Since September 11, 2001, this nation has been faced with changes when it comes to security and safety measures.  In an article from the Chicago Tribune News dated November 9, 2001, former President Bush said, as he was trying to reassure the nation that the government will win the war on terrorism, “the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. had created an era that requires new responsibilities, both for the government and our people. We are a different country than we were on Sept. 10: sadder and less innocent, stronger and more united, and, in the face of ongoing threats, determined and courageous.”  However, the war on terrorism is still ongoing to this day, and wars in general will continue until Christ returns.

Subsequent to the events of 9/11, there have been countless incidents when the safety of innocent people was in jeopardy, as their “trust” had been compromised by those responsible for shootings, in places no one would ever imagine these disasters to occur.  Echoed once again, this time by our current president, this country has been urged to be more vigilant of our surroundings since “anybody” could be a suspect.  This rings true for the latest Boston marathon bombings where two individuals who blended in well with society, had the public wondering whom they can trust.  Friends of the younger suspect, responsible for the bombings, were dumbfounded that he would carry out such a crime.  This begs the question, “You think you know somebody, right?”  All public areas are now susceptible targets for tragedies to occur as we have already seen shootings at movie theatres, salons, shopping malls, restaurants, schools, churches, etc., which unfortunately have many wondering where the next incident will occur.  Many “solutions” are tossed around as how to prevent this from happening again, for example; tighter restrictions on gun ownership, doing away with assault weapons, certain measures to get guns off the street, but as we all know, there is only ONE solution (compare Isaiah 2:4).

While the world is becoming more and more vigilant with their surroundings and the word “trust” has now brought forth a different meaning, we are also faced with the same expectations, and then some.  Members and associates of the true Church of God are admonished to “Be sober, be vigilant,” or, in other words, self-controlled and watchful, “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  We are aware that Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31), and he is responsible for such disasters to occur, keeping in mind that God allows it to happen.  Insofar as the Church is concerned, we may not necessarily fall victim to those who have lost their lives in such extreme and horrific ways, but Satan uses his cunning craftiness to attack us, to strike us where we are weak and where we may struggle, tempting us to sin, trying to make sure that we will not succeed, but only to FAIL. 

We CAN succeed! By remaining vigilant, we can protect ourselves by “putting on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand… taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:11-18).

“Marco”…”Polo”…”Marco”…”Polo”.  As children, many have undoubtedly shouted these words while playing the simple game of tag in a pool.  But how many shouting the name know who Marco Polo was or why a game was based around his name?

Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer of the late 1200’s through early 1300’s. He traveled to China, India and surrounding parts of Asia.  He has been credited as introducing the “unknown Orient” to Western Europe. Legends say he did not know exactly where he was going when he first traveled east towards Asia, thus the game’s name was originated.

The chiding of Marco Polo’s name in a children’s game is lighthearted and not mean-spirited. The same is said by those who take the holy name of God and His Son Jesus Christ in vain.

The Ten Commandments have in times past been regarded with reverence and some have even attempted to observe them. How far society has slipped away from that DESIRE–the desire to please God! The commandments are not difficult to understand if a person has a desire to read, to listen and follow.  “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…” (Exodus 20:7). While easy to comprehend it is almost impossible to go out into society today and not hear that commandment broken numerous times in our daily routines. What society does not understand, or just plain ignores, is the consequence for breaking that commandment, continuing in verse 7 “…for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Blaspheming God’s Name has become nothing more than a game, a way to get one’s point across with greater emphasis. But the misuse of God’s Name is NOT excusable. “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).

Society is unwilling to live in a way that pleases God. We must NEVER fall into the same, satanically inspired trap. God must always be first in our thoughts and actions. It is easy to become man-pleasers, following after our own desires and forgetting God altogether. But we are warned where this attitude leads: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Death! Let each one of us demonstrate our willingness to live. Christianity is not a lighthearted game. It is a walk of life that requires every bit of our sincerity to be lights in a darkening world.

Some two-thousand years ago, a group of followers of Christ were waiting patiently for Christ’s promise of a comforter. They were gathered in a room in Jerusalem when suddenly life-changing events occurred for them.

The events are recorded in the book of Acts.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

These events established the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. Because of the great significance of this day, there were unique miracles associated with it—the sound of a rushing wind was heard and tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the disciples. In addition,  the miracle did not only include the speaking but also the hearing of those who were present that day.

“Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God’” (Acts 2:7-11).

Thus Christ fulfilled the promise of the comforter in the form of the Holy Spirit–the power that emanates from both God the Father and Christ. It was given to the disciples on the Festival of Pentecost–the same day, according to tradition, when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

Through inspiration, Peter was able to inspire and help those present to repent of their sins and to be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, and three thousand visitors were moved to do so.

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them (Acts 2:37-41).”

For us whom God has called in this day and age, our day of Pentecost, as it were, came after God had called us. We repented of our sins, and were baptized and had hands laid on us by a true minister of Jesus Christ. As a result of this, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit like many did on that Holy Day of Pentecost in 31 A.D.

For us it was a true beginning of a walk with God and of growth in grace and knowledge. We committed to help fulfill the Church’s great commission to preach the gospel to the world as a witness, to support the ministry in their task of baptizing others who would be called and of teaching and feeding the flock.

We must remain faithful to our calling until the return of Jesus Christ or, if we die prior to that, we must fall asleep “in the faith” as some have in recent years.

The comforter, in the form of the Holy Spirit, enables us to move forward in the responsibilities we have as God opens doors before us. To be able to fulfill these responsibilities is no less a miracle as were the miracles of speaking in tongues and giving an inspiring message that moved three thousand to be baptized in a single day.

Our work is ongoing, and we must, with God’s help, continue faithfully to move forward and to not look back. We must be waiting faithfully for our great reward in the future which is ruling with and under Christ in the Millennium and beyond. Then, mankind will come to the same spiritual understanding which we should today.

Let’s ensure we remain true to the course set before us.

Looking at what has been happening to most of us, we would have to confess to living in very difficult circumstances. Far beyond the news of distant troubles, we are all more than able to tell of things that affect us very, very personally.

Sicknesses that continue to linger; financial challenges that too often appear to be insurmountable; disagreements with family and friends; a growing sense of fear for the worsening events we read about in the news; personal doubt about whether or not we, individually, are really fulfilling God’s calling; wondering if our prayers are being heard and will be answered—the list is long, and not many items are being resolved, or so it might seem.

More than likely, you’ve heard this response before when you were suffering, “Well, just look on the bright side…”  That, in and of itself, is hard to do, but it is truly the very action we should be taking throughout our lives—both in good and in bad times!

King David certainly lived his life walking before God and is even called a man after God’s own heart; however, he stumbled in his conduct, and he sinned greatly. The consequences for his actions brought about very heavy penalties for himself and his family. For David to have found a bright side in all of this is quite remarkable.

How he handled things is summarized in Psalm 51. David repented deeply and completely for his grievous sins—which went beyond adultery to even include the murder of Uriah. David faced what he had done and yielded himself to God’s mercy.

But that isn’t all that he did! In this most remarkable account, we find that David picked up the pieces and returned to serving God—he did not quit or give up:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise”
(Psalm 51:10-15).

For us, as well as it was for David and other of God’s servants, the lesson is that we must never turn away from God—no matter what we have to face!

When life seems nearly unbearable, remember the truth that time-and-again resounds throughout the written Word of God—Paul puts it this way: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Something to consider when we are looking for the bright side of things!

After reading about the events that occurred during the Boston Marathon bomb explosion in April, I was horrified like so many others. However, something I found very intriguing were the allegations that the bombing had been threatened ahead of time. The fact that people witnessed bomb sniffing dogs searching the grounds for explosives offers evidence that a bomb threat may have actually been called in. While the facts may remain a mystery, I could not help but reflect on the moral conundrum that the race officials would have been in, if in fact a bomb threat was received. In such an event a choice must be made to respond. Choosing to publicize the bomb threat may result in public panic, putting spectators in danger, potential humiliation if the threat was a fake, and a failed race event if cancelation was required. Choosing to keep the threat a secret, places the lives of spectators in danger, adds pressure to find the threatened explosives, and incriminates the race officials if the effort to find the explosives fails. One could make an argument that either choice is right, depending on the circumstances.

We may be fortunate enough not to be in the position to have to make life and death decisions right now, but we still have to make moral choices every day. When faced with a decision to make, especially when it involves a moral judgment, the clarity can blur between what is right and what is not. Fortunately, we have the Bible as our guide and rule book to help us judge righteously. Yet even then, the right decisions are not always obvious. In fact, we have proof that our moral judgment sometimes fails. As Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.” If our judgment and our actions based on such judgment were always righteous, we would not sin. While this is true, we cannot go through life refraining from making decisions just because it is difficult and we may fail. Moral paralysis is not an option for a Christian.

What we have to remember is the faith of Jesus Christ must guide our choices if we want to work towards becoming righteous. Any righteous decision that we may attempt on our own is doomed to failure without relying on God’s guidance. The carnal mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:7), and therefore cannot be relied upon to guide us down the path of moral righteousness. Paul understood this with clarity, teaching in Philippians 3:8-9, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith…” The righteousness that we work to attain originates with God.

It is reassuring to know that we have the resources at our disposal to be right according to the standards of God. The difficult challenge that we must take to heart is to remove from the equation our own human and carnal assessment of what is right. Only God can inspire us to act righteously, through the faith of Jesus Christ working within us.

We almost missed the plane. After a three hour delay in San Diego, we arrived at the LAX airport, took a shuttle from the commuter terminal to the International Terminal, received assistance from an airport official who phoned the pilot and his crew to ask them to wait for two more passengers, presented our boarding passes to security (which Johanna had printed the previous evening), were given special and preferred treatment in the security line (even though a TSA employee had Johanna open her luggage for inspection), and ran to the departure gate (the most distant one of all the gates) to catch the plane to Germany. We had just about ten minutes to reach the gate after entering the International Terminal, and after boarding, the plane took off immediately.

We were initially told that if we had missed that flight, we could have taken a later flight that same night, but as it turned out, the Frankfurt airport closed down the next morning due to a snowstorm, so that we would not have been able to depart LAX or land in Frankfurt. We would have been stuck for at least a day, if not longer, and our prearranged meetings would have had to be cancelled. That would have not been a big deal, you might say, but these meetings included speaking to our German attorney about church registration, looking for a feast site and counseling with prospective church members. Obviously, someone did not want us to depart on time, and he would have been successful, if Johanna had not been inspired the previous night to print the boarding passes and if we had not received necessary help at the LAX airport.

We were almost not able to leave Colorado! The Church conference ended Tuesday morning, and we had planned to depart for California on Wednesday. However, an unexpected snowstorm was announced, so we decided to leave Tuesday afternoon with our two vans, using a southern instead of a western route to avoid a snow-covered pass.  After our departure, the snowstorm hit, and more and more snow fell for days in Denver and Fort Collins. Using the window of opportunity, we were able to leave Colorado and arrive in California unhindered. Well, almost.

Because on our trip, the Messiers’ van had a flat tire. Being stranded on the freeway, a crew-cab pickup truck stopped, and a friendly middle-aged man assisted us by replacing the tire with our temporary spare, while a young lady remained sitting in the truck. The man told us that we should use an exit in six miles and drive to a local town to get a new tire. He then took off. When entering the town, we could not find the repair shop. Suddenly, the truck showed up again, and the friendly man told us where to go and that he had already informed the owner not to close the shop as some customers would still arrive who needed help. The shop usually closed early and it was already 6:00 PM by the time we got there. As it turned out, the shop owner waited for us, but he could not repair the tire. He had no new tires of a size suitable for the van, but just one used tire which was exactly what we needed. There was no other repair shop around for at least 100 miles or so.

Delia Messier had asked the friendly man what his name and occupation were, when he changed the tire on the freeway, and he said his name was Douglas and he managed a ranch. After having arrived in California, I called the repair shop owner and asked him about the helpful individual, as we wanted to send him a thank-you note. He said he did not know who he was, where he lived or what his name was, but that he had been seen from time to time in town.

Obviously, someone wanted to make life difficult for us, and he would have been successful, if the friendly person had not shown up to help us and guide us to the only repair shop around for a hundred miles, which provided us with the only available used tire.

Before both trips, we prayed for God’s protection; that we would arrive safely at our places of destination; and that His angels would watch over us to help us in times of need. We are convinced that God heard and answered our prayers, and He will do the same for you if you place your trust and confidence in Him.

Many of us, no doubt, have been inspired by many people over the years. These may be people we know, people we have heard about as well as many inspiring biblical examples. It is always an uplifting experience to read, see or experience those whose conduct and behaviour sets them well above the ordinary run of the mill behaviour so prevalent in society today.
 
We have become accustomed to the phrase good “role-models” indicating that such people are worth following and imitating. Unfortunately, many whom we are told fall into this category are anything but good role models. Public figures in the political world, in sports and entertainment are often those whose behaviour is copied but, many times, is not imitating or copying the right sort of examples.
 
Sometimes, something can happen to us personally that can be an inspiration. This happened to me (and others) recently. Mr Ralph Sage, a member of the Church of the Eternal God congregation in San Diego falls into this category. On the Sabbath of 23rd March this year, Mr Sage attended services with his wife Gertrude. Just a few hours later, he rang me to say that his wife had died unexpectedly an hour or so before. Mr Sage himself has cancer and has been given just a few months to live by the medical profession. But in this short phone call, he said that he would be at Passover services the following evening. There were no ifs and buts about this even though his wife of over 61 years had just been found dead at their home.
 
The following evening, Mr Sage was at Passover services along with some others who, themselves, had serious health and other concerns. The service was inspirational because of those who were determined to attend in spite of their personal situations which might have deflected those less dedicated.

Since that time, Mr Sage has still attended most church services and has been an inspiration to all of those in his local congregation, and beyond. In an age where so many bad examples are a daily occurrence, Mr Sage’s approach was truly inspirational.

In the broad scope of biblical accounts, a very important challenge emerges for those who truly seek to please God, and that is the issue of offenses.

Consider what Jesus said in this regard:

“‘Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!’” (Matthew 18:7);

“‘But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea’” (Mark 9:42).

We cannot be pleasing God when we offend people through our wrong actions. Jesus, in these statements of His, characterizes the world and how people now live. However, He also is firmly warning His followers to separate themselves from behaving in ways that offend.

The apostle Paul addresses how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ when issues do arise, and he states, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).

Solomon also wrote of the serious consequences of offenses:

“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle” (Proverbs 18:19).

Our challenge is to diligently avoid offenses if at all possible. That means we must be the ones to do the right thing—with the hope that the godly way will triumph. This approach applies whether we might be the source or the object of offenses.

We know that Jesus Christ’s actions and teachings caused some people to take offense (compare Matthew 11:6; 13:57; 15:12). Even among those who initially followed Him, the majority ended up rejecting Him (compare John 6:60-71).

Over the many years, some members within the Church of God have come to a point where, for any number of reasons, they have also rejected Jesus Christ and God’s calling. That has remained true from the beginning, and it is a truth that we still do and will face. Jesus warned of this occurrence—especially culminating in these last days:

“‘And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another’” (Matthew 24:10).

By the time you read this, the Days of Unleavened Bread will have ended.  We are at the beginning of the year the way God keeps track of months and years, and we have another year ahead of us for proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God to the world.

Part of that message is that in the millennium wars will be brought to an end!  We read, as expressed in Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

It’s hard to envision a time of peace, since so much of what we hear today is about war and violence–people blowing themselves up and killing others in the process, the innocent along with the combatants. War is especially hard on the children, and as a result there are countless orphans as families are destroyed by these merciless conflicts.

War is learned, as stated above, and peace will have to be learned, also. Man will have to learn the way to truly love God and his neighbour. This will be taught in God’s government.

Consider who is called blessed by Jesus Christ:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Are we peacemakers?  We should be!  All those in the first resurrection will not only be called children of God, they will be literal sons and daughters of God with the power to enforce peace for the good of mankind. These will teach man the way to peace.

At the current time this world is following the ways of the god of this world—Satan, the true author of wars and conflicts!

With the removal of Satan at the onset of the millennium, the world will truly be brought to the way of peace—for a thousand years! Mankind has only known Satan’s way since Adam and Eve rejected God almost six thousand years ago.

We are moving forward with this gospel of peace, which the world so desperately needs. Let’s ensure that we are faithfully doing our part as we look to the return of Christ– when the whole world will experience a long awaited hope—a true time of peace.

How has the world changed since the Passover last year?
 
We have new laws. Same-sex marriage, recreational drugs (Update 572) and the “Fiscal Cliff” are the laws of the land (Update 571).

We have new politicians. Eighteen members of a violent neo-Nazi party were elected to the Greek parliament (Update 540). China’s new leader demanded “…a return to traditional Leninist discipline” (Update 578). Japan’s new “arch-nationalist” Prime Minister supports a shrine where Class A war criminals are “worshipped as venerable divinities” (Update 572).
 
We have new threats. Iran is closer to having nuclear weapons (Update 554). North Korea threatened a nuclear attack on the United States (Update 581). There is a threat the government will use machines (drones) to attack U.S. citizens on U.S. soil (Update 580).
 
All this and much, much more since last year’s Passover.
 
These appear to be warning signs that the end of the age is coming soon (see Biblical Prophecy: From Now Until Forever). But for those in God’s church there is another, even more urgent warning than all of these combined. It is found in 1 Corinthians 11:27:
 
“…whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”
 
On Sunday evening, March 24th, baptized members of God’s church will observe the Passover using the symbols described in 1 Corinthians. Will we observe it in a worthy manner? Come Sunday night, there can only be one, very personal answer for each of us–either we honor Christ’s death in a worthy manner, or we become “guilty” of it!
 
What must we do to truly keep the Passover in a worthy manner? Paul says we must do this:
 
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
 
Leaven in this verse symbolizes sin (Update 325). Paul says, purge it, remove it, drive it from of our lives. But notice the exact words Paul uses: “purge out the OLD leaven,” in other words, old sin. Of course, Paul is not excluding “new” sins either, but it is interesting that he emphasizes “old” transgressions–the kind of people that we were before being baptized.
 
Are there any old sins we need to remove from our lives?
 
Is there any old selfishness (1 John 3:17), old bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), old prejudice (James 2:9), old worldliness (1 John 2:15), hidden in the corners of our hearts?
 
Do we need to clean up any old offenses we’ve caused (Matthew 5:23-24) or offenses we have taken (Matthew 5:22)?

We can’t pack these away during the Passover and pull them out afterwards! Paul says, “PURGE THEM!”
 
What about “little” old sins? Do they really matter? Paul says, they REALLY do matter! Using leaven again to represent sin, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:6, “ …a little leaven leavens the whole lump…”

The point is, we must make a THOROUGH examination of ourselves before we take the Passover:
 
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).
 
Just as surely as we must remove old leaven from our homes, we must remove any old sins that have accumulated in our lives. And we CAN do it, with God’s help! God has given us the instructions (2 Timothy 3:16-17), the power (2 Timothy 1:7), and the opportunity THIS Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread to repent, to change, to live lives full of truth and sincerity (1 Corinthians 5:8).
 
Many new and unfortunate things may happen in the world between now and the next Passover. But by abandoning our old ways (Ephesians 4:22 , Colossians 3:8) and adopting Christ’s ways (Colossians 3:10), we CAN keep this Passover in a worthy manner, and we CAN live with and rule with Christ forever (Revelation 3:20-21) .
 
What an incredible future to look forward to!