February 2003 Contents

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is a well-known statement of the purpose of the church, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach. It involves going in order to make disciples, whom we are to baptize and teach. The Great Commission isn’t a stay-at-home project. Page 5.

A newspaper reporter visited the Cary, North Carolina, church, pastored by Don Mason, Dec. 15. She wrote, "In the heart of Cary, there’s a church that has not only attracted a membership of many backgrounds and colors, but has been embracing its diversity for years." Page 6.

Congregations throughout the United States added local flair to Christmas celebrations. Several participated in Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, and sent shoeboxes filled with gifts to children in war-torn and poverty-stricken areas of the world. Page 8.

Paul Sniffen, men’s ministry coordinator for the Southwest district, pastors a nondenominational church for men in San Dimas, California. The church meets once a month for breakfast and a worship service. Page 11.

Sixty-five campers and staff attended our newest regional camp, in High Springs, Florida, Jan. 1 to 5, writes director Marty Davey, Jacksonville, Florida, pastor. Since the camp was added late in the year, the smaller group made for a family atmosphere. It truly was a spiritual enrichment program for all. Page 14.

"I can’t wait until the campers arrive," said a camp counselor. "I can’t wait to see how God will use this experience to make a powerful impact in their lives." See "Loving God—Foundation for Youth Ministry," by Jeb Egbert, director of the church’s Summer Educational Program. Page 15.

Zondervan Publishing House announced that J. Michael Feazell’s book, Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, is to be released in soft cover edition in February. The WN interviewed Dr. Feazell about reaction to the book since it was first published in 2001. Page 16.

The WCG doctrinal review team will be studying research submitted by ministers and members of the Worldwide Church of God on the subject of female elders and pastors.

If you would like to contribute, please follow the guidelines on page 29 and submit your paper no later than May 25. All research must be submitted electronically. Pages 28 and 29.

December donations totaled just over $2.4 million, making it the highest donation month of the year, writes controller Ronald Kelly. Page 17.

LONGVIEW, Texas—Maxine Blackwell, 67, wife of Dean Blackwell, longtime minister and Ambassador College faculty member, died peacefully of ovarian cancer at 4:25 p.m., Dec. 13, at the home of her daughter, Bonnie Hackman, in Houston, Texas. Her family was with her when she died, and she was not in a lot of pain at the time. She just went to sleep and did not wake up.

Dean and Maxine would have celebrated their 50th anniversary June 16. They had a full and joyous life together.

A memorial service in honor of Maxine’s memory took place Sunday, Dec. 22, in Big Sandy, Texas, at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, the WCG congregation in Big Sandy. Attendees included Pastor General Joseph Tkach.

Lowell Blackwell, a retired minister in the Springfield, Missouri, church, said: "Maxine and my wife, Margaret, were best friends from about 11 years old and she is missed very much. We are thankful for being able to spend four days with her before she died. We reminisced, prayed, laughed and let her go to a better place and time with our Savior."

Maxine is survived by her husband, Dean; her mother, Florence Tankersley; her sister, Janet Kirby, and her husband, Jim; daughters Rhonda Massey and her husband, Preston; Bonnie Hackman and her husband, Neil; a son, Jeff and his wife, Pat; grandsons Brent and Brian Hackman; and Jordan Martz; a granddaughter, Michelle Massey; three brothers-in-law and their wives, Lowell and Margaret Blackwell, Tom Blackwell, and Mike and Carol Blackwell; one sister-in-law, Bonnie Hughes; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Gina Martz.

Maxine Tankersley Blackwell was born May 2, 1935, in Providence, Oklahoma. She grew up in East Texas and attended Sabine High School, near Kilgore, where she was a cheerleader, played tennis and volleyball, and was active in school government.

She graduated and married Dean in 1953 in the first wedding conducted in the meeting facility on the church property in Big Sandy. They lived in Pasadena and attended Ambassador College in 1953-1954. After Dean’s graduation in 1954, they moved to Eugene, Oregon, where they began their 20-plus years pastoring field churches. Dean then served on the faculty of the Ambassador College campuses in Big Sandy and Pasadena until 1995.

Dean and Maxine lived in the Philippines in 1985, while Dean taught pastors there. Maxine attended the classes and was the first one to receive a diploma on completion.

Maxine was an inspiration to friends and a confidante of many women in the church and ministry. She will be remembered by members for her love of God and devotion as a wife and mother, for her unselfish giving of her time, of her hospitality and graciousness and ever-ready smile.

She traveled with her family all over the world but especially enjoyed her home in Longview, Texas, surrounded by family and friends.

In our home, things were always supremely organized. Household chores were done on a weekly schedule. I loved to take her to a good movie where we held hands and ate popcorn and relaxed. We went to the library weekly, and had lunch out regularly with our children.

In the wee hours of the morning in the hospital, I would hear her sweet, soft voice singing our childhood song: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but HE is strong. Yes, JESUS loves me, Yes, Jesus LOVES me. Yes, Jesus Loves ME, the Bible tells me so!" I would join in with her.

Maxine was like a beautiful little butterfly in the Longview church, flitting from flower to flower with her hugs and warm greetings. She will be greatly missed!

Susan Booze, wife of Pastor Mike Booze, said: "Maxine was kind-hearted, humble, loving and easy to talk with."

As a wife she was always supportive. She had good horse-sense, inborn humor and life, and her deep blue beautiful eyes sparkled and reflected her character. She was an avid reader, and was well-informed. She was a thrifty person, excellent shopper and the world’s greatest in packing for a trip. In biblical words, she was meek and quiet-spirited, which in God’s sight is of great price.

What an uplifting article ("Can You Hear the Holy Spirit?" January WN). I feel that it will be helpful to many people. I have yet to see an article so well done. It gave me such a beautiful feeling of contentment and understanding.

I moved my bed before Christmas trying to find the Christmas cards and lights I’d bought the previous year and found my 2001 Worldwide News.

It might have even been open to Michael Feazell’s article titled "No Other Name" when I found it. I just wanted someone to pass on to him how much I enjoyed reading this second part of a two-part article. It really blessed me. I agree with his interpretation of the love and judgment of God.

For a long time I believed that God condemned the world and me with it. The scripture in 1 John that says "God is love" seemed totally unbelievable to me the first time I read it, as that wasn’t my concept of God at all. John 3:16 finally came alive for me this year when I was teaching a youth class and reading from the book of John. (This incidentally followed a five-week training class by the Billy Graham Mission staff in preparation for the Metroplex Mission.) It finally clicked that God had sent Jesus into the world because he loved the world, not because he hated humanity.

This world needs to know that God loves them and those of us in the Worldwide Church of God may need to be reminded once more.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is a well-known statement of the purpose of the church. It involves going in order to make disciples, whom we are to baptize and teach.

The Great Commission isn’t a stay-at-home project. We won’t catch fish unless we go to the water, and it doesn’t do any good to catch them if we just throw them back in. We need to go, and we need to make disciples.

I have written about our need to share the gospel, and I mentioned that every Christian should be "ready to give an answer." Being ready implies not just having an answer, but being on alert to actually give it. When we really believe the gospel, we become eager to do what Jesus Christ wants us to do. Faith make us eager to look for opportunities, even create opportunities, because we want to give this answer that God has given us.

We do not share the gospel to chalk up points or get an obligation out of the way so we can say, "Been there, done that." We share the gospel because Christ, who died and rose again, lives in us. Just as Christ did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, so the church cannot rightly be his body in the world by keeping its faith to itself.

The church exists not for its own sake, but for the sake of the world, just as Jesus came not to do his own will, but the will of the Father who sent him. Christian faith changes us in the way in which we interact with the world. As Christians, we are still part of the world around us, but we are now, since Christ lives in us, part of the world in an entirely new way—a way that makes a positive impact in the name of our God who loves the world so much that he sent his Son for its salvation.

People need to know that God loves them, that their lives have meaning and purpose, that there really is hope even when physical life seems pointless. God has given us good news for them, and the Holy Spirit in us makes us eager to give it to them.

They may not be eager to hear it, to be sure. Many people think they are doing just fine without God. But eventually the things they trust in—money, health, friends, intelligence, etc.—will disappoint them, and they will be ready to hear about a hope that truly is secure. That’s when we need to be ready, and in order to be ready, we need to be alert, and in order to be alert, we need to be eager and looking for opportunities.

One more thing: It is deeply satisfying to be used by God to help someone else. Evangelism gives us a tremendous sense of significance, because we are taking part in eternal work, sharing by grace in the very work of God himself, his work of redeeming from sin and saving from death our fellow human beings.

Each of us needs other people. None of us are self-sufficient, though we may think we are. God spreads his gifts around so we have to work together for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11). God wants his people to gather for regular fellowship, worship, discipleship and ministry. That’s why evangelism is only the first step in the Great Commission. Infant believers need a family to teach, encourage, protect and help them.

"Independent Christians" who avoid worship meetings rarely share the gospel and rarely live out the biblical commands to love, encourage and help one another. They live as though they are self-sufficient, and they tend to avoid any sort of public acknowledgement that they trust in Jesus Christ.

We cannot be ready to express the hope that lies within us when we routinely avoid opportunities to do so. And we can hardly "bear one another’s burdens" (Galatians 6:2) by avoiding fellowship. Paul wrote that no Christian can say to other Christians, "I have no need of you" (1 Corinthians 12:21).

Different people are differently gifted. Some think that evangelism is the main thing; others think that discipleship is the priority; and still others think that fellowship is all that’s needed for a healthy church. Some focus on music, some on youths, some on grace, and some on guidance. Some are physically unable to leave their homes, and prayer is their labor of love.

Paul’s point is that all such people need to learn to work together. Indeed, being together is a learning experience in itself—we learn to love not by being surrounded by people easy to love, but by sometimes being with people who are hard to love—people who are different from us. God puts us together for our own good, and we do his work better when we work together.

Ephesians 4:16 tells us that the church grows "as each part does its work." Have you found a meaningful way to support the Great Commission? If not, ask God to help you. It’s something worth thinking about.

Celebration of Diversity:
Church with long history
of many cultures comes to Cary

CARY, North Carolina—The Cary congregation, pastored by Don Mason, was visited by a reporter from the Cary News Dec. 15. Following is the article she wrote. It is reprinted by permission of Cary News. Mr. Mason said, "We hope it will draw some positive interest in the community."

You’ve heard the old saying about Sunday mornings being the most segregated time of the week in America. In an area as racially diverse as the Triangle, there may be more truth to that than many people would like to admit.

But in the heart of Cary, there’s a church that has not only attracted a membership of many backgrounds and colors, but has been embracing its diversity for years.

"I guess we take that for granted," said Don Mason, pastor of Celebration Christian Fellowship, which meets at 1142 S.E. Maynard Road, not far from Cary Towne Center. "I don’t tend to see the color. I tend to see the person."

Celebration Christian Fellowship is a congregation of the Worldwide Church of God, which was founded in 1933. Mason, who has been with the denomination for more than 30 years, said the church’s beginnings as a radio and television ministry have contributed to its long history of diversity.

"It was a media-based type of church. As people responded to those programs, churches were formed," he said. There are now more than 900 congregations in nearly 100 countries throughout the world.

The Cary church has been meeting in various Raleigh-area locations for about 15 years. It moved to Maynard Road about six months ago.

Longtime church member James Stewart said he remembers a time when not all members were allowed to sit side by side in the pews. During the early 1960s, some landlords renting worship space, especially in the South, demanded segregation. "It was not a pleasant experience, but you went through it because you knew it was the law of the land," said Stewart.

Today, Stewart says, the mix of people from such heritages as Japanese, Jamaican, Indian, Caucasian and African American "just adds to a richness ... a certain flavor you don’t usually find in other denominations."

The church blends music of many styles to reflect the tastes and backgrounds of the congregation. Traditional hymns, contemporary music, gospel songs and more are part of Sunday morning worship services.

"We are racially diverse, but I think we are culturally together," said Mason. "We’re family; these truly are my brothers and sisters."

He attributes the dividedness at many churches on Sunday morning to the comfort-zone factor. "We fear things we don’t know, and we go where we are more comfortable."

Mason said the Worldwide Church of God’s history is not without its problems. According to the church’s web site (www.wcg.org), founder Herbert Armstrong taught many doctrines that were not Biblical and certainly not within the teachings of mainstream Christianity. After Armstrong’s death in 1986, church leaders began to reject many of their leader’s original teachings. Today the church is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals and is in full agreement with its statement of faith.

Many of the changes in recent years involve the church’s switch from emphasis from prophecy to Christ.

"As the church moved forward, it began to see its mistakes," said Mason. "In the past 10 years we’ve become more focused on Jesus Christ and how that impacts our lives personally and that we should be like Christ in reaching out to other people. The diversity should be a part of that."

ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota—Our Nov. 16 service was not a typical service, but the culmination of several projects involving donations of food, toys, customary weekly offerings and re-naming our congregations.

A year ago the St. Paul and Minneapolis North congregations began the process of renaming their congregations and by October each advisory council had narrowed the list of suggestions from 22 for St. Paul and 39 for Minneapolis North to five each.

On Nov. 16 at services each congregation voted on their final five, selecting New Life Christian Fellowship to replace St. Paul, and Living Hope Christian Fellowship to replace Minneapolis North. A few days later we discovered both names, New Life and Living Hope in the same verse in 1 Peter 1:3 (Today’s English Version), a heartwarming confirmation of choice.

Near the end of services, members came forward bringing donations of food for two food banks (382 pounds from Living Hope and a similar amount from New Life). This food was desperately needed as food banks are straining to meet the extra heavy needs brought on by difficult economic conditions.

We further celebrated by donating shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts for Samaritan’s Purse ministries. Our involvement with this ministry began in 1999 with a modest donation of two shoe boxes prepared by the Jeff Skrove family on behalf of the Minneapolis North congregation.

The next year the number of filled shoe boxes reached 40, climbing to 86 in 2001 as the St. Paul congregation became involved. This year the combined total for both congregations reached 138 gift-filled shoe boxes. Additionally, $920 was donated to cover shipping costs.

Samaritan’s Purse workers remarked that this number of boxes is generally received from congregations much larger than ours, and perhaps even more astonishing is to have any congregation exceed the $5 per box suggested shipping cost donation. Members are already watching the specials in stores, purchasing gift items and storing them away for next year. We estimate Margaret Rotzien has donated 150 pairs of knitted slippers and she’s already knitting more.

We also received our customary weekly offerings used to fund operating expenses for our church. In addition to receiving these offerings we also received "Time and Talent" donation forms. At the end of the month, these "Time and Talent" donations as well as total monetary donations are published in our church bulletin. Our church relies heavily on not only the monetary donations of our members but on donations of time and talent. These donations of time and talent are every bit as valuable as money, so we thought it only fitting that they be formally accounted for and recognized in appreciation.

Perhaps it was only fitting then that we celebrated our New Life and Living Hope by giving several special offerings near the end of our time of worship. Doug Johannsen.

A TIME TO GIVE—Living Hope Christian
Fellowship members with food and gift
and donations.

SPECIAL OFFERINGS—New Life Christian
Fellowship members with donations.
[Photos by Doug Johannsen]

PASADENA—The Pasadena Women’s Fellowship and congregation took part in an outreach project known as Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, which was founded by Franklin Graham.

To quote from their website: "Operation Christmas Child sends a message of hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and Christian literature. This program provides an opportunity for individuals of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands-on missions project that reaches out to suffering children while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift."

The Pasadena Women invited members of their congregation to contribute toys, school supplies, stuffed animals, personal hygiene items and candy so that the gifts could be packed in shoe boxes.

On Nov. 16, 35 women, teen and preteen girls gathered to wrap 105 shoe boxes and pack them with gifts donated by the congregation. On Nov. 23, the boxes were taken to a collection center in Van Nuys, California. If you or your congregation are interested in participating in this project next year, go to the Samaritan’s Purse website (www.samaritanspurse.org) and click on Operation Christmas Child. Jan Roemer.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD—Pasadena women and girls and the
shoe boxes they prepared for needy children Nov. 16.
[Photo by Christine Leon]

Christmas Caroling Choir 1.jpg (396735 bytes)

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE—Pasadena choir, directed
by Celestine Olive, performs in Old Town Pasadena Dec. 14.
[Photo by David Leon]

JACKSONVILLE, North Carolina—For the third year, Jacksonville members participated in Operation Christmas Child, in which shoe boxes filled with toys, toilet articles, pencils, crayons and a Bible story book are sent to children worldwide in war-torn lands and in places where disease and starvation are prevalent.

DALLAS, Texas—The Dallas Central church on Dec. 15 and 22 conducted services celebrating the birth of Christ. Worship music heralded the coming of the Messiah.

On Dec. 15, Nnamdy Ford played a saxophone solo, and Jesse Hebert performed on the piano. The Dallas Central Choir, directed by Margaret Smith, sang "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." Accompanying the choir were Clif Newkirk on trumpet, Sherry Hebert on piano and Brian Holsenbeck playing a euphonium.

At the Dec. 22 service, Patrick Bradshaw, Calvin Wilson and Ron Riggins sang "Tomorrow," a song about not putting off committing to God. In addition, Mr. Bradshaw sang a solo, "Alabaster Box" about the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume.

Mrs. Smith played offertory music on the piano and later directed the choir singing a medley consisting of "Silent Night" and "Oh, Night Divine." Accompanists were Mrs. Hebert on piano and Hannah Orsburn on flute.

Pastor Lynn Hebert on Dec. 15 and 22 delivered a two-part sermon, "How God Does Christmas." Frank Lewandowski.

DALLAS, Texas—The Dallas Central Gospel Choir on Dec. 8 provided a Christmas service for more than 300 inmates at the women’s prison in Gatesville, Texas.

The choir works in conjunction with Moises Santos, a converted ex-prisoner who organizes prison services and Bible studies as part of his "Going Hard for Jesus" ministry. Mr. Santos also plays guitar and sings about Jesus as well as serving as the main speaker.

At the Dec. 8 service, the prisoners’ 60-woman choir also performed, and one woman signed the Lord’s Prayer in sign language, asking for forgiveness before she performed.

That day, 10 to 12 women accepted Christ, according to Cynthia Chizen, a Dallas Central Gospel choir member.

The choir and groups of choir members have visited the prison in Gatesville a number of times.

Barry Ford, Gospel Choir director, said that members serving as a praise team visited the men’s prison in Hutchins, Dec. 14, and the second Saturday in November. Assisting in the praise team on one or both visits were Carl and Susan Clopton, Brian Holsenbeck, Stella Sloan, Nettie Streets and Carol Orsburn. Mr. Ford, the choir director, played saxophone.

At one of the services, Ms. Orsburn sang a solo, "What Sin?" about God’s forgiveness. "The prisoners heard that God has forgiven them. It brought tears to a lot of the men’s eyes," Mr. Ford said. Frank Lewandowski.

SOLDOTNA, Alaska—The Soldotna church was host for its second Christmas dinner, Dec. 21. Our mission last year and this year was to have an outreach program that would include members and nonmembers in a program that offered fun, fellowship and good food. Our ministry here tends to be food oriented, so we set up different groups in our church who organized the decorations, the music program, the setup and the meal.

This event truly was blessed by our Lord. Jesus was most certainly in our presence, and we practiced what we have been taught at the conferences. We cultivated and hopefully planted a little, and perhaps soon we will see some fruit. We prayed over one woman who was suffering extreme pain, and we served some elderly people who came as guests. Tom Landess.

SAN DIMAS, California—Paul Sniffen, director of men’s ministry for the Southwest district, pastors a church for men in San Dimas, about 25 miles east of headquarters.

ManChurch was started about five years ago by Rich Labrie (not of the WCG) as a birthday bash for his pastor. They had such a good time that they decided to do it again for men in his San Dimas-based church who missed it. Then they decided to keep it going as a nondenominational ministry, and it grew from there.

ManChurch has been written up in several newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times and New Man magazine. It has been the subject of television shows including a Christian ministry from the Netherlands that travels the world documenting different ministries.

Last June, Rich felt the call of God to move his family to Montana, and he put out a plea for someone to take over ManChurch. When no one stepped up, Mr. Sniffen decided that rather than let it die he would take it on as an outreach ministry under a leadership team. He heads the team, whose primary responsibility has been to recruit and coordinate volunteers for the Promise Keeper conferences.

ManChurch usually lasts 90 minutes with half of that time allotted for the speaker and personal testimonies from the men who attend. Mr. Sniffen noted that ManChurch is God’s work and the team must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

ManChurch meets at a Mexican restaurant, and the men have a buffet breakfast before the service starts. Keith Compton.

MANCHURCH—Above, men meet for worship
service Jan. 4. Below: Pastor Paul Sniffen worships
during service. [Photos by Thomas C. Hanson]

It has been more than a year since the attacks that steeled our nation’s resolve to bring to justice the terrorists who threaten us at home and around the world. Because of the service of thousands of airmen like your employee, Paul Kurts, we are confident that we will prevail in the long struggle against the forces of terror.

We could not protect America’s freedom without the incredible people who are willing to carry on the "citizen airman" tradition. As the civilian employer of one of those airmen, your support continues to be critical to our ongoing efforts and makes a real difference to our country. We understand that the vitality of this employer support is a constant balancing act and we thank you for everything you do to make Senior Airman Kurts’ service possible.

Please accept the enclosed lapel pin as a token of our appreciation. During World War II, the U.S. military used "E" flags to recognize companies whose efficient production made major contributions to the overall war effort. Today, as we wage war on terrorism, we have adapted this tradition as a way to recognize the vital partnership between America’s Air Force and the civilian employers of our Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard airmen. We hope you will wear it proudly as a statement of our common goals.

Thank you again for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s Air Force as a full partner in the war against terrorism.

This month I would like to give you a pictorial update on our members in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. I participated in leadership conferences in Sri Lanka and India in December. Also, John Biswas returned from Bangladesh in December. I’ll let the pictures and the captions do the talking.

In a Colombo restaurant, Rod Matthews and I were impressed by the grace and efficiency of our hostess. Later she shyly approached our table having recognized Rod. She told us how she was from a poor village, but had been accepted to WEI. She credited her excellent job to WEI and said she was able to help support her family in the village. This is indeed true religion (James 1:27).

2002 WORLDWIDE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE GRADUATES—To date, nearly 1,500 students have graduated from WEI. Most are Buddhist or Hindu and many are from poor families from rural areas. The graduates take the skills and character training of WEI into increasingly responsible positions in Sri Lankan society. The Sri Lankan members struggle financially to maintain this wonderful ministry. God is using their struggles to help a nation. Please pray for God’s continued blessing on WEI and the success of the efforts of our members in Sri Lanka.

12-EU and SriLanka 028.jpg (21476 bytes)

12-EU and SriLanka 008.jpg (15068 bytes)

Rod Matthews, mission developer for South
Asia, makes a point while Shevanthi Fernando
listens intently.

Members supplied the labor to convert the WCG
church hall to support the needs of both the
members and the school.
[Photos by Randal Dick and Rod Matthews]

Congregation meets in our own hall in Hyderabad, India. At this time, we have about 100 members in India. Our two full-time pastors, Danny Zachariah (Hyderabad) and Joe D’Costa (Bangalore) cover a wide area. In December Rod Matthews convened the first in a series of leadership development conferences for current and potential leaders from southern and central India. India is facing many challenges socially and economically, but the members in India are positive minded, and the small groups are becoming the nucleus for new church plants.

Graduation ceremonial tradition dates back
to Florence Nightingale, a U.S. nurse in the 1800s.
This is the first group of graduates of the
new nurses training program.

The church in Bangladesh is growing. What begins
as outreach becomes worship. Bangladeshi members
are shown studying the Bible and praying together.

HIGH SPRINGS, Florida—Sixty-five campers and staff attended our newest regional camp, in High Springs, Jan. 1 to 5. Since the Florida camp was added and announced late in the year, the smaller group made for a family atmosphere.

Although it takes place in the winter, we still use the name SEP because it is part of our national Summer Educational program, and it is truly a spiritual enrichment program for all who come.

The praise and worship and the chapel services were motivating and inspiring. About 12 campers ages 11 to 18 made decisions to accept Jesus Christ, and commit their lives to him. Two requested baptism and plan to make arrangements with their pastors in their home church area. In addition to learning about coming to Christ the campers were also taught about strengthening their existing relationships with the Lord, and going out into the harvest field as participants in the Great Commission.

Activities included a low ropes course and low elements challenge course, which helped to develop a sense of teamwork and bonding among the campers. In addition to chapel services, most campers said they especially liked the go-kart course, horseback riding and the final banquet and dance. Dorm life was enjoyable, and sports, such as football, volleyball and basketball, provided exercise and friendly competition. In the arts and crafts class, campers painted scriptural and Christian sayings on the back of one of their SEP shirts.

An appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation was reinforced by the wooded setting and by the half-day canoe trip down the Santa Fe River and back.

Every evening we enjoyed a different activity, such as a block party with novelty games the first night, a talent and music show the second night and an extra praise and worship service the third night. During the dance on the fourth night, campers enjoyed dances with their new friends and applied what they had learned in the dance instruction classes.

On the last day of camp, we gave a survey to campers and staff, and they gave some suggestions for improving camp next year.

"It was fun, because I ended up meeting people who always want to get to know Jesus."

"I have opened up while at SEP and have become more comfortable in my relationship with God."

"SEP changed me to be a better person and to be a nicer person, and it changed the way I look at other people."

"I am closer to God, and I liked how we were all best friends and talked to each other about God."

"I learned to be more patient with people, and I definitely learned some humility."

Our next Florida winter camp is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 28 to Jan. 1. The cost will be $225 per person. To keep in touch with the details as they develop, check the SEP link on the WCG website (www.wcg.org) or send e-mail to me at MartyDavey@prodigy.net

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss before we conclude?" I asked the group of counselors sitting before me. We had just spent two days in counselor training in preparation for camp. During that time, we prayed, planned, discussed scenarios, set goals and shared thoughts about the young people God would be sending our way.

A young woman raised her hand. "I can’t wait until the campers arrive." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I can’t wait to see how God will use this experience to make a powerful impact in their lives."

Jesus told his disciples to make disciples in Matthew 28:19-20. This is the Great Commission. Youth ministry is a disciple-making gold mine. But what is the motive? Why make disciples?

Simply put, because we love God with our whole hearts, souls and minds. And we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That’s why we want young people to have the greatest gift of all—the gift of an eternal relationship with Jesus. This is the great commandment Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:37-38. As we learn to love God, he gives us love for others.

Jesus loved God first and foremost. He showed this through his prayerful dependence on God. The disciples knew Jesus prayed (Luke 9:18; Luke 22:32; John 17:1). He showed them how to pray (Matthew 6:5-13). Jesus’ prayers demonstrated a life of dependence on the Father, not self. Prayer needs to be an essential component of our youth groups.

A second way Jesus showed his love for the Father was through the priority of the word of God in his life. He made the words of life, the Scriptures, his source of wisdom and authority.

Finally, Jesus showed his love for God by focusing on God, not on himself. Even as he approached death, Jesus subordinated his own desires to the desires of the Father. He set his own desires aside in favor of what God wanted for his life.

Jesus loved God, and he loved people. The Gospels frequently note Jesus’ compassion for others (Matthew 9:26; 14:14; 15:32). Several years ago I watched the Matthew video, which chronicles the life of Jesus as told in the first Gospel. It struck me how many times Jesus physically reached out and touched or embraced others. An individual bathed in love often softens and is thereby prepared for the gospel message.

Young people in the church need to feel loved, appreciated and important to the adults in their congregation. When I was growing up, an elderly woman learned the children’s names and always had candy for them. I felt important to her.

Jesus ministered to people. All people. And as he did, he gave them hope (Luke 7:36-50). Whether it was a blind man, a Samaritan woman or a Roman centurion didn’t matter. While religious leaders stayed away from them for fear of becoming defiled by contact, Jesus valued and was drawn toward them.

Jesus sacrificed self for the benefit of others. He put himself in the intersection of needy people’s lives. While sports heroes today often can’t be bothered by simply signing an autograph for an expectant youth, Jesus spent countless hours, no doubt physically exhausting himself in the process, to serve those who needed to be served.

As Jesus lives in us, congregations need to find ways to reach into young people’s lives in a positive way. Successful youth ministries advise participants to go where the kids are and show an interest.

As we seek out young people both inside and outside the church, and make a difference in their lives by expressing the love of God to them, we truly further the Great Commission.

PASADENA—Zondervan Publishing House announced that J. Michael Feazell’s book, Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, is to be released in soft cover edition in February. The Worldwide News took this occasion to interview Dr. Feazell about reaction to the book since it was first published in 2001.

The book is available at retail bookstores and on-line booksellers. It will also be available in hardcover at the church’s regional conferences.

Feazell: Two reasons. First, I wanted to offer members of the WCG some perspective and insight on what happened in the church in terms of doctrinal changes since 1986. Second, I wanted to help nonmembers better understand what the church was, what it has been through, and what it is today. I also hope that leaders and members of other churches might be able to learn from our mistakes, since our church was not alone in many of the attitudes and assumptions we have struggled to leave behind.

Feazell: I’m talking about the idea that our church is closer to God, or more spiritual, or more faithful than any other church. The idea that we have the faith once delivered, or some form of special and unique truth or "take" on the gospel that no one else has, and therefore we are the only true church, or the faithful remnant, or on a higher spiritual level than other Christians. These attitudes are not unique to our church. I hope my book will be of some help in keeping us from going back to such thinking, as well as help other churches avoid it or move away from it.

Feazell: Overwhelmingly positive. I have received letters from members, former members and nonmembers alike. Interestingly, many of the nonmembers who have written have relatives or friends either in the WCG or in one of the breakaway Armstrong groups. Some of them were glad to learn about the changes in the WCG, and wanted me to know that after reading the book, they contacted their relative or friend and were able to restore the relationship that had been broken because of the WCG’s former teachings.

Others told me that the book helped them better understand their friends or relatives. A few told me that their friends or relatives had rejected the changes and had gone with one of the Armstrong breakaways, and that they were going to try to get them to read the book.

Feazell: Many have told me that the personal journey I describe in the book mirrors their own journey. They identify with the painful emotional struggle of coming to honest grips with the fact that we had been wrong about the very things we had devoted our lives to believing. And several have told me that the book was helpful for them in finding freedom from the Herbert Armstrong myth. All in all, members have told me that they found the book both encouraging and inspiring, for which I am thankful.

Feazell: Our church had a strong personal identification with Herbert Armstrong, believing that he was specially called by God to teach specially revealed truths. That view of Herbert Armstrong as God’s specially raised up, one-and-only, end-time messenger/apostle has been hard for many members to shake, despite the fact that he has been dead for 17 years. And that is not unusual. In any cultlike environment, there is always an extraordinarily strong identification with the specialness and uniqueness of the founder/leader.

In a healthy church, that identification is with Jesus Christ, and all is well, since Jesus Christ is God, our Creator and Redeemer. But when it is with anyone else, it is spiritually destructive. Often, there is even a fear that disloyalty to the human leader, or rejection of the leader, might result in loss of salvation. People need freedom from such illusions so they can rest securely in Christ.

WN: How does your book differ from Joseph Tkach’s book, Transformed by Truth?

Feazell: Transformed focuses more on how the changes came about and the reaction of the evangelical community to our transformation. Liberation focuses more on why the changes came about and their impact on the church itself. Of course, there are numerous areas of overlap, since the general topic of both books is the WCG’s shedding of Armstrongism.

WN: For the record, since some have asked: Do you receive royalties from copies of your book sold by the church?

Feazell: Thanks for asking. The answer is no. I receive royalties only from books that are bought from retail outlets. The church has bought some books directly from the publisher to resell at a discount to members at conferences, and I receive no royalties or monetary benefit from those.

Feazell: As Solomon said, "Of the writing of books there is no end." Getting them published is another matter.

As you read the WN this month, many of you may be evaluating your personal finances, reviewing your family budgets and preparing your tax returns. That’s what we are doing in Pasadena. We use December to project income and expenses and prepare a budget for board of directors approval.

In January we finalize all the data and financial information for the previous year. We then carefully confirm or revise our budget projections and strive to come as close to a balanced budget as we can. By a balanced budget, I mean one where expenses do not exceed income.

As you know, our expenses for the past few years have exceeded our income and we have had to operate using cash from the reserve funds. During that time, sale of properties such as the Orr, Minnesota, summer camp and our Big Sandy, Texas, campus, along with associated furnishings and equipment, have made it possible to keep our reserves at an appropriate level.

Allocation of funds and budgets have made it possible for us to maintain as many local congregations meeting every week as we did eight or nine years ago. While those congregations may be smaller in size, they are growing in spiritual stamina, and many are beginning to grow with new members. Further, we are making slow but steady progress toward a new financial model that moves out of a centralized financial structure to a locally administered financial arrangement.

With these procedures now behind us, I am happy to report that we are working on a balanced budget plan for 2003 where our expenses should be near our projected income. Of course that first requires that we have somewhat accurately projected our income, which is more of an art than it is a science.

The major source of our income is regular member donations, which make up about 85 percent of our total revenues. So you can see how important a regular and consistent donation pattern is for the financial well-being of the entire denomination. Co-worker donations make up about four percent of our total revenues, and estate donations make up another four percent. The final seven percent or so comes from investments, auction sales, rental income and numerous smaller sources. The good news here is that if we successfully have a balanced budget our reserve fund will remain at its current level.

Now to the December report. Donations for the month totaled just over $2.4 million, making it the highest donation month of the year. No other month topped the $2 million level (although a couple of months were at the $1.8 million level). For this, we offer thanks to each and every person who has contributed to the work of our fellowship.

The total member donation income for the year was $20.2 million. This was right at our projection. All other sources of income were a bit over $4.8 million; this was even above our projections. So, combined income from all sources was $25 million for the year. We had projected an income in the $24 million range, so we feel good that income exceeded our forecast by a million dollars.

That’s the good news. On the other hand, as we have regularly reported, expenses have been exceeding our income. Thankfully our reserve fund was sufficient to cover those expenses and still remain healthy. As we look back on 2002 we feel pretty good that our financial position is stable.

By the time you receive this issue, we should be experiencing some of the value of the small step we are taking toward the new financial model. That is, each congregation will receive back 80 percent of the offerings that exceed the same month of the previous year. We look forward to reporting the early results of this program in three or four months.

In the meantime, we trust that all of you are growing in your personal walk with our Lord and Savior, that you are excited about the potential of your local church and that your personal life is going well.

Our Church Administration staff is preparing another exciting round of regional conferences this year. We hope many (it really would be nice if almost all) of you will attend these inspirational weekends. We start in the Southwest United States April 3 to 6, followed by the Northwest, April 24 to 27. If you live in these regions, we hope you will mark these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.

HEBREW SCRIBE—A Hebrew
scribe writes on papyrus. Scrolls
of papyrus were often stored in
clay jars for protection (Jeremiah 32:14)
and were frequently sealed (Revelation 5:1).
Papyrus is translated as "paper" in 2 John 12.
[Illustration by Ken Tunell]

"In 2 Chronicles 7:6, David is given recognition for [making] the musical instruments used in the temple. In the postexilic era, Levitical singers are mentioned as the descendants of Asaph, the ‘singing-master’ appointed by David (Ezra 2:41; Nehemiah 7:44; 11:22, 23). From passages such as these we have a definite indication that liturgical music and organization stemmed from David’s time" (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 2, p. 1504). [Illustration by Ken Tunell]

The book of Psalms can be one of the most effective tools in building your relationship with God. If you feel your prayer life is in decline, read the Psalms. They are the emotional outpourings of people in a host of different situations.

They are "a treasury of experiences accumulated by generations of people who lived in the region where the cradle of our own civilization stood" (Erhard S. Gerstenberger, Psalms: Part 1, The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, vol. 14, p. 36). Reading their prayers to God can help rejuvenate your own prayer life.

Some psalms are for periods of elation, when you want to praise your Creator or give thanks to him. Others help in those times of depression when you are going through a severe trial. Still other psalms are confessions of sin and pleas for forgiveness. Certainly, this is one type of prayer that we all need! As the apostle John said, "If we confess our sins [Jesus Christ] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Many people are surprised by the uncompromising frankness with which the psalmists speak to God. The psalmists do not hesitate to confront him with their everyday problems, to verbalize their frustration, their anger, their resentment or their despair. But that is how God wants us to be when we talk with him—open, honest, not pulling any punches. The Life Application Bible says: "Because of the honesty expressed by the psalmists, men and women throughout history have come, again and again, to the book of Psalms for comfort during times of struggle and distress. And with the psalmists, they have risen from the depths of despair to new heights of joy and praise as they also discovered the power of God’s everlasting love and forgiveness" (NIV, Introduction to Psalms).

Many of the psalms were written to express the thoughts and feelings of the community, the congregation of believers.

As we examine in further detail the different types of psalms—the individual and the congregational, the instructive and the emotional —we shall see that there is indeed a psalm for every occasion.

The main element in many psalms is simply praising God. Psalm 145 is a prime example. David begins: "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever" (verses 1-2).

David then shows how others will exalt God: "One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds" (verses 4-6). David concludes by calling upon everyone to praise God’s name (verse 21).

Several hymns of praise emphasize admiration and wonder at God's creation. In Psalm 8, David begins and ends with the same words of praise: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (verses 1, 9).

Beginning and ending a thought with the same words is known as the envelope structure, which is common in the book of Psalms. This structure emphasizes the main point—God's name is to be praised in all the earth.

While David praises God for the creation, he also marvels that God is so concerned with humans: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (verses 3-4).

Humans, alone of God’s creation, were made in the image of God. God, the transcendent Creator of the universe, wants us to have an eternal relationship with him. He begins by giving us an important responsibility on his earth: "You made [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas" (verses 5-8).

In Genesis, God placed the first man and woman in the garden and told them to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). David here reiterates that God has ordained human beings to be the head of the creation. As such, it is our duty to care for our environment.

In another hymn of praise, David proclaims: "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (Psalm 29:2). Throughout this psalm, David praises God’s power in a series of striking metaphors: "The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert" (verses 5-8).

Some hymns of praise were sung together by the community. Psalm 33, which calls for all to praise God and describes his mighty deeds, ends with the community proclaiming: "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you" (verses 20-22).

Psalms 104 and 105 are complementary hymns of praise, both ending with "Praise the Lord" (Psalm 104:35; 105:45). Psalm 104 praises God as the Sustainer of his creation: "He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field.... He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart" (verses 10-11, 14-15).

God is the Creator and the Sustainer of his creation. He is the Life-giver and the Provider of sustenance. All God’s creatures "look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth" (verses 27-30). Here we also see the activity of the Spirit of God in creating and in renewing the creation.

Psalm 105 praises God for his loyalty: "He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant" (verses 8-10).

The psalm recalls how God demonstrated his faithfulness to his people centuries earlier by sending Joseph before them into Egypt to save them from the famine (verses 16-22). It recalls how God directed his chosen servants Moses and Aaron to perform his signs and wonders to the Egyptians, and how God delivered his people from slavery (verses 26-41).

All these hymns of praise are examples for us: A good portion of our prayer time should be spent in praising God. Jesus began his model prayer, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9). We, too, would do well to begin our prayers by praising God. We should praise God as the Creator, Sustainer and Life-giver, and as the Ever-faithful One to his people.

Whereas the hymn of praise glorifies God for being who he is, the song of thanksgiving emphasizes gratitude for what he has done for us. In Psalm 30, David says: "I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me" (verses 1-2).

David calls others to join him in praising God: "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name" (verse 4). He thanks God for having turned his life around: "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever" (verses 11-12).

Psalm 66 is another typical song of thanksgiving. It begins with an exultation of joy: "Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.’ Selah" (verses 1-4).

The term selah marks the end of a strophe—a musical term for a section of verses. This particular psalm is divided into four strophes: verses 1-4, 5-7, 8-15 and 16-20.

In the second strophe, the psalmist recalls God's mercy to Israel when he parted the waters of the Red Sea, enabling Israel to escape from the Egyptians (verses 5-7). In the third strophe, the composer thanks the God who "has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping" (verse 9), and describes how God has tested and refined them through trials (verses 10-12).

This last point is especially important. In the midst of our trials, we often cry out to God for deliverance. And so we should. But we also need to remember that through our trials we develop godly patience.

The apostle James wrote: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-3).

In the final strophe of Psalm 66, the author thanks God for what he has done for him personally, and acknowledges that God has answered his prayers (verses 16-20). When trouble strikes, how easy it is to forget the blessings God has given us. So when we pray, let us remember what God has done on our behalf, and thank him for it.

Praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand. Psalm 103 begins and ends with the inclusion: "Praise the Lord, O my soul" (verses 1, 22). But much of the psalm is devoted to being thankful for God’s blessings: "And forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s" (verses 2-5).

This list of blessings includes two of vital importance: God forgives sins and he heals diseases. Jesus exercised his authority as God to forgive sin and to heal (Matthew 9:2-8).

God’s forgiving nature is one of the attributes we should be most grateful for: "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:10-12).

David ends the psalm with a triple invocation to bless God: "Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion" (verses 20-22), followed by the inclusion: "Praise the Lord, O my soul."

It begins: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever" (verses 1-3). All 26 verses of this psalm end with the same refrain: "His love endures forever." The Hebrew word translated "love" here is not ‘ahabhah, the standard word for "love," but chesed, which means "steadfast love" or "faithfulness born out of a sense of caring and commitment."

Psalm 136 marvels at God’s wonders (verses 4-9) and shows how God demonstrated his chesed by his blessings upon Israel (verses 10-22). This psalm was a communal song. Those who sang it thanked God, "who remembered us in our low estate ... and freed us from our enemies" (verses 23-24).

The psalm concludes with another point we should bear in mind when we pray: "Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever" (verse 26). Again, this ties in with the hymns of praise—we can thank God that he is the loving Ever-faithful One.

Many psalms contain a superscription giving information about the psalm. In the Hebrew Bible, the superscription often counts as the first verse of the psalm itself. (The Hebrew Bible and English translations will, therefore, often differ by one verse in citations.)

Many psalms are assigned in the superscriptions to certain individuals, such as David, or certain groups of individuals, such as the Sons of Korah. Thirteen psalms relate the historical background to David’s life at the time of the psalm: Psalms 3, 7, 18, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 142. This information enhances our appreciation of the psalm.

Superscriptions often convey information concerning the musical performance of the psalm. Sometimes they name the accompanying tune: "The Death of the Son" (Psalm 9), "The Lily of the Covenant" (Psalm 60) and "Do Not Destroy" (Psalms 57, 58, 59, 75). Unfortunately, we do not know any of these melodies today.

Other superscriptions tell us which instruments accompanied the psalm: stringed instruments (Psalms 4, 61, 76), flutes (Psalm 5), an eight-stringed harp (Hebrew: sheminith) (Psalms 6, 12) and an instrument of Gath (Hebrew: gittith) (Psalms 8, 81, 84). We can 21-Harp player 2.jpg (94451 bytes)

only conjecture about how some of these instruments may have looked and sounded.

The category of the psalm is often included in the superscription. The two most common are "psalm" (Hebrew: mizmor) and "song" (Hebrew: shir). Other categories include: shiggaion (Psalm 7), miktam (Psalms 16, 56-60) and maskil (Psalms 32, 74, 142). The New International Version leaves these terms untranslated.

Again, it is not known for sure what many of these terms mean. This lack of knowledge is another indication of the gap that exists between our culture and that of the ancient Hebrews. Even if what all the superscriptions achieve is only to make us realize that there is always more to understand about the Bible, they will have done us a great service.

Reading Through Romans

Chapter 1a

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In the year a.d. 57, Paul was on his third missionary journey, getting ready to go back to Jerusalem with an offering from the churches in Greece. Although he knew he had enemies in Jerusalem, he was already thinking about his fourth missionary trip.

Paul wanted to go to Spain, and the best travel route would take him through Rome. This could work out well, Paul thought. There are already Christians in Rome, and they might be willing to support my trip to Spain, just as the Antioch church supported my earlier missionary journeys and the Macedonian churches supported me while I was in southern Greece.

So Paul decided to write to the Roman Christians to let them know that he planned to come to Rome and then go to Spain—and that he would appreciate some support. However, Paul had a problem: the Roman Christians might have heard some erroneous rumors about what Paul preached. To prevent misunderstanding, Paul explains what the gospel is, so they will know what they are being asked to support.

But that is only the first half of Romans. In the second half, Paul deals with some problems that existed in the Roman churches—especially the tension between Jewish Christians and gentile Christians. Paul uses part of his letter to discuss Jew-Gentile relationships in God’s plan, and Christian conduct and love for others. He tries to give these Christians some doctrinal foundation for unity.

We do not know whether Paul made it to Spain, but his letter was a tremendous success in other ways. It has been valued throughout church history as the most doctrinally complete letter that Paul wrote. It is the letter that sparked the Reformation. It is the letter that influenced Martin Luther and John Wesley and countless others. It provides the benchmark for all studies of Paul’s theology, and because of that, it is a cornerstone for understanding the doctrines of the early church.

Paul begins, as Greek letters normally did, by identifying himself: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God... (v. 1, TNIV throughout). Paul identifies himself as a slave who has been commanded to spend all his time on the gospel. He is sent by the master with the message of God.

Greek letters normally began by naming the sender, and then the recipients. But Paul is so focused on the gospel that, before he names the readers, he goes into a five-verse digression about the gospel. In effect, he puts his message at the top, before he even gets to the Dear so-and-so line. This makes it clear that his letter is about the gospel:

The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures... (v. 2). Paul begins by linking the gospel to the Old Testament promises (as he also does in 1 Cor. 15:3-4). This provides a point of stability for gentile readers, and some reassurance for Jewish readers.

God’s message is regarding his Son. It is about the Son of God; the promises found in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, ...who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David (Rom. 1:3). The gospel is again connected with the Old Testament past; Paul's words will appeal to his Jewish readers and remind the Gentile readers of their Jewish roots. The Son is a descendant of King David. However, by saying "as to his earthly life," Paul implies that something more than human life is involved. This person at the center of the gospel is not merely a human; he is also the Son of God in a way that other people are not.

Verse 4: who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus was powerfully demonstrated to be God’s Son by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus, although a human descendant of David, was shown to be more than human by his resurrection into glory.

But the gospel does not stop with Jesus. It also includes us. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to faith and obedience for his name’s sake (v. 5). Paul will say more about grace and obedience later in his letter. But he says here that "we" have not only received grace, but also apostleship. Paul is referring to his commission to take the gospel to the gentiles, and by "we" he means the small number of people who were working with him in this special mission, such as Timothy. They have received the grace of spreading the gospel.

He connects the gospel to the readers in verse 6: And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. The gospel says that believers belong to Christ.

After this introductory description of the gospel, Paul gets back to the normal letter format by announcing who the letter is written to: To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 7).

Paul does not greet "the church of God that is at Rome." He does not speak of it as a unity. (Chapter 16 suggests that there were several house churches.) Nor does he write to any particular church leaders. Instead, perhaps because he is not sure how this letter will be delivered, he addresses it to all the believers.

Greek letters often included a prayer of thanksgiving to one of the gods, and Paul adapts this custom, thanking the true God: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world (v. 8). This tells us that Paul prayed through Christ, and it also tells us that "all the world" doesn’t always mean the entire earth. In this case, it means the eastern Roman Empire. It was a figure of speech, not a geographical fact.

Paul gave God the credit for these people’s faith. He didn’t thank the people for believing—he thanked God, because God is the one who enables people to believe. Of our own, we would turn away. Whatever faith we have, we need to thank God as the one who gives us that faith.

In verse 9, Paul calls God as his witness, to stress that he is telling the truth: God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times. People today might say, God knows that I pray for you every day.

Paul puts in a few extra words, adding that he serves God with his whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son. He is keeping the gospel in the discussion, keeping his role as a servant in the context. These are his credentials; this is what his life is about. Paul’s authority does not rest on himself, but on his role as a servant of God. He is doing only what God wants, and if that’s true, then the people need to listen to what he says.

In verse 10 he adds something else: and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. Paul is telling them that he hopes to visit them. This helps create a relationship between the author and the recipients.

I long to see you, he says in verse 11, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong. He wanted to strengthen them—but he quickly adds, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (v. 12). Paul would be encouraged by them, as well—at least, he hopes he would be!

If I were there in person, he seems to be saying, we would both benefit. But since this is only a letter, the communication can go only one way, and this letter is Paul’s attempt to give them a spiritual gift to strengthen them.

Paul’s plan is not a spur-of-the-moment idea. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles (v. 13).

Paul has often thought of going to Rome. Even when Paul lived in Jerusalem, he would have met people from Rome and would have heard stories of its famous buildings. And Paul has already gone as far as Greece—why not go farther, to the capital of the Empire, where many Jews had already gone? But so far, circumstances prevented Paul from doing it.

Why did Paul want to come? He wanted a harvest—he wanted more people to accept the gospel of Christ. Although many Jews lived in Rome, Paul focused on the gentiles. They were his primary mission field, even if he went to the synagogues first. In the synagogues, Paul could find gentiles who were prepared to receive the gospel.

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome (vs. 14-15). Paul wanted to preach to everyone, and that’s why he wanted to preach in Rome, as well.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, he says in verse 16. He has already used the word gospel twice and given a couple of descriptions of it. He has stressed that this is his calling in life, his duty before God. He is not ashamed of the gospel—and he doesn’t want the Romans to be ashamed of it, either. He describes it again in verse 16: It is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. The gospel is the way that God saves people.

Technically, we are saved by grace, by what Christ has done for us. But the gospel is the means by which we learn of that salvation and the way in which we receive it. The gospel is the power of salvation because it tells us about salvation. God uses the gospel to bring salvation to everyone who accepts the message, to everyone who trusts in Christ (since Christ is the center of the message, accepting the gospel means accepting Christ as well). Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the message of eternal life. It is nothing to be ashamed of—it is something to be shared with everyone, both Jews and gentiles.

Why is it a message of salvation? Because in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith " (v. 17, quoting Hab. 2:4). The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. Righteousness means more than strict justice—it says that mercy is more important than justice. As Paul will explain, justice generally says that sin must be punished, but the gospel reveals that true righteousness involves mercy and grace.

What does Paul mean when he says that this righteousness is by faith? He is not saying that God is righteous by faith—he is not talking about the way that God is righteous. No, he is talking about righteousness that comes from God to people. It is his gift to them; they are then in a right relationship with him.

This righteousness is by faith from first to last, or literally, "from faith to faith." The meaning of this phrase is often debated, but perhaps the best explanation is that righteousness comes from God's faithfulness and instills our faith in response. Paul is not trying to explain it at this point; he is tossing out a phrase that will make his readers want to continue to see how he will explain it.

This gift of righteousness is not what justice demands, and it is more than mercy demands. It is grace, a gift we did not deserve—and that is good news. The gospel reveals righteousness between God and us, and with that righteousness comes many benefits, from forgiveness to glory. Paul will have more to say about that in later chapters. For a study of Romans 1:18-32, click here.