Dear Brethren and Friends,
Have you ever deeply considered what being called into the Truth means? It is our opportunity for salvation! It is our selection by God to be among the firstfruits and to be in the first resurrection! But most of all, it means that God is willing to give us His Holy Spirit if we respond to His call.
Without the Holy Spirit we could never grow in the Family of God to become perfect and one with both the Father and Jesus Christ. Because we have been called and have repented, been baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the ministry of the Church of God, we now are the children of God—as 1 John 3:2 reveals.
We are among the very, very few throughout the history of mankind whom God has set aside to serve Him at this time in this world over which Satan now rules. We are to live as “ambassadors” of the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 5:20). It falls to us to live differently—as lights in this realm of darkness and deception (Mathew 5:13-16). To that end we have this guideline:
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).
How often have we heard comments from those who reject God’s perfect laws? His commandments are viewed as harsh—even impossible to keep. People hold this rebellious attitude because they are carnal; that is, they don’t have the Holy Spirit of God. Paul explains this:
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:3-9).
As Christians, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Day by day, we are learning to bring “…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
These timeless teachings have always applied to those whom God has called for obedience to the Truth. We have the Bible as a record of those who have preceded us—both their struggles and their great victories of faith. But also consider this: The Truth has brought us freedom, just as Jesus promised (John 8:31-32). Simply put, we are no longer slaves of sin (Romans 6:16-23).
Those who have followed our teachings know that our messages contain powerful warnings of events which will precede the imminent return of Jesus Christ! We especially point to end-time prophecies reaching fulfillment in this generation. Often we address our need to be watching and to be ready for what lies ahead, knowing that only the few will be counted worthy to escape all of these things (Luke 21:36).
Our calling to the Truth allows us to understand, as Jesus said, “‘But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear’” (Matthew 13:16).
In Christ’s Service,
Dave Harris
