VOL. IX, NUMBER 2

International Magaztne ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

FEBRUARY, 1960

Should You VOW?If you foolishly took a vow before conversion, is that vow still bind­ing? Whom has God appointed to decide when a vow is binding?

by Herman L. Hoeh

YO U may be bound by a vow andnot know it! Or you may be try­ing to keep a vow which God has

never bound!It is time we looked into the question

of taking vows.Many an individual, moved by an

emotional sermon, has vowed neveragain to drink alcoholic beverages.Under the spell of the fiery sermon,women sometimes vow never to cuttheir hair again. Men, seeking to pleaseGod, have vowed never to cut theirhair or shave their beards. Are suchvows binding?

Under emotional pressure some inc\i­viduals vow their tithe to a Churchwhich they later find is not the trueChurch which Jesus founded! Are vowssuch as these, which are based on frauds,binding in God's sight?

I.r the indil'iductl free to determinefor him.relf if bis vow is binding?

What Is a Vow?

First let us understand what a vow is.Webster defines a vow as: "1. A

solemn promise or pledge; especiallyone made to God . . . dedicating one­self to an act, service, or way of life.... 2. a promise of love and fidelity:as, marriage 1'0UJ.r."

Now notice the Bible basis of vow­ing. "When thou vowesr a vow untoGod, defer not to pay it; for he hathno pleasure in fools: pay that whichthou hast vowed. Better it is that thoushouldest not vow than that thoushouldest vow and not pay" (Eccles.5:4- 5).

Consider! Vows should never betaken rashly. God does not require usto make a vow in the first place. It isbetter not to vow than to vow and notperform it. But, if yours is a bindingvow God requires you to perform it!Notice that in verse 4 a person whodoes not pay his vow is a "fool"!

Too many individuals make rashvows and wake up too late to realizethey should never have made such asolemn promise. Many individuals arenot SPIRITUALLY MATURE enough evento know the difference between a fool­ish vow and a wise vow.

Now notice Deuteronomy 23:21-23,from the Jewish Translation: "Whenthou shalt vow a vow unto the Lordthy God, thou shalt not be slack to payit; [or the Lord thy God will surelyrequire it of thee; and it will be sinin thee. But if thou shalt forbear tovow, it shall be no sin in thee. Thatwhich is gone out of thy lips thoushalt observe and do; according as thouha.rt vowed freely unto the Lord thy God,even that which thou hast promisedwith thy mouth."

Observe the significance of theseverses. It is a sin to break a bindingl!OW (verse 21). To make no vow isto avoid sin (verse 20).

Why is breaking a vow a sin? Ifyou break a vow you have lied. Lyingis a violation of one of the ten cardinalpoints of the law! That's how seriousa broken vow can be! But now noticeverse 23:

According to the original Hebrewtext, a vow must be FREELY taken be-

fore God if it is to be binding. Thisverse in the King James Version is notproperly rendered. The verse is nottalking about "free will offerings," butabout vows freely taken.

These verses make it clear that everyvow which God binds on an individualmust be kept. But nor all vows arebound by God.

When NOT Responsible for a Vow

So important in God's sight is thematter of taking a vow that one entirechapter in the Bible is devoted to thisvery question! Turn to Numbers 30.Beginning with the last part of verse1: "This is the thing which the Lordhath commanded." Here is a commandof God. Notice what it says:

"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord. . . he shall not break his word, heshall do according to all that proceedethout of his mouth. If a woman also vowa vow to the Lord, and bind herself bya bond being in her father's house inher youth; and her father hear her vow,and her bond wherewith she hath boundher soul, and her father shall hold hispeace at her; then all her vows shall.rtand ..." (Verses 3 and 4). Here wehave the case of a young woman whois still residing with her parents. If shehas taken a vow and her father doesnot disapprove, then her vows are to

stand. She is bound to keep her vows.But now consider verse S. "If her

father disallow her in the day that he:heareth; not any of her vows, or of herbonds wherewith she hath bound hersoul, shall stand: and the Lord shall for-

Page 2

give her, because her father disallowedher."

Here we have the case of a younggirl ubo is not mature enough to beresponsible for taking a vow. If herfather-at the time when he hears abouthis daughter's vow-regards it a foolishvow, he has the power and the author­ity to disannul it. In that case the younggirl is not responsible for that vow. Godforgives her for having taken such arash vow. God does not require her toperform it. Here we have the Biblicalexample of a mature human being whohas the power to annul the vow of aper SOli Bot old enough or spirituallymature enough to be responsible forLiking a vow.

Now notice verse 6. "And if she hadat all an husband when she vowed oruttered ought out of her lips, wherewithshe bound her soul; and her husbandheard it, and held his peace at her inthe day that he heard it; then her vowshall stand, and her bonds wherewithshe bound her soul shall stand." In thiscase a wife has taken a vow. If herhusband, upon hearing of the vow, doesnot regard it as a foolish vow then sheis bound to keep her vow.

But now notice verse 8: "But if herhusband disallowed her on the day thathe heard it; then he shall make her vow\\ hich she vnwpd, and that which sheuttered with her lips, wherewith shebound her soul, of none effect: and theLord shall forgive her."

This is a very importaru verse. No­tice what it means!

The Husband's Responsibility

If a wife takes a rash vow and herhusband-when he first hears of it­disapproves of it, she is not bound toher vow. The husband is the head ofthe wife. God makes the man responsi­ble for the vows of his wife!

Notice that in the case of the wifeor the daughter, mentioned here inNumbers 30, a vow may be annulledAT THE TIME THE RESPONSIBLE PARTYHEARS OF IT. A vow does not have tobe annulled at the time it is taken, but{It the time when it is heard by the re­sponsible party whose right is to makethe decision whether that vow is bind­mg.

Now continue with verses 9 and 10."But every vow of a widow, and ofher that is divorced, wherewith theyhave bound their souls, shall standagainst her. And if she vowed in herhusband's house, or bound her soul bya bond with an oath; and her husbandheard it and held his peace at her, anddisallowed her not; then all her vowsshall stand, and every bond wherewithshe bound her soul shall stand. But ifher husband hath utterly made them

The GOOD NEWS

void on the day he heard them; thenwhatsoever proceederh out of her lipsconcerning her vows, or concerning thebond of her soul, shall not stand: HERHUSBAND HATH MADE THEM VOID;and the lord shall forgive her.

Now notice verse 13 especially."Every vow ... HER HUSBAND MAYESTABLISH IT, OR HER HUSBAND MAYMAKE IT VOID." Notice! In God's sightit is the man's responsibility to estab­lish or to rescind his wife's vow.

It is also the father's responsibilityto establish or to rescind his daughter'svow. Since the question of taking a vowinvolves the matter of responsibility,and since God is no respecter of per­sons, it is also the responsibility of thefather to disannul or to approve HlSSON'S VOWS as well as those of hisdaughter, Only when a boy reaches ma­turity does he become solely responsiblefor his own vows.

In the last portion of verse 14 Godagain makes it the man's responsibilityto confirm his wife's vow. Many hus­bands, of course, do not recognize theirresponsibility. They have never beentaught their responsibility in the mat­ter of vows. let us suppose, for ex­ample, that a husband who knew noth­ing about God's command in Numbers30 regarded his wife's vow, at the timeshe made it, a foolish vow. IIe disap­proved of it even though he did notknow that he could rescind it. laterthe knowledge of the truth comes tohim. God opens his mind to see thatit was his responsibility to rescind hiswife's vow at the time she took it. Canhe, at this later time, rescind it?

The answer is YES! Since it was hisconviction that his wife's vow was fool­ish but he did not know he could annulit, then he may at that later date annulit once the knowledge of the truth iscome. He actually did so in PRINCIPLEtaben he first heard it. He is now merelyFORMA LIZING it! But if he approvedof his wife's vow at first HE CANNOTLATFR CHANGE HIS MIND! His wife'svow is binding.

Ministers' Responsibility

Jesus gave His ministers the powerto bind and to loose. This power in­cludes the matter of deciding whethermarriage vows are binding. NoticeJesus' teaching in Matthew 18: 18,"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever yeshall bind on earth shall be bound inheaven; and whatsoever ye shall looseon earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Not only has God made it a respon­sibility of a husband or a father to makebinding decisions in matters of vows,but God also makes it a ministerialresponsibility. God's ministers areElders. They are called Elders because

February, 1%0

they are spiritually mature. Most peopleare not spiritually mature. They arebabes-nor spiritually qualified to de­cide whether vows are binding. In manycases they cannot even discern if theirvow is foolish or wise. God, then, makesit a ministerial responsibility to de­termine for those who are spirituallyimmature whether or not their vowsare binding.

Even in the Old Testament the re­sponsibility to make binding decisionswas vested in the Elders and leadersof the community. Turn to Deuterono­my 17: 8-11, "If there arise a mattertoo hard for thee in judgment ... be­ing matters of controversy, within thygates; then thou shalt arise and get theeup into the place which the Lord thyGod shall choose; and thou shalt comeunto the priests the Levites, and unto[he judge that shall be in those days,and inquire; and they shall show theethe sentence of judgment: and thoushalt do according to the sentence,which they of that place which theLord shall choose shall show thee; andthou shalt observe to do according toall that they informed thee: accordingto the sentence of the law whieh theyshall teach thee, and according to thejudgment which they shall tell thee,thou shalt do: thou shalt not declinefrom the sentence which they shall showthee, to the right hand, or to the left."

God determines right from wrong.God reveals to his ministers, throughexamples in the Bible, when vows-orany matter of controversy-are binding.God, who is in heaven, has made it theresponsibility of His ministers to makedecisions for the people according toHis law and the examples of Scripture.

Notice verse 11 especially. It is theresponsibility of the leaders, the min­isters, to act as God's servants andagents in determining whether vows arebinding. If the ministers have de­termined that a vow is not binding,God then holds them-the ministers­responsible for having made that de­cision. The people are free from thatresponsibility. In like manner God holdsthe husband responsible for determin­ing his wife's vow. His wife is free ofresponsibility when once the husbandhas rendered a decision. It is the hus­band whom God holds responsible. Orin the case of children, it is the fatherwhom God holds responsible. The chil­dren are free from responsibility oncethe parent has exercised his responsi­bility.

The reason God makes certain peo­ple responsible for others in matters ofvows is due to this important fact: mostpeople are not spiritually matureenough to know when to vow and when

( Please continue Ott page 11)

"Around Ambassador"

Ambassador College PressBooms!

Regular Good News Feature

Yes, Ambassador College at head­quarters in Pasadena is throbbing withthe busy activities of God's work. Tokeep you up-to-date on student activitiesand other important developments atPasadena, this "Around Ambassador"column will be a regular feature of the"Good News" Magazine. We'll see younearly every month with more interest­ing news and late developments.

God's work is booming ahead inevery direction. The phenomenal ex­pansion of the work is being felt inevery department. Ambassador CollegePress is no exception.

In 1958, according to count, 492,704booklets were mailed from Pasadena.However, in 1959 the total jumped to715,875 booklets-an increase of over50%! This striking increase is an indi­cation of things to come.

Continuing an increase of this scope,by 1965-in just five short years-thebooklet volume will jump to 4,440,000.

Think of it!Let's all pray that Ambassador College

can supply the trained personnel for themountainous task that lies ahead in thisdepartment and others in God's work.

For the first time Ambassador Col­lege will have its own private NEWSWIRE.

The ever-growing import and scopeof the vital News Gathering Depart­ment as the eyes and ears of God's workin these climactic times is becoming in­creasingly evident. To keep pace withthe fast-breaking news stories a directnews wire from United Press Interna­tional will soon be "clicking" out thenews 24 hours a day. More trainedstudents will be monitoring the newsfor those vital stories so significant tothe unfolding of events of these endtimes.

To house the expanding facilities ofthis Department, a new three roomoffice has been prepared and the wholeDepartment was moved during the

. semester break. Besides the six full-timestudent employees in this Department,many students devote several hours aweek of their free time for reading im­portant publications and selecting im­portant items to be preserved in ourfiles.

News Gathering Department

Another "first" is coming up in theNews Gathering Department!

Here is news around the campus in Pasadenafrom the student body president.

by A. J. Portune

into two rooms for these occasions.But, it's all past history now. For the

past six weeks a crew of carpenters andstudent workmen have been remodel­ing a newly acquired building acrossfrom the lower gardens on Grove Street.

Mr. Armstrong, realizing the urgentneed for an assembly hall, gave toppriority to this project which is nowcomplete. Ambassador College now hasa fine temporary assembly hall for stu­dent forums, assemblies and other func­tions.

This new hall will accommodate upto 400 chairs and will be a much ap­preciated blessing for all.

Students & Alumni Going Overseas

With the work leaping ahead as neverbefore, new overseas assignments arccoming almost every month it seems.Robert C. Boraker, graduate student andhead of the Letter Answering Depart­ment, has just been sent to initiate amuch needed Letter Answering Depart-ment in London. He will augment thegrowing staff in England where theletters are pouring in from radio listen­ers and readers of the Readers' Digest.Nearly 4000 letters per month are com­ing from the Readers' Digest alone.Many letters need personal answers, andMr. Boraker's years of experience in thisDepartment will make him a valuableaddition to the staff in London.

The office "down under" in Australiais also growing rapidly. The purchase offive ampex portable tape recorders forthe reproduction of our own programshas required another full-time man forthis special duty.

Mr. Charles Hefner-senior student-specially trained under Mr. NormanSmith for the past several months, hasleft by Pan American jet flight for theoffice in North Sydney. He will be re­sponsible for the "dubbing" of all tapesfor the networks in Australia. This isan important full-time job being filledby another Ambassador trained man.Even with the many students working,studying and training here at headquarters, the rapidly expanding workstill requires more trained personnelthan we seem able to supply.

Truly, it seems the harvest will alwaysbe more plenteous than the qualifiedlaborers.

New Assembly Hall

Big news around the campus is thenew assembly hall! It has been manyyears since all the students at Collegehave been able to have their forums andassemblies in ONE ROOM. The grow­ing student body long ago outgrew themain library room. For several yearsstudents have had to "overflow" intoother rooms while others had to standand peek around corners to see thespeaker.

Last year, with the undergraduate stu­dent body up to 225 plus, even Ambassa­dor Hall proved too small for weeklyforums and assemblies. Students crowded

IN PASADENA, with the Sierra Madre

mountains capped with new snowand the morning air filled with the

crispness of winter, Ambassador studentsbegan the new spring semester.

Two weeks of welcomed rest from theroutine of classes and the prospect of a"snow-line" field trip to the nearbywinter snowland has given a new ZIP

and zeal to the student body.Each year at this time the students

pile into buses for a day at the nearbymountains. Here in the southland, wheresnow falls only in the high passes andtimberlands, an outing like this is a realtreat. Snowballs, tobogganing, sand­wiches, hot chocolate, bob-sledding andjust plain sloshing-plus a real songfestgoing and coming on the buses-makesfor an excellent beginning to the finalsemester.

Remember the talent show at theFeast of Tabernacles last fall? Well,those dimes and dollars you gave helpedmake this coming trip possible.

Ministerial Conferences

In the short two week semester breakanother annual ministerial conferencehas come and gone. Having all theministers from the field "on campus"was a real blessing. Besides the jam­packed conference schedule, there wereother scheduled activities to make thesebusy days even busier.

A report on the ministerial confer­ences will appear in the next issue ofThe GOOD NEWS.

A high light of the conference wasan evening for all the ministers at Mr.and Mrs. Armstrong's home. After a de­lightful buffet dinner, everyone enjoyedhearing an evening of splendid music.This evening was filled with many pleas­ant memories.

Page 4 The GOOD NEWS February, 1960

Be sure to notify us immediately ofchange of address.

Heart to Heart Talkwith the Editor

Address communications to the EditorBox Ill, Pasadena, Califuruia. '

Copyright, February, 1960By the Radio Church of God

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

"Dear Mr. Armstrong:

"My twelve-year-old daughter hasbeen a member of your Radio Churchfor about a year now. Her conversionoccurred while staying with relativesin Grand Junction, Colorado. The in­fluence of her new-found faith on heris an inspiration to me. It is my sinceredesire to learn more of the belief sovital in her life. It was suggested thatI send for two pamphlets in particular:'Why Were You Born?' and 'Divorceand Remarriage.' I would appreciatethem very much and hope to learn morerhrough your radio programs."

Woman from Santa Rosa, Calif.

Editor's note: She hasn't been baptizedbut it is marvelous to note the changei~ thi~ ~oun~ person, and the way herlight 1S inspiring others.

Member from Texas

Startled by Message

"1 accidentally stumbled upon yourprogram almost a year ago and wasstartled, delighted, and thrilled to hearGod's truth as 1 had never heard it be­fore. 'This is it!!!' I said to myself. 'Be­yond a doubt these are the true prophetspromised us in the last days to warnthat the Kingdom of Heaven 1S athand.' "

Woman, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

"1 Have Chosen God"

"Thank you so much for your inspir­inB messaBes which I hear over WPfTWithout them my day is incomplete.I've been reading and working tryingto .over~om.e myself. I've quit smoking,US1l1g lipstick, profanity, erc., and I'mearnestly trying to keep the Sabbathagainst much bitter dissent from myhusband-an unbeliever. He's one ofthe evolutionists Garner Ted is talkingabout. I have chosen my course-nowmy husband says he will leave me if Icontinue this 'fanatic' way of mine ...and take my 2 girls ages 2 and 6 fromme when he leaves. He has offered alltypes of worldly bribes if 1 would turnIlly back on this and go back to thePresbyterian way of life. I said he wasasking me to choose between him andGod. Naturally I have chosen God ..."

Woman from Pennsylvania

Enlarged Glands Healed

."1 ",-,em to the Feast of Trumpets at

Victoria, Texas, with a very painfulcondition of enlarged glands under myarms and asked Mr. Ton Hill to anointme. I was healed instantly, and it hasnever returned."

"We must through much tribttldtio12enter the Kingdom of God" (Acts14:22).

"All that will live godly in ChristJesus Jhall suffer persecution' (II Tim.3: 12).

"If we SUFFER, we shall also reignwith Him" (II Tim. 2-12).

"For as the sufferings of Christabound in us, so our consolation alsoaboundeth by Christ. And whether webe ct/fiicted, it is for your consolationand salvation, which is effectual in theenduring of the same sufferings whichwe also suffer" (II Cor. 1:5-6).

But is God unfair? Does He hateChristians and punish them, while Heloves the ungodly and prospers them?Not at all!

There is great purpose in the trials,tests, tribulations, and sufferings theChristian must endure. For these are thevery means of strengthening CHARAC­TER-of developing fine, upstanding,strong Christians.

God does not bless the ungodly withwealth-they acquire it usually in oneor both of two ways: by setting theirheart and mind on acquiring it, and fol­lowing through this purpose to the ex­clusion of all else, until without realizingit, the pursuit of MONEY becomes thepursuit of their god, destroying the soul;or by dishonest means.

But God does bless those who seekHim first-not always with great moneywealth, but always, in the end, withmaterial prosperity they never wouldhave had otherwise. "Seek ye first theKingdom of God, and His righteous­ness," admonished Jesus, "and all thesethings (material prosperity in shelter,food, clothing, erc.) shall be added un­to you." That is Jesus' PROMISE. Godloves to see His servants prospering. SoHe says through David and John. Hecorrects and chastens every son whomHe loves. He allows His true childrento suffer much-to fall into troubles.difficulties, to face trials and tests fo~their strengthening. But if we endurethese tets, hard though they may be­and if we seek first our God, His right­eousness, and His Kingdom, putting ma­terial interests second in our hearts, thenin His own due time God will alwaysprosper His children even in a materialway!

"But Ice glory in tribulationJ also:knowing that tribulation iooreeth pa­tience" (Rom. 5:3). Therefore it pro­duces GOOD in, and for us.

"My brethren, count it all joy whenl'c fall into divers temptationJ"-alter­nate translation: "trials." "Knowing this,that the trying of your faith workethpatience" (Jas. 1: 2-3).

"Beloved, think it not strange COt1­

(Please continue on page 12)

NUMBER 2VOL. IX

International magazine of

TIlE CHURCH OF GODministering to its members

scattered abroad

Herbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and Editor

Garner Ted ArmstrongExecutive EditorHerman 1. HoehManaging Editor

Roderick C. MeredithAssociate Editor

SO M E seem to think c.», people

never encounter difficulties, meettrials or tests, but are blessed con­

tinually with smooth sailing!Because this great and important

work of God, conducted through Hiscalled human servants, has had to sur­vive a long and severe series of crisesand tests of faith, a few used to con­clude, "Well, if it has met with sometrouble, and is in a crisis, I guess itisn't God's work after all. I guess Godhas deserted it." And then they pro­ceeded promptly to desert it them­selves, just when it needed their helpthe most!

Does the Bible teach smooth sailingfor true Christians whom God is using?Did the men of God, whose lives pleasedGod, as recorded in the Bible, haveonly an easy time of it, or were theyconstantly meeting trials, tests, troublesof every sort-being continually forcedto cry out to God for deliverance?

Listen to God's own instruction:"MANY are the afflictions of the

rigbteons: but the Eternal deliverethhim out of them all" (Psalm 34: 19).

"For I was envious of the arrogant,when I saw the prosperity of the wicked,

They arc not in trouble as otherm.ur , , , Behold these are the ungodlywho prosper in the world; they increaseIII riches .. , For all the day long I havebeen plagued, and chastened everymorning" (Ps. 73: 3-14) .

Your Part •ill God's Work

Thousands of you brethren have asked about this question. AsChrist's own gospel encircles the world, the true answer becomes

vitally important! You must KNOW-and ACT!by Roderick C. Meredith

I s YOUR life literally filled with a dy­namic, pulsating, driving PURPOSE?If not, WHY)

Your life Jhcm/d be JU paclzed. withinterest and activity that you begrudgeeven the few hours which you necessari­ly must spend in bed asleep. Is yourlife that exciting? Is it full of that kindof cballenge?

Whelher yOLl realize il or not, yout'DESTINY has been to be placed as amember of the most important team onearth! This team has the JiZOJt importan;job on earth to do. Every Jingle mem­ber is VITALLY needed! On offense andon defense, every position on this teamis imporhmt.

There should NEVER be any "benchwarmers" on this team. The rule booksays that every member mus: be an AC­TIVE partlapant sn the strngg]«. Anymember who lags too far behind orwho quits will be dropped from there-am roster. Victory mast be achievedat all costs!

Christ's Body

The body of Jesus Christ is the "tearn'

described.The apostle Paul told the saints at

Corinth, "Now ye are the body ofChrist, and members in particular" (ICor. 12: 27). Except in Spirit, Jesus isnot here on earth any more. The workHe began mtist be carried on by othersas HiJ human instrrcments.

Jesus committed His work to Hischurch to carryon. That is why Paulcalls the church Christ's "body." It is theorganism through which Christ can nowcarry out His work. To do rhis tremen­dous joh, Christ's church must be total­ly consecrated to its calling. It mustwork with clJlZamic ZEAL and rely withimplicit faith in the POWER of GodHimself to remove otherwise impassablebarriers.

You and I did not as]: to be called atthis crucial time, brethren. This is God'sdoing. We in God's Church cannot patourselves on the back for having had ourminds opened to so much of God's pre­cious trttth.

On the other hand, we dare not shirkthe solemn reJ!)()lZJibilitJ which comeswith this knowledge. God has called usto be members of Christ's body-the or­ganism through which the work of thegospel mest be accomplished.

When JOu were baptized, your old"self" was symbolically buried in a wa­tery grave. You acknowledged thatChrist paid [or you, and you gave yourvery LIFE to Him. If you are reallyconverted, then "ye are DEAD, and yourlife is hid with Christ in God" (Col.3:3).

You are no longer to think of yourlife, your time, and your talents as yourown any more. Rather, you should regardthem as belonging to [esus ChriJt-whohas bought and paid for your life withHis perfect life. As the apostle Paulwrote, "For ye are bought with a price:therefore glorify God in your body,and in your spirit, which are God's"(I Cor. 6:20).

Your body-your very sel], then,should be given completely to God asan instrument through which He canwork. '

Have you ever thought of it that way?May God help you to do so if you everintend to get into the kingdom of God!You mus: prove your toillingness to letGod TOTALLY direct your life.

Consider yourself, then, a member ofChrist's body-a member of the mostimportant team on earth.

Our Mission

In our day, Christ's church is calledupon to fulfill prophecy. In describingthe very closing events of this age justbefore His return, Jesus prophesied,"And this gospel of the kingdom shallbe preached in all the world for a wit­ness unto all nations; and then shallthe end come" (Mat. 24: 14).

If we are Christ's church-His bod}',then we must yield ourselves complete­ly to Him as instruments in carryingout this mission. In addition to this gen­eral commission, we must particularlywarn Israel and other nations of theircoming judgments for sin. And, whennecessary, we must raise up churchesand "feed the flock" who are alreadyconverted.

In carrying out this world-wide mis­sion, a great many different kinds oftalent must be employed, and a greatdeal of sacrifice must be made by eachand every member of Christ's church.Some must sacrifice by giving their en­tire time and lives to this work. Othersmust give part of their time to activeservice, and employ the rest of their

time and talents in a manner which willaid further in carrying out the gospel.

Eueryone in God's church must con­sider their part in the work of Christ astheir highest calling-theit' supremePURPOSE in life. Each must work, andstudy, and pray, and sacrifice daily toachieve this great purpose. The magni­tude of this calling should fill everyreal Christian's life with a driving pUt'­pose and zeal in life.

Our purpoJe is to reach this ENTIREEARTH with a vital message. It is theonly message of real HOPE for a worldwhich is on the verge of total chaos.Our mission is to act as Ambassadors­as representatives----of Christ, and to letHim use us in warning this world ofapproaching doom, and in telling themthe good neuis of the world tomorrow.

1£ any member of Christ's body failsto bear his full share of the load, theaccomplishment of this mission is im­peded and del~yed_ If you are really inGod's church and guided by His Spirit,you will recognize both the responsi­bility and the opportunity given you.Huw do you stack up to it? Are youdoing JOUt' full share?

Important Jobs

As God opens more great DOORS forthe proclaiming of His message, anincreasing number of active positionsin God's work continually open up to

our young men and women who arebeing trained at Ambassador. But Jesussaid, "The harvest truly is plenteous,but the labourers are few" (Mat. 9: 37) .And the injunction to pt'ay is more im­portant today than ever: "Pray ye there­fore the Lord of the harvest, that he willsend forth labourers into his harvest"(verse 38).

Yes, PRAY that God will provide theservants for His work! He knoios thehearts of men-and He alone can callthe ones with both the ability and theright spirit to fill positions in His ever­growing work. Are you praying as Jesuscommanded?

Different Gifts

In Romans 12: 1-8, the apostle Paulexhorts the saints at Rome, "Presentyour bodies a li/'ing sacriitce, holy, ac­ceptable unto God, which is your rea­sonable service" (verse 1). He goes onto instruct them not to become vain

Page 6

over allY spiritual gihs, bur co remem­ber that it was all "according as God hathdealt to every man the measure of faith"(verse 3).

Paul reminds them that they "are onebody in Christ" (verse 5).

He then speaks of their various op­portunities for service as gifts. lV"hatlire these opportunities for actively serv­ing God? Do we have these opportuni­ties today?

Paul first mcntious the gifts pertain­ing to the ministry. These involve a spe­cial calling of God and special trainingsuch as all of God's servants had. Godhas opened up Ambassador College inour day to provide the trained ministryneeded in this world-wide gospel cru­sade by tad io and the printing press.We should all pray earnestly that Godwill send here those whom He has calledfor His work.

Teaching is the next gift Paul men­tions. As local churches are formed,elders who understand and can teachthe Word of God are needed. Paul wasinspired to write Timothy, "This is atrue saying, If a man desire the office ofa bishop (or elder), he desireth a goodwork" (1 Tim 3: 1). An elder mustmeet all the scriptural requirements,and prove himself worthy of this trust.He must be "apt to teach." But he mayrejoice in being pi i vilegcd to act ivelyserve in the Church of God.

The next gift mentioned in Romans12 is that of exhortation. This is a giftparticularly employed by the ministry,but also should be exercised by the localelders, teachers, and even brethren whoshould be "exhorting one another" to befaithful as we see the day of Christ'sreturn approaching (Heb. 10:25)"

All these gifts mentioned here fit intothe same pattern as those described in ICorinthians l2. But in this particularchapter (Romans l2) Paul is describingthese functions of service to explainbo u we may present our bodies a "liv­ing sacrifice" as He commanded in verseone. Real Christians, then, are to devotetheir very liues as a liz'il1gracriji(e inzealously exercising these gifts. Theseare the !i'tlp in which we can be activeinstruments in God's hands.

Now we come to another most iui­porrant gift. It is also a precious oppor­tunity for active service to God. It is agift which many of you brethren havebeen failing to exercise when you could'It is a VITAL gift. It MUST be under­stood and zealously employed if we areto continue to he God's insrrnmcnrs incarryins; His message to all the world 1

The Neglected Gift

You brcrhrcn Inay not realize it, butC\Tn after we are converted most of usstill have a wrong sense of values. This

The GOOD NEWS

is replaced only gradually by God'sstandard. We have to study and to becaught God's Word for a long timebefore we come to have the mind ofChrist in viewing material objects andcircumstances.

That is precisely why most of us havenot understood and leaped at the chanceto exercise the next gift mentioned inRomans 12.

Paul commands: "He that GIVETH,let him do it with simplicity" (verse8). All modern translations show that"simplicity" should be translated liber­tzlity.

Yes, God inspired the apostle Paulto write that GIVING was a definitepart of the spiritual ministry. He de­scribes this opportunity for service as a"gift" from God. The giver) Paul says, isto be LIBERAL.

Why haven't most of you ever thoughtof it in this light before?

HERE'S WHY! The America we haveall grown up in has been described as"the most materialistic nation on earth."In this capitalistic society, we havelearned to lust for money and the ma­terial thing.r money will buy. We almostunconsciously look with suspicion onany religious or charitable enterprisethat calls on us to contribute, but doesn'toffer an immediate materiel result inreturn.

Whether you realize it or not, money-and the material things it will buy­has become the GOD of most Americans.Many visitors from foreign nations no­tice this and remark about it.

And GOD knows it too! In Malachi:;:6-12, God speaks to the "sons ofJacob"-to America and Britain today­to you! "Willa man rob God? Yet youhave robbed me. But ye say, Whereinhave we robbed thee? In tithes AN [) OF­

FERINGS" (verse 8).Tragic as it seems, brethren, a few of

you, who have actually been baptizedand supposedly converted, changed, andfilled with God's Holy Spirit, have beenFAILING to heed this solemn warningro modern Israel! Some of yOll havefailed to pay your full tithe regularly tothe only work which is carrying Christ'smessage to the world.

Many of you have failed to givelij!erilZgJ according as God has blessedyou. You have failed to obey God's com­mand to give LIBERALLY.

Because of human tendency to wor­ship money and regard it as your "se­curity," many have failed to exerciserheir God-given "gift" of GIVING gen­erously of their perishable material treas­LIre that God's work miuhr reach all ofsuffering humanity. Y(;~l just haven",(hought of this function as a special"gift"-a special opportttility and re­Jponsibility to actively serve God.

February, 19(,0

Should We Apologize?

Should God's ministers have to apolo­gize for the necessity of telling youthese vital u uihs? Should we feel likescoundrels for showing you what Godsays about the use you should make ofyour material wealth? Should we feelguilty?

Just who is GUlLTY~Frankly, brethren, although Mr. Arm­

strong knows he has to, he butes to haveto write urgent co-worker letters askingfor money for God's work.

But should he get out of the ministryto make money? Would this help God'swork?

All of you brethren should well knowby the "fruits" that God has called Mr.Armstrong to a job in this work whichis growing so big it is more than he canIJlttnmz1y take care of. But who has Godcalled to help provide- the money whichis so necessary in carrying out His work?

As God's work now reaches out toall inhabited continents with increasingpower, Mr. Armstrong and all of God'sservants in this work have much moreto do t b.rn can hUJllmzly be accomplisbed.We feel whipped and beaten at timesby the staggering load of work whichwe face each day. We have to ask Godfor more strength and faith to carry ourload.

But beloved brethren, Ice CANNOTcarry your load as well!

You must understand your part in ex­ercising the "gift" of giving and theother gifts and functions you may per­form in God's church. And you mustACT with zeal and faith!

So be cognizant of the extreme im­portance of exercising the gift of GIV­ING.

However, at al] times perform dili­gemly and zealot/sly those functionswhich you can in God's work. God maybe using your zeal in those duties as agauge of what you could do if a greaterresponsibility were placed on your shoul­ders. Jesus said, "He that is faithful inthat which is least is faithful also inmuch" (Luke 16: 10).

It is our solemn RESPONSIBILITY toshoulder the financial burden of pro­claiming God's messagf' to all nations.But it is also our great prioilege, if wewill only understand Jesus' words, "Itis more blessed to GIVE than to receive"(Acts 20: 35). He set the example bygiving His very life for you and me.

Here's How

But we are to present our bodies as a"Ii/'iug sacrifice." One way some of ourmore zealous brethren have glorifiedGod in exercising the gift of giving isthis: Realizing that their tithes and of-

(Please continue on ptlge 12)

The Australian Office Open at Last!Read how God was in charge of circumstances which led up to theopening of our office in the land "doum under" at a most significant

time!

by Gerald Waterhouse

Room Number 7 in the "MCl" Building, North Sydney, December 24th, 1959:

GREETI N GS, brethren of the Churchof God throughout the world inthe name of Jesus Christ our

Lord and Saviour and the HEAD of thisChurch, from the land "down under"­Australia!

This grt:t:ting is being typed in thewonderful new otIice God opened up forus here in Sydney. In fact, this is thefirst work I am privikged to do in mynew office and this is being done on amost significant date-s-December 24th!

This date was specifically chosen byGod as the day in which He would openup this olficc to us! Why? Yes, why didGod choose the 24th instead of the 23rdor some other day in this month? And,why was it Goers will that this workcommence from this place in December,the twelfth month?

These questions arc important, youneed to know the answers! The answershelp to prove just how powerful andactive the !leAD of this Church, JesusChrist, is! Here is further proof of howaware God is of His Work and thoseof us through whom He is now working.

Why Relate This Information?

Brethren, do you know that Godwants us to come to know more aboutthe Body of Jesus Christ, His Church,and the work He is doing through itso we can come to trust Him more? Yes,so we may know mort: for which we canpraise our Heavenly Father and HisSon, Jesus Christ! This has always beentrue.

For this reason, Paul reported to thedifferent churches those things whichGod had done through him. You canread how Paul rehearsed various deedsGod had done through him for thechurches in ACts 14:27 and Acts 15:4. Inthese accounts, Paul explained how Godhad done 111;111Y things through him andhad opened up a door to the Gentiles.As a result, the people came to under­stand more of the great God they wereserving. And, since God the Father andJesus Christ don't change, they want usto follow these examples. Consequently,vou need to know the many times Godhas miraculously intervened to openthis door in Australia and how theseinterventions have left a continual flowof S\t;NS which placed His "stamp of

approval" on this very work of whichYOU are a part.

What Kind of Signs Today?

God promised that signs would fol­low His true people today (Mark16: 18). But, since the conditions underwhich we serve are so different fromthe early New Testament Church, thesigns aren't always the same. We are notgoing through wilc1ernesses in whichwe are exposed to serpents as was truewith Paul and others (Acts 28:3).Neither are we, at present, placed incircumstances where we would be ex­posed to poisonous drink, nor are wegoing about raising up the dead whichwould bring quick persecution on thechurch in this time when God is gettingthe Gospel out to the whole world as aWITNESS to all nations.

No! God isn't giving the signs toprove to the OUTSIDER that we are Hisservants. This was done 1110re before theScriptures were fully written and com­mitted to the Church. Now, it is a mat­ter of their believing what we proclaimis in the Bible BY CHECKING IT FOR

THEMSELVES. The one thing God isgoing to require of everyone is to cometo rely on His Word INSTEAD of onphysical circumstances. Today, the wholeworld is relying on every external thingimaginable instead of on God's Word.Therefore, the signs God is, giving to­day are not for the outsider ~ but for uswho have already proved from His Wordthat He is and that He is a rewarder ofthose who diligently serve Him.

God Controls Circumstances

In the past, I have heard Mr. andMrs. Armstrong relate many of theirexperiences of how God made it pos­sible for them to make a train, ship orplane at the very last minute or meet adeadline in spite of how hopeless andimpossible it may have appeared. Littledid I realize, when hearing these won­derful experiences related, that I, too,would have the privilege to experiencethings of a similar nature.

But, in setting up the Australianoffice, God had in mind ways of leadingMr. Ted Armstrong, Mr. Frank Long­uskic and me through circumstanceswhich would not only demonstrate His

might, power, wisdom and continualguidance but would also force us to

learn to more fully rely on Him for ourevery need. God brings these seeminglyimpossible circumstances about to makeus rely on Him and not on ourselves­to strengthen our faith! (II Cor. 1: 8­10). At the very outset of our trip toAustralia, God had a few such trialsplanned for us. Let me tell you aboutour first real big trial and how God de­livered us through seemingly impossiblecircumstances and the great joy ex­perienced by us once God had deliveredus.

A Change in Flights Planned

Originally, we were scheduled toleave Los Angeles for Honolulu at 2:00p.m., on November 9th. However, thiswould not have been significant nu­merically; therefore, God caused cir­cumstances to arise which forced us tochange our plans so that He could workout the wonderful numerical patternsas a sign to His Church that He isdirectly in control of things.

How did He bring this about? Theanswer is amazing' Here it is.

God saw that the Australian Consu­lar Office in San Francisco did notissue us visas in time to make possiblethe scheduled flight Out of Los Angeles.This happened in spite of all of ourhuman efforts.1fr. Ted Armstrong madeseveral long distance telephone calls tothe Australian Consular Office in SanFrancisco, but to no avail. They wouldnot issue us visas to enter Australia forbusiness purposes until they receivedauthorization from Canberra, the Capitalof Australia, in response to a letter Mr.Ted Armstrong had sent them severalweeks before. This authorization hadnot come in spite of the fact that Mr.Armstrong sent a cable which was fol­lowed by a long distance telephone con­versation with an official in Canberra.

By Monday morning, November 9th,it was too late for the San Franciscooffice to notify the British ConsularOffice in Los Angeles to issue our visasin time to make our flight. We made aquick change in our plans. We boardedthe first plane to San Francisco, to con­tact the Australian Consular Officialsin person. If visas could be issued Mon-

Page 8

day afternoon in rime to catch a JetBight out of San Francisco that evening,we still could connect with the sameBight we were scheduled to pick up inHonolulu. This flight to San Franciscowas made on faith. Mr. Ted Armstrongfirst called the Consular Office in SanFrancisco by telephone. They advisedliS not to come. They had not receivedauthorization at that time.

However, we were determined. Wewere rrusr ing God to work out circum­stances. We knew that if this flightwere missed it might be weeks beforereservations for three could again bemade for Australia.

In God's Plan, certain numbers havegreat significance. It seems incredible,but notice the amazing recurrence ofGod's significant numbers.

The flight to San Francisco left theairport in Los Angeles at 12:00 noonand the flight was United 624 whichadds to 12. Why is the number twelveimportant?

The number 12 is used throughoutthe Bible by God in reference to enter­ing into a growing work or project.There were the twelve tribes of Israeland the twelve disciples. Each of thesegroups of twelve was a group whichGod used in commencing a great work~the nation Israel and the Church. Inthis era of the Church, God caused Mr.Armstrong to purchase the Pasadenacampus in the tlUelfth year of the broad­casting work, to commence an expan­Ji01l of ibis uor]: which is encirclingthe earth today! So, the number twelvesignifies a beginning.'

Very evidently, Gud wanted to showLIS that this initial Bight from Los An­geles was to be the very beginning of asizable work here in Australia. A greatdeal to follow will clearly demonstratethis. Right now, however, let us go onwith what happened after we left LosAngeles at this vital hour of tu/elce andon a flight which added up to twelve.

When we entered the office of theclerk in San Francisco, about 2: 45 p.m.,she informed us that authorization fromCanberra had arrived! Immediately, wethought our problem had been solved.However, the clerk informed us that itwould be impossible for them to issue usvisas that afternoon. We were told thatMr. Longuskie and I would have tohave medical examinations by a recog­nized physician and have X-rays made ofour chests by a specialist. Not only werewe to obtain reports on these two exam­inations but we were also to produce theX-ray film In addition, all of this had tobe accomplished in time for LIS to beback in her office by ;j: 30 p.m. the sameafternoon!

This appeared impossible. By the

The GOOD NEWS

time we had completed filling in severalrequired forms, it was about 3: 30 p.m.That left us only one hour to locate aphysician, receive medical examinations,and find an X-ray Specialist who couldtake X-rays, produce a report and thefilms. The lady clerk said it would beutterly impossible. Believing this, shecommitted herself by saying she wouldprocess the applications if all of the re­quirements could be met and we wereback in her office by 4: 30 p.m. We weredetermined, trusting God to intervene.

We left the Australian ConsularOffice about 3: 30 p.m. with the tele­phone number of a physician given tous by this clerk. Whether or not shedeliberately planned this we don't know,but she gave us a wrong prefix to thenumber of the physician. But God in­tervened by enabling Mr. Armstrong tocontact an operator who immediatelygave him the right number!

God must have given us favor in thisphysician's eyes because he not onlyagreed to rush these medical examina­tions through but also informed Mr.Armstrong that he would contact afriend of his-who was in the sameMedical Arts Building-who was anX-ray Specialist. If he could take us forX-rays immediately, we could go bythere, get the X-rays, then come on upto his office for our medicals while theX-ray film were being dried and the re­ports made out. (It just so happenedrha t this X-ray Specialist had just in­stalled new machines three monthsearlier which dries X-ray film in fiveminutes; with the old machines, it tookhours, This had to be the type specialistGod would lead us to or we could norhave had this requirement fulfilled with­in the one hour liruir-c--providenrial?)

When these things were done, we hadonly about ten minutes to get out ofthe Medical Arts Building, throughseveral blocks of pedestrians at such abusy time of the afternoon, and up tothe fourth floor of the building in whichthe Consulate is located, in order tomeet the deadline! Mr. Longuskie didsome of his dressing~putting on histie and coat~while on the run! Weliterally ran at every opportunity.

There is a good object lesson for all ofLIS in this. We must strive to enter theKingdom of God. That means there is alot we must do ourselves and not justexpect God to do it all for us~God

does for us what we are unable to dofor ourselves. We must have the zealof the Eternal motivating LIS at all times.We must get this Gospel out to thisentire world within just a few moreyears.

There is no time to just wait untileverything is nice and convenient and

February, 1960

then "walk through the door."By the time we reached the Consular

Office we were breathing very rapidly!BUT, with God's help, we made it on

time!It was exactly 4: 30 p.m. What would

normally take several hours or days-s­to get appointments with two leadingprofessional men, get X-rays with filmand reports, get written medical exam­inations, etc., in a strange city wheremost people have to wait for hours,quite often, just to see a physician-s-Godmade possible in just one hour! Breth­ren, do you see God's hand in this?That clerk thought it would be impos­sible!

She had a look of astonishment onher face when she saw us return andheard the words "we have everythingcompleted and here with us" come fromus! Since she had already committedherself, she had to process our applica­tions or "lose face."

You can imagine, I am sure, the greatjoy and happiness we shared afterwardand how we could praise God for whatHe had done.

On Our Way at Last

At about 1: 30 a.m., November LOth,we were finally aboard a Qantas Air­lines Roeing 707 Jet, heading for Honolulu, Canton, Fiji and SYDNEY! Thelong-awaited time had arrived, it wasnow apparent that God's time had comeLO open up an office in Australia. Whenwe left Los Angeles, we were notabsolutely sure that God was going tomake a way possible for this trip tomaterialize. We were just going onfaith and if God showed us throughcircumstances that the trip was to bedeferred for awhile, a trip back to Pasa­dena would be made where we wouldwait until God opened up the way byseeing that visas were issued.

However, God knew from the outsetthat He was going to open up the wayfor us to acquire visas and be on ourway by the morning of rhe l Oth. Weknow this no u as we look back on theevents as they transpired and see thatGod set the pattern of twelves throughour flight from Los Angeles to SanFrancisco (by making it possible forLIS to leave at exactly 12: 00 noon andon flight 624~a number which totalstwelve-e--) instead of on the flight fromSan Francisco to Sydney.

Because of our limited understandingof what God's will was, we Lhougln theflight from San Francisco was the ini­tial flight. Actually, it was llot until wearrived in Sydney and looked back onour trip that we discerned the flightout of Los Angeles was the real begi».ning of the trip.

February, 1960

God Delays Flight

God governs this universe and itsinhabitants! He inspired Solomon towrite, "The king's heart is a stream ofwater in the hand at the Lord; he turnsit wherever he will" (Prov. 21: 1 RSV).As we look back on the various delaysour plane had, we can see that God wascausing men to do just what He hadpurposed. The plane was delayed abourtwo hours in London due to fog beforewe boarded it in San Francisco. Afterwe were aboard, there were several moredelays. When we landed in Honoluluand had regained our scheduled time,we expected to board the plane againand continue our Hight.

But, time kept passing until therewas an announcement made that theplane would be delayed. Repairs werenecessary on the radio antennae. Finally,they managed to complete the repairsand we were on our way-after abouta four or five hour delay.

Our next stop was on Canton Island.We had a brief SLOp on this coral reefin the Pacific. Here, we went out on apontoon pier and became so absorbedin the various fish we could spot in thebeautifully dear water that we remained8. little longer than we realized. Becauseof this, we were almost the cause ofanothor delay! \'{le made it to the planeJUSt as all announcement was beingmade for the missing passengers to comeaboard!

From Canton Island, our next stopwas at the Nandi Airport on the Islandof Fiji. This was a very interesting placeand we were taken on a short sight­seeing tour in the vicinity of the air­port. This seemed to be a special tripwhich isn't ordinary practice of theairlines. And, after the short tour, wewere given additional refreshments­they were needed, as Fiji isuery warmand humid.

Later, when the passengers had drunktheir refreshments and were becomingvery restless by not hearing a call to re­turn to the plane, there was an announce­ment made to the effect that the planewould be delayed approximately four­teen bottrs due to difficulty with someof the landing-gear apparatus! In orderto repair the landing gear properly,Qantas Airlines was sending a mechanicfrom Sydney to do the job. Because ofthe time it would take for him to reachFiji and perform the work, we wouldnot be able to leave before 7 a.m. thefollowing day. As a result of this delay,Qanras was very busy providing us withan afternoon meal and finding hotelrooms for all of rhe passengers ill thenearby towns.

After a few frustrating circumstances,

The GOOD NEWS

we were sent by taxi to the LautokaHotel in Lautoka, a city about fortymiles from Nandi.

In this city, we spent a very interest­ing evening and night before returningto the plane the following morning at7 a.m. It was at this hotel in Lautokathat a very amusing incident occurredwhich some of the brethren in Califor­nia heard related by Mr. Ted Armstrongafter his return from Sydney. When wewere finished with the main course ofour dinner and were looking over themenu for a dessert, Mr. Ted Armstrongnoticed that one item listed was called"angels on horseback." JUSt to see whatsort of dish they would serve under sucha. name way out in the Pacific, he de­cided to order these "angels on horse­back." When he was served we wereso amused at what we saw that we hadto laugh! For on his plate, we beheldthis fantastic concoction-"angels onhorseback"! What were they?

They were little clam or muscle-typesea animals, sirn ilar to an oyster butdarker, wrapped in bacon! The looksof this hideous concoction and the ex­pression on the face of Mr. Armstrongwhen he received this instead of whathe thought might be some sort of anice cream and fruit dish was more thancan be described on paper. Suffice it tosay that it was all so comical to us thatwe had to take these "things" up to ourroom so Mr. Longuskie, the "official"photographer, could take pictures ofthem to show some of the brethrenback home! And, in the process of thispicture taking (which we were reallycnjoying ) , a native maid came in totake down the mosquito netting. Shealmost didn't stay to perform her jobwhen she hehelcl Mr. T.onguskiestretched out on the bed with hiscamera on top of the trash can whichwas turned upside down on the bed­to steady the camera for a long expo­sure shot-taking a picture of these"angels on horseback." They were ona small table under a lamp beside thebed. Had we been able to take a pic­ture of the expression of this maidwhen she entered (In Fiji the doorsto the rooms were covered with drapesand the employees were very informalabout coming into the rooms-this ladyjust came in without knocking-itmight have proved just as interestingas the "angels on horseback."

Australia at Last

On the morning of the 12th of No­vember, we left Nandi at about 7: 30a.m. for Sydney, arriving here at about9: 30 a.m.-the flight took four hours,but there is a time change of twohours between Fiji and Sydney.

Page 9

Yes, on the 12th of November, adate worked out by God so that thisamazing pattern of twelves could con­tinue. Little did we realize when thesede~ays were occurring that they werebeing brought about by Almighty God.However, as we took a retrospectivelook, we could see that these delaysmust have been God's doing or theperfect pattern would not have beenworked out.. ~od does see fit to work out manyincidents according to a numerical pat­tern to give us more assurance He is,,:ith us in what is being done-espe­cially, when it is a work in a new area.We don't go around looking for nu­merical patterns, but when they arenoticed it is surely comforting to knowGod is with us in what is being done.

Before explaining the events as theyh.ave occurred in Australia, I want to sayright here that things were done quick­er and in a far greater manner than Ihad even imagined, much less expected.But, you will see as these events arerelated that God goes far beyond whatwe expect. That is why He inspiredPaul to write, "Now unto Him that isable to do exceeding abundantly aboveall that we ask or think, according tothe power that worketh in us" (Eph.3:20) .

The day after we arrived, we hadan interview with Mr. R. K. Harris,the Superintendent of Country Broad­c,",sting Services for Amalgamated Wire­less Australasia (AW A) -the companythrough which we acquire radio time.From Mr. Harris we learned many vitalthings to help us better understand thesituation here in Australia, as well asabout reputable concerns which wecould contact. God seems to alwaysmake it possible for His servants toI~eet just the right people to make pos­SIble the furtherance of His Work! Too,by the time we arrived, God had openedexactly 12 radio stations to six nightsa week broadcasting-another patternto better demonstrate God's wisdompower and guidance over His Work a~He carries it out through us on thisearth.

Following this first full day of ac­tivity in Sydney, we were privileged tokeep our first Sabbath in Australia thefirst one kept in Australia by any ofGod's people from His Headquarters!

The two following weeks were filledwith activity. We were blessed witha new automobile, a Holden StationSedan, which is absolutely necessary tocarry our our work here, and a car thatcouldn't have been purchased so easilyhad we not had Mr. Harris of "AW A"as a business reference. During thesecond week, God moved swiftly in

Page 10

bringing us co JUSt the right buildingin which He had chosen that His officebe established-"The Mutual Life andCitizens' Assurance Company Limited,"referred to as the "MLC Building.

I was almost staggered when we firstcame to this building as I saw the many,many advantages it offered that I didn'tknow even existed in Sydney. Advan­tages which I saw were viral to effec­tively carry om God's Work over hereand ones which were not so conven­iently situated for us when in London.Right here, I saw that many hourscould be saved by being located in sucha nice building, situated close to a postoffice and a bank-both just across thestreet from the "MLC" Building! Notonly did we have a post office and bankideally situated but we also had a ga­rage in the basement of the buildingwhich would solve our problems ofcoping with the critical parking prob­lem existing here.

Another great blessing in being givenrhis building is that it is out of the veryheavily congested business district ofSydney, just across the harbor; yet, wecan easily reach the center of Sydneyby train in about ten minutes. Our of­fice space was opened to us in the 12thmonth and on the 24th day of thatmonth (2xI2)!

Mr. Ted Armstrong arrived with uson November 12th and he left us onNovember 24th (2x12)-he was inAustralia exactly 12 days! And, to

show his work in coming to Australiawas completed or had been brought toperfection, God worked it out so thathe arrived back in Pasadena from Hawaiion December 28th (4x7) - a patternof l's! Could these amazing patterns bejust coincidental ~

We went to the post office in NorthSydney, requesting box number 111.We learned, however, that this numberwas taken by a business WhICh wouldprobably not want to give it up. Too,we learned that they don't pronounceit "one, one, one" over here as we doin the United States but, rather, "one,double one." Because of this factoralong with knowing box III was taken,we were trying to decide which num­ber would be most suitable when, allof a sudden, a clerk called us over ina most enthusiastic manner, explainingthat he had a box number we wouldprobably want and one which wouldbe very easy for people to remember­box 345! Several things mnsr haveflashed through Mr. Ted Armstrong'smind, for he readily accepted the box-­such things as, this is an easy number10 remember and it "dd.f up to 12. Afterwe left the post office, we continuedour discussion of what we thought the

The GOOD NEWS

size of the work over here might be,when, all of a sudden, it seemed tocome to all of us that God had givenus this box number-a number whichadds up to 12-as an indication weare entering into a sizable work herein Australia! Let us all pray that thisis exactly what God was showing us!

It was just a few minutes after thison the 24th of November, and just ashort while before Mr. Ted Armstrongwas scheduled to leave for Honoluluthat we started discussing numericswhile eating our last meal together.During our discussion, some of thesevery things about which I am nowwriting started to come to us one rightafter the other. It wasn't that we werethinking along this line and trying to

figure something out during the twelvedays Mr. Armstrong was with us. It justseemed that God kept our minds offthese things until the very last momentand then let us see their significance.

Brethren, can your minds fathom thegreatness of the Head of this Church,Jesus Christ? Can you see how activeHe has been in establishing this Aus­tralian work? These numerical patternshave been but a small demonstration ofGod's concern for His work and for usas we strive to let Him use us. Yes,Christ is concerned about fulfilling HisFather's commission of getting the Gos­pel of the Kingdom of God to thiswhole world, as a witness to all nations,THROUGH US, before the end of thisage comes! Through ALL OF us! I sayall of us because you are a viral partof this Body through which AlmightyGod is working! Your prayers, tithes,offerings and good examples are vital

Garner Ted Armstrong and GeraldWaterhouse on pier in lagoon onCanton Isle on their way to Australia.

February, 1960

to this work! You must recognize yourpart and be busy performing it! Prayeris a vital work each one of us mustbe busily performing day and nightuntil we are finally in God's holy King­dom!

My last Sabbath in Pasadena, Cali­fornia was one in which I was privi­leged to give the sermon. My sermonwas on "PRAYER" because I was veryconscious of how much the prayers ofthe entire Church meant to the successof this work God was sending us toopen up in Australia! In this sermon,I read where Aarou was required totake "his hands full of sweet incensebeaten small" when he entered the Holyof Holies to appear before God (Lev.16: 12). This was a type of the heavenlythings (Heb. 8:4-5). This "sweet in­cense" which Aaron took before Godpictured the prayers of the saints asthey are offered up through Jesus toour Heavenly Father (Rev. 5:8 and Rev.8: 3). This shows us that as saints ofGod we must be praying people! Butwhat kind of prayers are they to be?They must be "sweet" or offered upwith thanksgiving and joy (Phil. 1:4and 4: 6). And, in addition to beingoffered up with thanksgiving and joy,they must be "beaten small-c-that is,in detail, covering all the needs of theWork of God, and thanking God in ajoyful manner for those things He hasdone for His Work and for all of us.Are you doing your part in fulfillingthis responsibility God has committedto you as a member of the Body ofJesus Christ?

A few days after we were here andhad witnessed how God had led us tojust the right people-how we weregivcn favor in the eyes of those withwhom we dealt-how an office andhome were opening up, Mr. Ted Arm­strong turned to me in our hotel roomone evening and said, 'The people backhome are really taking heed to yoursermon. They are really offering upprayers which are beaten fine."-Hewent on to say, "They are really pray­ing for all of our needs over here, theresults prove it!" Yes, we three cantruly see what it means to have a pray­ing church behind us when we go todistant areas of this world to carry outthe work of God! It is vety reassuringto have this confidence of mind whenone is in a place where he is constantlyin need of the interventions of Almighty~nd All-powerful God.

PLEASE! Don't YOU ever be one whofails to shoulder bis part of this greatload we have been called to carry! Letus forever keep in mind what God hasdone for us. Let's remember bou­mighty are His WONDERS (Dan. 4: 3).

February, 1960 The GOOD NEWS Page 11

Your questions anstaet ed in IheJ e columns] Y uur opportunity 10 havediscussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's Church.

Should You VOW?(Continued from page 2)

not to vow. It is to safeguard them that examples which show how God judgesGod made parents responsible for chil- the taking of vows.dren, husbands responsible for wives Specific Examples.mc] the ministers responsible for God'sChurch. God makes it the responsibility Let us suppose that before you be-of those who are spiritually more mature came converted you vowed to give yourto judge matters for those who are tithe to a Church which you laterspiritually less mature. found was not God's Church. Is that

Some of you may have taken vows. vow binding? Consider. The tithe isAre those vows binding) Here are some God's. It belongs to Him. God has

Q;jesttonturned His tithe over for the work ofHis ministers in His Church. Any falsechurch which masquerades as the TrueChurch of God and requires the titheof its people is obtaining that titheunder fraud and false pretense. Such avow is fraudulently obtained and notbinding. Tithes should be paid to Godthrough His true called representatives.

Bur suppose you vow to donate acertain sum of money, as an offering,to a yourh center. Is such a vow bind­ing? There is nothing directly statedin the Bible forbidding the building ofyouth centers. Your donation may dosome good for young boys and girlswho might otherwise become delin­quents. Perhaps now that you under­stand far more of the truth you wouldnot have made the donation in the firstplace, but since your vow was not initself sin, you are bound to keep yourvow. (Compare this with the principlein Psalm 15: 4, last part.) Now let ustake another example.

A young man finds that the fellowswith whom he has kept company drinkbeer to excess. After becoming inter­ested in religion he decides he willnever again touch beer. He makes avow to that effect. Is such a vow bind­ing? If the young fellow is away fromhome, earning his own living and isresponsible directly to himself, that vowis binding. Of course, if he wele ayoung fellow at home and his fatherwas responsible for the family, thenIt could become his father's decision torescind the vow. But if the father didnot disapprove when hearing of it, thatvow would become binding.

Now another person may take a vownever to touch any alcoholic beveragesat any time. This person may haveheard his minister stare that "wine is asin"! According to the teaching of theBible, wine is not a sin. The wronguse of wine is a sin. Jesus used wineat the Passover. The true New TestamentChurch always uses wine at the Pass­over or communion service. Since itis a spiritual requirement that we shouldtake a little wine in remembrance ofChrist's blood shed for our sins, theperson taking a foolish vow never totouch alcoholic beverages is not re­quired by God to keep thet uoio. God'sministry has the power to rescind sucha vow since the ministers are spirituallymature enough to know what God re­quires. The person taking such a vowwas misled by spiritual immaturity. He<lid not know what God required. Hethought that any use of alcoholic bev­erages was a sin. That was a mistake.God can forgive his rash vow.

Here is another common example.With more zeal than wisdom, somemen and women vow never to cut

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WOllH::lI also, who trusted God, adornedthemselves, being in subjection untotheir own husbands" (I Pet. 3:3-5) .

Certainly, controversies will come upin families if they disagree on religion.In such a case, the wife must obeyGod rather than her husband. For ex­ample, if the husband wishes his wifeto break the Sabbath day by doing thefamily shopping on Saturday, or byattending a football game or movie withhim, she should refuse to do so. How­ever, she should explain in a very kindway that the Sabbath is the day God com­manded us to keep holy. She should, insuch a case, obey God rather than man.Yet, she should always be submissive inattitude toward her husband and obeyher husband when his authority does notconflict with the higher authority or lawof God.

Remember, the wife should be insubjection to her husband even thoughhe may not be converted. Though hemay never be converted in this life (ICor. 7:1/-1(,), yet if she obeys him andrespects him as the Bible commands, hewill in turn love and respect her. As aresult, he may be won over by her goodexample. He may be inspired to wantto obey the truth when he sees thelife she is living. (I Pet. 3: 1 ). In anyevent, her constant love and respect, andher cheerful recognition of her hus­band's rightful place as head of thehouse will result in them both living ahappier and fuller life together at thispresent time.

All of you wives need to respect andsubmit to your husbands as the Biblecommands. This is God's way-theChristian way. Most women have notunderstood this subject, and much un­happiness has resulted. Ask God to helpyou honor your husband as you should.

How Should a Christian Woman ObeyHer Unconverted Husband?

This question has troubled manywomen who have been called to a knowl­edge of the truth before their husbandshave been called. They are faced with atremendous problem which may causemuch needless worry and anxiety untilthe plain teaching of the Bible con­cerning this subject is understood.

In Ephesians 5: 22-23, we read:"Wives, submit yourselves unto yourown husbands, as unto the Lord. Forthe husband is the head of the wife,even as Christ is the head of thechurch: ..."

Does this apply to you if your hus­band is unconverted?

Here is the Biblical answer. "Likewise,ye wives, be in ssbieciion to your ownhusbands; that, If ANY OBEY NOT THEWORD, they also may without the wordbe won by the conversation of thewives" (I Pet. 3:1).

If your husband doesn't understandthe truth, you must not try to converthim by constantly repeating your beliefand by insisting that he listen to thebroadcast or read the literature. Thatwill only drive him further away fromthe truth. Rather, you should wait untilhe questions you concerning a certaintruth. Then you should be prepared togive a convincing Biblical explanation.

Peter further instructs Christian wom­en: "Whose adorning Jet it not be thatoutward adorning of plaiting the hair,and of wearing of gold, or of puttingon of apparel; But let it be the hiddenman of the heart, in that which is notcorruptible, even the ornament of ameek and quiet spirit, which is in thesight of God of great price. For afterthis manner in the old time the holy

Page 12

their hair. Let 11S t:'lke the case of awoman who vows never again to cur herhair. Is such a vow binding? Let ussuppose this woman is married to aconuerted mall. If her husband doesnot disapprove of her vow, that vowis binding. If her husband disapproves,it is not binding. Bur it happens inmany cases that women are married tonnconuerted. husbands. If her unconvert­ed husband when he hears of the vowdoesn't disapprove, it becomes binding.Now suppose the woman were livingalone. According to Numbers 30 she isheld responsible for her vow. The vowis binding. There is no commandmentin the Bible which requires a womanto cut her hair. God's ministers thenhave no authority to rescind her vow.

But suppose a man vows never tocut his hair and beard. Is such a vowbinding? Notice the example that Paulgives us in the New Testament. "Dothnot even nature itself teach you, that,if a man have long hair, it is a shameunto him? But if a woman have longhair, it IS a glory to her: for her hairis given her for a covering" (I Cor.11: 14-15).

Here is the New Testament teach­ing. It is proper for a woman to havelong hair, but it is a shame for a manto have long hair. In speaking of thosewho wear long hair, Paul states: "Wehave no such custom, neither thechurches of God" (verse 16). It is notthe custom in the ministry or the NewTestament Church of God for a man towear long hair. It is a shame to any manand a reproach to God before the world.It is the responsibility of God's min­isters to enforce the practice that noman wear long hair in God's Churchbecause it is a shame to do so. It there­fore is the responsibility of God's min­isters who are spiritually mature to re­scind the vow of any man who hasvowed never to cut his hair and beard.This man's vow is not binding in God'ssight. In Old Testament times, men ofcourse were permitted to wear long hairunder certain circumstances (Num. 6).In the New Testament, according toActs 18: 18, the Jew Aquila wore longhair for a temporary period of time.The Jews in New Testament timeswere allowed to continue certain of thetemporary customs of the law of Moses.Apart from this one particular permis­sion granted to the Jews for a limitedperiod of time, the Church of God hasno such custom. Men are not to wearlong hair today.

Yes, it's high time wc understoodI he matter of vow ing. God does nOI

require us to take a vow. It is far betternot to vow than to vow and not per­form. Most people make rash vows.

The GOOD NEWS

They are not mature enough to knowwhat kind of vow is a wise vow. SinceGod does not require a vow, God'sministers today can never recommendthat you take a vow. But if you havetaken a vow and your vow is binding,you must perform it!

Your Part InGod's Work

(Continued from page 6)

ferings were a most important part oftheir active service to God, they havesought to work extra hours or to getextra part-time work, and have in everyright and honest way possible soughtto employ their talents and abilities toearn more money to put into the workof God!

May God bless them for it!Carnal men are always scheming to

make more money in every way possible.They will miss sleep, meals, and drivethemselves on because they worshipMammon.

How many Christians will show thesame ZEAL in earning money to giveto Christ?

Will you?This is plain talk, brethren, but the

time has come when those of you whoare in God's own church should be toldthese things. God's servants around theworld are doing our best to give our­selves completely to God in carryingour our part in His growing work. Nowall of yott must do the same!

Vie cannot count on outsiders or evenour unconverted co-workers to put forththis kind of effort. But you convertedbrethren should have the Spirit andpower of God to inspire you to shouldermore of the load!

Mr. Armstrong has spent many sleep­less nights in concern and in earnestprayer during the seemingly impossiblefinancial struggles God's work has hadto go through. He has forced himself towrite co-workers letters when he wishedand prayed that it wouldn't be necessary.And God has always delivered His work!

But as this age draws to a close andGod's work suddenly expands to theends of the earth, we must have more ofvo« brethren with your whole HEARTSin this work.

Our Lord and Master said, "Whereyour treasure is, there will your bear:be also" (Mat. 6:21).

God grant that each of you will pUI

your whole mind and heart into God',service, and present your bodies a "livingsacrifice" to Him in every way. Earnestlyseek how you may best serve God in a

February, 1960

more active manner and be an insu u­ment He can use.

Neglect not the gift of GIVING. Itis vital at this time. Take this as youropportunity and responsibility in God'swork. Seek to exercise it more effective­ly. Go to extra effort and sacriiice forChrist! There is no greater purpose illlife,

Hear, and undeYJtand, and ACT, thatyou may be worthy of Jesus' words:"Well done, thou good and faithfulservant."

Heart to Heart Talk(Continued from page 4)

cerning the fiery trial which is to tryyou, as though some strange thing hadhappened unto you: but rejoice" (IPeter 4: 12-13).

Moses suffered affliction in order toIfw~ the children of God, choosing thisrather than the riches of the king's pal­ace and the pleasures of sin for a season.

David suffered constant criticism andfalse accusation, his enemies continuallytried to unseat him, and his trials wereso great sometimes it seemed God wouldnever come to his rescue-yet God al­wavs did! Trulv these trials rearh us to

be 'patient-fa; it often seems an eter­nity before God finally delivers us.

God chose Paul to be an apostle ofJesus Christ, and the Lord said, "I willshow him how great things he mustsuffer for my name's sake" (Arcs 9: 16).And late in life Paul wrote: "In allthings approving ourselves as the minis­ters of God, in much patience, in afflic­tions, in necessities, ill distresses, instripes, in imprisonments" - (peopleprobably would call Paul a crook, aracketeer, an imposter and a jailbird to­day) -"in tumults, in labors, in watch­ings, in fascings" etc. (II Cor. 6:4-6).Paul outlined more of his troubles andsufferings in II Cor. 11:23-28.

Perhaps a chosen servant of God maybe called upon to endure more trials,troubles, and tests of faith than otherChristians - bur every Christian shallsuffer persecution, and meet fiery trials,sorrows, troubles, tests of faith. All ourreaders who are Christians will under­stand. Let us not murmur or grumble.Let us have FAITH, and endure in ourfaith patiently. And above all, let ttJ prayone for another, and help one another!

Brethren, continue to stand loyally byI his great work of God now encirclingI he' world' Let LIS continue to pray earnestly for ant another, and we shallmarch forward through Christ to greatvictory!