August 2002 Contents

This is our August cover.

In this issue

Congo

Our 400 or so people in the Congo (former Zaire) have gone through so much hardship and suffering, writes James Henderson, superintendent of African missions. Words seem insufficient to describe the deprivations they have gone through. Page 3.

Reconciliation

"We consider this a true success and an important first step in the process of reconciliation in the city of Huntington, West Virginia," writes Pastor Mike Greider.

Curtis May, director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, conducted a reconciliation conference there June 22. Page 5.

Living the gospel

As followers of Jesus, we proclaim the gospel, the good news of what he has done for humanity, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach. But the gospel is not just words to pronounce. Page 6.

Charles Fleming, regional director of the Caribbean, highlights what he believes is God’s vision for the WCG in the Caribbean. He says he is constantly inspired by WN reports of activities in the WCG that reflect the reality of God living with and walking among our members. Page 8.

Property sale

A Pasadena project team comprised of church personnel and outside consultants has embraced the best elements of the Legacy plan and is moving forward with the steps necessary to complete the sale of the headquarters property, writes Dale Trow, facilities director. Page 10.

Window on the World

Becoming intentional about walking with Christ is the next step for our fellowship in regard to evangelism, writes Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, in Window on the World. Page 12.

Discipleship

When we consider Paul’s teaching about the relationship between love and the law, it is interesting how we seem naturally inclined to reverse it, writes J. Michael Feazell in his article "Fulfilling the Law." Page 14.

Bible Study

Because Christ is so great, "we must pay more careful attention ... to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away," writes Michael Morrison in his Bible study on Hebrews 2, "Perfect Through Suffering." Page 25.

Financial Report

June contributions were just over $1.6 million, writes controller Ronald Kelly. Contributions for the year have passed through the $9.6 million level. Contributions from all sources are $13.8 for the year. Page 28.

PASADENA--The Worldwide Church of God announced Wednesday, July 24, its selection of Shea Homes as its master development consultant to complete its plans for a residential development on the 48-acre former Ambassador College site in West Pasadena.

"We were overwhelmed with the number of prominent developers that wanted to be part of our vision for this unique community," said Bernie Schnippert, director of Finance & Planning for the church. The church narrowed the candidates from over 100 initial inquiries to 50 serious responses to one finalist.

The Worldwide Church of God’s vision for the future of the Ambassador Campus is to create a residential development that would be a transit-oriented community on the East Campus and a garden residential community on the West Campus. The vision also calls for the preservation of the gardens and historic homes on the site and the reactivation of the renowned Ambassador Auditorium.

"As a Pasadena resident, I am excited to be part of such a prestigious development," said John Shea, principal of Shea Homes. "I see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to create homeownership opportunities in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and on one of the most beautiful properties in Pasadena."

John Shea, whose family began the J.F. Shea Co. in 1881, is a prominent philanthropist and supporter of education in Southern California. The John and Dorothy Shea Foundation is a major supporter of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and is one of the founding benefactors of the Invest in Children program of the Catholic Education Foundation. The Sheas are long-time supporters of the Salesian High School East Los Angeles and Verbum Dei High School in Watts. John and Dorothy have raised their eight children in Pasadena.

"I was extremely impressed with the Worldwide Church of God’s insistence on convening numerous small community meetings before we even put pen to paper. The church has been a loyal neighbor for the last 50 years and we want to help them create a new community that will be a source of pride for Pasadena," added Les Thomas, president of Shea Homes.

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"What sets Shea Homes apart is John Shea’s strong Pasadena roots, and his commitment to the Pasadena community, not just to building a project in Pasadena. Shea Homes’ philosophy is ‘integrity, commitment, and quality’ and focus on the homebuyer as community stakeholder. These are exactly the traits that we have been searching for to fulfill the Worldwide Church of God’s vision for our new development," Schnippert added. "Shea Homes is also committed to ensuring that each of its sub-developers take the same approach to community building."

Shea Homes is the largest privately held building firm in the nation, and is known nationwide for its commitment to homeowner services. Shea Homes is also a leading developer of energy-efficient homes, and a leader in creating communities that are harmonious with their surrounding environment. Shea Homes’ most prestigious awards include the National Housing Quality Gold Award, the California Golden State Quality Award, and the 2000 Energy Leadership Award.

Shea Homes was also the co-sponsor of the 2001 Tournament of Roses President’s Trophy winning National Association of Homebuilder (NAHB)’s float, The Family Tree. This float kicked off the NAHB 2001 Home Builders Care campaign to strengthen communities through community-service projects that support families, revitalize communities and provide services for neighbors in need. The float was powered by a natural gas engine supplied by float co-sponsor, the Southern California Gas Co.

The Worldwide Church of God’s property consists of 48 acres on both the west and east side of the end of the 710 freeway, known as the West Campus and the East Campus. For over 50 years, the Worldwide Church of God amassed 138 separate lots into one of the most lovely campus environments in Southern California – Ambassador College. The Ambassador Campus grounds include acclaimed gardens, historic homes, and the Ambassador Auditorium, which has been compared to Carnegie Hall in its grandeur and acoustic quality.

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Singing the Lord's song
in the Congo

By James R. Henderson

KINSHASA, Congo—After a night of tummy troubles I sat back in the window seat of the flight from Nairobi, Kenya, to Kinshasa. I fell asleep and woke up feeling better, restored.

I glanced around. The adjacent seats and the rows in front of and behind me were empty. It was quiet apart from the constant hum of the engines. I turned and looked out of the window at the endless skies. Below, through soft cotton-wool clouds I could see once again the mighty River Congo snaking its way through rich-green rain forests toward the distant silver-shimmering Atlantic. It was so beautiful.

Suddenly I realized I was singing. Not loudly enough to be heard, of course. After all, I am British, and that wouldn’t do, would it? But singing nonetheless. "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine!" "O Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hand hath made." I felt at ease, content in the presence of God. That I was with the Father, and he with me. That Jesus was by my side. That the Holy Spirit was comforting me.

I wallowed in this thought, allowing myself to savor every moment. "As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you," said the psalmist. No cares, no anxieties, no pressures. Just God, my God, and me. Together.

That togetherness God imbues us with is to be shared. Christianity is not selfish. The relationship between God and myself extends to include others. Although I value moments alone with God, I also treasure the joy of being with others for whom Christ died. Christianity is about community. Being with our Congolese brothers and sisters reinforced in my mind the joy of fellowship.

Our 400 or so people in the Congo (former Zaire) have gone through so much hardship and suffering. Words seem insufficient to describe the deprivations they have experienced.

Poverty grips this country of immense mineral wealth. Civil war and callous carnage have dominated the headlines for years. Political uncertainty remains. Things are marginally better—for example, on this trip I did not see many soldiers and tanks on the streets as before.

Naturally, our fellowship has felt abandoned at times. Our members have lived under a constant shadow of fear and suspicion. Communication has been difficult during the fighting and confusion, and to this day we have lost contact with some of our people and churches in outlying areas. I assured them that the prayers of the church worldwide are with them, and that Jesus our Savior who has known unjust and agonizing suffering will never leave them nor forsake them.

The purpose of my June visit was to attend church services with one of our three Kinshasa congregations, and to conduct national leadership meetings. Services began with upbeat versions of Christian hymns, and then came a variety of special music numbers, some sung in local languages.

The voices were stunning as they sang unaccompanied to all kinds of music styles, particularly a jazz gospel song that lingers on in my mind even as I write. No one wanted it to end. The whole congregation joined in, rejoicing, banishing thoughts of the world they had come from, finding safety and peace in the sanctuary that is our church in the Congo.

I did not know the words, but I joined in as best I could. It did not matter, we were together in the Lord. As the performances ended, someone began a French song from Cameroon—"Le Monde—il va passer"—"this world will pass." Living the kingdom now is hard for them, harder than most of us can imagine, and they yearn for the Second Coming. The idea of being delivered from this present evil world is so real to them. They worshiped the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Your brothers and sisters in the Congo send their greetings to you, and they pray for you whatever your circumstances. Please join me in praying for them. Pray for the relief of their physical plight, for the end of war, for their three leaders (Raphael Benza Tsuka, Mpinda Ndayi and Mvita Kalume), for the men and women who work so hard for their families, for the hungry children, and pray with them for our Savior’s return. "When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart."

GREETINGS FROM THE CONGO—Members in Kinshasa,
Congo, during June visit of James Henderson, regional director.
[Photo by James Henderson]

After I wrote the article "Life After War" (May WN) I have received 20 e-mails from east to west, north to south, from three of my children, my sister and other people whose lives have been broken by a war.

When I e-mailed Curtis May of the church’s Office of Reconciliation Ministries on Veterans Day, I was just a vet looking for recognition for my fellow veterans. In our church we had not been strong in supporting the people in the armed services. With that thought in my mind I must remember that with God, no matter what our mind-set is, he has a plan that is beyond our limited understanding.

In my article, I wrote about something that has consumed my life and brought me to the foot of the cross, helpless and totally broken on the potter’s wheel.

For the first time on my birthday my children did something to show dad they cared, and on Father’s Day each of the older three again did something. God sometimes is too good!

My pastor, Glen Weber, suggested reading the book Secrets of the Vine before this all started, and it has helped me see God’s loving hand in everything. There is not enough space on your or my hard drive to record all the awesome things God has done in my life in the past year. In spite of me, God has allowed me to go beyond my wildest understanding of what he was doing in my life, to be used in ways that leave me in awe. It is all about him and nothing about me.

As I close I can hear my mother telling me, "Mike, the pen is mightier than the sword." I was big on swords and using them to solve problems. Thankfully God’s love is bigger than all our hurts.

Mike Zorn

Spokane, Washington

I enjoyed Ray Meyer’s "Open Letter to Generation X" in the July WN.

For some time I’ve been delighted to observe God’s work in the lives of teens and young adults. I’ve heard about large groups of young people conducting praise and worship every morning on the beach at the festival in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In our local church, three young adults (Joe Shipman, Steve Kramer and Corrine Brunet) drive at least 70 miles one way every week so they can mentor our teens. These and others like them serve as spiritual big brothers and sisters who energize and motivate those who are a few years younger. Several older adults also work with the youths, serving as spiritual moms and dads.

One teen I know has turned his closet into a prayer room.

Let’s praise God for his work with our young people and let’s do everything we can to support that work.

Frank Lewandowski

Mesquite, Texas

Reconciliation in
West Virginia

By Michael Greider

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia—Curtis May, director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, conducted a reconciliation conference, June 22, in Huntington.

Hosts were the Huntington congregation, the Pastoral Department of Cabell Huntington Hospital and Mission Tri-State Ministries. The event took place at the Encouragers’ Fellowship Church, a black congregation, and involved many congregations across the city. Six pastors and 50 lay members attended.

After lunch, a diverse panel of individuals shared how different kinds of prejudices and racism had affected their lives. The panel included:

Silvia Ridgewan, acting president of the local chapter of the NAACP.

Christopher Worth, a physically impaired student at Marshall University.

James Ivy, an African-American policeman in Charleston, West Virginia.

Majed Khader, a Pakistani-Muslim professor at Marshall University.

Barbara Means, a European-American chaplin at Cabell Huntington Hospital.

Ida Callins, an African-American secretary for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Bob Hunt, a European-American mining engineer for Berwind Land Co.

On Sunday, June 23, the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, a predominantly white church, was host to the Encouragers’ Fellowship Church, a predominantly black church, for a morning church service. Mr. May gave a sermon about how Jesus modeled reconciliation as he reached out to the Samaritan woman in John 4. Afterward, the two congregations mingled in fellowship.

Then, Michael Greider, pastor of the Huntington congregation and coordinator for Mission Tri-State Ministries, said, "We consider this a true success and an important first step in the process of reconciliation in the city of Huntington."

John Riley, pastor of the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, said: "The conference helped me to see how many people today have been marginalized because of different prejudices."

John Martin, pastor of Encouragers’ Fellowship Church said: "It really opened my eyes to see other denominations are as close to God as our members. It showed me just how much in common we have with other believers of different denominations."

RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE—Attendees
meet in Huntington, West Virginia.
[Photo by David Greider]

Reconciliation – A Move of God (video)

Produced by the Office of Reconciliation Ministries of the Worldwide Church of God.

Reconciliation – A Move of God is a poignant, 50-minute journey through the human heart. It explores the disease of racial injustice in society, and even more disturbing, in our Christian churches. You’ll discover the surprising ways that racial injustice is perpetuated and what you can do to confront and overcome it in your own life.

To receive your own video, simply fill in the information below and send it along with a suggested donation of $15 to aid the Office of Reconciliation Ministries with its varied ministries. Along with the video you’ll also receive free the newsletter RECONCILE.

YES! Send me my own copy of Reconciliation – A Move of God and the newsletter RECONCILE. Enclosed is my donation (personal check or money order payable to ORM) to aid ORM in its varied ministries.

Amount of donation $

Name

Address

City State Zip

Mail to Office of Reconciliation Ministries c/o Worldwide Church of God,

300 W. Green St., Pasadena, California, 91123

Women's conference 
registration deadline
extended

The deadline for registering at the lowest cost for the WCG Women’s International Conference at Hueston Woods, College Corner, Ohio, Nov. 15-17, has been extended.

The original lowest-cost deadline for "Women at the Well," sponsored by the WCG women of Cincinnati, Ohio, was June 30. This deadline has been extended to the final date for registration, which is Sept. 1.

A registration form is available in the May Worldwide News. You may also contact Mary Koch at maryk@zoomtown.com Limited space is available, so send in your registration as soon as possible. Installment payments can be arranged for those who may need to pay in this manner.

"Women at the Well," with speakers Naomi Beard, Tammy Tkach and Sheila Graham, along with praise and worship music, prayer opportunities, fellowship teams, hikes and a Saturday night bonfire and sing-along, promises to be a spiritually uplifting and refreshing opportunity. Won’t you plan now to have your cup filled at the Well of Living Water?

—Kenda Turner

 

Something worth thinking about...

By Joseph Tkach

Living the Gospel

As followers of Jesus Christ, we proclaim the gospel—we announce the good news of what Christ has done for all humanity. But the gospel is not just words to pronounce—it also involves practical application in our lives.

When we accept the gospel of grace, it affects the way we think and the way we live. When we realize that we are sinners saved only by God’s mercy, we become more patient with other sinners.

When we realize that we have been forgiven an enormous debt, we become more forgiving. The better we understand and appreciate the grace shown us, the more gracious we become toward others. We see the need for forgiveness in ourselves and in others.

However, the more we see the need to be like Christ, the more we see how inadequate we are to this calling. We do not forgive as well as we should, or as well as we want to. We continue to need forgiveness for our lack of forgiveness, as well as our many other shortcomings. We do not find it in ourselves to do what we know we should.

So we look to God for the strength to forgive, and the desire to forgive. This is a learning and growing process, not achieved all at once. We look to God to change not just what we do, but who we are and how we think and what we value.

In this often-slow process of change, we need to trust Christ. We need to trust that he will, in his own time, make us like himself. We need to trust that he will change others, too. Although the church and its members are not perfect, and although they disappoint us and sometimes even hurt us, we need to trust Christ to do his work in them just as he does his work in us. We are all sinners on the journey together.

Trust in Christ affects the way we live—the gospel persistently reminds us to be forgiving, and to be aware that forgiveness will always be a necessity in this world. Just as we need continual forgiveness from God, the people around us need continual forgiveness from us.

Even people with the best of intentions make mistakes. Even people who love us hurt us sometimes. In this world of pain and tears, forgiveness is necessary.

If this world is all we have to hope for, we have a rather meager hope. But in Christ, we have a sure hope of a far better world to come. The world needs a major overhaul, and we trust that Christ will do it.

Our faith in the future, the heavenly world that Christ has promised, changes our values. We put less importance on the things that this world values, and we put more emphasis on the things of Christ.

This change in values rarely happens instantaneously. Like other changes in our lives, it is a slow process with breakthroughs and backslidings. Sometimes we get mired in the temporary things of the world, and sometimes we are able to cast them away as irrelevant and unnecessary burdens. As we value people more than things, as we value truth more than money, as we value grace more than revenge, the gospel is changing our lives.

Friends, we are not just to know the gospel and preach the gospel—we are to be living examples of the gospel—examples of grace and faith and love.

We want our lives to support the gospel, to commend the gospel, to make it attractive to others. We want the words we say about Jesus Christ to be accompanied by the sweet aroma of a Christlike life.

Few things can bring the gospel into disrepute more than a Christian with a corrupt life. People hear of sexual immorality within the church and devalue the gospel even before they hear it. Get your own house in order, they might say, and then we might listen to what you say.

Certain television evangelists have given the gospel a bad name. Church treasurers who steal give the gospel a bad name. Immoral priests have undermined the gospel. Church members who gossip and slander cause the gospel to be ridiculed. Hypocrisy undermines the good news. Self-righteous judgmentalism, on the other hand, hurts the gospel as much as adultery and crime. The point is that our behavior affects the reputation of the message. One bad example can mar thousands of good words.

A good example, however, helps the gospel to be favorably received. That is one of the dynamics at work in friendship evangelism. People can be won to Christ in only a few words after they have seen some good examples of the gospel in action.

As Paul wrote, "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). Some behaviors are worthy of the gospel, and some are not. Our example is important. Our Statement of Beliefs says that Christians should "live lives of faith that make evident the good news that humans enter the kingdom of God by putting their trust in Jesus Christ." Our lives should reflect the grace and faith we have in Jesus Christ.

When we trust Christ, we are willing to do what he says, confident that his instructions are what we need. Our behavior should include not only obedience to the commands of Christ, but also sensitivity to the expectations of our cultures. We do not have to obey cultural expectations, but we are sensitive to them because that is part of the way that we show love to others. We are considerate, gentle, patient and kind. Faith and love makes a difference in our lives.

Jesus said, Let your good deeds be seen so people will praise God (Matthew 5:16). Peter wrote, Let your good deeds be seen so people will glorify God when the right time comes (1 Peter 2:12). But we do not do good deeds simply for show—we do them because they are right. We were made for the purpose of doing good deeds (Ephesians 2:10). We were made for love, and love means more than good feelings—it means helpful words and helpful actions.

However, the gospel is not a list of good deeds that we must perform. The gospel is a message of grace—but after this message has taken root in our lives, it produces the fruit of good works, because the more we value the grace and love we have been given, the more we want to dispense grace and love to others.

Even so, we must distinguish between root and fruit, between the gospel and its results. We should not preach the results as if they were the message, because if people try to imitate the results without being motivated by the grace of Jesus Christ, they have mere religion, a fake faith, a legalism, not the gospel.

We preach the gospel of grace. We can point people, as the New Testament does, to the results that God’s love will have in our lives, but we must remember that these are the results and not the focus of the message. But on the other hand, if there are no results, we might wonder whether the gospel has really been understood. This calls for patience. Just as we have a continual need for grace, others do too, and we have to trust Christ to do the work that only he can do.

The gospel commends good works, and good works commend the gospel. It is important to distinguish them, but not separate them. They go together, and grace is the horse that pulls the cart of good works. Our job is to help the horse. Our behavior should be a reflection of the gospel, based on grace, pointing toward faith and love.

How can we better live the gospel? That is something worth thinking about, worth talking about and worth putting into practice.

Dallas conference:
freedom in Christ

By Arnold Clauson

DALLAS, Texas—Nearly 500 people packed the ballroom of the Omni Dallas Park West Hotel, July 12-14, for an uplifting and instructional regional conference.

Of those present, 55 were pastors attending from Kansas to Mississippi, from West Virginia to New Mexico.

Attendees shared inspiring praise and worship music, and learned the importance of "The Everyday Commission" as taught by Dan Rogers, superintendent of U.S. ministers. Mr. Rogers also taught sessions on "Developing and Implementing Vision to Our Congregations."

Michael Feazell spoke on "Where Are We Now in Prophecy?" and Pastor General Joseph Tkach spoke on "Got Leadership?" The Oklahoma City youth band led praise and worship Saturday evening, July 13.

Breakout sessions were helpful, especially for church treasurers who had come to this conference. Charles Albrecht spoke on "Local Financial Management," and Bret Miller conducted a session on "Computer Information Management." These both will be essential as congregations adopt the new financial model.

In other breakout sessions, Nancy Akers discussed children’s ministry, Pat Shaw covered women in ministry and Jeb Egbert spoke about teen ministry. Randy Bloom, district superintendent, and Gene Griffin presented principles on small church growth.

Sunday began with praise and worship, followed by Greg AIbrecht talking about PTM and the Worldwide Church of God. The final presentation was by Carn Catherwood, district superintendent, on "The Importance of Good Worship." The conference concluded with a moving and comforting communion service, including a reading by Joyce Catherwood on Mary’s anointing of Jesus before his death.

The conference was a shot in the arm, as we have rounded the corner of our transformation process, ready to begin reaching out to the world with a message of hope and encouragement, leading others to true freedom in Jesus Christ.

Regional Snapshot

From Charles and Carmen Fleming, Caribbean

Seizing opportunities
in the Caribbean

By Charles Fleming

In one of the most remarkable passages of Scripture, God makes this incredible promise: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people… I will be a Father to you" (2 Corinthians 6:16, 18).

I am constantly inspired by WN reports of activities in the WCG that reflect the reality of God living with and walking among our members. As you read Patrick Fearon’s report, we ask you to join us in thanking God for keeping his promise to us. This report highlights what we believe is God’s vision for the WCG in the Caribbean. It’s a vision geared toward the following:

• To help people have transforming spiritual experiences that enable them to know, understand and experience God; know and understand themselves—who they are in Christ; and to know and understand others—both those in Christ and the unsaved.

• To help people build transforming relationships.

• To help create a church culture where each person has abundant opportunities to honor God by using his or her gifts to serve others.

• To help people experience and appreciate the presence and the power of Christ in the lives and ministries of Christians in other denominations—and to work together with them in the Master’s service.

 

 

By Patrick Fearon

WCG members in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, continue to shine as lights to a dark world, ministering to people on whose shoulders the national hope squarely sits—Haiti’s children.

If Haiti is to rise from the barren ground of social ills, political instability and poverty—all of which affect the harvest field for the gospel—its children will have to play a significant role.

This would involve education, and it is there that the WCG congregation has found a niche to help. Charles Fleming, regional director for the Caribbean and Latin America, reports that the members in Haiti, led by Joseph Franklin, a bi-vocational pastor, are expanding the school that they started in 1997. What started as one kindergarten class with 35 children has grown to five classes with 142 children.

The plan is to demolish the building and put up a new structure to accommodate 12 grades with an enrollment of 300 to 400 students.

A portion of the funds to finance the school is generated by a joint project between the church and Andre Naval, an artist who has produced a number of postcards. Mr. Naval gives one third of the price of each postcard sold by church members to the church for the school building fund. They sell for 50 cents each.

If you would like to support Haiti’s postcard project, contact the Caribbean Regional Office at 9970 NW 24th St., Coral Springs, Florida, 33065; telephone 1-954-344-3668; e-mail charles_fleming@wcg.org

For some time now, the WCG in Arima, Trinidad, has used its facilities to serve the community. This helps foster interdenominational bonds and build new friendships.

The premises have also become a center where ministries such as training in evangelism and spiritual enrichment take place.

Writing from Trinidad, Laura Sealy, secretary for the office there, reports that many denominations, including some from outside of Trinidad, use the WCG’s premises for camps and retreats, and also as a meeting place for prayer and fasting.

The main auditorium is used for weddings, church rallies and conferences. In March, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI) conducted a conference there.

Laura also reported that Campus Crusade for Christ is becoming involved with WCG’s young people. Last year the group conducted a seminar for WCG youths, and earlier this year were also involved in a singles retreat.

The building also serves as a center for training for Evangelism Explosion (EE). Many WCG members as well as believers from other denominations have done the EE program at the Trinidad facility.

The facility is also a post for the Walk to Emmaus, a three-day spiritual renewal movement that seeks to strengthen local churches by equipping believers for Christian action. Laura said that since the Emmaus Walk was introduced in Trinidad, they have seen many members grow in grace and knowledge, as well as love.

The Food for the Needy program in which the Freeport, Bahamas, congregation participates, has created opportunities for sharing the gospel in some of the less well-to-do communities.

In the Sea Grape community, during four Sunday visits by a group of members, 16 people accepted Jesus Christ. A Bible study is now conducted there.

Another social trend creating opportunities for sharing the gospel is the growing Haitian population. In Nassau the church runs a soup kitchen, and a number of Haitians are among the beneficiaries.

Additionally, Pastor Robert McKinney and other volunteers have participated in Creole classes, to learn the Haitian dialect. Becoming more aware of the Haitian culture has proven useful. A few Haitian youths are being discipled in fellowship get-togethers.

The Bahamas is overwhelmingly Christian, and most people will openly say they are Christians. However, the extent of materialism, alcoholism, drug abuse and AIDS speaks of a Christianity that is nominal for many.

Leroy Joiles, a member of the pastoral team, reports that they are engaged in a food distribution program led by Courtney Campbell, another pastoral team member. Each month they serve more than 200 people. Four of the people served attend services regularly.

Cecil Cox reports that selected leaders oversee the day-to-day running of the church. This frees Pastor Clifton Charles for other responsibilities.

Some members participate in the church’s certificate in ministry program conducted weekly. The classes are Bible Interpretation, Understanding Gifts, Sermon Preparation, Counseling and Understanding People.

From Bermuda, Senior Pulley reports that having their own church building is the fulfillment of a 20-year vision for the church.

The congregation has fostered a good relationship with a Baptist church, and together they established a chapter of Young Life for their young people. Every other Friday, youths from both churches gather in the church hall for activities and games, and Bible-based instruction.

From Dominica, Pastor Crisford Vidal noted that on April 27 the congregation thanked Paula John for 1.2 acres of land in the northwest part of the island she donated to the church in 1999 after migrating to England. Ms. John was making a return visit to Dominica.

Over the past few years, the south of the island, where the church meets has experienced volcanic tremors. The land in the northwest is a more geologically stable alternative location for the church, if it becomes necessary to move.

From St. Lucia, Desiree Darius reported that in March, singles from St. Lucia attended a five-day retreat in Trinidad. The theme for the retreat was Living Sacrifices, based on Romans 12:1-8. She mentioned that their role as singles became more clear from attending the conference, adding that their status should be used for God’s glory.

While we have much work to do, we thank God for what he is doing in us. We have full confidence that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion. Meanwhile, pray that we walk in God’s vision for us in the Caribbean.

KINDERGARTEN IN HAITI [Photo by Charles Fleming]

Headquarters
Property Sale Update

Pasadena project team formed

By Dale Trow

The church announced on April 29 that Legacy Partners, which had been under contract with the church to purchase the Pasadena campus and develop it into a master planned residential community, allowed its contract to expire and withdrew from any participation in the project.

Legacy Partners entered into escrow with the church in early 1999 with the intention of developing a combination of commercial office space, retail, senior housing, a luxury hotel and residential housing on the 48-acre property. Legacy changed its plans several times in response to market conditions and community feedback.

At the time of its withdrawal, Legacy’s plan was to develop about 1,700 residential units on the east and west campus. Legacy intended to develop a relatively small portion of the property itself and sell to other developers the remainder of the property parcels.

Legacy’s role was also to obtain entitlements, coordinate the new infrastructure for the property, create home owner associations, remodel Merritt House (Ambassador Hall) into a community center for the home owners, develop common areas (several acres of green space, walkways and historical gardens) and create a plan for the preservation and reactivation of Ambassador Auditorium.

"In the end, Legacy found the twin pressures of time and financial investment just too much to make the deal work for their bottom line," according to Bernie Schnippert, director of Finance & Planning for the church.

A Pasadena project team comprised of church personnel and outside consultants has embraced the best elements of the Legacy plan and is moving forward with the steps necessary to complete the project.

The team is largely in place, with a master developer and consultant to be named soon. The master developer will function as a consultant under the direction of the church and will not purchase and resell the land, as was Legacy’s intention. The church will sell the development parcels directly to the developers once entitlements are obtained and a development agreement is completed.

Most of the the original subdevelopers who were interested in buying property parcels through Legacy, though not under contract, are in place and anxious to move forward with their building plans.

The church has filed a master application with the City of Pasadena as a precursor for the environmental impact report and development agreement.

The application requires extensive information on existing property conditions, sur- rounding land uses and proposed future uses. The new application calls for 1,942 units for the purpose of the environmental impact report, and will be reduced to an appropriate density for the property as the church works through various issues.

A City planning document called the West Gateway Specific Plan (WGSP) allows for more than the number of units proposed, but the actual number is conditioned by a number of factors including zoning criteria, property setbacks, building heights and traffic mitigation. Project density and traffic mitigation have been primary concerns of the campus neighbors, and the church is taking responsible steps to address these concerns.

Dr. Schnippert said: "We expect the interested parties will move closer together as the plan moves along, not further apart. At least, this is our goal."

The application was filed with the assistance of legal counsel from Troy & Gould, a highly regarded firm that has advised the church for more than four years on property and related matters.

To facilitate communication with resident associations, city leaders and the community at large, the church has contracted with Fleishman Hillard, a leading public affairs communications firm in Los Angeles County.

Fleishman Hillard will assist with community relations, correspondence, advertising and other project-related duties.

Dr. Schnippert commented: "The plan for the property is a good one. An important key to the success of the project is early and comprehensive communication with the community. Fleishman Hillard has a proven track record in handling projects of this magnitude, and they’ve already made great contributions."

Tim Lowe, senior financial analyst and president of Waronzof Associates, is assembling a comprehensive financial model that will blend current church finances, Pasadena project team expenses and potential land value into a tool that will allow church executives to monitor project progress quantitatively.

The model will allow for adjustments as conditions change. For example, every change in proposed density, building type or number of affordable units sends ripples through the model that can be understood in financial terms. Such information is critical in order for the church’s board of directors to make informed decisions.

Plans are under way to relocate the church employees who make up the Pasadena project team from the Hall of Administration to Merritt House, where Legacy had guest offices during its tenure. Pastor General Joseph Tkach and Dr. Schnippert both felt it was wise to move the sales project team out of the Hall of Administration so they would not be a distraction to the main work of the church.

Dr. Schnippert commented that "although the sale is important, it is a support function to the mission of the church and not the church’s main daily business." The move will bring the project team together in adjoining offices, and provide dedicated conference space for the many meetings that will occur with builders, city officials and other community leaders.

The move will also put the team next to Terrace Villa (former Ambassador College dormitory), which will become office space for the consultants who are working with the church.

Dale Trow is facilities director for the church.

Sale Questions

By Dale Trow

Following are frequently asked questions about the property sale.

In the context of the property size, location, proposed use and government requirements, an escrow of three years isn’t unusual.

Yes, the Worldwide Church of God owns the campus. However, even private properties fall under the guidelines of the California Environment Quality Act (CEQA). Developing a property of this size requires certain discretionary city approvals and can affect environmental conditions. That labels the campus development under CEQA as a "project" so at least some environmental review is required.

Projects must complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that addresses project impacts on such things as air quality, cultural resources, population, employment and housing, schools, municipal services and traffic. A project may have to submit feasible alternatives or mitigation measures if certain impacts cannot be substantially lessened.

Yes, the church will submit a new EIR, but it won’t have to start from scratch. Studies from the original EIR may still be valid and can be used again. Some studies may be modified to more specifically reflect the current project. Legacy’s EIR covered some potential plans that we know now won’t occur, for example, the commercial office component. It will be to our advantage to focus on the actual issues that relate to the current project.

The church could sell the property immediately, but the buyer would still have to complete the EIR, unless the buyer was going to use the campus significantly in its current condition. However, the property has greater value under a development plan, and that requires an EIR. Our goal is to acquire entitlements and an approved development agreement with the City that will guarantee certain development rights for parcel buyers.

Under a development agreement, each builder would be assured the right to build its portion of the project as long as design guidelines are followed that were approved under the development agreement.

A development agreement is useful because it brings continuity to the project. A master architect will work with the various builders to orchestrate a master planned residential community that blends the different product types into a visually appealing and livable development. The development agreement also addresses the complex issues of infrastructure for the property and manages the common green spaces, historical gardens and walkways.

Window on the World

From Randal Dick,
superintendent of missions

The Power of Intent

This article is intended as a follow-on from my April "Windows" column titled, "Gossiping the Gospel." I have to admit that I am feeling the pressure because of the unusually large number who responded to that article. The content of those responses indicates that there is a great deal of interest and quite an investment of energy in seeking to understand how to respond to Christ’s command that we are part of his Great Commission.

Many of you also made it clear that you are holding me to my statement that I would write more on this topic. As a result I have spent a great deal of time and energy pondering an answer to the question implied in most of the responses: "What is the next step?"

The answer that seemed to emerge was once again amazingly simple: become intentional about walking with Christ. The key word here is intentional. This next step is essential for most of us. It can also make a tremendous difference in the life of the individual and the fellowship.

A longtime friend and elder in the church put it well when he said that so much of the problem that people were facing in his congregation revolved around the fact that for more than two decades we were conditioned to be reactive, if not passive, to the gospel needs and opportunities in our immediate surroundings.

Now, he said, we understand the need to take responsibility for sharing the gospel personally. But he concluded that it is a real struggle for a lot of members to make that transformation from being reactive to being a proactive part of the gospel of Christ—living with the knowledge that we were called to live our lives for them (the lost) not just for ourselves.

It’s really simple when you think about it: God is an intentional being. You can see it in Genesis 1, where the God of creation moved across the face of the waters of a confused planet and with great intent restored it to a state of beauty. Or, you can look at John 1, where God intentionally came to earth and lived an intentional life in the flesh in order to be the Savior of the human race.

God is not only a God of intent, he has the power to make whatever he intends become reality. The Great Commission is a statement of intent as well. Jesus is saying that because the power to make intent become reality has been given to him, he wants us, when we go into all the world, to make disciples.

We are also intentional beings. That is one of the great gifts God has given us when he made us in his image. But unlike God, we do not have the power to always make our intention become perfect reality. Sometimes we don’t even manage to make our intention reality at all, and sometimes we get a reality that we didn’t intend. 

The Great Commission is of essential importance. But the Great Commission is not a mantra, nor is it a command that is independent of the other statements that surround it.

Edmund Gibbs, professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, observed that in order to understand Matthew 28:18-20, one must see it in the context of Matthew 4:19, where Jesus says to those who would be disciples, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

A Christian’s primary intent should be to wholeheartedly participate with Jesus and allow him to lead us on that journey. That journey of following him is led, guided and guarded by Jesus personally.

He knows the path and the destination. He chooses the pleasant meadows of the good times and the narrow confines of our trials and sorrows. This is a journey we will never finish in this life. When we draw our last breath, it will be on the road, so to speak. Most importantly for us, this is intended to be a journey of transformation.

It is essential to be clear on this point, because it forms the foundation of all that follows. Jesus causes a powerful transformation to happen within us as we intentionally participate and wholeheartedly submit to Christ’s authority in our lives. As we are transformed we become attractive to the lost who are seeking to understand the purpose of life. I cannot emphasize enough that this is what makes the difference between being part of Christ carrying out his will on this earth vs. trying to do evangelism and asking God to bless the endeavor.

Christ desires to shape our future, our reality and who we are. That is what the "follow me" is all about. I can’t make my intent reality, but I do have the God-given ability (and responsibility) to be intentional in my desire to follow him. This is an essential response to Jesus’ command to "follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." In so doing, we open ourselves up to Christ and allow him to make us an effective part of his will on this earth.

What would some of the transforming effects be when we are intentional about being part of Christ’s journey as opposed to asking him to be the guide of our journey? The semantics are small, the difference in life is huge.

We would become much more aware of the existence of unsaved people around us. We tend to block out the clutter of other people’s lives, especially those for whom we feel that we have no responsibility. Being intentional about following Jesus on a daily journey automatically nudges us into a priestly mentality, because that is who Jesus is.

It is interesting to note that Christ inspired Peter to write that we, the members of the Body of Christ, are part of a royal priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices in the name of Jesus the High Priest (1 Peter 2:9). What are those spiritual sacrifices, in practical 21st-century terms, that Christ desires that we offer? The answers to that question should shape who we are and what we do, both personally and collectively.

We would be growing spiritually. Being intentional about journeying with Christ would probably cause one to begin talking to God about helping him or her to overcome some of the long-standing failings, be they commission or omission, that cause us to miss the mark. This is quite different from the legalistic approach to overcoming where one is motivated by fear of not being in the kingdom or a desire for a greater reward.

This desire to have our character formed in Christ is driven by the realization that it is Christ in us who makes us attractive to the lost, and every sin that remains resident in us causes people to see Satan’s way in action instead of the transforming power of the love of God at work in us.

We would be more serious about knowing what we believe and being able to give a cogent explanation of those beliefs. Being intentional about journeying with Christ tends to stimulate one to also be intentional about having an effective response to a lost person who needs and desires to know that there is a God, and to know how they might connect with him. Why would we leave such an important thing to accident?

Think about the words of Isaiah that Christ adopted as a primary theme of his ministry to humankind, "Comfort ye my people." "Tell them that their iniquities are pardoned." "That their warfare is ended." And "make straight a highway to our God."

Should we not invest some intentional effort at being able to assess the felt need of a person and being able to articulate that part of the gospel that speaks to their immediate need, thereby encouraging them to take yet a step toward redemption? Is not a highway a long series of steps that has been cleared of obstacles and passage made as simple as possible? What is the practical application of making a highway to our God (for the lost)? What part do we play, and what constitutes, in real terms, making a highway for them?

Being intentional about being on Christ’s journey would lead us to change the way we allocate our time. We might begin to focus more time and energy on people instead of things. We would also tend to focus more on the relationships that we either have, or can cultivate with people who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus. The focus of that time would be outgoing—being there for them, serving them in some small or great way, one time or ongoing.

I hope it becomes clear that by being intentional about yielding to Jesus’ command to engage in a lifetime journey of following him, we put ourselves in the best position to be effective in his Great Commission. This is the power of intent.

So far we’ve talked about the powerful spiritual dynamic that is put into motion when we are intentional about making our walk with Christ a real part of our daily thought and action. We’ve seen what a transforming effect it has on our personal life. But that is only the beginning. The power of intent goes way beyond our own life. By being intentional in our walk with Christ, we become a part of what he is doing on a much larger scale. We are often not even aware of its scope until it has passed by and borne incredible fruit.

In the next installment (scheduled for October) I’ll give you a couple of exciting examples from the lives of our brethren in the early church, how a small, insignificant group of outcasts rocked an empire. They didn’t know that was what they were doing. They were just being intentional about following Christ. But by being intentional about their walk with Christ, they put themselves in a position to be a part of something big.

Fulfilling the law

By J. Michael Feazell

The apostle Paul once wrote of love as a "continuing debt" to one another, saying, "he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." He cited four of the Ten Commandments and then included all others, explaining that they "are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ " He said, "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." You can read his discourse in Romans 13:8-10.

When we consider Paul’s teaching about the relationship between love and the law, it is interesting how we seem naturally inclined to reverse it. We seem to find ourselves more comfortable with the idea of the law fulfilling love than we are with the idea of love fulfilling the law.

When it comes to relationships, most of us like to know where we stand. We don’t feel comfortable not knowing whether others like us or don’t like us. We feel better if we have some clear evidence, some way to measure, where we stand with others.

Maybe that is why we find ourselves more comfortable with the law being the fulfillment of love, than love being the fulfillment of the law.

The statement, "love is the fulfillment of the law," does not mean the same thing as the statement, "the law is the fulfillment of love." The first statement makes love the principal thing and the law the secondary thing. The second statement makes the law the principal thing and love the secondary thing.

In the first statement, the law is subsumed within love. In other words, love is bigger, wider, broader, deeper and richer than the law. When one loves, one has fulfilled the law, but one has also done more than that—one has loved.

Let’s see how that works with the second statement, "the law is the fulfillment of love." In this case, we would be saying that love is subsumed within the law. We would be saying that the law is wider, broader, deeper and richer than love. We would be saying that when one has kept the law, one has not only loved, but one has done more than love—one has kept the law.

But that is not what Paul is saying. He is saying that love fulfills the law. A person can keep the law without loving. But one cannot love without the law being fulfilled in them. The law gives instruction in the ways that one who loves will live. But the difference between the law and love is that love works from the inside and the law works from the outside.

A person motivated by love does not need to be told to behave in a loving way; a person motivated by law does. Maybe that is why we tend to get uncomfortable with the idea that faith in Christ has superseded the law. We fear that unless there is an outside agent, the law, compelling us to behave rightly, we probably won’t. We know our love is weak, so we don’t trust ourselves to behave with love without a threat of unpleasant consequences as motivation.

The problem with that is obvious: Love cannot be compelled, forced, coerced or threatened into being. Love is freely given and freely received, or it isn’t anything at all. Love is unconditional; anything short of unconditional is something other than love. It might be acceptance, it might be approval, it might be pleasure, it might be happiness, but it is not love, because love has no conditions. That is why our "love" is so easily strained when the people we love fall short of our expectations and demands—as they invariably do.

Of course, we fall short of theirs, too. But then, we usually expect them to overlook and understand the ways we fall short of their expectations.

In either case, what we call love is often stretched thin by the failure of either party to measure up to what the other feels is appropriate behavior.

When we allow the demands and expectations of the people we love, however unreasonable they may be, to dictate our lives, we are not free, but imprisoned. Likewise, if we withhold our love from others, making it conditional upon whether they are at any given moment pleasing us or doing what we want them to do, then we are being manipulative, not loving.

When we love others, we love them for who they are, not for what we want them to be. More precisely, as Christians, we love others for who God has made them to be in Christ, not for who we want them to be for us. It is only when we drop the selfish habit of withholding love from others until they adequately please us, that we can also free ourselves from the prison of striving to please others in order to win or retain their love.

If someone loves you, they do not have to remake you into their image. And you, just as surely, do not have to make someone into your image in order to love them, either.

"Love is blind" is an old saying that illustrates how silly the common understanding of love is. It is usually taken to mean that love does not see the flaws, problems and warts of the object of love, and is therefore naïve. That is a good description of infatuation. But it is a terrible description of love.

Love is honest. It sees things as they really are, and loves what is real, not some image. A good marriage, for example, is one in which each partner, in love, puts up with the various selfish, immature and obnoxious behaviors of the other. The partners do not waste their emotions and energies trying to manipulate and manage each other through the typical shame games, guilt-trips and favor withholdings that plague so many marriages. We ought to expect that people will not measure up to the silly, grand ideals we hold out for them, and wise people, people who love, know that.

When love is unconditional, then iron can truly sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17) without the accusations, resentments and recriminations that usually go hand in hand with our typical selfish efforts to "correct" one another.

It would be comical, if it were not tragic, how we can say to each other, "If you loved me, you would not have … (fill in the blank: said that, embarrassed me, done that, forgot that, bought that, sold that, asked that, ruined that, etc.) or "If you loved me, you would have … (been nice to my mother, ironed my pants, stood up for me, known what I meant, etc.).

Maybe an actor in the movies, following a script, would do all the things we wish others would do, at least while the camera is on, but real people in real life don’t—and neither do you.

All of us, in every relationship we have ever had or will ever have, at some point along the way, in one way or another, experience disappointment, if not betrayal. And that, of course, is a two-way street. We eventually, in one way or another, disappoint, if not betray, the people we care about, too. But to love is to know full well what you are dealing with—one flawed, imperfect and weak human being relating to another—and to love in spite of it all.

The point is: Love is not based on whether the one being loved measures up; love travels in a different universe from that, and its chariot is forgiveness.

Jesus was once invited to dinner by a Pharisee. During dinner, a woman, who was well known as a sinner, entered and started anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume. Standing behind him at his feet (in those days, people ate by reclining on a backless couch at the table so that their feet were directed away from the table), she wet his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

Naturally, the Pharisee thought this intrusion irregular, but said nothing. He simply thought to himself: "Good grief. If this Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of big-league sinner this woman is." The implication being, righteous men don’t truck with sinners, especially woman sinners.

Jesus knew his thoughts, though, and asked him this: "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?

"Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’

"‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said" (Luke 7:41-43).

Then Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon: "Look, Simon. You didn’t show me any particular love when I got here, but this woman certainly did, and big time. And you know why? Because she is a big-time sinner who needs her sins forgiven, and she trusts me to do it, so she loves me big time. But you? Well, you know, Simon, you don’t think you need much in the way of forgiveness, at least not from me, so you don’t show me much love. It’s like that with people who think they are reasonably righteous—they don’t love much, but people who know they are sinners and want my forgiveness, well, my grace inspires them to great love."

The more we understand how much we’ve been forgiven, the more we love God who forgives us. And the more we love God who forgives us, the more we forgive our neighbor who wrongs us. Forgiveness generates love, and love generates forgiveness.

Love comes from God. He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:6-8), and in Christ he demonstrated his love for us by forgiving us.

Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13. He begins like this: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (verses 1-3).

The only real value in anything at all is love. Doing good things, following the rules, keeping the law: these are not the same thing as love, and they can be done without love.

Paul continues: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (verses 4-7).

Notice Paul never says of love: "It keeps the law." Meditating on these beautiful characteristics of love ought to make it plain that love is on a vastly higher and deeper level than merely keeping the law.

He goes on: "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (verses 8-13).

Everything is temporary—from prophecies to knowledge to childhood to the spiritual manifestations we put so much stock in—except faith, hope and love, which never fail.

The law, contrary to what many well-intentioned Christians believe, does not define love. The law and love may intersect at many points, but they are definitely not the same thing. The law is rooted in love, to be sure, but love is not rooted in the law.

Just as the law does not define love, so love does not define law. It transcends the law. The law exists only because God loves. I doubt anyone would want to say that God loves only because he first had a law.

Even though the law is a product of love, the law can be misused and turned into something that harms, rather than helps, when it is administered by cruel and pitiless people. But love, from which law springs, cannot be misused.

In his love, God tempers justice with mercy. Regarding the way God views the law and justice, James wrote: "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" (James 2:12-13).

Now here is a curious thing! Many religious people have the idea that God’s spiritual blood is constantly at a furious boil at the sinning masses, and that he is first and foremost the God of justice who is itching to blast the evildoers. So naturally, most people who believe this caricature of God go around either worried about or resigned to their obvious toboggan slide to hell.

But James, the biblical writer who is a hands-down favorite of works-oriented Christians, says two remarkable things in the just-cited passage: 1) people are judged by the law that gives freedom, not the law that condemns, and 2) the only kind of people who will get judgment without mercy are people who have not been merciful, because mercy triumphs over judgment!

This ought to be no surprise, because like Zechariah reported, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another’ " (Zechariah 7:9). In other words, in God’s view, there is no other kind of judgment but the kind that is tempered with mercy and compassion. When God talks about judgment, he is talking about something quite different from what a lot of religious people are talking about.

God loves. And it is because he loves that he gave the law. It is because he loves that he judges. It is because he loves that he judges us all guilty, since we are. It is because he loves that in judging us guilty, he has mercy on us. It is because he loves that he sent Jesus. It is because he loves that he sent the Holy Spirit. It is because he loves that moves us to turn to him (repent), to trust him (have faith), and that he saves us from sin and death (salvation).

When we love, we are behaving like God. Jesus said, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Psychologists say that at the basest level, what all human beings need and want is to be loved. If we want to be loved, then Jesus says we need to love, and that, he says, sums up the Law and Prophets.

The law, which justly brings all human beings under condemnation and death, has been replaced by the Spirit, which brings life through Jesus Christ (compare Romans 7:6 and 8:1-4).

Through faith in Christ we are no longer under the condemnation of the law. The law has no claim on us, because we stand in Christ, not under the law. In Romans 6 and 7, Paul uses the analogy that we die with Christ and are raised with Christ, so that law, which had a claim on us until death, has now lost that claim because we have died. Our new life is in Christ, and is not under the law.

It is in this condition, the condition of belonging to Christ and released from the law, that we bear fruit to God (7:4). Our sinful nature, which would use the law to destroy us if it could, can no longer do so, because we are no longer under the law. Instead, we serve God in a new way, the way of the Spirit, not in the old way, the way of the law.

What does this mean in practical terms? At least this: There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. To repeat, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Warning: Your natural defenses might not let you believe this at first. It might help to repeat it a couple of more times. If that doesn’t help, you could try looking up Romans 8:1 and reading it slowly. It is hard for us to believe, but it is the gospel.

Those who are in Christ take their stand against their sinful nature on the basis of faith in Christ and life in the Spirit (which are the same thing), not on the basis of the law. On the basis of the law, we lose. On the basis of faith, however, we win. That is not because we ourselves win, but because Jesus is our victory.

We do not need to worry that God has rejected us, or that he will not listen to our prayers, or that he won’t save us, or that he won’t forgive us, or that he doesn’t love us or even that he doesn’t like us. God’s relationship with us is not based on the law; it is based on his Son. If it were based on the law, we’d be sunk. But, thank God, it is not. It is based on his Son, whom he sent to save the world because he loved it, you included (John 3:16-17).

In the Son of God, who became human for us, all the barriers to love have been broken down, whether those between Jew and Gentile, between enemies, within families, between nations, or between anybody else (Ephesians 2:14-18; Matthew 5:44; Ephesians 5:25; Isaiah 2:4; etc.). Because we trust in Christ, who loves us and makes us into a new creation in his own perfect humanity, we are free to love others in spite of all the reasons humans have to hate others.

The reason sin shall not be our master is because we are under grace and not under the law (Romans 6:14). If we were under law, sin would be our master. But since we are not under the law, but under grace, sin cannot be our master.

You would think that if we were not under the law then sin would most surely be our master. But Paul is saying that that is not how it works. Only grace frees us from sin; the law does not. The law only perpetuates the problem by keeping us enslaved to sin. Only by grace is sin overthrown.

"So you’re saying we can just sin all we want!" someone wants to ask.

But I didn’t come up with this stuff, Paul did, and Christ made him do it. And yes, we all do just that: we all sin all we want, always have and always will.

And that is just the point. The grace of God changes what we are inside so that we no longer want to sin. At least not in the same way we did before. We might still succumb to temptation, but we don’t want to, we don’t like it, and we fight against it. And if we do succumb, we don’t pretend it is OK, and we don’t make excuses for it.

We see our sins as sins, we confess them to God, we trust him for the forgiveness he says we have in Christ, we thank him for his indescribable grace, and we get up and get back in the fight against our sinful nature and keep on striving to live godly in Christ.

We can do that because we trust God to never stop loving us. John tells us in 1 John 4:16, "We know and rely on the love God has for us." In verse 19, he continues, "We love because God first loved us."

Think about that. It is God at work in us—God who makes us into a new creation in the perfect humanity of his Son—who turns us into the kind of people who love. This is not something we will into being, or come to do through our own reason and effort.

We love because God did something for us through Christ that we could never do for ourselves. He became human for us, and he was perfect—he both loved and kept the law for us—so that when we are attached to him through faith (which is the only way we can be attached to him), we become something new, a new creation in him.

His atoning reconciliation on our behalf is what makes us into something different from what we are, not our actions, attitudes, emotions or willpower. Through faith, through trusting him, we participate in his perfect love. Don’t ever think that we actually love with perfect love ourselves, because we don’t. Our salvation from sin and death and our new selves, our new lives in Christ, come only from him and by him and of him, and he gives all this simply because he loves us.

Christ, and Christ alone, is our righteousness (Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9; etc.). It is his humanity that God accepts as righteous on our behalf. All religious ideas of human "measuring up" are worthless, because such a thing is impossible. Humanity is saved only because Christ became the perfect human for us, and we partake of that salvation and become a new creation only in him and only through faith in him. There is no other way.

Paul wrote: "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13). We cannot trust ourselves to do that, but we can trust him to do it.

When Christians say the law is superseded by faith in Christ, they are not saying something has been lost. They are saying that something has been gained that so transcends the law as to make it obsolete.

Remember the telegraph? It was a wonderful boon to communication. But today, it makes much more sense to give your mom a phone call on Mother’s Day than to have someone tap her out a message at the telegraph office. The telegraph network as a delivery system, as great as it was, is obsolete because communication technology has transcended it. (It’s only an analogy. If it helps, use it. If not, toss it.)

Christ’s command that we walk in love (2 John 4-6; John 13:34) transcends the Ten Commandments. Those who walk in love fulfill the law. The one transcends the other, and they are not the same thing. As John wrote in John 1:17, "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

SEP Arkansas:
passion for God

By Michael Rasmussen

Camp director

SEARCY, Arkansas—Sixty-eight campers at the Summer Educational Program (SEP) in Searcy June 30 to July 5 enjoyed spiritual activities such as powerful chapels, thought-provoking breakout sessions and dynamic seminars, followed by several evenings of praise and worship.

In addition to the spiritual activities, the teens enjoyed paintball, rappelling (off a 150-foot cliff), a ropes course with a 300-foot zip line, horseback riding, swimming and dance classes.

Early on we decided to try something new this summer. We asked our young adults, who came in from around the country, to step up to the next level of ministry. Instead of just being counselors, we asked them to coordinate and facilitate 98 percent of the entire camp.

Other than the first chapel, which I gave, and the last chapel, given by Randy Bloom, district superintendent, all the other chapels were given by young adults. They also facilitated all 10 breakout sessions and all three of the seminars. Out of the more than two dozen staff members, only a handful were older than 27.

Anyone who thinks the Worldwide Church of God is in jeopardy needs to see our young people in action. It is truly amazing what God is doing through them.

He has given us a beautiful present and a future in these teens and young adults. I have never seen such passion and balanced commitment to God in my 38 years in the church. We are truly excited to see what God has in store for us in the years to come. One thing we know for sure, we are in good hands.

We will provide another opportunity for young people to gather for a weekend camp, Nov. 15 to 17, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for a camp called Crosswalk. Two camps will run simultaneously—junior camp (ages 8 to 11) and senior camp (ages 12-25). For more information or to request an application, please check out the SEP website at www.wcg.org/youth or send e-mail to michael_rasmussen@wcg.org You can also write or call Michael Rasmussen at 12012 Surrey Ln., Yukon, Oklahoma, 73099, telephone 1-405-373-3137.

ARKANSAS SEP—Campers and staff. [Photos by Steve Kramer and Jill Holmes]

SEP California--
a mountain-top experience

By Dennis Pelley
Camp director

Eight-six young people and 31 staff members took part in an exciting and spiritually enriching week at mile-high Camp Eaton, 30 miles north of Pasadena, July 7 to 13.

Most of the participants were from California, but we also welcomed campers and staff from Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Montana, Texas, Virginia, Washington and the Philippines. Teen and preteen camps ran simultaneously.

Favorite activities were praise and worship services and climbing and rappelling the mountainous terrain. Teens overcame their fear of heights and were challenged to make physical and spiritual breakthroughs. Other popular activities were team building, dance, a variety show and a speak-off, where six stirring speeches were given on the topic of "Jesus and Me."

Campers made new friends, and many hearts and lives were changed. We encouraged each camper to return next summer and bring a non-Christian friend with them. Camp ended with a procession led by bagpiper Zachary Wegner to the swimming pool, where Cameron Singleton and Tiffany Parker were baptized.

ARCHERY—Dick Watson teaches archery to Adrian DeLauro

TEAM BUILDING—Abel Dizon falls into arms of fellow campers.

RAPPELLING—Deanna O’Bryan rappels down cliff.

GROUP SHOT—Girls dorm 1-G.

GOOD-BYE—Campers sign shirts of friends.

CAMPERS AND STAFF [Photos by Ron Grove, Thomas C. Hanson and Marv Wegner]

Churches celebrate
Memorial Day

By Ira Thompson

PALM SPRINGS, California—U.S. President Harry Truman (1945-1953) was once asked to speak at a fund-raising project to help the children of a White House guard who was slain in the line of duty. With great emotion he said, "You can’t imagine just how a man feels when someone else dies for him" (Our Daily Bread, 2002).

Have you ever thought, does anyone in the church remember the thousands of service members who have died fighting for our way of life? I have, many times. You see I have been in the United States Marine Corps for 23 years and have been attending the WCG for the last 14 years. I have often wondered during this time of year, does anyone in the church remember?

This year on May 25 and 26, something special happened at three churches in the Inland Empire. Pastor Thomas Ecker conducted the first Memorial Day service in all three churches since their opening some 15 to 20 years ago. Many veterans, spouses of veterans, and children of veterans were in attendance. They remembered…

Do you remember? I read the following to the Marines I am in charge of on Memorial Day and share it with you to remember those who have gone before us and have made the ultimate sacrifice.

From the order of Gen. John A. Logan in 1868, which eloquently proclaimed May 30 as Decoration Day, the tradition of honoring the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of freedom has continued for more than a century: "Let us, then at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of springtime…

"Let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those who they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation’s gratitude—the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan."

Many of my Marines are married and have children, but we know each day we must be ready to go into harm’s way on a moment’s notice. We know we may not return. Living this way may seem strange to some, but it’s the way of life for a service member. Staying ready constantly reminds me of being ready when Jesus returns, because we do not know the time of his return.

On May 24, about 1,700 of my Marines went for a three mile run around the base to clear our minds. Afterward, and with the assistance of the American Legion, I gave the message below to remind them that the world can change on a moment’s notice.

"On this day last year, we were a nation at peace. Today, we are a nation at war.

"Blue star service banners are displayed in front windows of houses and businesses across America. They remind us that a loved one from that family in our community is serving in the armed forces, battling terrorism in Operation Enduring Freedom.

"Sadly, Gold Star Banners are replacing some of the blue [indicating that the service member was killed].

"The men and women we send into harm’s way today differ little from the doughboys who fought in the trenches of France. Or the GIs who stormed the beaches at Normandy. Or the troops who bought inches with blood at Korea’s Chosin Reservoir.

"Indeed, they are no different than the millions of men and women who have answered the clarion call throughout American history. As did those before them, the men and women we honor today did their duty.

"Regrettably, this year we must add 3,000 more names to the list of our honored dead. Not all were in the armed forces, but some were. All lost their lives on Sept. 11 or the days following.

"It is fitting that as we remember the military men and women who died in service to America, we ... remember as well the first casualties of the War on Terrorism. They too are American heroes who died in the line of duty.

"I’m speaking of the 23 police officers, 37 Port Authority police officers and 343 firefighters who forfeited their lives on Sept. 11 at New York’s World Trade Center.

"They gave their all in service to their country as surely as if they had been on the frontlines of Afghanistan.

"Again, young Americans wearing the uniforms of our armed forces are fighting in a war without borders and without clearly identified combatants. Some of them have already forfeited their lives for our nation.

"Today I ask you to remember them all. Say a prayer for them. And never forget."

I am reminded each day of what a wonderful God we have and what a blessing it is to live in this country, and sadly what it may cost me and my family.

Ira Thompson is a member of the Palm Springs, California, church.

HONORED VETERANS—Ira Thompson (second from left)
and Ken Main (second from right) with their families from left
Steven, Alena and Deborah Thompson, and Mary Main. [Photo by Terry Lortz]

Bible Study

Perfect through suffering:
a study of Hebrews 2

By Michael Morrison

The first chapter of Hebrews gives a series of Old Testament scriptures to show that Jesus is better than angels. For the most part, the scriptures are just quoted, with no attempt to prove that they are indeed about Jesus Christ.

The rapid succession of scriptures appears to be a review of something the readers already believe. The author is reminding them that Jesus, the Son of God, is superior to the angels. Angels are servants, but Christ is the creator and ruler of all.

The recipients of the letter may have thought: Yes, we knew all that. What’s your point?

The author makes his point in chapter 2. "Therefore," he says, because Christ is so great, "we must pay more careful attention ... to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." We need to anchor our boat, or the currents will take it away. We aren’t planning to drift away, but if we aren’t careful, we will. The way to stay anchored is to focus on the message of Jesus.

Verse 2: "For if the message spoken by angels was binding..." What message was that? It was the law of Moses. Angels were involved in giving the law (Deut. 33:2-3; Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19). It was under the law of Moses that "every violation and disobedience received its just punishment."

But "how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" (v. 3). If the message of angels was binding (and it was) and disobedient people were punished, surely we won’t escape if we ignore the message of Christ.

This is an argument from the lesser to the greater, a common Jewish method of teaching. If Jesus is better than the angels, his message is better than theirs. If the message delivered by servants was authoritative, then the message delivered by the Son is even more so.

The readers were attentive to the law of Moses, but they weren’t attentive enough to the message of Jesus. They believed in Jesus as the Christ, but they hadn’t thought about his significance. They were so busy with Moses that they were not hearing Jesus.

In this, Hebrews uses a clever rhetorical strategy. The author begins with concepts the readers agree with, and they go through chapter 1 agreeing with him. Then he takes that point of agreement and turns it into a point of correction. You believe Jesus is great, he says, but you are not acting like it. You are paying too much attention to the old message and not enough to the new.

The author has their attention now. He has explained why his message is worth listening to. It’s about a salvation that is more important than Moses.

Verse 3: "This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him." The author and the readers had learned about Jesus from others. (This is one reason that scholars think that Paul did not write the book of Hebrews. Paul had been taught by the Lord, not by others.)

"God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (v. 4). The people had accepted Jesus as the resurrected Son of God, but he wasn’t making much difference in their lives and their worship. They never asked, If Jesus is the Son of God, does that change the way we worship?

As the author will explain in later chapters, the way we approach God has changed enormously. Jesus is in heaven interceding for us. He is our mediator, giving us access to God. But before the author explains this, he lays a foundation. He reviews the fact that Jesus was human.

In verse 5 he writes, "It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking." To support this point, he quotes Psalm 8:4-5: "But there is a place where someone has testified: ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.’ "

The psalm says everything will be put under humans. But the Son of God is the heir of everything (Heb. 1:2). That means that he must be human. Jesus had to be made lower than the angels at one stage, crowned with glory and honor at another stage. He is the representative and the pioneer, the trail blazer, for all other humans.

"In putting everything under him [humanity], God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:8-9). We do not yet see glory and honor for other humans, but we do see it for Jesus, our representative.

Why was he so honored? Verse 9 tells us it is "because he suffered death." His example would be meaningful to readers who were facing persecution and threats. In this world, we suffer and die. In the next, we have glory and honor.

Of course, Jesus’ death is far more significant than just as an example. Verse 9 tells us that "by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." He died for us, in our place. The author will enlarge on this concept later.

Jesus is our representative not only in death but also in ruling the universe. The journey he has taken, we will also take. This is the greatness of the salvation that Jesus brings: the greatness of ruling all things. But it comes through death—Jesus had to die, and we have to die, too, before we can enter into glory and reign with Christ.

"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering" (v. 10). God’s plan is for many children to be given glory. To save us, the Messiah had to become one of us, and die.

Verse 11: "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." Jesus makes humans holy, and he became a human.

Psalm 22, a messianic psalm, supports that. Verse 22, as quoted in Hebrews, says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." Jesus put himself at our level so he could bring us up to his level. This is the great salvation he offers us, the great salvation we do not want to neglect or drift away from.

Then Hebrews quotes from Isa. 8:17: "I will put my trust in him." (Isa. 8 is also a messianic passage; verse 14 is about the stone of stumbling.) Even the Messiah had to trust in God. He depended on God to take care of him after death.

The next verse, Isa. 8:18, also says that we are in Christ’s family. "Again he says, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’ " The image has changed from brothers to children, but the point is still the same: Christ is a human, just as we are.