Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

A new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Merkel Miracle,” was posted on YouTube and our Web site (www.eternalgod.org). Some proclaim that the Euro and the Eurozone will fail. The Bible contradicts this, and the events of this week also prove how erroneous these concepts are. As prophesied in Scripture, Germany is emerging as the leader in Europe, and Angela Merkel seems to have extraordinary vision in regard to the perceived need to save the Euro. She understands that if the Euro was to fail, Europe would also fail, and the Bible shows us that this will not happen.

A new German sermon was recorded and posted on YouTube and on our German Web site (www.aufpostenstehen.de). It is titled, “Warum das Laubhuettenfest?” [“Why the Feast of Tabernacles?”]

A new German AufPostenStehen program was posted on our Web site (www.aufpostenstehen.de) and on YouTube, titled, “Sieger Merkel im Europa der zwei Klassen” [“Victor Merkel in a Europe of Two Speeds”].

Can you explain some of the peculiarities of the Hebrew Calendar?

In our last Q&A, we explained why the Church of God has made the decision to accept and follow the current Hebrew calendar. The short answer is that God has entrusted the Jews—and no one else—with the preservation of the calendar and the determination and identification of the correct dates of the annual Holy Days.

We also explained that in AD 358-359 A.D., the Jews’ chief leader, Hillel II, carried out his God-given authority to present the Hebrew calendar throughout the future, and it is that calendar which we are to apply for the determination of the annual Holy Days.

Those who devise their own calendars don’t only disobey God’s inspired Word which declares that the oracles, including the week, the Sabbath and the calendar, were given to the Jews, but they also completely miss certain particularities within the Hebrew calendar which God inspired to prevent undue burdens or to guarantee that the Holy Days are being celebrated at their proper times. These technical decisions include the four postponements and the insertion of a thirteenth month, amongst others.

The Bible does not tell us how many months a calendar year should have. In order to harmonize a solar year (about 365 ¼ days) with a lunar year (about 354 ¼ days), so that—following biblical injunctions–Passover is always in the spring, and the Feast of Tabernacles is always in the fall, a thirteenth month had to be included seven times within a 19-year lunar time cycle.

The Bible does not specifically mention a thirteenth month, but as Raymond F. McNair explains in his article, “Which Calendar Has God Authorized?” (Global Church News, July-August 1996), “from a careful study of the time periods mentioned in the first eight chapters of Ezekiel (1:1-2; 3:15; 4:5-6; 8:1), we can deduce that a thirteenth month was definitely being used by the Jews when Ezekiel wrote in the early part of the 6th century B.C.”

This shows that God and the Bible endorse the decisions of the Jewish people pertaining to the inclusion of a 13th month in the Hebrew calendar, and that no one should take it upon him- or herself to make arbitrary decisions contrary to the established Hebrew calendar. The same must be said regarding other peculiar decisions pertaining to the Hebrew calendar.

For instance, Dr. Herman L. Hoeh explains the following in his article, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today” (Good News, April 1981):

“The rules of the permanent calendar [authorized by Hillel II] call for each of the first six months of the year to be alternatively 30 and 29 days long. Since the Bible does not declare which months have either 30 or 29 days, it is… [a] decision enacted by those who are in authority over God’s calendar… each month is slightly more than 29 ½ days long… That means the [decision is that the] first half of the year is always 177 days long (three months with 30 days plus three months with 29 days…). And if the first day of the seventh month is on Tuesday, the first of Abib is 177 days earlier, and on a Sunday…”

In addition, postponements were also clearly authorized and endorsed by God. As mentioned in the last Q&A, postponements delay the beginning of the first day of the seventh month—the first day of Tishri or the Feast of Trumpets:

The four rules of postponements are simply these:

(1)  When the new moon (more accurately, the “Molad or “birth”; that is, when the moon is directly between earth and sun and it is therefore invisible) occurs on Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the following day. The reason is that the Day of Atonement [which is to be kept 9 days after the Feast of Trumpets, on the tenth day of the month] should not occur on the day before or after the weekly Sabbath, and the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles should not occur on a weekly Sabbath, as it is followed by an annual Sabbath—the Last Great Day.

In his article, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today,” Dr. Herman L. Hoeh wrote:

“Why do God’s festivals fall when they do? Have we ever asked why… the fast of the Day of Atonement does not occur on Friday or Sunday? Or why the seventh day of the Festival of Tabernacles does not fall on the weekly Sabbath—but the eighth day commonly does?… If Atonement were to fall on Friday, housewives would have to prepare food for the weekly Sabbath on a Thursday…

“Hillel II realized that … the Day of Atonement should not fall on Friday, the preparation day of the Sabbath. The rule, therefore, is that if the new moon of a seventh month could occur on a Wednesday (beginning the previous evening), that day is not to be declared the new moon. It is to be postponed. But the day following is to be declared the new moon… that is, a Thursday (beginning the previous evening) is the first day of the seventh month. That Thursday is consequently the Feast of Trumpets… and the Day of Atonement, which is the 10th day of the month, falls in such a year on the weekly Sabbath.”

(2)  When the new moon or the Molad occurs at noon or later, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the next day. This is so and makes logical sense, because otherwise, the people would not have been able to keep the entire Feast of Trumpets, but only a portion of it (that portion following the occurrence of the Molad or New Moon). But the Bible demands that the entire day of 24 hours be kept as holy.

(3)   When the new moon or Molad occurs after 3:00 a.m. or later on a Tuesday of a common year, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to Thursday. This decision was made for astronomical reasons to ensure that the common year (not a leap year) would be between 353 to 355 days long. [The Hebrew calendar has twelve common years and eight leap years within a 19-year lunar time cycle. A common year has 353, 354 or 355 days, while a leap year has 383, 384 or 385 days.]

(4)   When the new moon or Molad occurs on Monday after 9:00 am, the Feast of Trumpets is postponed to the next day. This postponement was also made for astronomical reasons to ensure the proper length of common years.

In addition, it was sometimes necessary to postpone the beginning of the year by an entire month.

To quote from Raymond McNair’s article, “What are the Postponements?” (Global Church News, July-August 1996):

“… in order to be able to offer the ‘wave sheaf’ (Hebr. Omer) of ripened barley during the Days of Unleavened Bread, it was sometimes mandatory that the high priest in ancient Israel postpone the beginning of Nisan 1 by a whole month… the Feast of Unleavened Bread [must] fall in the spring (thereby necessitating certain one-month postponements to the beginning of the sacred year). There is no record of Christ and His disciples objecting to the calendar or instituting a different one.”

Another reason for the postponement of the first month might also exist when otherwise the Feast of Tabernacles would be celebrated in the summer, rather than in the autumn. [This is similar rationale as and related to the insertion of the 13th month, see above.] As mentioned, the Bible demands that the Feast of Tabernacles must be observed in the autumn, “at the year’s end” (Exodus 34:22). If the first month is declared as occurring too early, the Feast of Tabernacles would be observed too early as well, and not in accordance with the Scriptural demands.

This Q&A does not cover all of the particulars of the Hebrew calendar, but we hope that enough information is provided to show not only the authoritative decisions of the Jews in regard to the calendar, but also the godly-inspired wisdom for the rationale behind it, proving that the calendar must harmonize with the biblical commands as to when and how to observe the annual Holy Days.

We are sure that those who want to find fault with the decisions of the Jews to design and maintain the Hebrew calendar in the way they do, will invent seemingly convincing human arguments and counter-arguments, but it really boils down to this question: Are we allowing God to guide and do we believe that God has guided the Jews in the preservation of the calendar, or aren’t we? If we do not have enough faith that God could and did preserve the calendar through the Jews, where else is our faith lacking?

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Romans 8:18

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At the local coffee house that I frequent, I’ve gotten to know a few of the regulars pretty well.  Recently, one of them had to go through a second bout with his pancreatic cancer, the same type that killed Steve Jobs last month.
 
Because of the nature of this type of cancer, this man’s doctor said that they would continue to administer the chemo for as long as he could stand it.  There was a good chance if they were not able to kill it off this time around, then this may be his last chance to do anything about it.
 
In his early 50’s and in good shape, he was ready and willing to pull out all the stops.  After about eight rounds of treatments (some can only handle two) it was all that he could take.  Now all that was left was to sit and wait and see what the outcome would be.  He didn’t have to wait too long before the doctors gave him a clean bill of health!  He had won his battle.
 
In the course of this ordeal, he lost about a year of his life fighting the disease, racked up bills of nearly $200,000, and lost 10-20% of the feeling in his finger tips.  He considered all of these worthwhile sacrifices, especially in light of the outcome.
 
Now understand, he had no guarantee that he was going to make it through this adversity.  But he felt if he could, then perhaps he would continue to enjoy life for much longer, even as long as his father had, which would be another 30 years.
 
This man endured an incredible trial in order to continue in his gift of physical life, albeit for a fleeting amount of time in the scope of things.  Now think of the assurances that we  have for the future.  What should we be willing to go through for the gift of eternal life in the Family of God? Nothing can compare with that.

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

A StandingWatch program, titled, “Holy Putin,” was posted on YouTube and our Web site (www.eternalgod.org).

Norbert Link’s video-recorded Atonement sermon, “Hope for the World,” was posted on YouTube and on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org ).

Norbert Link’s new video-recorded sermon, “How to Look at God’s Laws,” was posted on YouTube.

Many of our audio-recorded messages during the Feast of Tabernacles were posted on our Web site (www.eternalgod.org), while additional messages will be posted shortly.

Church of the Eternal God Feast Report 2011

According to all reports and comments received, this was indeed the best Feast ever—so far. We observed the Feast at Pismo Beach in a most beautiful facility (at the Hilton Garden Inn) and an outstanding environment. We welcomed attendees from all over the USA, Germany and Bermuda, and enjoyed inspiring messages focusing on the wonderful future of the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment. Some of the topics were “Why Do We Keep the Feast?”, “Before Time Began,” “How It Will Be in the Millennium,” “Create or Destroy,” “Why Is God Calling You Now,” “Eye of a Needle,” “The Strong and Weak,” “The Nations,” “Unity,” “A Plan of Judgment,” “Your Future Life,” and “Life After Death,” among others.

Speakers included ministers Norbert Link, Dave Harris and Eric Rank; deacons Michael Link and Robb Harris; as well as Gilbert DeVaux, Kalon Mitchell, Bob Bourque and Joe Bourque.

Additional spiritual highlights were the ordination of Shelly Bruno as deaconess and the blessing of the little children ceremony.

For relaxation, we enjoyed a spectacular dinner dance, a diverse talent show, a wine tasting tour, and other activities, including a beach party (followed by a bible study) and attending the Farmer’s Market in San Luis Obispo after the first annual Holy Day.

As usual, it was felt that the Feast was far too short, and many commented that they can’t wait for the Feast next year.

Global Church of God Feast Report 2011

The Global Church of God in the UK held the Feast of Tabernacles this year at Deganwy near Llandudno in North Wales. This was the second year that this site has been used after a very successful festival at the same venue last year. Services were again held at the Quay Hotel where it overlooks the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Conwy Castle. The hotel has wonderful views and is located within easy reach of Snowdonia National Park and close to the neighbouring medieval town of Conwy and Victorian Llandudno.

New visitors were warmly welcomed along with many who have become regular attendees. There were attendees from the USA, Canada, Australia as well as from different parts of the UK. During the Feast, Ivan Parker was baptised adding another begotten member to the Family of God. He responded to an advertisement a while ago and has been studying the truth for a few years. He did not have any Church of God background.

As end time prophecy is being fulfilled in many ways as the world seems to lurch from one crisis to another, there was a heightened sense of expectation and looking forward to the soon-coming Kingdom of God. There were outstanding messages from Evangelist Norbert Link whose sermon was a DVD presentation, messages from visiting elder Rene Messier from Canada, pastor Dave Harris (on DVD), as well as Andrew Burns, Douglas Mitchell and Brian Gale, the Festival Elder. There were also two presentations of the “StandingWatch” program in which Norbert Link addresses world news and prophecy.

Messages included such diverse topics as Spiritual Rejuvenation, The Sabbath – A Delight, Endurance, Godly Wealth, The Unprofitable Servant, Truth, Why Are We Here?, Unity, Our Inheritance, The Millennium, Prayer, After Christ’s Return, Relationships, What Will Israel Do in the Millennium?, Home, No One Missed – and others.

Of course, the main reason for attending the Feast is that God has instructed His people to do so, but other activities were organised for all the members. A Church social was arranged and enjoyed by all as well and the Feast dinner held at the Conwy Golf Club which was a great success, as it was last year. An organised coach [bus] tour visited a number of places in the Snowdonia region, including Caernarfon Castle which is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, which was used for the investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969.  An organised tour was arranged where the guide said that it was not a castle but was in fact a royal palace.  The countryside in the area is amongst the most beautiful that can be found in the British Isles.

Even though we were revisiting the area, there are always so many things to see and seemingly too little time to do so! As ever, the Feast was over all too soon and time to return home. Those who attended will not soon forget a Feast with much spiritual teaching and encouragement in an area of beauty, peace and serenity.  Comments were made about the best Feast for years and the brotherly love that was so evident. Meeting others of a like mind and with the same goals is always a wonderful experience, and we are all now waiting for the Feast of Tabernacles to become reality when Christ returns to set up the Kingdom of God in what we hope is in the not too distant future!

To Refinish

by Shana Rank
 
It has been years since I sat on that couch and chairs in my grandparents’ basement. The pieces are antique, and include an early American cane-back sofa and matching chairs. I always remember the set looking well-made and historically interesting — not incredibly comfortable, but that could always be improved. I inherited these three pieces, and they now sit in my garage.  They have worked their way up from the basement, and are presently a new shade of white. I have big plans for these pieces of furniture, and plan to refurbish them completely.
 
Instead of completely stripping and refinishing the wood, I opted for sanding and painting. The labor would be less this way, and I wanted to keep the cost of this project to a minimum. Something interesting has happened in the last month. Since being painted, the dark brown stain from this 100 year-old furniture is seeping to the surface, so instead of white wood, there are areas of pink. Not so good.
 
I can’t help but think about the spiritual parallels of my situation! I chose to skip an expensive step in this project—refinishing. Instead of stripping the wood down to its base, I thought I could cover up the old with a new glossy white paint. It makes me wonder when I ask God for forgiveness, do I fail to follow through and change my behavior? What am I glossing over with a fresh coat of paint? I can take this example of my furniture project as a friendly reminder–to always refinish my behavior completely.

Why do you use the current Hebrew Calendar for establishing the dates of God’s annual Holy Days?

God’s Church decided more than 70 years ago that we must follow the current Hebrew Calendar in order to be able to observe the annual Holy Days at their proper times. (For more information on God’s annual Festivals, please read our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days”). However, over the years, some concluded on their own, without godly authority, that they should deviate from that decision. As a consequence, estimates suggest that there are no less than 500 versions of “calendars” in existence, all claiming that their version is the one and only correct one, and the result is utter confusion, while God states very clearly that HE is NOT the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).
 
It is high time to revisit the issue of the Hebrew Calendar, and to reiterate and reemphasize the Church of God’s BINDING judgment on the matter. In this Q&A, we will deal with the decision rendered by the Church of God. In a subsequent Q&A, we will discuss some of the principles to keep in mind, in order to properly and accurately understand the Hebrew Calendar.
 
In our Statement of Beliefs, we point out the following:
 
“The major doctrines of the Church are those, which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, derived from the Biblical teachings as followed by God’s faithful servants, and originally established by Jesus Christ through the founding of His Church in the time of His chosen early apostles. Since we are to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are committed to review and alter any of our teachings, if and when proven to be wrong by the Bible.”
 
As early as 1940, Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Radio Church of God and the Worldwide Church of God, wrote the following in a Good News Letter:
 
“… unless God has preserved His sacred calendar through the Jews, then we do not know how to figure Passover or any of the Holy Days… For there is no authority for any other way…”
 
Through the years, the Church of God has maintained this position. It is based on the biblical revelation that God entrusted the Jews with the preservation of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the “oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2), including the week and the calendar.
 
We stated the following in our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days” :

“We need to understand properly what exactly was given to the Jews—what is meant by the word ‘oracles.’ In Romans 3:1–2, we are told that the ‘oracles of God’ were committed to the ‘circumcision.’ At the same time, we are told that ‘their unbelief’ did not make ‘the faithfulness of God’ without effect (verse 3). The Greek word for ‘oracles’ is ‘logion.’ It is also used in Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:12; and 1 Peter 4:11…

“The ‘Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,’ by W. E. Vine, points out: ‘Logion, a diminutive of logos, a word, narrative, statement, denotes a Divine response or utterance, an oracle; it is used of (a) the contents of the Mosaic Law, Acts 7:38; (b) all the written utterances of God through the O.T. writers, Rom. 3:2; (c) the substance of Christian doctrine, Heb. 5:12; (d) the utterance of God through Christian teachers, 1 Pet. 4:11’…

“The Broadman Bible Commentary agrees and adds: ‘The oracles of God are the Old Testament in general, not just the promises alone as some commentaries suggest. The Septuagint uses this term for ‘the words of God’ in the law (Num. 24:4,16) or in the Psalms (107:11), and this seems to be the meaning in the New Testament… Possession of the Scriptures would be of no advantage if they were never heard, but Paul assumes they are heard every Sabbath.’”

In our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days,” we point out on pages 2–3:

“God has revealed in His Word exactly when the Sabbath starts and when it ends. God reckons each day, including the Sabbath, beginning at sunset and continuing through until the following sunset. Today, we would say that the Seventh-Day Sabbath starts Friday evening, when the sun sets, and lasts until Saturday evening, at sunset.

“We know from the Jewish people when to keep the Sabbath. It is the Jews to whom God committed His revelations or His ‘oracles,’ as Paul clearly explains in Romans 3:1–2. These ‘oracles of God’ included the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the knowledge of the week and of the Sacred Calendar. The Jews preserved the knowledge of which day the seventh day of the week is. Without an understanding of when a week begins and ends, we would not have been able to tell, from the Bible alone, which day the seventh day of the week actually is. Today, the Jews keep the Sabbath on Saturday, beginning Friday evening, at sunset. Nobody questions today that the Sabbath, as preserved by the Jews, is the seventh or last day of the week. All understand that Sunday is the first day of the week…”

In 1940, Herbert Armstrong stated this in the above-mentioned letter:

“God did not commit His oracles, or the preservation of His times, to profane history… they have been preserved by the Jews. After thorough study of the Bible, of the Hebrew calendar, of history and every angle… we have unanimously agreed that the Hebrew calendar has been preserved correctly by the Jews…”

In a Good News article of April 1981, titled, “The Hebrew Calendar—Authoritative for God’s Church Today!,” Herman L. Hoeh wrote the following:

“The Worldwide Church of God has followed this authoritative decision ever since. Others can go their own way—till the judgment.”

In passing, if you have any doubt that God inspires the leadership of His Church to make binding decisions in certain matters, please read our Q&A, “Could you please explain the extent of the power that Christ gave in Matthew 16:19, to ‘bind and loose’?”.

In the above-mentioned article on the Hebrew Calendar, Dr. Hoeh continued:

“But what were the oracles committed in a public way to the Jews? The Hebrew Bible only? By no means! The Hebrew calendar also! For without the calendar, it would be impossible to fulfill correctly what is written in the Hebrew Bible about the hallowed annual times. And not only the Bible and calendar, but the week also. These three—Bible, calendar and week—are all part of the oracles committed to the Jews for all mankind…

“By faith we know we have copies, providentially preserved, of the original Word of God. By faith we know that the leadership in the Jewish courts did preserve the rules of the calendar God committed to them—even though they themselves have not wanted to follow those rules at all times. It is all a question of government—whether God is capable of ruling…”

For a thorough discussion and proof that God DID in fact preserve the writings of the Bible—both the Old and the New Testaments—please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.” Continuing with the above-quoted article:

“The scribes—copying of the text of the Hebrew Bible was one of their duties—were in authority. Jesus said so [compare Matthew 23:3-4]. They sat on Moses’ seat…  And the Pharisees, too, sat on Moses’ seat. It was their court that determined the Hebrew calendar. It was their court’s decision that determined which day was the beginning of each month. Once that was determined it was the people’s responsibility to keep holy the days God made holy—according to the dates on the Hebrew calendar, not on some other calendar. “Were the scribes perfect men, without sin? Were the Pharisees perfect men, without sin? By no means! Jesus made that plain. Yet He also made it plain that they had the responsibility under God to preserve the written Word of God, the week and the calendar. It was not somebody else’s responsibility…

“The Jews’ chief leader, Hillel II, whose responsibility it was to regulate the calendar, was forced to issue a decree for the year A.D. 358-359 to (re)institute the authority of the fixed calendar we know today as the Hebrew calendar… the authority of Jerusalem in the person of Hillel II did speak in A.D. 358-359 to authorize the present Hebrew calendar throughout the future until such time as a new court sitting in Moses’ seat be reestablished in Jerusalem…”

Kenneth Herrmann wrote in the Good News, October 1957, that the information on the system of the calendar calculation was made public “so the broken and scattered Jewish nation… would be able to continue the observance of God’s feast days in accordance with the new moons as calculated from Jerusalem.”

Subsequently, in the July-August 1996 edition of the Global Church News, two articles were published by Raymond F. McNair, titled, “Which Calendar has God Authorized?” and “What are the Postponements?” The first article was also published in the German language (“Welcher Kalender ist in Gottes Augen gueltig?” [“Which Calendar Is Valid in God’s Eyes?”]). It appeared in the January 1999 edition of “Die Welt der Zukunft [“The World of the Future”].” We will discuss postponements in more detail in a subsequent Q&A. But as Raymond McNair pointed out in his article on postponements, they “delay—by either one or two days—the beginning of the first day of Tishri, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year.”

Some who have construed their own calendar, insist that postponements must be rejected. They are wrong. Raymond McNair explained:

“… from the very beginning certain postponements had to be incorporated in the Sacred Calendar—simply because it is not possible to construct it without them… God Almighty gave Moses certain necessary oral instructions regarding His calendar that are not recorded in the Bible. And, through the centuries, God must have inspired the Jews in such a way as to utilize the postponements… The Bible itself says absolutely nothing about postponements. So, if God’s Word does not condemn postponements, then who are we to say that the Jews, the custodians of God’s Word and His Calendar, are wrong in including them…”

In conclusion, we reiterate the Church of God’s long-standing position that we are to follow the current Hebrew Calendar, as preserved by the Jews, for the correct dates of the annual Holy Days. No one else has God-given authority to devise his own calendar. It IS a matter of government, authority and faith—are we trusting in and obeying God and His Word, or aren’t we?

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

We are delighted to announce that on October 1, 2011, Donna Callender (46) was baptized in Summerland by Rene Messier. She has an 8 year old son and is originally from Texas. She lives currently in Penticton, Canada. We are congratulating Donna and welcoming her in the Spirit-begotten Family of God.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on our Web site (www.standingwatch.org) and on YouTube, titled, “Obama Disappoints the World.” Note these comments from this week’s international press: Frightening deterioration between the US and the Eurozone. Germany and America on collision course. Obama’s lecture on the euro crisis fundamentally wrong, overbearing, arrogant, absurd, embarrassing, pitiful and sad. The U.S. can’t be relied on. It has once again betrayed Palestinians and abdicated its global leadership role. Pax Americana in the Middle East is over. Why is this happening? Does the Bible tell us why? It most certainly does, and you need to know.

Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, “The Feast of Trumpets in Isaiah” was posted on YouTube and our Web (www.eternalgod.org).

A new German sermon was recorded and posted on YouTube and on our German Web site (www.aufpostenstehen.de). It is related to the Day of Atonement and is titled, “Hoffnung fuer die Welt’ (“Hope for the World.”).

A Clearer Picture

by Phyllis Bourque

I recently read an internet article entitled, “Lenses shield 9/11 photogs as they capture history.” It questioned how those who photographed the event could bear to keep working in the face of such tragedy. One photographer said that his lens acts as a filter, that “the things are happening over there, on the other side.” Another was quoted as saying, “I let the camera absorb all the disaster or the sadness of an event. It protects ME from the event.” The article noted that these photographers knew only what was happening right before their eyes…not realizing the bigger picture of what was going on.

While I wasn’t there in person, I was there emotionally, owing to the very graphic portrayal through hundreds of photos and videos available on the internet. I was there–falling from the building, choking on the ashen dust, gasping for life! Watching such tragedies in the news takes a toll on me…

As I read the accounts of these photographers, I began to think about the constant barrage of news articles, photos and videos of human suffering all around the world due to wars, tsunamis, flooding, drought, famine, etc., every day more death and destruction, helplessness and despair! Add to this, the stressors in my personal life, and I had to ask myself, how I can bear to watch news that is always bad? I know that these things are prophesied, and I know they will get worse, but how can I have a balanced approach to being aware of world events without allowing it to hover like a dark cloud over each day?

The short answer is, God. But in what way, personally, for me? I found the answer to be in communicating with God–reading the Bible, talking with Him, and using His Holy Spirit within me to help me deal with this life. I found the answer to be in paying attention to the messages delivered by God’s ministers through sermons, the StandingWatch programs, the published booklets, and the weekly update, to help me correlate the issues of life with what God says. And I found the answer to be in fellowshipping with God’s people, who are of the same Spirit, so that we can all encourage each other in times of distress. God has given me all of these resources so that I can live a balanced life in an unbalanced world.

I see then, that focusing my “lens” on the greater plan and purpose God is working out on this earth, gives me a clearer picture of what it all means. From this viewpoint, I feel motivated to continue to move forward in my conversion, using God’s Spirit to overcome personal faults and weaknesses, to become better prepared for what lies ahead, both in this life, and the next.

As we are commanded to give offerings on God’s annual Holy Days, how much should we give?

No specific amount in regard to Holy Day offerings is mentioned, but God’s Word includes guidelines and principles that can help us to decide how much to give.

Firstly, we must keep in mind that we cannot out-give God. Secondly, those of us who have been in the Church of God for a while know about the existence of the annual Holy Days and God’s command to give an offering on those days. We have time to prepare and save for these offerings so that we do not have to make a last minute decision as to how much we may want to give on a particular Holy Day.

In a recent Editorial in Update #484 (for the week ending March 18, 2011), titled, “Offerings,” we said the following:

“We must be committed to the Work of God in supporting its effort to preach and publish the gospel of the kingdom of God in all the world as a witness. The gospel is a message of good news from the God Family, including the fact that God’s government will be established on the earth at the return of Christ. We manifest our financial commitment to God not only by tithing to the Work, but also by additional financial means. Tithing is required; but if we only carry out our duty, then we are rendered unprofitable servants…

“A much better way of telling how deep our commitment to God and His Work is, is by focusing on our offerings to God. They will show where our heart is, and where we want our treasure to be. Matthew 6:21 tells us: ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

“We are commanded to tithe, and we are commanded to give offerings. The amount of the tithe—ten percent of our increase or earnings—is pre-determined. The amount of our free-will offerings is not. And how we determine these amounts is indicative of where our heart really is…

“Of course, when we pay God’s tithe and give Him an offering, we are not to boast about it, but we are doing it quietly, discreetly, and from the heart. God can and will, in His due time, bless us openly when we behave with a right attitude…”

God was very displeased with the attitude of the nation of Israel towards their duty to pay tithes and offerings, including on His annual Holy Days, and He expressed His anger in no uncertain terms in the book of Malachi:

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8-9).

So, it is evident that a person can rob God by not tithing or not tithing properly, or by not giving any offering or giving an offering that does not reflect the blessings received from God (compare Deuteronomy 16:16-17). Rather than being blessed by God even more, because of our gratitude and appreciation to God in giving generous offerings, God may pronounce a curse on us for neglecting God’s blessing in our lives.

We understand that salvation is a gift from God. However, God will not grant us salvation if we show Him through our conduct of neglect, indifference and outright rebellion that we are not interested in His gift. The continued failure of obeying God even in matters of tithing and Holy Day offerings could even lead, ultimately, to the loss of salvation.
 
In this context, it may be a good idea to analyze the following questions prior to giving an offering:

1-    What would we be willing to pay for salvation, if it was for sale?
2-    What is the value of salvation to us?
3-    Is refusing to give an offering worth the price of the loss of salvation ?

As stated in Deuteronomy 16:16-17, we are not to appear before God empty-handed on His Holy Days, and we are to give as we are able, according to the blessing of the LORD our God which He has given us. This blessing throughout the year is not limited to just financial blessing. It could include the blessing of good health, of a sound mind, of precious spiritual knowledge and understanding, of having a job and a happy family—things which are difficult to value with a price tag. But they all come into play when we determine the amount of our Holy Day offering.  

We also read the following principle in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11:

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘HE HAS DISPERSED ABROAD, HE HAS GIVEN TO THE POOR; HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.’ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

God is telling us here that if we give “sparingly,” “grudgingly” and “out of necessity,” we cannot expect generous blessings and enrichment in everything from God, including grace and increase in the fruits of righteousness. At the same time, God does not expect of us to give what we don’t have. It is mainly a question of right attitude. That our attitude plays a big part in giving an offering, and that it is of great importance to God, can be seen in the following passage in Luke 21:1-4:

“And [Christ] looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, ‘Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.’”

In the above record, Christ blessed a widow who only gave two mites–a very small amount–but that was all she had at that time. Her attitude was such that she wanted to give, and Christ used her as an example of generous giving in the eyes of God, even though the rich gave much more, but they did it out of their abundance. Christ was not rejecting the offering of the rich, but in comparison with the widow, she gave much more.

We conclude from the foregoing that it is possible for us to rob God by not tithing faithfully and by not giving generous Holy Day offerings, in accordance with how
God has blessed us. We should plan ahead as to how much we want to give and how we can reach that goal.

We cannot put a price tag on God’s gift of eternal life, but we could lose out on eternal life by not obeying God, including in giving Holy Day offerings in accordance with His injunctions. We are commanded to appear before God with an offering; that is, not empty-handed. Blessings from God come in different forms; they include the physical realm, but they are not limited to just the physical. Our attitude in giving is very important to God.

God expects of His followers to give offerings on His annual Holy Days. They are an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for our calling and the blessings, both physical and spiritual, that God bestows upon us throughout the year.

Lead Writer: Rene Messier

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