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January 1999
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Following is the text of a press release read by Pastor General Joseph Tkach to church employees Jan. 14.
PASADENA--The Worldwide Church of God today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its east campus and west campus (headquarters) properties in Pasadena with Irvine, California, based Legacy Partners, a leading Western U.S. real estate developer.
According to Bernard Schnippert, treasurer and director of Finance & Planning, church officials have studied proposals from a number of interested parties, among whom Legacy Partners has emerged as the clear standout.
"We are confident that Legacy's approach is creatively balanced," said Schnippert. "They have shown genuine respect for the church and for the historical significance of its property and buildings, and for the intent and spirit of the recently adopted West Gateway Specific Plan."
The Pasadena City Council adopted the West Gateway Specific Plan in July 1998, following more than three years of study and public discussion by Pasadena city planners, outside planning experts and concerned citizens.
"The community consensus achieved through the Specific Plan will be our guide," said Legacy's Bill Shubin, partner at the firm, "and we intend to continue the community dialogue as our plans progress."
Legacy's preliminary plan embraces both campuses (about 50 acres in total area) and calls for preservation of the historically significant buildings--most notably the Ambassador Auditorium on the west campus.
Legacy's selection of AC Martin Partners to design the project has served to reinforce the church's confidence in the overall quality of the approach.
The Los Angeles-based architectural firm has won widespread recognition, both locally and nationally, for its signature and historically significant projects--that is, those where existing structures are incorporated into new developments.
"AC Martin's track record clearly demonstrates it has both the forward and historical vision to design an award-winning project on this property and in this city," said Dennis Cavallari, senior vice president of Legacy Partners.
"We plan to build a first-class development that is guided by the Specific Plan, honors the rich heritage of the church, meets community-serving needs and is consistent with the character and scale of the surrounding residential community," said Cavallari.
"Pasadena is a great community, and this property in particular presents everyone concerned will a world-class opportunity to build something of real significance--something of which we can all be proud."
The property, consisting of a western and eastern campus separated by a freeway, is accessible from the Ventura, Foothill and Pasadena freeways and from the Blue Line light rail line. The eastern portion of the property is located within a short walk of the Old Pasadena business district.
The Worldwide Church of God was established in 1933 and is active in 136 countries and territories. It has maintained its international headquarters in Pasadena, California, since 1947. Approximately 1,400 ordained ministers serve its members in some 850 congregations around the world.
Legacy Partners is a long-term owner, developer and manager of multifamily communities and commercial properties, including office, R&D, warehouse and distribution projects. The firm currently owns or manages more than 25,000 multifamily units and 38 million square feet of commercial space.
Here is our January cover
About half of the members of the Queens, New York,
congregation participated in a prayer vigil Nov. 14 for the persecuted church, writes
pastor Craig Bacheller. The evening was divided into different services where members
would pray, give testimonials, read scripture and view videos on the plight of Christians
in other nations. During each service, members would set aside time to pray in groups.
The evening was set aside to focus on the plight of Christians around the world, especially in the 10-40 Window. This is an area 10 degrees south to 40 degrees north latitude that extends from North Africa eastward through the Middle East, on into Russia, India and China. Page 5.
The new covenant is
an agreement between God and humans, writes Pastor General Joseph Tkach in this month's
Personal.
God sets the terms, and we respond with either yes or no. Sinful humans aren't in a position to make deals with their Creator.
As sinners, we are cut off from God. But simply because he is good, because he loves us, God has acted decisively to end our alienation from him and bring us into his household.
The terms God has set are these: Believe what he says about Jesus Christ, turn from your life of self-reliance and put your confidence totally in Christ to wash you clean of sin, clothe you with righteousness and bring you into the family, the household, the kingdom of God. Pages 6 and 7.
Mail income in
November was again significantly under our projected budget, writes controller Ron Kelly.
Our daily average for November was $103,339. The year-to-date average is $105,757. Yet, our expense budget is $110,000 per day. You can see that we will have to dip into our barely adequate reserve funds.
And that can go on only so long. By careful management of asset sales and painful downsizing over the past few years, the church has managed to keep on an even keel and maintain a large percentage of local congregations. Even though our congregations are much smaller, dedicated pastors have helped them make it through difficult times.
As you review the financial picture this year, I pray you will set goals to maintain a steady pattern of donations for the coming year. Page 22.
By Thomas C. Hanson
The Pasadena A.M., Contemporary and Sunday congregations celebrated the four weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas.
In the A.M. church, Pastor General Joseph Tkach spoke Nov. 28, the first week of Advent. Mr. Tkach delivered a message titled No Second Coming Without the First.
The following week, Dec. 5, Curtis May, district superintendent, gave a sermon titled God Makes the Foolish Things Confound the Wise.
Dec. 12, Mr. Albrecht gave a sermon in four parts interspersed by hymns. The points were 1) Jesus, God in the flesh, emptied himself; 2) Jesus, God in the flesh, invaded our world; 3) Jesus, God in the flesh, identified with our humanity; and 4) Jesus, God in the flesh, is Emmanuel.
Keith Stump planned to deliver a sermon Dec. 19, titled How Much Can One Man Do?
On the first week of Advent, Nov. 29, Dan Rogers, superintendent of ministers, delivered a sermon on the second coming of Christ based on Matthew 24:36-44.
The second week's sermon was by Ralph Orr, director of in-service education, who spoke on the miraculous birth of John the Baptist. The service also included the congregation's monthly communion service.
Mike Feazell, director of Denominational Publications, gave the sermon on the third week, titled Falling and Rising, based on Luke 2:34-35.
The fourth week's sermon was scheduled to be by John McKenna.
In the contemporary congregation the first week of Advent, Dr. McKenna gave a sermon titled, The Forgotten Mother. Dr. McKenna showed how Mary was a bridge between the old and new covenants.
The second week Mr. Feazell gave a sermon called Falling and Rising, based on Luke 2:34-35.
Pastor Eric Shaw was scheduled to give a sermon Dec. 18 titled Rejoice, the King is Born.
The contemporary congregation was also scheduled to perform the play In Bethlehem Inn, Dec. 20, which was set at the inn in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born.
IN BETHLEHEM INN--Victoria Carter and John Putterman advertise play in
Ambassador Auditorium. [Photo by Ron Grove]
SUNDAY CHURCH BANNER--Banner designed by Denice Orr and constructed by
Kathy Lewis.
GOSPEL CHOIR--The Pasadena Gospel choir sings at services Dec. 13.
[Photos by Thomas C. Hanson]
As a former member who has recently gotten involved again with the WCG, I have been both surprised and grateful to God for the many changes he has seen fit to bring about in the organization.
I originally left the church more than 20 years ago by gradually drifting away, because it was all too apparent to me, its concept of grace was at odds with what I believed the Scriptures taught.
Once I left, I found myself friendless and despondent, but what added to the grief was the attitude of several evangelical Christian relatives, who in effect told me I would have been lost for eternity if I had continued on in the WCG.
It was never said precisely in those terms, but the intended meaning was unmistakable. In effect, a person could have faith in Christ, but if he held to a few aberrant doctrinal positions he was probably headed for the "fiery place." Even in those days, the WCG had a kinder theology than that.
Let's thank God for the truth he has revealed to us to this point, and trust him to deliver on his promise for a continuing relationship with him that goes into eternity.
Barry Ellis
Regina, Saskatchewan
Praise the Lord! For the past few years I have heard that the Worldwide Church of God had gone through a renewal and had recanted much of what it once believed, preferring instead to teach the Real Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As an ordained minister and director of the Holy Spirit Evangelistic Association (HOSEA Ministries) I rejoiced over this news, but did not know how to get in touch with any of you.
It is with pleasure that I welcome the entire membership of the WCG into the true flock of the Lord Jesus Christ. May your growth in Christ be quick and always fruitful.
After rereading my letter I thought perhaps it might convey a viewpoint of "we've had the truth all along, what took you so long?" and I certainly do not mean to convey any such message.
My letter is simply to congratulate those of you who have had to make such tremendously hard decisions in the past few years or so. My enthusiasm sometimes overwhelms people, but I intend to welcome you of the WCG warmly and humbly.
J. Morgan Drake
Rochester, Washington
I read with interest the December article about John McKenna, senior editor in Denominational Publications. However, it was not mentioned whether Dr. McKenna is a WCG member.
Monrovia, California
Editor's note: Yes, Dr. McKenna is a member and ordained minister of the Worldwide Church of God.
By Craig L. Bacheller
QUEENS, New York--About half of the members of the Queens congregation participated in a prayer vigil during the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church beginning Saturday evening, Nov. 14, and ending early Sunday.
The evening was divided into different services where members would pray, give testimonials, read scripture and view videos on the plight of Christians in other nations. During each service, members would set aside time to pray in groups.
The evening was set aside to focus on the plight of Christians around the world, especially in the 10-40 Window. This is an area 10 degrees south to 40 degrees north latitude that extends from North Africa eastward through the Middle East, on into Russia, India and China.
In these nations many Christians live in fear that the government or their neighbors might have them arrested and tortured for their faith.
In these nations, unlike in the United States, Christians are in the minority.
Persecution in the 10-40 Window is so intense that the 20th century will witness more martyrs for the name of Jesus than all the other centuries combined, says James and Marti Hefley, authors of Their Blood Cries Out.
Brutal beatings, imprisonment, social ostracizing and death do not stop the spread of Christianity. Not unlike the book of Acts, persecution is simply a way that the gospel is spread.
The educational videos, provided by Jeff Kolsch, a Queens WCG member who works for The Bible League, raised the awareness of those in attendance about worldwide persecution.
Some Christians in China assemble in secret in house churches, like the first century Christians. Here they recite and memorize scriptures not knowing if the police might burst in and arrest all in attendance.
Furthermore, most of these services cannot afford the luxury of singing praises to God for fear of being overheard and reported to authorities.
In Queens, men, women and children gathered into circles of prayer to intercede on behalf of the persecuted church. Tears began to flow as the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of those engaged in prayer. Everyone present experienced the power, presence and person of Jesus.
Sue Buchholtz commented: "I am so thankful I came here tonight. My eyes have been opened to what is happening to our brethren in far-off lands."
Many commented that such an event was so powerful that it was not something that could be confined to a single event, but something that should be done on a regular basis.
"We came to ask a blessing for the persecuted church and received one as well," said Mary Bacheller.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER--Maria Rojas prays with her grandchildren during prayer vigil.
In Pasadena, two WCG
congregations: the Pasadena Sunday church and the Filipino New Life Fellowship church
combined for a prayer service Nov. 15.
Mervin Walton, director of prayer ministry, spoke on persecuted churches in Asia. Pastor Dee Bulante spoke on a Christian's attitude toward persecution. Sister Yasmine, who lives in a Persian Gulf nation, spoke firsthand about persecution in the region.
For more information about persecuted Christians around the world, visit the World Evangelical Fellowship Internet web site at http://www.WorldEvangelical.org
It is hoped that this will not just be an annual event but that Christians will pray daily for persecuted Christians around the world.
Personal from Joseph
TkachA member commented: "I'm not sure many of us know what the new covenant is. We've heard about what it stopped, but not much about what it started or what it is. Can you put the new covenant in a nutshell?"
Good question--and I will respond in a nutshell. Then I will expand it a bit, because the central truth can be developed in many ways as we study the subject in the Bible.
In simple terms, a covenant is an agreement between two parties. It can be an agreement between a husband and wife, a friendship pact between two people, an alliance between two nations, or an agreement between God and humans.
The new covenant is an agreement between God and humans. God has set the terms, and we enter the agreement if we agree to it. God sets the terms, he makes the offer, and we respond to it with either yes or no.
How can we have a relationship with God? How can we become his friends? How can we become citizens of his holy nation?
Sinful humans aren't in a position to make deals with their Creator. As sinners, we are cut off from God. Sin and corruption cannot even come into his presence. But simply because he is good, because he loves us, God has acted decisively to end our alienation from him and bring us into his household.
God sets the terms of this potential relationship. He tells us what he is willing to do. He calls the shots, and makes us free to respond to his terms with either yes or no.
The terms God has set are these: Believe what he says about Jesus Christ, turn from your life of self-reliance and put your confidence totally in Christ to wash you clean of sin, clothe you with righteousness and bring you into the family, the household, the kingdom of God.
That is the only way we sinful humans can get off the devil's side and onto God's side, so to speak. We do it by accepting the terms of God's new covenant--the new covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ.
That is the only way we can be rescued from our rebel state against our Creator, the Provider of our life and being. That is the only way we can be brought into harmony and allegiance with him.
At its core, the new covenant is Jesus Christ. He embodies everything the new covenant is. He is the Word of God and the Son of God, made flesh for us. He is the Message of God, the Mind of God, the Meaning of God, made flesh for us to see and know and love.
In himself, he enables us to be friends with God. In Jesus Christ, God has given us a new basis for our relationship with God. This is the covenant God has given.
Now you might ask, How can a person be an agreement? It is a biblical idea. In a prophecy about Christ, Isaiah 42:6 says that the Messiah, or Christ, would be made a covenant. The Bible calls Jesus a mediator, a go-between. A mediator's purpose is to get two parties to relate positively to each other.
His work is what causes the barriers to come down and the relationship to bear positive fruit. Jesus could do that because he was both God and human. He was not only able to represent both parties, he was able to be both parties.
How does Christ make possible this relationship between God and us? Romans 5:8-10 puts it in a nutshell: Christ died for us, and because of his death we are now justified before God, rescued from God's punishment upon his enemies and reconciled to God as one of his children.
Through the death and life of Christ, God has personally provided the one and only means by which we can become the faithful and loving friends and children he created us to be.
Let's look at some additional aspects of this wonderful gift of our loving Father.
Paul says that Christ died for us; he also says that Christ died for our sins (Rom. 4:25). Although he was innocent, he suffered the penalty that our sins deserved.
In some ways this is a simple concept, but there are complex ideas under the surface--see Gal. 3:13 or 2 Cor. 5:21 for two examples.
When Paul says we are justified, he is using a courtroom term. He is saying that in the courtroom of heaven, God declares us justified, or not guilty, because of the death of Christ. When Paul says we are reconciled, he is referring to a relationship that has gone from animosity and hostility, to friendship and peace.
Paul also uses language from the slave market to say that we have been bought at a price (Christ himself being that price) so that we may now serve our new Master.
Other biblical images include those of being cleansed, of being newly created, of being born again, of being adopted. Each of these ideas helps us see different aspects of the central picture: that we are able to have harmonious peace and friendship with God because Jesus Christ died for us and was raised again.
Jesus Christ is the basis of the new covenant, or arrangement, God has given us. Because he loves us with indescribable love, he urges us to accept it--to put our faith, our trust, in Jesus Christ, that is, to trust him with our lives, and to accept him as our Mediator, our only means of salvation.
We sinners deserve to be eternally alienated from our holy God and completely separated from the joy of knowing him and partaking of his eternal blessings. But the good news is that we don't have to be eternally alienated. Instead, we can live forever in the joy of full favor and harmony with God because of Jesus Christ, specifically because of what he did for us in his death and resurrection.
Our salvation--being rescued from spiritual destruction and given glorious restoration as favored friends and children of God--depends entirely on Jesus Christ.
Accepting him is the one requirement God makes as the basis of this arrangement. If we accept him, then we are given a right relationship with God (and all the responsibilities and privileges that go with it).
If we do not accept Christ, we have no basis to be brought into harmony with God. Jesus Christ is the core of the new covenant. That is why he must always be the center of our church, our preaching, our proclamation and our personal lives.
Another way to talk about our relationship with God is to use kingdom terminology. The good news of the kingdom of God is that we can enter the kingdom through Jesus Christ. Without him, we are totally disqualified. But he is qualified, because he is the Son of God.
By becoming one of us, taking our sins on himself, dying in our place and being raised to glory, he has (if we believe him, accept him and give our allegiance to him) perfected us and taken us up into himself.
Because we are now, as believers, made one with him, we are now qualified to enter his kingdom (Col. 1:12-13). Jesus is the door, the key and the true path to the kingdom of God. And the good news is that God invites humans to enter his kingdom by putting their confidence in Jesus Christ. We cannot qualify on our own or by any amount of lawkeeping. Nor does lawkeeping maintain our salvation. Salvation is a free gift.
The Bible uses many ways to describe the same thing. Being in the kingdom is the same as being adopted as children of God. It is the same as being born again as his children. It is the same as being redeemed from death. It is the same as being washed by the blood of the Lamb, or justified by his death.
All of these phrases are about the gift of a right relationship with God, and in all of them, Jesus Christ is the key, the focus. The new covenant is simply another way of talking about the same thing.
Jesus preached about the kingdom--a kingdom we are invited to enter into in this life. The apostles, however, preached primarily about salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
These are not two different messages. The apostles were not misrepresenting the message of the Master. Rather, the apostles were inspired to explain the same message of the kingdom of God in different ways.
The new covenant is, to use another nutshell, the gospel of salvation. It describes how we can be saved from sin and death in order to live forever in a loving relationship with God through the saving work of Jesus Christ for us.
We always keep coming back to the center-point, Jesus Christ. He is God himself, offering himself to us. If we want eternal life with God, it must be through Jesus Christ.
At its core, the new covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the message of salvation by grace through faith in him. That is why it is so important for us to understand it and teach it, no matter what the cost. It is the basis of our eternal life!
That is why we emphasize Jesus Christ. That is why we emphasize faith and grace. That is why we emphasize the new covenant, the gospel and eternal life. All these are fully bound up with each other.
As we have seen, the Bible uses several word-pictures to help us understand what Jesus did for us. We don't have to understand all of them in order to be saved. We simply have to put our faith in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus announced a new covenant in his own blood (Luke 22:20), he was announcing something dramatically new. Never before had God made a covenant using human blood. The previous covenants had used animal blood.
Indeed, God did not even allow human sacrifices. What Jesus was announcing was not a renewal of the old covenant. Instead, it was a completely new covenant, made in a way forbidden by the old covenant.
In making the new covenant, Jesus was announcing the fact that the old covenant no longer applied.
The new covenant has different blood, a different basis, and it presents a different basis of relationship between God and humans. The new basis is Jesus and his blood. Jesus did what we could not do, and he offers his sacrifice to us as a gift.
To be part of the new covenant, we must admit that we can't earn our way into God's presence--we will never be good enough--but we must instead rely on his mercy.
I am thankful that Christ has helped us come to love him more deeply. I am awed by his mercy. I praise him for his greatness. I celebrate his life--his birth into humility--his death on a shameful cross--and his resurrection into glory.
Saul of Tarsus thought he knew God and what God wanted him to do. Then he met Jesus, and from Jesus he received a chance to see again. From then on, he was a Christ-centered man. He resolved to know Christ and to preach Christ. O, that we might do the same!
By Don Mears
"In reading this ... you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets" (Eph. 3:4-5).
Everyone loves a mystery. "Whodunits" have always been on the best-seller lists, and programs such as "Unsolved Mysteries" are television favorites.
We like the challenge of trying to figure out the solution to the mystery.
So when the Bible speaks of mysteries, our interest rises and our pulse quickens. What could it be, this mystery Paul spoke of in his epistle to the Ephesians?
We don't have to stay in suspense, nor do we have to figure out the answer by adding and interpreting scattered and obscure clues. When the apostle Paul speaks of a mystery, he doesn't mean quite the same thing as we do.
We probably think of a mystery as something obscure and complicated, difficult to solve. But Paul meant something that was once hidden but is now revealed and made clear ("Mystery," Dictionary of the Later New Testament, InterVarsity Press 1997).
For long ages, the plan of God for the redemption of his creation was not made clear. It was concealed in shadows, only dimly seen in symbols and fragments. Even the prophets who looked forward to its fulfillment saw only parts, without understanding how it would be fulfilled.
Peter wrote of how they "searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing" (1 Peter 1:11).
Finally, when the proper time came, the darkness was penetrated by a great light, the shadows fled away and the reality was made clear. God's great secret, his "mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations" (Col. 1:26) was at last revealed.
And what was this long-held secret? What was the great mystery of the ages? The mystery was, and is, Jesus Christ!
The mystery long concealed has at last been made manifest to humankind by God "in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:2-3).
Do we sometimes overlook how dramatic a revelation the coming of Jesus was? Perhaps we don't realize how little even the prophets of the Old Testament period knew about how God's plan for humankind would be fulfilled.
They had clues to the mystery, but they did not know the full meaning of the clues, nor how the clues all fit together to give the answer. They were like characters in a mystery novel, who did not know how the story would come out in the end.
But we have the privilege of knowing that the plan of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We are like someone who has read the mystery story to the end. We know the answer to the mystery, because it has been revealed to us. When we read back through the earlier chapters of the story, we can recognize the full meaning of the clues.
The Old Testament people of God lived in twilight and shadows. We see can both New and Old Testament in the full light, the light of Jesus.
Since early times, Christians have recognized what a dramatic revelation the coming of Jesus Christ was. They have seen great significance in the events by which Jesus was revealed to the world.
Many Christians dedicate a special season, during January and February, to remembering and learning from those events that reveal Jesus to the world as the fulfillment of the plan of God. They call that season Epiphany. The name comes from a Greek term, epiphaneia, which has a range of meanings including "appearing" or "shining forth."
The visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12) is seen to have particularly significant symbolic meaning, as the first revealing of the mystery of Jesus to people beyond the bounds of the Jewish nation.
Two thousand years ago, the Mystery of God, hidden for long ages, was finally revealed to be Jesus Christ. In Jesus a light shone forth to drive away shadows and darkness. The Wise Men came to his light. Those in search of the true Wisdom still do today.
By Chuck Calahan
What is the difference between small groups and cell groups?
Good question. The question is good because the terms "small groups" and "cell groups" are often used interchangeably. So what is the difference?
A quick answer is that all cell groups are small groups but not all small groups are cell groups.
Small groups can meet specific needs of the group members. Small groups have a history of benefiting the body of Christ especially in time of revival.
Cell groups are a specific type of small group and a type of small group that has a specific model of ministry. Most small groups are one of the programs offered by a church congregation.
Cell groups are not a program of the congregation. They are the most basic unit of the congregation.
Cell groups are the smallest units of people who have teamed up to do the work of the congregation and the denomination.
In a cell group, Christians come together in a covenant relationship to do the work of the kingdom. Cell members join with one another to accomplish four specific tasks. These four tasks are edification, equipping, evangelism and leadership expansion.
Small groups can also have one or more of these tasks, but cell groups intentionally strive to do all four.
Edification occurs when church members learn to be in loving relationships with one another. God values relationship. The Trinity is God living in relational community.
Our purpose in life is to come into relationship with God and one another. Cell members are committed to growth in Christian intimacy and support.
Cell members are accountable to God and to one another in their Christian walk. Praying together and for one another is a powerful path for bonding, healing and edification.
Equipping best occurs in a cell group of people who edify and support one another. Christians who know you are best suited to confirm your spiritual gifts.
They team with you and complement your gifts and talents with their gifts and talents. Christians together do the work of ministry Christ sets before them. Christians learn to disciple in the community of a cell group.
Relational evangelism works best in the cell model of ministry. Cell members intentionally pray together for unbelievers to come to a relationship with Jesus. Cell members cultivate relationships with unchurched people.
Through cell-group outreach the cell practices body-life evangelism. When an unbeliever sees the life of Christ manifested in a bonded community of Christians, evangelism is easier and more enjoyable (John 13:34).
Cell groups provide an effective and efficient method of developing leaders. Mentoring future leaders is intentional in a cell-based church. Everyone can develop leadership skills in a cell group.
God will grant growth according to the availability of leadership to handle the growth. Coaching and encouraging future leaders is one of the most basic objectives of the cell model of ministry. Cell leaders strive to train cell leaders who train more cell leaders, and the cycle continues.
Charles A. Calahan earned a doctorate in family life education and consultation from the School of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University. Dr. Calahan pastors the Wichita, Kansas, congregation.
By Tammy Tkach
It must have been exciting to be part of the early church.
Many had known Jesus, and some had seen him as the risen Lord. The events of the crucifixion and resurrection were fresh in their minds. I wonder if they realized they were part of one of the most important historical events in all history.
Some have characterized the WCG's journey of the past few years as similar to the early church. We spent many years rehearsing and studying Old Testament events. We observed the Holy Days and food laws. Many of our children knew the Old Testament Bible stories better than the life and parables of Jesus.
Like many of us, the first century Christians grew up in the belief system of the Sabbath, the festivals and old covenant regulations. Then like us, they were set free by the grace of the new covenant! I wonder if we realize we are also part of a significant historical event like the early Christians?
It must have felt strange to lay aside old practices and hold onto only Christ. It might be like being used to running with heavy boots on and then taking them off. Wouldn't your feet feel light and different?
God called me to the church at the age of 15. Everything I read and heard fell into place in my mind. I had no trouble giving up Christmas, pork and my vague belief in the Trinity.
It happened the same way when the changes came four years ago. What I read made sense, although I I didn't understand all the places this new understanding would take us.
Looking back, I see that God opened my mind for the sake of my husband, Joe, as well as my own. It helped the transition go more smoothly, at least at our house.
However, in those 20 years of living under the old covenant, I acquired some baggage and false assumptions along the way. I don't usually notice it, but I noticed it when Joe and I were invited to a Lutheran church, and my baggage became extremely heavy.
It started when I read about their communion service. I asked my husband about it because if they believed that the bread and wine became Christ's flesh and blood, I wasn't sure I wanted to participate.
He said that wasn't their belief. As it turned out, communion wasn't taken that day.
As I watched the minister, I again felt uncomfortable, this time because of his clerical robe. I asked the minister about it after the service, and he explained that wearing it was a tradition signifying being set apart as a servant and representative of God.
I had to leave a few bags at the church that day!
It seems the early church had acquired baggage as well. Some, called Judaizers, wanted to promote Christ-plus.
Paul warned gentile believers not to listen to them in Galatians 3:3: "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"
The Galatian gentiles knew about the crucifixion. They had heard about the resurrection and believed in Jesus as their Savior. But now they were being told by the Judaizers that they needed Christ-plus, a belief in Jesus plus keeping the laws of the Torah.
Just as the early Christians had to rid themselves of old covenant baggage, we must also get rid of old covenant baggage and false assumptions.
Some of our old ideas just seem to hang on, weighing us down and preventing us from experiencing the joy and the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).
Our race is best run on light feet.
GLENDORA, California--The Southern California Women's Ministry will have its '99 Women's Retreat, Walking in Christ's Footsteps, April 30 to May 2 at Embassy Suites in West Covina.
The keynote speaker will be Bunny Wilson. Guest speakers will be Pastor General Joseph Tkach and Tammy Tkach and Sheila Graham of Women's Ministry Support in Pasadena.
Room costs for two nights at Embassy Suites are as follows: four women per suite--$95 each; three women per suite--$105 each; two women per suite--$123 each; one woman per suite--$205.
Cost includes Friday night dessert, Saturday and Sunday breakfast and Saturday night dinner. Prices are good until Feb. 26.
For more information contact Glendora Women's Fellowship, Box 2222, Glendora, California, 91740-2222 .
TUKWILA, Washington--More than 140 women from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon joined together Nov. 15 at the third annual A Heart of Hope women's conference.
Women from other fellowships joined WCG ladies for a day focused on the theme "Sharing the Joy."
The day began with praise and worship led by Jane Salmons.
Sarah-Ann Woodfield, conference coordinator, shared with the women that "God has a plan for each woman here on a thread by thread, day by day, basis. Sharing the joy comes from a foundation of seeking God with all our hearts and being open to his plans for us."
Sarah-Ann then shared the acronym: S--Surrendered to God; H--Humble before God and man; A--Attentive to God's will in our lives; R--Receptive to teachable moments; E--Eager to Share the Joy. The conference would progress through this acronym creating a foundation for Sharing the Joy.
Kathy Miller, conference adviser, encouraged the women to understand the source of their joy. "Our joy is a gift from God and not a product of our situation. It is a fruit of the Spirit he has given us."
Guest speaker Marie Powers focused on God's will for women by going to Genesis 1-3. Marie asked, "Where are you looking for your life?" We must first look to God for life, she said. Woman was created because of Adam's aloneness. She was brought forth for relationship. God wanted man and woman to be at one with each other, openly meeting each other's relational needs.
With the fall came a separation from relationship with God. Being separated from God caused Eve to look to Adam to fulfill her "being" needs, for security, safety, significance, acceptance and unconditional love--needs that come only from God. Marie encouraged the women to look to God for their being needs. God wants men and women to achieve their potential together as one.
The first workshop of the afternoon was by Diana Frey, women's ministry director for Alderwood Manor Community Church. Diana gave an intensive workshop on friendship evangelism.
Christina Kuo from East Gate International Ministries gave the final workshop. Christina encouraged us to move from chaos to the joy of living, to live a focused life.
Christina Kuo
By Jackie Thomas
BRADENTON, Florida--The Clearwater, Florida, church sponsored a women's retreat at the Christian Retreat in Bradenton Nov. 6 to 8.
Shortly after the retreat we received a letter from Annabel Dayhoff of Fort Myers. We feel she really tells it all. Excerpts follow.
I have just returned from an awesome conference that our great God gave us through the gifts of the Clearwater church.
I have never seen such dedication to our Father in action as I did at the Bradenton Christian retreat. We women of the Fort Myers congregation were all inspired and greatly uplifted.
Our little conference of 70 people gave us new sisters in the body of Christ. It gave us growth and help in praying for each other and bearing each other's burdens. It gave us appreciation for each other and a love I cannot explain.
It taught us new techniques of giving our hurts and problems over to Jesus, to let go of them, to lay them at the foot of the cross. How many of us let go of them, then take them back from God, as though he can't handle them and we can? Thankfully he is there for us and loves us no matter how imperfect we are.
My great desire from being given so much by my Savior, is to be there for each and every one of you. I want to overcome my shyness and inabilities so I can hug you and pray for you in your pain, in your need for healing--spiritual or physical.
We have learned at the retreats the blessing of getting together in groups of four or five to pray for the needs of each person.
We have items available with the "Women, Arise and Renew the Spirit" name and logo. Small, medium, large, XX and XXX T-shirts are available in white, yellow and beige. A few scoop neck shirts in shrimp and pale blue color are available too.
We also have a few tote bags 15 inches by 16 inches natural color with black ink for the logo and words. Ceramic coffee are available too.
For more information call Roberta Lashua at 1-727-895-8702 or send e-mail to roberta@arise-renew.com.
DOUGLASVILLE, Georgia--Plans are being completed for the second Time of Refreshing women's conference March 20 and 21, which will again be open to all denominations.
Registration cost: Earlybird deadline--Feb. 15--$50; extended deadline--March 5--$60; late registration until March 19--$70. Two-for-one offer: Anyone who attended the first conference in August can bring a first-time guest to the spring conference at the two-for-one rate if you register together, and any two people attending for the first time can register together for the two-for-one rate. Details of the conference location and housing will be mailed after registration is received.
For more information, call Faye Bates at 1-770-949-5673 or Don and Joanna Madlena at 1-770-949-9876.
Yes! Please register me for the Time of Refreshing conference.
Make check payable to: LCAF--Douglasville. Mail payment and form to Faye Bates, 6135 Queens Rd., Douglasville, Georgia, 30135-4609.
(Check one) I am registering alone at the single registration rate.
I attended the first conference, and I am registering with a first-time guest at the two-for-one rate.
We are attending for the first time at the two-for-one rate.
Total enclosed:
Please print
1. Name
Address
Day Phone
Night Phone
Church name
Age Group (circle one) 11-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
2. Name
Address
Day Phone
Night Phone
Church name
Age Group (circle one) 11-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89
Question: There appears to be a contradiction in the Statement of Beliefs.
Under the heading "Hell" it says: "the church does not hold a dogmatic position on whether unrepentant sinners are annihilated in the lake of fire or experience conscious eternal ruin."
However, under the heading "The Fate of the Unrepentant," it says, "Their fate is to perish in the lake of fire." One statement says that we do not hold a dogmatic position; the other appears to give a position.
Answer: This appears to be a contradiction only if one assumes that perish means annihilation. However, perish is capable of more than one interpretation, and the Statement of Beliefs does not take a dogmatic position as to which interpretation is correct.
The Bible says that the unrepentant will perish in the lake of fire. John 3:16, for example, presents "perish" and "eternal life" as opposites. Theologians who believe that the wicked will be eternally conscious are aware that the Bible uses the word perish. They have a different understanding of perish than annihilationists do.
The Bible does not define perish. Some verses support the concept of complete destruction, or annihilation; other verses support the concept of eternal conscious suffering. Interpreters of both persuasions agree, however, following the biblical use of the term, that the unrepentant will perish in the lake of fire.
We cannot assume that perish means that consciousness will cease. The Bible speaks of unbelievers as being dead (Eph. 2:1; John 5:24), yet they are certainly conscious. Since the Bible uses the word dead in such a metaphorical way, it may also use the word perish in a metaphorical way, especially when it is talking about the age to come, an afterlife, of which we have no experience.
In the Bible, life and death may have greater meanings than the physical meanings we commonly associate with those terms. When a person dies, the body stops working and begins to decompose, but what happens spiritually? Can consciousness continue, and if so, in what way? We cannot make assumptions about the afterlife based on physical meanings of death or perish.
Whether consciousness continues after death, and how long the wicked are conscious, must be determined not by assuming word meanings, but by verses that give more description. And as the Statement of Beliefs points out, the verses can be interpreted in more than one way. That is why we do not have a dogmatic position on this topic.
Question: Will you explain Matthew 12:31-32 in light of the Trinity? How can a person sin against one person of the Trinity without sinning against the other? Also, what is the unpardonable sin?
Answer: The question contains a subtle false assumption that in this case is the key to the answer. The "Holy Spirit" is one Person of the Trinitarian God. However, it is wrong to think that the phrase "Son of Man" is equally Trinitarian.
Although Jesus used the title Son of Man to apply to himself, he did not use that phrase to refer to the second person of the Godhead. Rather, he had in mind a figure less than fully divine.
Jesus was using the term "son of man" to refer to Daniel 7. In that passage, a figure "like a son of man" comes to the Ancient of Days (apparently God) to receive a kingdom.
In this vision, the son of man is not God, but is distinct from God. In Daniel 7, the figure is a human, perhaps a representative figure for Israel (see verse 18). He receives the kingdom for the nation. This is the divine kingdom that replaces all human kingdoms.
Part of Jesus' response to those who falsely said he was Beelzebul's disciple was to discuss kingdoms. A kingdom divided against itself will not stand. One does not pillage the house of a strong man without first binding the strong man.
Jesus was casting out demons, so he was implying that the strong man (Beelzebul, i.e., Satan) had been bound, and his house was being pillaged. "If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons," he taught, "then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
That was the point. The kingdom of God had come upon them. The strong man was bound. The Son of David, the Son of Man, was there.
What in Daniel had been a descriptive phrase (one like a son of man) had become a title (the son of man). But it was not a title for God, or for one of the Persons in the Godhead. That is why speaking against the son of man was not as serious as speaking against the Holy Spirit.
When speaking about God we can speak in Trinitarian terms. When speaking of Jesus we must be careful, because he was not only fully God, he was also fully human. As a human being, he did not exercise all the characteristics of a Person of the Godhead.
To speak against the Holy Spirit is to speak against God. It is a much more serious sin than to speak against the Son of Man, who in Jewish thinking was less than divine.
In speaking against the Son of Man one may not realize that one is talking about the God/man. In blaspheming the Holy Spirit, there is no question one is blaspheming against God.
In many Old Testament passages, the righteous become angry with God and question his actions. They even argue with him, at times questioning his justice. This is all forgiven, and should not be equated with the blasphemy that Jesus addressed.
In the context of Matthew 12, the Pharisees should have rejoiced that demons were being conquered and should have recognized that this implied the presence of the kingdom of God.
Jesus warned them that with their attitude, they were in danger of not being forgiven, for they were approaching blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Since there is no other way for humans to be forgiven than through Jesus, their rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to Jesus' authority would, unless changed, result in their being left with no means of forgiveness.
Hebrews 6 and 10 are along the same lines. In Hebrews 6:4-6, those who fall away and cannot be renewed to repentance are described as holding "the Son of God" in contempt.
Their attitude toward Jesus is the key factor. They crucify anew the Son of God. In other words, in spirit they have entered the ranks of those who slew the Lord. They wish he were dead and would be willing to drive the nails. No wonder they cannot be renewed to repentance.
In Hebrews 10:26-31, the warning is to those who willfully persist in sin after having heard the gospel ("the truth"). They spurn the Son of God, profane the blood of the covenant and outrage the Spirit of grace.
This is slightly different from the account in Hebrews 4 of those who fall away, for chapter 10 can include those who hear the gospel and reject it with understanding. In either case, the attitude toward Jesus is the same--they want no part with him. One who is ignorant of or does not understand the gospel is not being described.
Question: Why don't we still teach that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday?
Answer: In Matthew 12:40, Jesus says that he will be buried "three days and three nights."
We used to teach 1) that this is not a figure of speech, 2) that Jesus therefore had to be in the tomb exactly 72 hours, 3) that since he was put in the tomb at evening, he came out at evening and 4) that this necessitates a Wednesday crucifixion.
Further, we taught that this was the only sign Jesus gave that he was the Christ, and that Jesus had to be in the tomb exactly 72 hours or else he was not our Savior.
Now, however, we no longer teach that our salvation depends on the exact length of time Jesus spent in the tomb.
The apostles did not teach that. They most often used the phrase "on the third day," which makes no attempt at hourly precision. Moreover, the phrase "on the third day" usually suggests less than 72 hours, but the apostles apparently were not concerned about the exact length of time Jesus was in the tomb.
We do not teach that the 72-hour interpretation of Matthew 12:40 is the only possible interpretation, nor even that it is the best interpretation.
Within Christianity, there are three views as to the day of the crucifixion: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Although the Friday view is by far the most common, some Christians believe the Wednesday view, and a few the Thursday view.
Within the Worldwide Church of God, different members have different views. We do not believe it is necessary for the church to have an official position as to which interpretation of Matthew 12:40 is correct. The core issue is that Jesus was in fact crucified, and that he was resurrected on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
We are generally familiar with the argument that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday. It may be helpful here to present some evidence that leads the majority to believe otherwise. Let us look at the evidence from Luke, who wrote his Gospel to Theophilus, who apparently did not have the book of Matthew.
Jesus predicted that he would be killed "and on the third day be raised to life" (Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7, 46). On Sunday afternoon, the apostles described the crucifixion (24:20) and said, "it is the third day since all this took place" (24:21).
They understood Sunday afternoon to be on the third day since the crucifixion. But if the crucifixion had been on a Wednesday, Sunday afternoon would have been on the fourth or the fifth day, depending on how one counts.
Were the disciples mistaken? Luke reports their comment as true, and Theophilus would certainly receive the impression that Jesus was killed on the day before the Sabbath (Luke 23:54).
Verse 56 refers to the weekly Sabbath, and that is how Theophilus would have understood verse 54, too, since there is no hint in Luke that there may have been more than one Sabbath that week.
The evidence from the book of Luke seems to point consistently to a Friday crucifixion, and Sunday is the third day from Friday. That is the way Theophilus would have counted it with the evidence available to him.
Jewish custom is to count inclusively, that is, counting the beginning as first. When counting Pentecost, for example, the 50th day is 49 days after the wavesheaf (according to the way we count).
Or when John said "after eight days" (John 20:26, NKJ), he meant "one week later" (John 20:26, NIV). In this customary way of counting days, Sunday would be considered the third day from Friday. Luke tells us that Jesus rose on the third day after the crucifixion.
Another example of inclusive counting is seen in the book of Esther. She promised to not eat or drink "for three days, night or day" and after that go to the king (Esther 4:16)--yet she went to the king on the third day (5:1).
Apparently any portion of the day was sufficient to count for the day and the night. A biblical phrase that seems to us to be precise may not necessarily match modern ideas of exact time measurement.
Because Jews customarily counted inclusively, it is not appropriate to insist that "on the third day" means "72 hours later." Where Luke uses the phrase "on the third day," Mark uses the phrase "after three days" (Mark 9:31). Matthew also uses the phrase "after three days," and he equates it with "until the third day" (Matt. 27:63-64). Or they may say "three days later" or "in three days" (Mark 10:34; 14:58). We should not read hourly precision into this variety of phrases.
Although the apostles preached that Jesus was raised "on the third day" (Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:4), they never used that chronology as proof of Jesus' authenticity. The inspired writers do not seem to be concerned about the exact length of time, nor about the exact description of the three days.
Similarly, the apostles made no effort to say exactly when Jesus was resurrected, although a reading of one Gospel would leave the reader with the impression that Jesus rose on a Sunday. This has been the understanding of the vast majority of Christians ever since.
If Matt. 12:40 is intended to be precise, then the other Gospel writers misled their readers. But if we recognize that Jewish culture did not expect precision of such chronological phrases, we find it easier to understand that Matt. 12:40 could be a figure of speech, not an otherwise unexplained detail that all other passages must be fitted around. For these reasons, we no longer teach that the Wednesday-crucifixion view is the best interpretation. Nor do we teach any other view as the best.
By Jeb Egbert
FRISCO, Texas--Two sessions of the Summer Educational Program (SEP) are being planned for 1999.
For the first session, campers will arrive Sunday, June 27, and leave Monday, July 12. For the second session, campers will arrive Wednesday, July 14, and leave Thursday, July 29.
The two-week sessions are available to teens, ages 13 through 18.
The mission of SEP is to help young people either to be introduced to Jesus Christ or to strengthen their relationship with him. Last summer, most campers said that SEP had helped them develop their relationship with their Savior.
Hundreds of former campers have reported that they built relationships with others at SEP that will last a lifetime.
Tuition is $595, about half of what comparable programs charge.
SEP will once again be in Orr, Minnesota. Orr has been home to the program since 1965. The wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities makes it an ideal setting.
We will again use a number of recreational activities to complement the camp's mission, including archery, riflery, softball, basketball, volleyball, dance and sailing. The challenge course will help campers build teamwork and courage. And the Christian living classes will emphasize what Jesus has done and continues to do in the lives of those who commit themselves to him.
SEP needs a competent, enthusiastic, Christ-centered staff of adults, college students and high school volunteers. Most selected staff members will wish to stay for both sessions.
Adults and college students who are selected to serve will be paid $5.15 an hour for up to 48 hours.
High school volunteers have grown in significance over the years. While not expected to carry the same teaching load and responsibility of the adult and college staff, high school volunteers provide an enormous amount of assistance in making camp run smoothly.
Applications for camper, adult-college and high school volunteer positions can be obtained by writing the SEP Office at P.O. Box 2211, Frisco, Texas, 75034.
Or you can call the SEP Office at 1-972-712-KSEP (5737), or reach us by e-mail at sep.orr@wcg.org or jeb_egbert@wcg.org
Those accepted will need to make plans for transportation to and from Orr.
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