What is the most important task and commission that God has given to His Church in this day and age, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ?

Is it to try to make this a better world by engaging in politics and political campaigns? Are we to attempt to replace the government, perhaps through peaceful demonstrations or even with violent means? Is it proper for Christians to become soldiers to fight for our country? Is it to be applauded when Christians vote in governmental elections or serve in the nation’s jury duty system? Is it the responsibility of the Church today to establish missions all over the world and to collect money for Third World countries? Does God command His Church to feed the hungry at food banks or to help environmental causes by volunteering to clean up freeways, beaches or forests?

Now, a few of the above-mentioned endeavors might be entertained by Church members on an individual basis. These would be personal decisions. However, most of the tasks listed ought not be engaged in by true Christians at all. But insofar as the organized Church is concerned, NONE of the activities constitute a part of God’s great commission for Christ’s spiritual Body.

So, WHAT IS the Church to do today?

We read Christ’s clear words about the first part of the commission in Matthew 24:14:

“And THIS gospel [of the Kingdom of God] will be preached in all the world AS A WITNESS to all the nations, and THEN the end will come.”  Notice, the end of this present evil age will ONLY come WHEN the Church fulfills this part of its commission.

But there is a second part as well, which can be found in John 21. After His resurrection, Christ gave Peter (and all ministers) the timeless responsibility to feed Christ’s lambs (verse 15); to tend His sheep (16); and to feed His sheep (17). In other words, the ministry is to look after and protect Christ’s disciples by “feeding” and “tending” the flock”—which includes, standing up to savage wolves which might come in with the attempt to spiritually destroy and devour the sheep (Acts 20:29; compare also John 10:11-13).

We clearly do NOT read that Christ’s Church has the commission to do missionary work in Africa, India or other parts of the world. It is NOT the responsibility of the Church of God to try to rectify all wrongs and to make this world—Satan’s world—a better place. Christ’s words apply, in principle, to this issue as well, when He said: “Let the dead bury [or assist] the dead” (Luke 9:60). Instead, He required of His disciples to follow Him and obey His words and fulfill the specific tasks given to them.

This is not to say that we are not to help others, but Paul makes very clear what this means. He states in Galatians 6:10: “Therefore, AS WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY, let us do good to all, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO ARE of the HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH.”

When individuals do good to others, including to those who are NOT of the household of faith, they have to make sure that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing (Matthew 6:1-4). Far too often, Church organizations that are getting involved in local, national and international outreach programs crave the recognition of the community, the nation and the world—in other words, they seek the reward from man. Truly, they will receive their reward, but not from God.

As Paul clearly emphasized, we are to concentrate on doing good especially and mainly to those in the Church. When Christ chides those in the parable in Matthew 25:31-46 for not helping others in need, He is referring to Church members who refused to help their brethren (verses 40, 45). He is NOT talking about visiting all the prisoners in the country; inviting every stranger and homeless person into your home; feeding all the poor; and clothe all those who are naked. With the Church’s limited resources, that would be impossible anyhow. No, Christ is addressing the individual relationship of BRETHREN WITHIN the Church.

Experience has shown that when organizations lose focus on the Church’s two-fold commission and get entangled in numerous other tasks, they will pretty soon lack the necessary zeal to do what they have been commanded to do. With lack of obedience will come lack of understanding; and slowly, but surely, those organizations will lose God’s precious knowledge which had been entrusted to them, and they will begin to teach all kinds of wrong ideas. It has happened before, and it is prophesied to happen again.

We must be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49). We must be faithful servants (Matthew 24:45-46), doing what we are commanded to do (John 9:4). In the process, we have to overcome sin in our personal lives (Revelation 2:7,11,17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). When we have our hearts in the true Work of God, we WILL overcome, as we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Then, and ONLY then, will we be counted worthy to escape all the terrible things which are soon going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man when He returns (Luke 21:36). 

Do you have a problem with time keeping? If you do, maybe you think it’s not that important or that it’s not top of your “to do” list of those things that you need to improve on. We do have to remember that poor timekeeping can be an irritant to many other people, and we shouldn’t want to cause any offence to anyone unnecessarily.

This is something that I have had to battle with and have failed so many times and so I am speaking from the heart! Years ago, as a senior manager, trying to get a quart into a pint pot was something that I used to try and do so often when I had a very busy schedule of appointments. For example, with a spare five minutes before my next appointment I would often try and squeeze a short telephone call in which usually lasted several minutes thus making me late for my next appointment!

I recall being on a management course and the question of timekeeping and punctuality arose. The lecturer said that we should always start meetings on time even if there were people missing. He said that if we waited until everyone arrived that would send out the wrong signals and would reward the latecomers and penalise those who had played by the rules and had arrived on time. I thought this was an extremely good strategy and have tried to implement this wherever and whenever possible unless there was some extenuating circumstance.

If anyone feels that this is too pedantic, then they may just want to consider that God’s punctuality is perfect. He calls people at exactly the right time. He intervened when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac at exactly the right time. And He will send His Son, Jesus Christ, back to the earth at precisely the right time in order that man will not blow himself off the face of the earth. Christ will return on time.

In just over two weeks, we will be keeping the Feast of Pentecost. We see in Acts 2 that the disciples were there together “in one accord” when the Day of Pentecost came. They were there waiting for the day and were rewarded with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Had they turned up on the wrong day or had been late, they would have missed this event.

Shouldn’t we take these examples and try to emulate them? After all, it would be a courtesy to others too.

We are faced with decisions that we have to make every single day and many decisions that people make are either simplistic, common sense decisions or they can be poor and costly ones.  We see how our leadership in this nation has made poor decisions, especially ones that are unconstitutional and absolutely contrary with what the Bible teaches.  It goes hand in hand with what the Bible predicts, and it will not improve until Christ’s return.

In regard to decisions that we are faced with, it comes down to the choices that we have to make.  We have to know within ourselves just what is the right or wrong choice. We have to be careful with our decision making since we are the minority in this world who believe the truth, for WE are the called out ones, the hated ones (compare Matthew 10:22; John 15:18).  Because of this responsibility we have, there is a lot of pressure we are faced with in this world, since we have to live as examples and stay true to our faith.  We can’t compromise with our beliefs, but we must stand up for what is right.  People will know by our convictions and our actions where we stand.

Now we know that God does not change and He never will.  He will not compromise (Malachi 3:6).  His purpose for mankind is the same today, as it was then!  Every person on this earth makes choices, every day, whether they will live righteously or not. But there is one critical difference. While the world continues to go its evil way, there is a group of people that God has called out of this world; to come out from the evil ways, and to live their lives based upon His laws, His statutes, and His judgments!  Even God had a choice to make, choosing those out of the world for a purpose (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

We are supposed to live as examples and shine as lights.  Each of us being called to this Way of Life, make choices every day. Will we obey God or not? Will we walk in His Way or not? Will we attempt to worship Him in a false way, by worshipping false gods? Will we bow down to gods made with human hands, wooden or stone images? Will we dishonor God by taking His name in vain? Will we faithfully keep and properly observe His Sabbath and His Holy Days?  Will we keep man-made holidays originating from pagan origins? Will we kill another human being, for instance in war, or even murder him in our thoughts through the sin of hatred? Will we steal from others, including our brethren, or steal from God by not giving Him what is owed to Him through tithes and offerings?  Will we lie against our neighbor or God? Will we covet that which does not belong to us, thus sinning against our God?

The world continually finds itself in the struggles of evil.  We have to make sure that we don’t become a part of that.  God has His eyes on us.  Judgment is now on the house of God! With every decision we come to, with every choice we make; God is taking notice! He is ready and able to help in times of need (compare Psalm 34:15-20, 22). Will we do what is right in God’s eyes, in reference to our mates and our children, and in reference to our neighbor?  Each time we break a law of God, it is the result of a wrong choice we have made!

Noah was righteous before God.  Because of the choice made by this one man, God decided that He would allow life to continue on the earth for mankind, starting over with this one righteous man and his family, including the animals brought onto the ark. 

When it came to the obedience of His law, God chose Israel as the nation He would work through to continue to carry on His Way on the earth, because of Abraham’s right choices. Sadly, Israel chose to disobey God.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Jesus Christ walked upon the earth in the flesh and lived a perfect life. Each of these men had to make choices every day. God was pleased overall with the choices they made, and of course, in the case of Christ, He was always pleased.

After God had delivered Israel from the hands of the Egyptians and had revealed to them once again His righteous and perfect Law, He had given them a choice, as He gives us that same choice.  Let us see what this choice is: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil… I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19).”

God is very clear about a time that is coming when modern day Israel (including the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Jews) will be taken captive and be scattered among the nations due to their disobedience to God’s laws.  We find this clearly explained in Leviticus 26 and how this will come about. These events come in four different stages where God will increase His punishment on Israel to bring them to repentance.  Each time He increases the punishment seven times.

In Leviticus 26:14-17 we find the first stage. God states that if they reject His laws and fail to follow His commands, Hewill cause horrific diseases to devastate them!  Their crops will be planted in vain as their enemies will consume them.  Their enemies will defeat them and rule over them.  They will flee when no one is pursuing them.  Leviticus 26:18-20 states if after all this they still will not listen and will not repent of their sins, He will punish them seven times over.  He will break the pride of their power and the land will not produce food due to drought conditions.

In Leviticus 26:21-23 is the second stage.  If they continue to refuse to listen and obey, He will cause wild beasts to attack and destroy their livestock and the people, making them so few in population that their roads will be deserted.

Leviticus 26: 24-26 is the third stage.  God continues to warn thatif they still will not repent and obey, He will punish them yet another seven times for their sins.  He will cause disease and pestilence to decimate them.  They will fall into the hands of their enemies due to their weakness. God will cut off their supply of food so that ten women or families will bake bread in one oven and they will divide it among themselves and yet it will not be enough to keep them from being hungry – a sign of famine.

Leviticus 26: 27-39 is the fourth stage.  God continues to pour out His fury seven times more due to their stubborn unwillingness to repent.  The unthinkable will occur when they will eat the flesh of their own children because they are starving!  The cities are laid waste, the land is desolate and their enemies will be astonished by what they see happen to this rebellious people.  Modern day Israel will be taken captive by their enemies.  They will have become so weakened and terrorized by all they have experienced they will be fearful at the smallest of sounds and unable to stand before their enemy.

Notice each stage is increased by seven times more punishment!  All because they refuse to repent and obey God’s laws.

Leviticus 26:40-45 explains what will become of those who remain alive after all these horrible events take place.  If they will repent, our merciful God will forgive them and restore them once again.  We will be able to assist in this restoration if we continue to be loyal servants of God and yield ourselves to Him as He guides and directs us with His Holy Spirit in His truth, and continue in the work He has given us to do. We are to warn the nations of their impending disaster if they refuse to obey Him! The warnings are clear!       

Our culture is filled with stories and ideals of heroes.  We bestow the title of “hero” for deeds that seem to rise above normal human courage.  Soldiers charging into enemy fire to save comrades or teachers shielding innocents from murderous rampages—both speak to a selfless frame of mind.  A heroic act to save another is something that can never be repaid, and it is why we revere calling someone a hero.  Sadly, even the most honorable of intentions and deeds does little to stop the growing darkness of a world that is sick and dying.

While we give a fleeting nod to selflessness, our society reveres those who vainly set themselves upon pillars to be honored and even worshipped.  The entertainment industry is a self-aggrandizing enterprise, a distraction to show how Satan is transforming this world.  Our end-time age is warned against this practice: “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).

It is easy to point out obvious idolatry that we should avoid.  What is difficult as a Christian is to not become blinded by subtle idolatry that is at times embraced by the world.  In a recent CNN article about Pope Francis the author states, “The popular pontiff has also made a positive impression among Americans in general: Nearly three in four view Francis favorably.  The new survey suggests that the Pope is arguably the most well-regarded religious figure among the American public today, said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. According to one study, Pope Francis was the most talked about person on the Internet this year, and even atheists have professed appreciation for the 77-year-old pontiff.” This kind of hero worship, whether it is of debase or lofty ideals, is still false worship. Judgment is coming to those that practice it.

Satan has masterfully hidden away from this world the truth of Jesus Christ: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9).  Christ gave His life for all who have or ever will exist.  He alone is the epitome of Heroism because His self-sacrifice wasn’t in vain.  Many have died to give others longer physical life. Only One has died to give us eternal life. Paul acknowledged this belief was not in vain, he had “…hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).  Our hope is not in vain! The One True Hero is alive and He awaits for us to join Him in eternal life.

Having just gone through the Passover and Days of Unleavened  Bread,  what lies ahead for us? The next holy day is Pentecost, which is some fifty days away and pictures the church receiving the Holy Spirit for the first time. We understand that some few received it in Old Testament times in order to fulfill God’s purpose, but it was generally not available until given to the Church on Pentecost in 31 AD.

Unleavened bread helped us to focus on the necessity of getting leaven, that is sin, out of our lives. Failing to do so can and would be detrimental to our future positions in the kingdom of God and even being in God’s Family. Sin, like leaven, if not dealt with will grow and eventually completely overcome a person. If not removed with the help of God’s Spirit in us, this can lead to the unpardonable sin and our destruction. Satan as the god of this world is very subtle and usually doesn’t attempt a major overhaul in our thinking but rather puts seeds of doubt, resentment or jealously in our hearts. If we are not careful to put them out in the early stages of their growth, it could be our undoing.

The society we live in is held captive by Satan:

“…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan is seeking prey—and that includes us:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We can overcome Satan:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Notice, we must submit to God, which implies effort on our part in order for the devil to leave us alone. We must put our trust in God to help us.

Remember, also, that we must be diligent in our effort to get the good news of the Kingdom of God out to this world!  The return of Jesus Christ is the only true hope for mankind. At the same time, we must continue to be vigilant in keeping sin out of our lives and in drawing close to God so that He can and will draw near to us:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

We can be assured that if we follow this admonition we will be successful in fulfilling our calling, and we will thus be guaranteed a position in the glorious kingdom of God. That is our hope; that is our destiny—-let’s ensure that we do not let down, but rather go on to glory in the future God has promised!

After participating in the Passover and while we are in the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, many of us have similar thoughts running through our minds. Foremost, the sin that we acknowledged during our personal examination of ourselves in preparation for Passover has become starkly clear. We are all sinners (1 John 1:8-10), and the wages of the sin we commit is death (Romans 6:23). Because of this, God required that His Son be sacrificed so that we might have the opportunity to live forever as part of His Family. These facts describe the bottom line of Christianity – the ultimate plan of God. If we want to participate in that plan, we have some responsibilities.

The fundamental starting point occurs during the Passover, with the acknowledgement of our sin, when we take personal responsibility for causing the death of Jesus Christ. The Days of Unleavened Bread follow, giving us the instruction to continue from that acknowledgement of sin, and work to remove it from our lives. It is a common and intended phenomenon for us to become acutely aware of our inadequacies and weaknesses during this time, so we specifically know the areas where we need to improve. This is heavy stuff to take in, and this is the season of the year when these truths generally penetrate the deepest. It is enough to trigger a great deal of guilt, knowing that individually we have directly caused the death of our Savior – and that we have so, so much to work on.
 
Becoming paralyzed by guilt is not something that we should allow, however. While we live lives that include sinful actions, which might cause us to feel unworthy of Christ’s Sacrifice, our remorse must transform into repentance. Our willingness to change our behavior to be in accordance with God’s laws proves to Him that even though we sin, we are working to improve. Bearing fruits of repentance is what God looks for in our lives. That shows God that we are not behaving unworthily of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Repentance takes work because it is so contrary to the way of this world in which we live. However, it is something that God believes we are capable of performing, with His help, and He is glad to offer us the opportunity. It is, after all, His good pleasure to offer us the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32). For this awesome opportunity to repent, we should be thankful.

Even though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life! What we have to remember is that God wants us to take advantage of the opportunity He provides to us. Jesus Christ was not sacrificed so that we might continue to feel guilty and unworthy, but rather, so that we might claim it, change our lives, and be grateful. The guilt of our sin, transformed by repentance into good behavior, should make us grateful. Do you offer God your sincere thanks for this gift? Now is certainly the time to do so.
 
But even after partaking of the Passover, we find that we sin again. The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminds us that we have to continue, with God’s help, to conquer the sin that stares us directly in the face. We must remember how God wants us to respond. We must not become paralyzed by the faults we recognize, leading us to inaction. Instead, we must be thankful for the opportunity to be saved and actively express that gratitude by bearing fruit of repentance.

It would appear that no one lives or tells the truth–not our leaders in politics, not in business or not even in religion! Finding someone who is willing to put it all on the line for the sake of the truth is the rarest of exceptions! How many retractions, explanations or other justifications do we hear about in our daily lives when liars are found out and exposed?

God long ago issued an indictment against the world for its rejection of His Truth. In particular, His disapproval for the modern Houses of Israel and Judah—who should know better—fill prophecies relevant for our time:

“For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice” (Isaiah 59:12-15).

Have you departed from evil—really? Are you persecuted—as Jesus was—for righteousness sake? Are you tormented “from day to day by seeing and hearing… lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8)?

More importantly, have any of us let truth fall in our own lives? We are implicitly warned that even some within the Church of God would reject truth! Note what Paul wrote:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

This has happened, and so it continues, that the Truth of God has fallen in the lives of some who have been called to salvation! Will you continue in the Truth? Will you be among the very few—the elect—who will be willing to uphold God’s Way of living at all cost?

As we watch the virtual collapse of morality and the rise of unspeakable evil in the world, our hope must focus on the unbreakable promise of God–that He will send His Son, Jesus Christ, to establish a Kingdom of righteousness in which truth shall never fall or fail!

When you read this Editorial, we will have completed our Church Conference, and my wife and I will have been busy preparing for our trip to Germany. Before leaving our home, we will have finished deleavening our premises, as the Jews had to do at the time of Christ, before beginning their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Even though we might think more of the concept of our pilgrimage in respect to the Feast of Tabernacles in the Autumn, when we will live for eight days in temporary dwellings, our entire Christian life ought to be viewed as a pilgrimage, and it is therefore appropriate to apply this comparison to the upcoming Passover season as well. As Israel was saved from physical death during the Passover night and led out of Egyptian slavery on the First Day of Unleavened Bread, with the goal of ultimately entering the Promised Land, true Christians have been and are being saved from spiritual or eternal death through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they are leaving behind the captivity of sin with the goal of ultimately entering the Kingdom of God.

At times, the Bible compares sin with leaven, and if leaven is not removed, it grows and permeates the whole lump. In the same way, sin grows and spreads in our lives. The Days of Unleavened Bread picture our complete departure from sin, but this is impossible without God’s help. It is God who must fight our battles. According to tradition, Israel stood in front of the Red Sea on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. They were completely helpless and in despair, when they saw Pharaoh’s army pursuing them. But God intervened miraculously and saved them from physical death or renewed physical captivity. Today, God is giving us—spiritual Israelites— spiritual victory over sin, if we submit to Him and let Him fight our spiritual battles for us.

A few weeks later, God gave Israel the Law of the Ten Commandments and other statutes and judgments. Following Jewish tradition, this happened on the Day of Pentecost. But ancient Israel was never offered the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is true that the people were supposed to keep the Ten Commandments according to the letter, but they were not able to keep them in spirit. Even though they could and should have refrained from killing someone else, they were not really able to eradicate all hatred from their lives. In New Testament times, God gave His Holy Spirit to His Church on the Day of Pentecost, enabling them to obey Him in the letter AND in spirit—to actually worship Him in spirit, as God is Spirit. God’s converted disciples are to apply and follow the spiritual dimensions of His Law, since the Law is spiritual.

When we, as baptized members of the Church of God, keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, while focusing already on the Day of Pentecost, we ought to remember that everything we accomplish in this life is not because of our might and strength, but because of God’s grace and favor. Because of Christ’s great love for us, He died for us, when we were still sinners and God’s enemies. We did not deserve to be forgiven—God forgave us because of unmerited pardon. It is God who shows us the way out of sin and who enables us to follow His path. And it is God who gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us to obey Him in spirit and truth. In doing this, we can gladly focus on the Holy Days in the Autumn, beginning with the next dramatic event in the plan of God. This earth-shaking occurrence is pictured by the Feast of Trumpets and describes the return of Jesus Christ to establish God’s rule here on earth and to give us His gift of eternal life, by changing us from mortal human beings to immortal members of God’s Family.

How thankful must we be to God for His priceless and undeserved gifts.

Wikipedia defines endangered species as a population of organisms which is facing a high risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters.

There are those species that are already extinct, those that are extinct in the wild, those which are critically endangered, then the endangered, and then the vulnerable.

EndangeredSpecie.com is a website dedicated to “providing all the best endangered species information, links, books, and publications regarding rare and endangered species.  This site also includes information about conservation efforts and endangered species organizations that are dedicated to saving and preserving the world’s most endangered wildlife and plant life.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service there are 746 species of plants and 516 species of animals on the endangered species list in North America alone.

Money raising schemes abound to try and help so many worthy causes.

Without belittling the hard work and efforts of these fine organisations, there is an endangered species which is of far greater importance than any they may represent.   And that is the true Christian, those whom God has called at this time to live His Way of Life and who will become part of His Family at the time of Christ’s return.

We are preparing to keep the Passover in just over two weeks’ time, and most people will have very little knowledge, if any, of what this means.   The secular society will still be keeping Easter as a holiday, and the Days of Unleavened Bread will mean absolutely nothing to them.   Even churchgoers would probably find it incomprehensible, as we follow the clear instructions in the Word of God.

We see almost daily the constant barrage of anti-biblical rulings, antagonism and antipathy towards true Christianity that would not have even been considered that long ago.   But as we approach the time when Christ must return to save mankind from blowing itself off the face of the planet, the correct reading of Scripture shows that this is inevitable.  

We should not be surprised as we have not been promised an easy life.   God has to find out about us and we are tested and tried in many different ways and, being an endangered species at the end time, is part of that process.