While many of us were enjoying a beautiful beach activity at this year’s U.S. Feast, a 10 year old girl was walking to a park a block away from her home.  She planned to meet a friend and continue together to school.  Jessica Ridgeway never made it to the park.  She was abducted, subsequently murdered, then brutally dismembered.  The murderer is still wandering about on the loose and the community is living in fear. 

Satan was created perfect, he was anointed by God as a covering cherub.  He was part of the splendor of heaven, he stood at God’s very throne (see Ezekiel 28:12-15). Today, Satan is the antithesis of all he was created to be.  He is a ravenous beast with an insatiable desire to destroy all that God has created.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We live in Satan’s Kingdom, in a realm growing darker and more insidious every day.  Crimes that defy explanation, that are too gruesome to explain in detail, have become fodder for entertainment.  Mankind deeply breathes in the air that Satan broadcasts his poison into.  The result is separation from God. 

But God can hold back the intentions of Satan.  When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, even King Darius knew the power God possessed: “But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, ‘Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you’” (Daniel 6:16).  And God kept the beasts from Daniel.  But to the false accusers of Daniel, those whom God’s Hand was not protecting, we read, “and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den” (Daniel 6:24).

We were created with the purpose of becoming part of the Family of God. Don’t forget that!  God wants to protect us, to shield us from Satan.  He requires one key ingredient, the willingness to continually serve Him.  With that attitude we have nothing to fear from the beast constantly circling us.

How are you doing?

After celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and returning to your regular routines, are you handling it well? Do you have the post-Feast blues? Does the Feast seem like it was ages ago already? Have you lost the spiritual energy you had? Or are you picking up spiritual momentum, growing, and inspired to improve yourself?

When we read about the parable of the sower in Mark 4:4-9, it is clear that we can receive the Word of God in many different ways. In each example Jesus gives, the seed is initially received with some capacity to succeed in its potential to grow. During the Feast of Tabernacles, we had the opportunity to learn, meditate, and share the good news of the Kingdom of God with many like-minded people. That seed, the knowledge of God’s true plan to bring you and me into His Family, was sown abundantly during the Feast. I’m sure it was received with best intentions of profiting with it. Now that the Feast of Tabernacles is a couple of weeks behind you, how are you doing?

Has Satan taken away the word that was sown in your heart with the temptations of the world? Has the word that was sown grown shallow roots in your life causing your will to be weak? Have you allowed other things to claim higher priority in your life, causing the truth to be choked out?

These are difficult questions to wrestle with, but each one of us is responsible for giving an account for what we are doing with the investment that God has given to us. As Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Since God is testing us now, since God is working to develop our character now, we must progress, or we will suffer the consequences. However, it should cause abundant excitement for you to know that God believes in your ability to succeed. He does not sow His seed with the expectation of failure.

It is very easy to come away from the millennial environment we have been privileged to experience and become discouraged — very easy. Are you discouraged, or have you begun to bear fruit? Whatever the answer is – the true and honest answer, not the answer you think you should respond with – I encourage you to not lose your momentum. Even if you have already lost your focus, I challenge you to find it again and do something with it. Continue to learn and grow. Encourage each other to do the same. And above all, keep your faith that God will complete the work that He has started in you.  “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Brethren, we have something great to look forward to. Don’t lose sight.

Long-time members of God’s Church often refer to the activity of preaching the gospel and caring for the membership as “the work.” By this, we are thinking in terms of the special calling of God and the subsequent responsibility God places on each Christian.

Jesus Christ gave account to the Father by saying, “‘I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do’” (John 17:5). He adds, “‘As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world’” (John 17:18).

Mark records the commission given to Christ’s disciples: “‘…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’” (Mark 16:15).

Jesus adds dimension—a time frame–to this endeavor when He prophesies, “‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:14).

We need to understand that Jesus will also make certain that His words and the work given to His faithful disciples will be fulfilled! Jesus remains the living Head of the Church of God (compare Ephesians 22-23; 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18). He is actively involved in finishing the work of the church given to Him by the Father, as well!

However, just as we are so clearly told through the record of the New Testament era of God’s Church, some were more zealous than others in finishing their part in the Work of God. Not everyone of that time remained faithful, and it would appear that the few instead of the many continued to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Of this era, Jesus said, “‘…I have this against you, that you have left your first love’” (Revelation 2:4).

Jesus Christ has much to say to His Church, and along with instructions about what we should be doing, there are somber warnings for us—all written down in the Bible for our guidance.

We must not take lightly the job that has been entrusted to us. We are to go where God leads us, to do what He inspires us to do—doing all of this with ever increasing zeal and knowing that we, fulfilling whatever our part is, are participating in finishing the Work of God!

In Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, the opening line is, “to be or not to be, that is the question”. This was brought to mind when comments were received about our weekly Updates. The reader appreciated some valid statements. However, he felt that there was too much emphasis on the “end time”. Whilst he conceded that the Q&A’s were often genuinely educational, he criticized that they were sometimes too dogmatic.

The weekly Update is to keep all readers apprised of what is going on in the world and often quotes sources that we normally wouldn’t have access to, or come across. Matthew 24:42 tells us to “watch”, as do other Scriptures, and we cannot be watching if we ignore all that is going on in the world. What else would we put in our “Update”? The very word means “the latest information about something” (compare “The Oxford Dictionary of English”), and what could be more important than world news that is leading to the collapse of this civilisation and the ushering in of the World Tomorrow?

Should we be dogmatic in our Q&A section?  Again, “The Oxford Dictionary of English” defines dogmatic as being an adjective that “is inclined to lay down principles as undeniably true”.  As we prove the question from the Bible, why should we be anything other than dogmatic? To be otherwise would show that we are not sure about our answer, and that would be wrong. We see a world where “diplomacy” can rule and where answers are given that can be taken either way, thus satisfying both or all parties.  We take no such stance.  

If we have biblical proof on a particular subject, we feel obliged to be dogmatic about it. God says in Isaiah 58:1 that his servants are to “Cry aloud, spare not”, and whilst this is about telling “My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins”, the same principle applies to answering questions about God’s Word. We are not to hold back when the answer is in the Bible. If we don’t know the answer, or are unsure about a matter, then we will say so.

Our gentle critic perhaps might like us to be less sure of what God’s Word says. That is not what we will do in the future. Our Update which comprises, amongst other things, world news, editorials and the weekly Q&A’s, is posted or e-mailed, free of charge, to all who wish to receive it. And all who do receive it are left in no doubt as to the gravity of world conditions and of answers to biblical questions which are “undeniably true”.

To be or not to be… dogmatic? Yes, we must be dogmatic, because the sure foundation of our answers on biblical questions is always the Word of God.

Those who have been long-time members of the Church of God can speak from experience of pre-Feast trials. Those who are new(er) in the faith might be surprised and perhaps somewhat unprepared when problems strike around these times of year.  Of course, we understand that trials are not restricted to certain specific days or seasons. We are told that everyone who wants to live godly will suffer persecution, and that we must enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation. But still, it appears that problems and difficulties intensify just prior to and even during the annual Spring and Fall Holy Days. Why is this so?

In short, Satan plays a major role in this. He walks around like a roaring lion to see whom he can devour. He is called the deceiver, the destroyer and the murderer of mankind. He knows that his time is short. He has great wrath. He understands what the annual Feast Days picture. He sees that when these days approach, God’s people (re-)focus and meditate on the meaning of these days. And he does not like it one bit.

The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Pentecost symbolize the end of Satan’s individual rule over true Christians who have rejected the government of Satan in their lives and begun to embrace and submit to the government of God. With the gift of the Holy Spirit within them, they are being enabled to obey God and overcome Satan’s evil devices. Clearly, Satan does not like that some of those under his rule have become deserters and “traitors” to his cause and willingly changed alliances. Especially just before and during the Spring Holy Days, he focuses on those whom he had originally kidnapped to do his will, and who subsequently were freed from their spiritual captivity by God, their true Father. With great anger and hate, the devil will bombard them with unforeseen and unexpected trials, problems and persecutions, in an attempt to make it difficult for them to concentrate on the Spring Holy Day season, and what it pictures.

The Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day symbolize the end of Satan’s universal rule over all of mankind. They also symbolize the establishment of the Kingdom and Government of God on the earth, and the replacement, imprisonment and ultimate banishment of Satan. Clearly, Satan does not like the thought that his influence over man will cease. Especially just before and during the Fall Holy Days, he focuses on those who are qualifying now to replace him and rule with and under Christ on this earth. With great anger and hate, the devil will bombard them with unforeseen and unexpected trials, problems and persecutions, in an attempt to make it difficult for them to concentrate on the Fall Holy Day season, and what it pictures.

Satan wants us to forsake God’s government and submit again to his rule. He will try to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. But Satan can only do what God allows. And God only allows trials which we are able, with His help, to bear and deal with successfully. Satan knows this. At times, he even asks God for specific permission to see how far he can go, in tempting God’s people. At the same time, God tests us to see where our priorities are, and to give us opportunity to become victorious in our fight with the devil.

Will Satan succeed in discouraging us? Will we succumb to his evil devices? Will we allow his weapons to mortally wound us? Or will we stand strong and fight the good fight of faith to the end, especially in times of difficulties and trials—knowing God’s promise to you and me that “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly”?

As we enter this year’s autumnal Holy Day season, let us remember to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, being fully convinced that His good and comforting Spirit in us is greater and so much more powerful than the evil and discouraging spirit of this world.

When we see faults in others, what do we think?  Do we look down on them for having a frailty that we could easily overcome?  Do we condemn them and perhaps turn our head in derision or do we….

What we may have failed to realize is that God, as well as Satan, knows exactly what we need to work on personally.  So whether it is God who is testing us or the devil tempting us, in a sense we have custom-designed issues that we individually have to deal with.

So what we have come to see in others may be their Mount Everest — but it is not ours.  By the same token, ours will not be theirs.  We will all have trials, just not necessarily the same ones.

In our mutual walk that we have, as we head in the same direction side by side, occasionally bumping into one another, let’s try to remember that we may vary in the talent and abilities to handle our specific weaknesses in general.  We should also be aware that it is difficult to have the proper perspective while looking at others when we have a plank in our own eye (Matthew 7:3-5).

You may have heard the expression that a person has a kind heart, which indeed some people do, and that others are somewhat calloused and hard-hearted. We know that the carnal unconverted mind is enmity against God, as stated in Romans 8:7- 8:  “…the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Not only is the carnal mind at odds with and hostile towards God, it is not pleasing to Him either and does not want to be in subjection to God.

On the other hand, we are admonished to have the mind of Christ in us; that is, His Spirit, dwelling in our minds. This, in turn, makes us pleasing to God as long as we are in an obedient state and submit to His Will. Philippians 2:5 says: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

So we have to ask ourselves the question, what should our priorities and heart be, if the mind of Christ is in us?

For the answer we have to look at some of the statements of Christ.

In John 4:34, Jesus said to His disciples: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

Notice, Christ’s heart and desire were to do God’s Will and to finish the Work which God had given Him to do.

Did He accomplish that task?

John 17:4 quotes Christ’s own words, as follows: “ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.”

We see that Christ fulfilled the task given to Him by God, and He finished the Work that He had been given.

Christ’s Work, amongst other things, was to preach the gospel or good news to His disciples and those in Judea and other regions. But His disciples and His Church  were to go further and carry that message to the entire world (Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8).

Although Christ finished His Work, the Work of preaching the gospel to all nations is the ongoing responsibility of the Church and the members which compose the Church. This ongoing responsibility will continue until the return of Christ, and even in the Millennium and beyond.

In Matthew 6:21, Christ tells us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The hearts and treasures of those who have the mind of Christ in them and seeking to do God’s Will should be to zealously doing or supporting the Work of God in this current phase of God’s plan.

Our determination to actively be involved in the Work set before us is an indicator to God as to where our hearts and treasures are. So the big question now is: Where is your heart?

Is it indispensable for a true Christian to have zeal? Will we suffer loss and be punished by God, if we lack zeal? The answer to these questions is, “yes”, because zeal is defined in Scripture as to be “hot, in earnest, to be fervent”  (compare Strong’s Concordance No.2204 (Greek)). The spiritual virtue of zeal is rendered as “strong love” in Isaiah 37:32 (compare “Easy To Read Version”).

Jesus Christ has this zeal, for we read in Isaiah 59:17 that He “was clad with zeal as a cloak”, wearing it over His armor. This means, we are to be fervent in all aspects of the armor of God, which is described in Ephesians, chapter 6. This includes the belt or girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet to proclaim the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and finally praying always. These are all parts of the armor. Isaiah 59:21 emphasizes the sword of the Spirit: “My Spirit [which] is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth…”

God expects us to have zeal and a strong love for His Word and not to sanitize, whitewash or soften it, so that it has no effect on the hearers. “For the word of God is living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).

In Ezekiel 3:4, it is stated: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them!” And what is the purpose? “… hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). What warning is this? For example, “One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them… and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them” (Ezekiel 5:12-13).

Why must we speak these words to them? The answer is here: “If you do not speak to warn the wicked  from his way… his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 33:8). We must show Israel and all peoples the soon-coming worldwide destruction. In Matthew 24:14, we read that the gospel of the Kingdom is to be announced to them  “as a witness…”  Strong’s Concordance No.3142 (Greek) defines giving witness as including giving “evidence of the Decalogue (the ten commandments) in the sacred Tabernacle, to give a testimony”, so that our nations can avoid this destruction and show repentance by keeping the Ten Commandments.

Why does God want us to speak such terrible words of a warning witness to the houses of Israel, Judah and all nations? Focusing on Judah as an example, God explains His purpose for His warnings, through His Church, in Jeremiah 36:3 and 7, when He says: “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin… For great is the anger and the fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people.”

Do we have the zeal to do this?

Occasionally, we hit rough patches, don’t we? Sometimes our difficulties swarm around us, triggering a wide array of reactions, many of them not-so-good. I relate, and much more than I would like to admit. The feelings of being overwhelmed, frustrated, upset, angry, helpless, among many other negative emotions trap me most when I let my guard down, lose sight of my values, and become weak. I don’t think I’m alone in having a positive attitude that sometimes fails.

The hardest part is having the conscious awareness that I should know better. It is helpful to know that the situations causing me to stumble are insignificant when placed in the right perspective, but it is not always helpful. Even with the truth of the matter staring me in the face, emotions persist and the hardness of reality refuses to bend. The question then emerges, “what is one to do when struggling against one’s self?” The answer? Quite simply, give up.

Give up fighting alone. Our weakness becomes strengthened immeasurably when we use the resources made available to us by God. Ephesians 6:11 reminds us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Without Godly truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and the Holy Spirit, we are defenseless against the force of frustration that we may face. When we make use of what God has freely provided to us, we have an immense and powerful hope that can lead us to bravely overcome our struggles.

Give up relying on our own strength. Submitting ourselves to God and admitting to that we are not strong enough to solve our problems alone is extremely humbling. But, we are reminded that even Jesus Christ proclaimed without shame that He could do nothing without God. We are in the same position. Jesus Himself tells us about how He is behind everything that we do. When His word was recorded in John 15:5, He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me you can do nothing.” There is strength in knowing that when we allow Jesus Christ to live in us, He supports us in doing everything. How encouraging it is to know that we have such an Advocate!

Give up on relying on our own view of an immovable reality, and instead prove our faith. Having the faith of Christ, that God will fulfill His plan – no matter what – is the hope that we must have. This same hope gives us the power to see through sticky and nasty situations presented to us. Our faith must not be empty, but proven by action. James 2:22 tells us that faith is made perfect by action. We do this by acting consistently with our beliefs. By contrast, a discouraged spirit causes us to act contrary to our faith. There is no way to perfect our faith with a hopeless attitude. Reminding ourselves of the substance of our faith is vital to overcoming difficult situations.

However, there is one thing we must not give up on – trying. When we give up trying, we give in to the snares of Satan, allowing him to govern the course of our behavior. By continuing to try to overcome the difficulties of life, we make our faith manifest and prove our trust in God. Psalm 55:22 gives us some good advice, “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” We cannot forget that we have the hope and strength of God to support us as long as we don’t give up on Him.

Is life better for you now than it was last year? Have you personally made improvements in any areas that have held you back?

Jesus Christ said, “‘…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly’” (John 10:10). Is that even possible today? When we consider the frightening state of humanity, isn’t it simply a matter of just hanging on to what we have—much less to be really challenging ourselves to take on problems that will, after all, best be resolved when we are changed into Spirit?

This is, unfortunately, the kind of spiritual malaise that has settled into the lives of many members of the household of God—people who were once zealous, fired up for the Work of God and striving to overcome sin through greater and greater commitment by obedience to God!

Growth is spoken of in reference to the Church of God, and that has to do with a responsibility placed on each one of us. Consider what Paul wrote in the Book of Ephesians (NASB version):

“‘but speaking [better: holding] the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love’” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

There are a couple of ways we can measure “growth in the body,” and one is found in another of Paul’s letters:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified [margin: do not stand the test]” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Another determination for us to consider is our committed personal involvement in the Work of the Church of God—the Work Jesus Christ is overseeing as Head of the Church (compare Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Colossians 1:18).

Lest we forget, our goal remains before us, and that is to become “‘…perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect’” (Matthew 5:48). Also, this is exactly the ultimate purpose Paul understood that his preaching was to focus on, and he expressed this when he said of Jesus Christ:

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).

Take this to heart—we should all be growing, and even though there will be times when the passion of our calling grows a little cool, we must rebound and continue to “stir up the gift of God” advancing toward the perfection that can be ours!

Otherwise, we may just find ourselves stagnating, even declining and slipping back into the destructive society of our day—and the fate which awaits this age is, as the Bible quite pointedly warns, a dead end!