Why I'm Proud of My Church

Face the future unafraid

By Kelly L. Stinson
Elm Mott, Texas

We limited God, and tried to mold him in our image, and we refused to believe that he could or would work with anyone besides us. We now have relinquished our hold on the belief that we are more special than anyone else, and we have embraced our brothers and sisters in other denominations.

Now we are no longer chained to a list of regulations by believing that God will not accept us if we do not follow them. Now we are sure that God loves us, he simply loves us, and nothing we can do or not do can change that.

Now we begin to understand that all of our acts of love and service come about not because we are afraid God will abandon us if we don't perform them, but because our hearts are filled with love for and gratitude to our Father, and we cannot help but be moved to action by that love.

I am proud of my church. I'm proud for so many reasons, but mostly because we now face the future unafraid and have followed Jesus into the glorious light of the new covenant.

It doesn't matter what has gone before. What matters is what we do now. Isn't this what we have been struggling with? We want to go on into the unsurpassable future our God and Father has planned for us, but for many of us it is difficult to lay aside the burdens of the past.

Yes, we were legalistic. Yes, we alienated family and friends. Yes, yes, yes ... but not any longer. Today is far removed from yesterday, because God has given us a new gift. We now understand the love of Jesus Christ in a way we never have before, and nothing in the past has the power to change that.

The past of our lives is behind us. It is set in stone and we cannot change it. The rest of our lives lies before us, a tapestry ready to be woven. With each new day the Master Weaver lovingly guides the strands of our lives as he creates the brightly colored masterpiece we will one day be.

As we come to terms with the past, live in the present and look toward the future, we understand these truths:

• What was, WAS, and we cannot change it, but we can learn from it.
• What is, IS, and we have the opportunity to work with it.
• What WILL BE, we have a part in shaping, and God will be with us every step of the way.

Let God do the judging

By Charlie Crockett
Cedar Park, Texas

I'm proud of my church because I don't have to judge anymore. I don't have to decide who is and who isn't going to be in the resurrection. I don't have to decide what's clean and what's unclean. I don't have to point with righteous indignation at people who are working on the Sabbath and say they are breaking the law. In short, I let God do all of the judging.

We now recognize that there are other Christians out there who are probably better servants than we are. We realize that we don't have the cornerstone on Christianity and that God raised up these other churches just as he did ours. My church now realizes the rewards of fellowship with other churches.

We boast in Christ

By Errol Castens
Greenwood, Mississippi

The Worldwide Church of God is a scattered fellowship without a large national presence--without even a local presence in many areas. We do, though, have great reason to boast in Christ.

At the Holy Spirit's direction, we have abandoned long-held biases and looked honestly at doctrines, attitudes and practices through the lens of Scripture with humility and gratitude.

With this new covenant perspective, we now have the freedom to reach out to others in two important ways that we couldn't before:

Personal evangelism: The church's broadcasts and publications are no longer the limit of our evangelism efforts. Members of the Worldwide Church of God now have the conviction--as well as the liberty--to reach out both collectively and individually to the hurting and confused world around us.

We still teach of God's justice and righteous anger against sin, but we even more readily teach of his grace offered to sinners, conveying his genuine love for all people.

Christian brotherhood: For the first time in our history as a fellowship, we can accept other Christian groups at face value, promoting unity in the body of Christ and leaving judgment in God's hands. We can share our international and multicultural perspective with other fellowships, and we can learn from their years of experience in hands-on outreach and evangelism.

We have no room to boast in ourselves. We have a universe of room to boast in Christ.

How best to serve and please God

By Ruben and Paula Barajas
Wentzville, Missouri

When we experienced God calling us to a closer relationship with him, we were drawn to the Worldwide Church of God's emphasis on God's Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ, as the foundation of knowledge.

Led to read and study the Bible for the first time, assisted by the ministry and fine publications, we discovered a real God, his purpose for our lives and a deeper appreciation of God's grace.

We also discovered a fellowship of Christians who think seriously of God's will in their lives, of how best to serve and please him, and who are willing to change and grow in the process. We ourselves have learned of God and have grown in the faith within this fellowship.

We support the church's commitment to preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, exhorting all Christians to become more Christlike, sharing faith with a world badly in need of salvation and Christian acts of love.

We are thankful to be a part of this ministry, and proud of the church's leadership in extending compassion to those less fortunate. Church-sponsored charitable acts such as financial assistance for disaster victims and educational programs for the disabled set an example for the local congregations and individual members to follow.

The Worldwide Church of God's sponsorship of Ambassador University is also a source of pride, especially as the caliber of education and Ambassador's reputation have been enhanced in recent years.

We strongly support the university's objective of providing a quality education that acknowledges God's Word as the foundation of knowledge and encourages young people to recapture true values.

We see graduates of Ambassador, including our brother, in successful careers and as Christian examples, and we are proud of them.

Courage to act on truth

Duane and Jean Fertig
Wheatland, Wyoming

We have always said that Christ is the head of this church. When he showed us where we needed to be going, the church leaders studied the Scriptures to see if these things be so (as did the Bereans).

Then as the truth and understanding of the new covenant became apparent, the leadership (which Christ put there) had the courage to act on that truth and say we will follow what Christ has led us to understand, no matter what the cost (and the cost was high).

We are joyful that Christ has led us to the truth of the new covenant and the wonderful relationship we can have with all those who, as Romans 10:9-10 so eloquently expresses it: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (King James Version).

We are proud of our church because it had the courage to stop following its own traditions of touch not, taste not; thinking we were the only sheep God has, and believing that our law keeping would qualify us for salvation.

We sorrow over the loss of income and members--many dear friends, who at this time sincerely believe the church has turned away from the truth. We are proud that our church is willing to endure any loss to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and accept the grace of God for our salvation.

Courage to seek the truth

By John Ledbetter
Round Rock, Texas

I was first impressed by the WCG's commitment to the quest for truth.

As truth was found I was even more impressed by the church's courage to publish it, regardless of the consequences.

Above all, over the years I continue to be impressed by the church's integrity to openly admit mistakes and error as new understanding is revealed. It's what sets our publications apart from all others.

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God,1996