we are individually responsible forwhat we do (2Cor 1:22).

(6) The Eternal works in many differ-ent ways, with great power and manypeople (Ex 3-20), to a “small voice” andwith only one man (so he thought) (1Kng19). There is one common thread: theMessiah said his followers would “bearmuch fruit” (John 15:1-8). These fruitsmay take on the form of personal charac-ter improvement (Gal 5:22-23), service toothers (Rom 15:25-28), praise to theEternal (Heb 13;15), or teaching the truthto others (Rom1;13). Even if a tree hasstopped bearing fruit, the Master may“dig” and “dung” it, then give it sometime to begin bearing again (Luke 13:6-9). In short, you cannot easily tell wherethe Eternal is beginning to work, wherehe is working, and where he has stoppedworking. Our purpose should not simplybe to find where the Eternal is workingand “hang around” there, but we shouldmake sure that we are personally bearingfruit and look for the place where we canmost effectively serve.

(7) It is easy to find an organizationthat declares its brand of truth correct andall the others wrong. This becomes trulyamazing when you find such statementsare made without any attempt to under-stand the beliefs of “all the others.” Howcan you know that no one else believeswhat you believe? I can find no scrip-ture that states we will be saved,

judged, or rewarded based on the orga-nization or teacher we follow.We arestrongly influenced by the company wekeep, but it is our own character by whichwe will be judged. The man that came tothe wedding without a wedding garmentwas in the right place (a “right” organiza-tion?), but he was not personally ready(Matt 22:2-14). Many claiming His namewill not be accepted (Matt 7:21-23). Onthe other hand, there are “a few nameseven in Sardis [a “bad organization?] whohave not defiled their garments; and theyshall walk with Me in white, for they areworthy.” (Rev 3:4).

(8) A favorite tactic of many groups(especially tiny ones) is to show how theyunderstand one doctrine correctly andhow others teach a Satanic counterfeit.Some groups go on to declare all others as“inactive,” “dead,” “Laodicean,” or“Satanic” churches. If we can learn anylesson from Revelation 2 and 3, it is this:a congregation can have error, and stillbe used of the Eternal; but “to him [anindividual] who overcomes I will grantto sit with Me on My throne, as I alsoovercame and sat down with MyFather on His throne” (Rev 3:21). Ihave never seen any “Church history”that shows a group of people that havehad the same doctrines for nearly 2000years. While we should all strive tounderstand and obey the scriptures, I can-not find where 100% doctrinal correct-ness is the sign of His people.

(9) Miracles were certainly a sign ofour Savior’s ministry (John 3:2). Yet, thegreat ministry of John had no miracles(John 10:41). The Messiah said his fol-lowers would have miracles (Mark 16:17-20), but false prophets will do the same(Matt 24:24). Miracles show that a power-ful spirit is at work, but they should neverbe used to “prove” that doctrine is correct:“If there arises among you a prophet or adreamer of dreams, and he gives you asign or a wonder, and that sign or the won-der of which he spoke to you comes topass, saying, ‘Let us go after other godswhich you have not known, and let usserve them,’ you shall not listen to thewords of that prophet or that dreamer ofdreams, for the Lord your God is testingyou to know whether you love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with allyour soul” (Deut 13:1-3).

(10) I have seen long papers showingfrom the scriptures that the Israeliteskilled the passover lamb at the beginningof the 14th of Nisan and other equallylong scripture-filled papers showing it

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Page 16 April 1995

was at the end of the 14th. Obviously, thelambs were only killed at one time. Some(or possibly all) of these papers are usingthe Bible incorrectly. On the other hand, Ihave seen many expositions of the “sevenchurches” in Revelation 2 and 3. Theprophecy of Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6 givesno hint of two fulfillments, but theMessiah said Elijah “is coming” and “hascome” (Matt 17:11-13). With prophecyparables, and some other lessons, multi-ple fulfillments or multiple correct expla-nations are possible.

(11) Daniel fasted and prayed as mostof us never have (Dan 10:1-3). After hewas given the truth, he was told that hewould not be able to understand it (Dan12:8-9). Paul initially spoke as though theMessiah would return in his lifetime(1Thes 4:17), but later realized he woulddie (2Tim 4:6). Herbert Armstrong keptPentecost by three different methods(Sivan 6, Monday, Sunday) with apparentsincerity each time he looked into it. Theholy spirit will lead us into all truth (Jn16:13), but there is no promise of exactlywhen. We are responsible to seek truth(Matt 6:33), but we are only minimallyaccountable for truth we have not beengiven (Luke 12:48).

(12) The simplicity of Christ can besummed up in the two commands to lovethe Eternal with our whole heart and loveour neighbor as ourself (Matt 22:36-40).Yet we are commanded to live by “everyword of God” (Matt 4:4). The Eternal hasbig plans for the future (Ezekiel 40-48,Rev 21-22). You do not want to hire abuilder that knows only the two funda-mental principles of building.

(13) When organized religions growlarge, there is a temptation to become pri-marily concerned with the number of peo-ple and the amount of money coming tothe organization. Like people, some orga-nizations resist the temptation, some suc-cumb. Some organizations will attempt toanswer these questions, and others areconvinced they have most of the truth andthere is no real need to answer this kind ofquestion.

(14) We can find no scripture requir-ing adherence to a specific organizationor teacher for salvation. (See point 7.)Rather we find Paul’s admonition not tocreate factions following different teach-ers (1Cor 1: 11-13,3:1-21).

(15) Where is God? “I, the Lord,search the heart, I test the mind, Even togive every man according to his ways,and according to the fruit of his doings”(Jer 17:10). He is there to see what wewill do, but he is also there to help: “Ask,

and it will be given you; seek, and youwill find; knock, and it will be opened toyou. For everyone who asks receives, andhe who seeks finds, and to him whoknocks it will be opened” (Matt 7:7-8).

(16) The answers may not be as clearas we would like them to be, but they areas clear as they need to be. It seems easi-er for us if all we have to do is attend andsupport the one “right” organization. It isa little more scary when we realize thatwe will be judged by what we know andwhat we do with it.

(17) We were not ashamed of ournames: we freely gave them out to anythat asked. We did not put any names onour letter because we hoped our readerswould look at the scriptures to see ifthese things were so, not make a judg-ment based on their opinion of theauthors, whether it be good or bad.

(18) Friends of the Brethren collectednames and addresses from a great manysources. We cannot be certain how weobtained yours.

(19) We do not know the originalsources of every name and address thatcame to us. We know of no laws that werebroken in the process. As far as ethicalquestions are concerned, there may beconflicts between corporate ethics andBiblical ethics. The most important thingto realize is that those that take it uponthemselves to teach others will receivemuch greater judgment (Jms 3:1, Matt18:6). The writing of our first letter cameafter much prayer and fasting. I am farmore concerned about the fate of otherteachers (with corporate mailing lists attheir fingertips) that are supporting doc-trines that they know or at least shouldknow to be in error.

[20] Does the Eternal allow his ownlaw to be bypassed for a good purpose?Sometimes! When Israel was sinning byadulterous relationships with theMidianites, Phinehas, the son of the highpriest killed a guilty man and woman fordoing this (Num 25:6-13). The lawrequired that two or three witnesses be pre-sent to put anyone to death (Deut 17:6-7).The Eternal did not condemn him for hiszeal, but promised the priesthood wouldstay in his lineage forever. Similarly,David was allowed to eat the showbreadwhen none other was available (1Sam21:6). On the other hand, Uzzah reachedup to steady the ark of God while it was ona cart, and he died (2Sam 6:1-11). Why?He should have known from Numbers3:30-31, 7:8-9 that the ark was to be bornon the Kohathite’s shoulders and specifi-cally not to be put on a cart. There were

Levites available at that time. Wheneverwe can follow His law, we should!

Thank you again for your very goodquestions! May the Eternal bless you asyou continue to study His word.

—Norman S. Edwards

Acts 15:10: What is the�Heavy Load� or �Yoke�?

LETTER: March 13, 1995To: Friends of the Brethren,

A friend passed on a copy of yourrecent mailing. It was interesting but amajor question exists relating to Acts15:10 when it came to ‘shooting downthe old law is done away with theory’.I don’t think this is talking about cir-cumcision. I would really appreciateyour input by fax as to just what wasthis ‘heavy load’ that was being putaround the necks of the ‘non-Jewishbrothers’.

Thanks in advance for your help.A friend,

—J.H., CaliforniaRESPONSE: I am aware of the frequent

comparison between the “yoke” men-tioned ion Acts 15:10 and the yoke men-tioned in Matt 11:29-30. The yoke of thelaw (meaning the Old Testament) is termedunbearable and replaced with a new yokefrom Christ. This comparison might havevalidity in the sense that many Jewishleaders thought they had eternal life simplyby adhering to the scriptures (John 5:39-40). Since they could not keep the law per-fectly, this was an unworkable (andunbearable) attempt to obtain salvation.

However, if we attempt to understandthese scriptures from a Jewish perspective(the conference was composed of Jewstalking about Jewish issues), then themeaning becomes very clear. Acts 15:1states the problem: “And certain mencame down from Judea and taught thebrethren, ‘Unless you are circumcisedaccording to the custom of Moses, youcannot be saved.’” The issue here is notjust circumcision, but how the circumci-sion is performed. Many Middle-easternpeople are circumcised, but only Jews arecircumcised “according to the custom ofMoses.” The Bible says very little abouthow to perform a circumcision. The refer-ences here to the “custom of Moses” andto the “law of Moses” in verse fiveinclude both the “written law” (theHebrew Scriptures) and the “oral law.”

According to Jewish history and tradi-tion, the “oral law” are those instructions

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given by the Eternal to Moses that werenot written down. Also, when new situa-tions arose, elders made decisions andadded them to this body of oral law,which was finally written down late in thesecond century AD and known as theMishna.The Mishnacontains quite a bitof information about the exact method ofcircumcision. It also contains an incredi-ble amount of additional do’s and don’tsnot found in the Bible (it is over half thesize of the Bible). Most of these things arenot contrary to the Bible, and many serveas a reminder of some righteous principle.However, many are very tedious. TheScribes and Pharisees added many moretraditions in their day, some of them con-trary to the written law. The Messiahadmonished them for their hypocrisy andbad traditions in Matt 15 and 23. Theymust have listened a little bit since someof the bad traditions mentioned in theGospels had been discarded by the timethe Mishnawas written..

The Jewish word commonly used forcircumcision is brit-milah, which means“circumcision covenant.” The act of aMosaic circumcision was a covenant tokeep the whole law—both oral and written(Gal 5:3). This is indeed a burden that nei-ther “our fathers nor we were able to bear.”The issue at this conference is: “shouldGentiles be circumcised according to theOral law and take on all of those tradi-tions? (i.e., Should they become Jews?)The same issue occurred again in Acts21:21 where Paul was accused of teaching“...all the Jews who are among the Gentilesto forsake Moses, saying that they oughtnot to circumcise their children nor to walkaccording to the customs.” Again, we aredealing with the oral law of Moses andcustoms, not the written word of theEternal. All we need to do is see what Paulsaid later in Acts 24:14: “But this I confessto you, that according to the Way whichthey call a sect, so I worship the God of myfathers, believing all things which arewritten in the Law and in the Prophets.”

Paul did not think the law was “doneaway,” neither do we!

—Norman S. Edwards

95% of Letter O.K., butNo �Bottom Up� Government

LETTER: March 15, 1995Dear Friends of the Brethren,

I received your letter and haveread it from one end to the other. It isa very good letter overall, but I really

do not get the point of what you aretrying to say to us. I agree with youthat the Law is still in force and withmost of the points that you make thatare based on the Holy Bible.

RESPONSE: A number of people thatread our letter asked the same questions:“What is the point?” “What do you wantme to do?” Our purpose was primarily tohelp people look to the Eternal and real-ize that He has his Church and there iswork for us to do regardless of whichchurch groups may come and go—we areresponsible for working out our own sal-vation. We do not have any prepackagedformula (i.e. we don’t say: contribute orattend with us and you will be “saved” or“go to a place of safety”). Since youalready understand these concepts, muchof our letter was not “news” to you.

LETTER: I also agree with you thatwe do work out our own salvation. Aswe read in Ezekiel 14:20, “ThoughNoah, Daniel and Job were in it, as Ilive, saith the Lord God, they shalldeliver neither son nor daughter, theyshall but deliver their own souls bytheir righteousness.” And I also agreethat for many people, myself included,we have put too much emphasis onan organization in the past.

Before I start to criticize your paper,let me just say that I agree with 95% ofwhat you have written and believe thatyour intent is good, but since I am nottotally clear on what your intent is, I willreserve judgment on that subject untila later date. Certainly, these are tryingtimes for all Christians, and we cannotread anything with the childlike mindthat we used to.

My first major criticism is the exam-ple you use of Moses to demonstrategovernment from the “bottom up.” InDeuteronomy 1:13 we read (yourexample), “Take you wise men, andunderstanding, and known amongyour tribes, and I will make them rulersover you.” The top made them therulers, not the bottom. Also, in verse 14we read, “So I took the chief of yourtribes, wise men and known, and madethem heads over you,...” This demon-strates government from the top down.Also, note verse 16, “And I chargedyour judges at that time,...” Finally,notice verse 18, “And I commandedyou at that time all the things which youshould do.” What the children of Israeldid was to just recommend people fora job, they had no authority to selectpeople to do the job. It is clearly not acase of government from the “bottom

up,” but a case of authority from the topdown. Also, read Exodus 18:25.

RESPONSE: We made a mistake! Ourreference to “from the bottom up” is onlyaccurate as far as the initial recommenda-tions. Since the Bible says both the people(Deut 1:13) and Moses (Ex 18:25) chosethem, both must have been involved in theprocess. It seems probable that the peoplemade recommendations and then Mosesdid the final choosing. The entire govern-ment was not “from the bottom up.”Moses was not responsible to some coun-cil of people, he was given his job fromthe Eternal and was responsible to Him todo it (Ex 3:10,17-18). The people wereresponsible for obeying Moses and thejudges as long as they were within the law.

While the expression “bottom-up gov-ernment” is inaccurate, Moses was notinstituting a classical “top-down govern-ment” either. The people still had access toMoses (Deut 1:17). In a classical top-downgovernment, the leader appoints his topmanagers, who appoint middle managers,who appoint lower managers, who managepeople that have no voice and must “obeyor else.” No authority was given to the“middle” leaders to replace the local lead-ers with their own friends. The Eternalgave his people a system where there wasenough authority to accomplish His pur-poses, but not so much that His peoplewould have to suffer under the all-to-fre-quently-occurring corrupt leader.

LETTER: My second major prob-lem with your paper is one that youadmit to be a problem yourself or atleast a statement of fact. I quote frompage 3, “before modern transportationand communication, regular fellow-ship was possible only at a local level;cassette tape and booklet programswere not invented yet.” You need toget out of the first and second cen-turies and join the real world. Sincethese things do exist and are here forman to use, not just for the church, Ithink that we as a church (notice I usethe term “church” and not a leader ora group name) should use these as ameans of getting the Gospel to theworld as a witness. Don’t you think weshould? Your letter made it seem likethese things were somehow bad.

RESPONSE: We should use whatevermeans our Father makes available topreach the Gospel. It can be done with10,000 people all helping one spirit-filledman so his voice can be transmitted elec-tronically all over the country. It can alsobe done with 10 people each helping 1000

Continued on next page

SERVANTS� NEWS

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spirit-filled men so their voices can beheard locally in 1000 different places.Both approaches or other approaches canbe used. Any one of these methods isprobably superior to doing nothing at all.

I think it is a mistake to say that theonly way the Gospel can reach the worldis through one specific program.Especially when we have evidence suchas the over 120,000 current members ofthe Churches of God 7th Day. It appearsthat the “tortoise” has overtaken the“hare.” While Herbert Armstrong starteda fast growing work with a huge mediabudget, its over-dependence on centralleadership has caused it to dwindle, nowbeing smaller than the 7th Day churcheswhich grew primarily by word-of-mouthand a much smaller publishing effort.

LETTER: Finally, I would like to statethat your letter gave me the impressionthat organized religion is of itself bad.An organization is nothing more than atool to use to get a job done. If menmisuse the organization, it makes thembad, not the organizational structure.After all, individually we could not havedone what was done through God’sservant, Mr. Armstrong (I am assumingyou know who he was and what he did,because I do not find him mentioned inyour letter.). Mr. Armstrong certainlyused an organization to complete avery important part of the work of God,and I can only hope that another manwill rise to the occasion.

RESPONSE: I think it is a mistake tosay that Mr. Armstrong’s work could bedone only with the kind of organizationalstructure he used. Nevertheless, I am thank-ful that the Eternal did work through it andthat I was able to learn much truth throughit. Unfortunately, people came to believe(unbiblically) that there is only one truechurch corporation, that “God only worksthrough one man,” and that you are respon-sible to follow the “government of God”(your minister or superior) no matter whatyou may understand from the scriptures.These teachings are causing tens of thou-sands of people to tolerate or whole-heart-edly endorse the very doctrines which theyheard Herbert Armstrong and his succes-sors preach against when they first becameinterested in his message.

LETTER: You see there are many ofus who want to be the ones that do thesending out. As Acts 17;10 shows, “Andthe brethren immediately sent awayPaul and Silas by night unto Berea: whocoming thither went into the synagogueof the Jews.” There are many examplesof people being sent by God or by other

people in the Bible, I just quoted one tomake a point. I was glad to send Mr.Armstrong to world leaders and viaradio and television to the world. I hopethat there is another man who rises upthat I can, and will, support to preachthe Gospel. Just because one man mis-uses the responsibility is no reason inmy mind to say that we should not usethat method anymore.

RESPONSE: I agree with your Bibleunderstanding about “sending” a servant toothers. I feel every converted person shouldbe involved in either “sending” or “going.”If the holy spirit shows you through yourstudy and prayer that you should be send-ing a man to speak via radio and TV, then Ithink you should do it. But I see nothingless righteous in being one of 10 peoplesending a man to speak at a local publicBible lecture with 30 people attending,When Herbert Armstrong began, he did thesame thing. Today, there are thousands ofmen with the holy spirit, the understandingand the ability to go and teach.

In conclusion let me say this: Yourmessage is right in the things that itsays about us working out our own sal-vation and not depending on a man ororganization to get us into the kingdom.All organizations can be good or badas far as how they are used and it is upto the individual to look into the Bible todetermine if he should support thatorganization in the job that it is doing.And yes, I believe that a person can bea good Christian even if he does notsupport any of them if the conditionsare right, but at this time I believe thatthere are several groups that are doingit right, and a Christian has an obliga-tion to support the group/work that hebelieves to be doing God’s work. If heis not doing that then he is robbing Godof tithes and offerings. To borrow somemeaning from a scripture in Luke17:10, “So likewise ye, when ye shallhave done all those things which arecommanded you, say we are unprof-itable servants: we have done thatwhich was our duty to do.” Is your letterpreaching that we are to be the unprof-itable servant by doing only that whichis commanded of us, or should we goabove and beyond to unite together toget the warning to the world as a wit-ness so that the end might come?

Sincerely,—L.K., Texas

RESPONSE: We all need to be workingwherever we can, and I see no great disad-vantage to multiple organizations. Matthew10:23, John 15:20, Matthew 24:9-10, the

persecutions recorded in Acts, and thelessons of the 1979 church receivership pro-vide strong evidence that the Church willnot be primarily one central corporation atthe time of the end. It would be very easyfor the national government to stop thework of a single organization. (The onlyreasons the California Attorney General didnot succeed in this was because criticalbusiness activities were moved outside hisjurisdiction to Arizona.) Right now, we arerelatively free of persecution. “... the night iscoming when no one can work” (John 9:4).

—Norman S. Edwards

Elijah Work Yet to Begin?LETTER: March 22,1995Dear Friends of the Brethren,

Thank you for a lot of scripturalreminders in your letter to me. I don’tbelieve for one moment that specifical-ly the Sabbath command is “OldCovenant rules.” If this is the case thenso are the other nine commands, butno minister of the Worldwide Church ofGod is going to get up and say we cancommit adultery, lie, steal, etc.However, it is surprising how some seea difference between the Sabbath andthe other commands of the TEN.

As the Bible says, unlike most in soci-ety who are not chosen we are “withoutexcuse.” I feel there are more daysahead that Worldwide Church of God willsee regarding God’s denial of blessingsbecause some leaders are straying fromHis true Way. It is hard to understandwhat has gotten into some people.

But the Elijah work may not haveeven started yet. So this is somethingto look forward to. If we rememberElijah’s commission, he is to restore thetruth. I hope that God is merciful andthe Elijah work is still on the horizon.

Sometimes the answer is God hold-ing up a mirror which tells us that WEare the problem. We can either acceptor reject God’s response. At this pointin time some in the Church refuse toaccept that they could be in error.

Sincerely,—M.G., Wisconsin

RESPONSE: We appreciate your com-ments. Most Americans never heard ofHerbert Armstrong and have no idea of theprophesied events about to befall them.Most other countries are even lessinformed. Others have contacted us andhope than an Elijah work may soon begin!

—Norman S. Edwards

SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 19April 1995

tains an excellent message for how weshould live if we hope to be judgedfavorably for what we do now. TheMessiah was addressing his disciplesas well as a huge group of people. Thewhole chapter is excellent reading,but we will quote parts most relevantto the topic of personal judgment.

“...Beware of the leaven of thePharisees, which is hypocrisy. Forthere is nothing covered that will notbe revealed, nor hidden that will not beknown. Therefore whatever you havespoken in the dark will be heard in thelight and what you have spoken in theear in inner rooms will be proclaimedon the housetops” (Luke 12;1-3) Weshould think of these verses wheneverwe say something like “what theydon’t know won’t hurt them.” We areresponsible even when no one elseknows that a problem is our fault.

“And He said to His disciples,‘Therefore I say to you, do not worryabout your life, what you will eat; notabout the body, what you will put on.Life is more than food, and the bodyis more than clothing.... And do notseek what you should eat or what youshould drink, nor have an anxiousmind. For all these things the nationsof the world seek after, and yourFather knows that you need thesethings. But seek the kingdom of God,and all these things shall be added toyou” (Luke 12:22-23, 29-31).

There is nothing wrong with mater-ial things—they are promised here as areward to the faithful. But do thesethings consume our lives? Are we con-stantly talking about our quality offood, clothing, housing or entertain-ment? Is our religion limited to a cer-tain amount of prayer, study, and finan-cial contributions? Are we growingpersonally and being a light to others?

“Let your waist be girded and yourlamps burning; and you yourselves belike men who wait for their master,when he will return from the wedding,that when he comes and knocks theymay open to him immediately. Blessedare those servants whom the master,when he comes, will find watching.Assuredly, I say to you that he will girdhimself and have them sit down to eat,

and will come and serve them....Therefore you also be ready, for the Sonof Man is coming at an hour you do notexpect’” (Luke 12:35-37,40). We are tobe a light to others, they should be ableto see our works. We are to be serving,doing the work until the end. OurMessiah and the apostles endured life-threatening events to preach the Gospel.Will they be satisfied if we tell them“the Church corporation that had themost money went astray, so we couldn’tpreach the Gospel?”

“Then Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, doYou speak this parable only to us, or toall people?’ And the Lord said, ‘Whothen is that faithful and wise steward,whom his master will make ruler overhis household, to give them their por-tion of food in due season? Blessed isthat servant whom his master will findso doing when he comes. Truly, I say toyou that he will make him ruler over allthat he has’” (Luke 12:41-44). Peterwondered who the Messiah was talkingto here, just the disciples, or to every-one? The answer was He was talking towhoever it would be that was doing thework—there is no emphasis on apostle-ship or some other rank, but on being afaithful servant.

“But if that servant says in hisheart, ‘My master is delaying hiscoming,’ and begins to beat themenservants and maidservants, and toeat and drink and be drunk, the masterof that servant will come on a daywhen he is not looking for him, and atan hour when he is not aware, and willcut him in two and appoint him hisportion with the unbelievers” (Luke22:45-46). Some of us expected theMessiah to return many years ago, butHe did not. Some “leaders” of thebrethren are spending their energiesattacking their fellow servants.

“And that servant who knew hismaster’s will, and did not preparehimself or do according to his will,shall be beaten with many stripes.But he who did not know, yet commit-ted things worthy of stripes, shall bebeaten with few. For everyone to whommuch is given, from him much will berequired; and to whom much has beencommitted, of him they will ask themore” (Luke 12:47-48). Whether these

are physical or spiritual stripes is atopic for another article. Anyone thathas ever been beaten knows that ithurts—it is something to be avoided.It was our merciful saviour that felt sostrongly about this issue that he usedthis graphic terminology. What catego-ry of person are you and I? Do weknow our master’s will or do we not?Do we have an understanding of theTruth? Are we a living example of it?Do we know that it was through thepreaching of other men that we heardthe Gospel? Can we prove that there areno more to be called and chosen? Whatare we doing about it?

“Do you suppose that I came togive peace on earth? I tell you, notat all, but rather division. For fromnow on five in one house will bedivided: three against two, and twoagainst three. Father will be dividedagainst son and son against father,mother against daughter and daughteragainst mother, mother-in-law againsther daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke12;51-53). The context of these vers-es is still the same as above: doing theMaster’s will when he returns. We canexpect divisions among His servants,even among families. The Master isjudging His servants, he wants toknow who is seeking him and who isgoing along for the ride (1Cor 11:19).

Judge Ourselves Now“For if we would judge ourselves,

we would not be judged. But when weare judged, we are chastened by theLord, that we may not be condemnedwith the world” (1Cor 11:31-32).

“But the day of the Lord will comelike a thief, and then the heavens willpass away with a loud noise, and theelements will be dissolved with fire,and the earth and everything that isdone on it will be disclosed. Since allthese things are to be dissolved in thisway, what sort of persons ought you tobe in leading lives of holiness andGodliness, waiting for and hasteningthe coming of the day of God, becauseof which the heavens will be set ablazeand dissolved, and the elements willmelt with fire?” (2Pet 3:10-12.)

—Norman S. Edwards, 3/1995

�You shall be judged.� from page 1

SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 20 April 1995

ural thing; “God is angry with thewicked every day” (Ps 7:11). There isa tendency to condemn others for theirsin and a desire to expose it. There isalso the less noble motivation of feel-ing we are better because others havesins that we do not have. Nevertheless,the scriptures are clear, we are not tojudge and condemn people when weare not asked to give a judgment.

“Judge not, and you shall not bejudged. Condemn not, and you shall notbe condemned. Forgive, and you will beforgiven. Give and it will be given toyou: good measure, pressed down,shaken together, and running over willbe put into your bosom. For with thesame measure that you use, it will bemeasured back to you” (Luke 6:37-38).

“Do not speak evil of one another,brethren. He who speaks evil of abrother and judges his brother, speaksevil of the law, you are not a doer ofthe law but a judge. There is oneLawgiver, who is able to save and todestroy. Who are you to judge anoth-er?” (Jms 4:11-12.)

Although it may seem like anobvious point, it seems to be one ofthe most ignored. We should avoidmaking any kind of judgment in ourown minds unless we have heard bothsides of the story. “The first one toplead his cause seems right, until hisneighbor comes and examines him”(Prov 18:17). “Does our law judgeany man before it hears him andknows what he is doing?” (John 7:51.)

But what should we do when wesee a brother involved in a doctrinalerror? If it is a leader trying to make usbelieve something false, then we needto follow the principles outlined in thelast section of this article. But mosttroublesome incidents are fellow-mem-bers doing things that we think theyshould not do. Our role is to gently help(not condemn) if we can—being care-ful that wedo not sin (Gal 6:1). Whenthe holy spirit is present and errors arenot disastrous, Paul shows us that wecan live in peace with our differencesin Romans 14:1-4:

“Receive one who is weak in thefaith, but not to disputes over doubtfulthings. For one believes he may eat all

things, but he who is weak eats onlyvegetables. Let no one who eatsdespise him who does not eat, and letno one who does not eat judge himwho eats; for God has received him.Who are you to judge another’s ser-vant? To his own master he stands orfalls. Indeed, he will be made to stand,for God is able to make him stand.”

We must realize that people are notguided into all truth all at once. Theoriginal 12 apostles had to be told theywere not ready for some truth. “I stillhave many things to say to you, but youcannot bear them now (John 16:12).This concept of learning truth a little ata time is found elsewhere in the scrip-

tures (Mark 4:33, 1Cor 3:1-2, Heb5:11-14). We must not judge or despisepeople that are growing, but cannot yetbear all of the teaching that we can.

“But whoever causes one of theselittle ones who believe in Me to sin, itwould be better for him if a millstonewere hung around his neck, and hewere drowned in the depth of the sea”(Matt 18:6).

If we believe someone else is sin-ning, we can reach out to help withoutjudgment or trying to be righteous forhim. “Brethren, if any man is overtak-en in any trespass, you who are spiritu-al restore such a one in a spirit of gen-tleness, considering yourself lest youalso be tempted....But let each oneexamine his own work, and then hewill have rejoicing in himself alone,and not in another. For each one shallbear his own load” (Gal 6:1,4,5).

Judgments We Should Make NowWhile the Bible teaches that we

should not take it upon ourselves tojudge our brother, sometimes we are

asked to make judgments.We are in training to become kings

and priests and reign with the Messiahat his return (Rev 1:6, 5:10, 2Tim 2:12,1Pet 2:9). Micah 4:1-4 shows that thelaws and judgments will go forth fromJerusalem. “For all people walk eachin the name of his god [HebrewEloim—those saints that have over-come and have been changed to spirit],But we will walk in the name of theLord [Hebrew YHWH] our God forev-er and ever” (Mic 4:5). As opportunitypermits, we must be learning to makerighteous judgments based on the law[the Hebrew torah refers specificallyto the first five books, but more gener-ally refers to all scripture].

The first half of I Corinthians 6explains that brethren should judgecases among themselves rather thango to civil courts. In ancient Israel, thepeople were commanded to choosejudges that would judge righteously(Deut 1:13, 16:18). These judges werenot a “police force” roaming aroundlooking for the sins of others, but ren-dered judgments when people came tothem (Ex 18:16, Deut 25:1). Also,there were specific situations wherepeople were specifically commandedto go to the judges (Deut 21:1-2, Ex21:6,22, 22:9, et al.).

As the Eternal is now dealingdirectly with his converted people,rather than through a civil government,Matthew 18:15-20 is the specific pro-cedure given for His people to makejudgments. “Moreover if your brothersins against you, go and tell him hisfault between you and him alone.If hehears you, you have gained your broth-er.” Each person with the Holy Spirithas access to Divine guidance and theEternal’s law. We should be able toresolve difficulties among ourselves.Indeed, we are given a chance to judgeourselves.

However, there are tares (uncon-verted) among the good seed (Matt13:30). Even those that are convertedare not yet perfect. There will betimes when brethren cannot use thelaw to resolve their differences. “Butif he will not hear you, take with youone or two more, that ‘by the mouthof two or three witnesses every word

�For with the judgment...� from page 1

We must realize thatpeople are not guidedinto all truth all at once.

�I still have manythings to say to you,but you cannot bearthem now.� �John 16:12

SERVANTS� NEWS

Page 21April 1995

may be established’” (Mat 18:16).These witnesses are people familiarwith the problem and are, as all peo-ple, responsible for living by everyword of the Eternal (Deut 8:3).Hopefully, when faced with the testi-mony of more than one, the person atfault will see his error and repent of it.But if he does not, the Eternal doesnot leave judgment in the hands of thefriends of one of the parties.

“And if he refuses to hear them,tell it to the church [Greek ekklesia].But if he refuses even to hear thechurch, let him be to you like a hea-then and a tax collector” (Matt 18:17).The Greek ekklesia means assemblyor “body of called-out ones.” It doesnot specifically mean “ministry,”though it would include all baptizedmembers of the congregation.

When a case is brought to the ekkle-sia, it is a time for the members tomake a just judgment based on the lawof the Eternal. As Deuteronomy 17:8-13 commanded the death penalty forthose that would not heed the judgmentgiven by the highest courts, so theMessiah commands that a person becast out of the congregation if he willnot heed the judgment of his brethren.This is serious business! “Assuredly, Isay to you, whatever you bind on earthwill be bound in heaven, and whateveryou loose on earth will be loosed inheaven” (Matt 18:18).

How much of the congregation isrequired to render a judgment? Everymember? Will one wise man do? Thenext verses answer: “Again I say toyou that if two of you agree on earthconcerning anything that they ask, itwill be done for them by My Father inheaven. For where two or three aregathered together in My name, I amthere in the midst of them” (Mt 18:19-20). Two, preferably three membersin agreementare needed to render ajudgment. In major matters affectingmany people, the entire congregationcould be involved (Acts 15:22).

When we are asked by our broth-ers to judge an issue, we must take itseriously. These judgments are pub-lic—they will be known by others andaffect the lives of others. As the titleof this article and numerous other

scriptures indicate, we will be judgedby the way we judge others.

In case the question should arise, weshould not get involved judging thoseoutside of the Church. When “one fromthe crowd” asked the Messiah to makehis brother divide his inheritance, Hedid not get involved. As we too wellknow, the civil process of judgment cantake an incredible amount of time. TheMessiah had a message to preach and amission to accomplish and he could notget involved in a task which belongedto the civil government of that day.

Judging the Teachings of LeadersThe scriptures tell us that we must

individually judge whether or notteachers are teaching truth. One of themost often quoted scriptures aboutleaders is 1 Corinthians 11:1, KJV:“Be ye followers of me, even as I alsoam of Christ.” Obviously, it is the jobof the member to determine whichleaders are “following Christ.” If itwere the job of the leader, we wouldbe required to follow every“Christian” leader. Numerous otherscriptures show this principle:

You shall not listen to the wordsof that [false] prophet or thatdreamer of dreams, for the Lordyour God is testing you to knowwhether you love the Lord yourGod with all your heart and with allyour soul (Deut 13:3).

For there must also be factionsamong you, that those who areapproved may be recognizedamong you (1Cor 11:18).

But we command you, brethren,in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,that you withdraw from every brotherwho walks disorderly and notaccording to the tradition which hereceived from us (2Thes 3:6).

If anyone teaches otherwise anddoes not consent to wholesomewords, even the words of our LordJesus Christ, and to the doctrinewhich is according to godliness,...who suppose that godliness is ameans of gain. From such withdrawyourself (1Tim 6:3,5).

And you have tested those whosay they are apostles and are not,and have found them liars (Rev 2:2).

These scriptures say nothing aboutconvicting, accusing, or attempting tostop false teachers; they simply com-mand us to note them and avoid them.Indeed, the Eternal uses false teachersto test others (Deut 13:3). While wemust avoid their errant ways andteach the truth to those that will hearit, we have not been called to pro-nounce judgment or condemnationupon them.

This concludes our study aboutjudging others. Remember, “For withwhat judgment you judge, you will bejudged; and with the same measureyou use, it will be measured back toyou” (Matt 7:2).

—Norman S. Edwards, 3/1995

WANTED:Basic Literature

to Be SharedMany different groups and some

individuals are making commend-able efforts to preach the Gospel tothe world. One of their greatestneeds is a good set of basic literatureor a correspondence course to giveto interested people that want tostudy more. Topics could includethe law, the Sabbath, God, Jesus,Satan, the nature of Man, the holyspirit, Bible study, baptism, salva-tion, prophecy, holidays, holydays,marriage, family, clean meats, etc.

It makes more sense for manygroups to share their efforts than foreach to write everything themselves.We hope to establish a body of suchliterature that will bear the author’sname and address in small print, andcontain a large open space for alocal group to stamp or print theirown name and address. There willbe some doctrinal differences, sonot every group will use every pieceof literature, but most of them canuse most of it.

If you are interested in writingsuch literature, or making existingliterature available, please contactus at address on page 2. Friends ofthe Brethren can do the layout andprinting for you if necessary. &

Page 22 April 1995

Please do find ... a way to bind ... if you don’t mind.In order to reduce the cost of envelopes and postage, we have attached these loose-leaf pages with a sticker.Please remove the sticker and use the binding of your choice: 3-ring binder, staples, brads or a paper clip. Ourgoal is to bring worthwhile information to as many people as want it at the lowest practical cost. If your issue isdamaged in the mail, please let us know. We hope to improve the paper and print quality at some time in the future.

Friends of the BrethrenPO Box 6516

Springdale, AR 72766-6516

FIRST CLASS

We want to send this newsletter only to people that want it! If you are not interested, please sendus a postcard or give us a call: 501-872-1003, fax: 501-872-1004, eMail: 75260.1603@Compuserve.com

Literature ListFriends of the Brethrenis in the process of making a wide

range of literature available from a variety of sources. Wehave already had dozens of items submitted to us which wehave not yet been able to read and arrange for publication. Ourlist for the next issue should be much longer.

We would like to classify this literature as “basic” and“mature.” Basic literature is intended to teach the truth tonew people and should not contain references to currentchurch problems and traditions of which the reader might notbe aware. There are too many cases of new people giving upon our present day organizations because those organizationsseemed far more interested in dealing with their own problemsthan in teaching basic scriptural truth. Mature literature isfor the converted and those with a bac-ground of church atten-dance. We accept literature that does not attack individualsand organizations, does not hold up one group as superior toall others, and contains no obvious Biblical or logical errors.Please write or call about your ideas.

The Apple of God’s Eyeby Jim Rector, 13 pages. God’slove for us is far greater than we imagine and we oftentake it for granted.

Assembling on the Sabbathby Norman Edwards, 12pages. An exposition of the scriptures regarding ourneed to fellowship on the Sabbath and how to do it.

A Call to Arms by Jim Rector, 16 pages. Valuable lessonswe can learn for today from Revelation 2 and 3.

Friends of the Brethren Statement of Income andExpenses,2 pages. (Automatically sent to contributors)

The Heart of the Matter by Jim Rector, 31 pages. Ourcalling is to spiritual growth, not just attendance,socializing, politeness or legalism.

How Does the Eternal Govern Through Humans?byNorman Edwards, 34 pages. An analysis of leadershipin the Bible and how it can be applied today.

The Worldwide Church of God Splits: Their Triumphsand Troublesby Alan Ruth, 56 pages. Facts and analy-sis of the last 20 years of church history.

April 1995

Please do find ... a way to bind ... if you don’t mind.In order to reduce the cost of envelopes and postage, we have attached these loose-leaf pages with a sticker.Please remove the sticker and use the binding of your choice: 3-ring binder, staples, brads or a paper clip. Ourgoal is to bring worthwhile information to as many people as want it at the lowest practical cost. If your issue isdamaged in the mail, please let us know. We hope to improve the paper and print quality at some time in the future.

Friends of the BrethrenPO Box 6516

Springdale, AR 72766-6516

We want to send this newsletter only to people that want to receive it!If you would like to continueto receive it, please give us a postcard or call. Your response will be kept confidential: we do not considerit an indication of support. Tel: 501-872-1003, Fax: 501-872-1004, eMail: 75260,1603@Compuserve.com

Literature ListFriends of the Brethrenis in the process of making a wide

range of literature available from a variety of sources. Wehave already had dozens of items submitted to us which wehave not yet been able to read and arrange for publication. Ourlist for the next issue should be much longer.

We would like to classify this literature as “basic” and“mature.” Basic literatureis intended to teach the truth tonew people and should not contain references to currentchurch problems and traditions of which the reader might notbe aware. There are too many cases of new people giving upon our present day organizations because those organizationsseemed far more interested in dealing with their own problemsthan in teaching basic scriptural truth. Mature literature isfor the converted and those with a bac-ground of church atten-dance. We accept literature that does not attack individualsand organizations, does not hold up one group as superior toall others, and contains no obvious Biblical or logical errors.Please write or call about your ideas.

The Apple of God’s Eyeby Jim Rector, 13 pages. God’slove for us is far greater than we imagine and we oftentake it for granted.

Assembling on the Sabbathby Norman Edwards, 12pages. An exposition of the scriptures regarding ourneed to fellowship on the Sabbath and how to do it.

A Call to Armsby Jim Rector, 16 pages. Valuable lessonswe can learn for today from Revelation 2 and 3.

Friends of the BrethrenStatement of Income andExpenses,2 pages. (Automatically sent to contributors)

The Heart of the Matterby Jim Rector, 7 pages. Ourcalling is to spiritual growth, not just attendance,socializing, politeness or legalism.

How Does the Eternal Govern Through Humans?byNorman Edwards, 30 pages. An analysis of leadershipin the Bible and how it can be applied today.

The Worldwide Church of God Splits: Their Triumphsand Troublesby Allen Ruth, 55 pages. Facts and analy-sis of the last 20 years of church history.

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