Your Part in Changing This World
God's Church has been commissioned to reach this entire world with a
MESSAGE. His work is NOW starting around the world. It is vital that
you understand YOUR job fully! What does the future hold for YOU?
As many of you know, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, Dick Armstrong and I
just recently returned from Europe. What we found there has stirred us
to realize the scope of what lies ahead for God's work and His chuich.
Brethren, God has opened your eyes to see that He is using Mr.
Armstrong —and this work—to proclaim His message to this
dying world. God reveals that you must do your part in this work.
You KNOW these things. God has made the fruits very evident that this
is His church—His called-out people in this last generation of
the present age. And now you feel that you belong to this
church—God's church.
But do you realize that God's church is a living, active, dynamic,
growing spiritual organism—that it has a very definite job to
do—and that anyone who is not doing his part in accomplishing
thar work will soon be cut off. by God Himself, from being a part of
His true church?
Do you realize the full extent and scope of the work Christ gave to His
church in this age-end? Do you understand and are you busily and
zealously doing your part in this work? Or are you just
"drifting," and perhaps just KIDDING YOURSELF that "all is well" when,
in reality, all is NOT well! Your Mission in Life
If you are an active member of God's true church—the only type of
Christian who will be spared in the coming tribulation—you have a
solemn responsibility to do your utmost to aid in furthering the
mission of God's Church. This should be your whole PURPOSE in life. It
should be the thing that gives your life meaning—and ties in your
daily activities with the great PLAN God is working out here below.
I beseech you as the apostle Paul said, "to present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service" (Romans 12:1).
As Jesus said, if you seek to save your life, you will LOSE ir. But if
you lose your life—if you give your life to God as a "living
sacrifice"'—you will SAVE it (Mat. 16:25).
Very few of you fully comprehended the full meaning of baptism when
this ordinance was performed. But perhaps you do realize that when you
were baptized—going down, symbolically, into a watery
grave—that this was to signify the death of your old self (Romans
6:3)—and that you acknowledged that
Jesus gave His life in your stead—He bought and paid for YOUR
wretched, sinful life with His perfect life. Your life does not belong
to you any more-—It belongs to Him. "For ye are bought with a
price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's" (I Cor. 6:20).
If you will faithfully GIVE YOUR LIFE to God—becoming an active
instrument in whatever way He chooses to use you, then you will remain
in God's church and will be greatly rewarded when Christ returns. But
if you try to take your life—which now belongs to God— and
use it for your own human desires, then you will quickly be put out
from God's true church (even though you might remain physically a part
of it for some time), you will be out from under God's protection, and
you will suffer God's tvrath if you live until Christ's return.
This is serious business!
Your life is eirher given to God—or you are on mighty dangerous ground!
Your mission in life, then, is to study, pray, fast, and seek zealously
in every way to present your human body—and all of your
talents—as a living sacrifice in carrying out God's work here on
earth.
And what a challenging mission it is!
The Job Ahead
Events in Europe are moving faster than most people realize. It is
vital that God's message goes out very soon to France, Germany, Italy,
Spain, Portugal and other European countries before it is too late!
Many of these countries are just "ripe" for the true gospel at this
time. The French are disillusioned and disgusted with the world and, in
many ways, with the Catholic church. So are the Italians —many of
whom are Catholics in name only. Millions are turning to Communism as a
desperate hope to solve their troubles. They are seeking for something
. . . they need God's truth!
In West Germany, thousands of spiritually starved people recently
turned out to hear a popular evangelist of this world who denies the
law of God. But these people were hungry even for crumbs of spiritual
food. An overflow crowd jam-packed every speaking place. Many German
minds and hearts are still open to receive God's truth. They have not
been poisoned again with the drug of Nazi ideologies—not yet.
In Spain, I found in talking to many of the common people that
countless thousands of them are fed up with the superstition, the fear,
and the corruption so prevalenr in the church-state dictatorship which
so rigidly controls their lives, They would welcome God's truth if He
would open a door by which we could reach them. And IF we do our part,
He will!
Remember that the first commission ro all of us in God's church is to
see that the true gospel is preached to all nations as a witness (Mat.
24:14). After that, and secondary to it, we are to feed the
flock—teach and strengthen those in God's church (John 21:15-17).
Think of the responsibility God has placed on each of our
shoulders—for if we really belong to Christ and His church; we
must each do our part just as certainly as Mr. Armstrong does his.
Think of the millions and millions of people we have not yet even begun
to reach!
Not Much Time
Consider the amazing rapidity of Germany's post-war recovery and the
fact that we are now in the process of granting her ///// sovereignty
and her own army. Notice the news releases about Hitler's former
Generals coming back into power and the fact that Neo-Nazi rallies are
beginning to draw a huge following. Remember the fact Europe is called
a "powder keg"—a place where uprisings and wars start suddenly,
unexpectedly.
What does it all mean?
Simply this—that we must reach many of these nations in Europe within a very few years or it will be too late!
Once this revival of the old church-state Roman system takes place, it
will be impossible—humanly at least—to reach many of the
European nations with God's truth. God will see to it that these
nations are reached. But as in the time of the apostle Paul, the extent
to which they are reached and number of people converted as children of
God— coming under His protection during terrible events to
come—all this is affected by the diligence and ZEAL with which
every one of us does his part to further God's work.
Note God's warning about a time soon to come: "The time is coming, says
the Lord Eternal, when I will send a FAMINE on the land, no famine of
bread, no drought of
water, but OF HEARING THE WORD OF THE ETERNAL"
(Amos 8:11, Moffatt).
That time will undoubtedly fall in Europe even before it does here in
America! We have to be BUSY doing God's work while it is still
day—for the night is drawing near.
We MUST reach these nations in Europe soon. These people are just as
real —and they are just as kind and friendly on the
whole—as the people we all love here in America. And as we
realized when we met and baptized some in England last summer, once
these people are truly converted and filled with God's Holy Spirit,
they are as wonderful as any people on earth. In the resurrection, they
will be part of our family— God's family.
God help you to have real compassion for these people in Europe, and
the millions of others throughout the world that we are to reach with
God's message. Each of us can have a part in changing their entire
lives—and bringing them into God's own familyl
Your Part
In giving yourself as a living sacrifice to God, you have to carry out
this "giving" of yourself to His service day by day. You will have to
intelligently study and pray in order to have more of the mind of God,
and the wisdom of God, in direcring your life.
You MUST keep your eye on the big goal of the church as a
whole—on getting the gospel to all nations as a "witness." You
will have your own personal problems and trials to overcome. But even
these will be made easier if your chief concern is not "self" -but the
work of God.
In I Corinthians 12, Paul explains that God gives to each one of us in
His church different gifts and abilities, but it is God who is working
through each individual and that each part of the job God is doing is
as important as any other part.
God divides spiritual gifts to each man as He wills (verse 11), but in
I Cor. 14:1 we are told to desire spiritual gifts. Remember that God
gives spiritual gifts according to our natural ability, so each of us
must strive to increase in wisdom, knowledge, and all around ability in
order to be qualified for the greater gifts.
Many of you brethren will find that you should take further schooling
and training—perhaps a correspondence course—which will not
only prepare you to serve as a more effective "light" to others now and
for a higher position in God's kingdom—but will also result in a
greater earning capacity, enabling you to live a fuller, more abundant
life and also to have much more to give to the work of God.
You see, we are to become like God in every possible way. That means we
must grow in knowledge, wisdom, ability, as well as in faith and love.
God's way not only makes us better able to help in His work, but it
also enables us to live a fuller, happier personal life. God's way is
always best!
But brethren, take your part to heart. This work of God MUST expand
rapid!) in the next very few years. To a great extent, this growth
depends on your spiritual growth, your fervent prayers. and your tithes
and generous offerings. God knows this, and if you are His children you
will know it too—and act accordingly.
Be sure you keep up with world news, and study about other nations.
Obtain a good map, and familiarize yourself with them. After all, God
has chosen you to have a part in CHANGING this world!
And as you learn about these nations, PRAY earnestly that God will open
up the doors of rruth so that we may reach them with Christ's gospel.
As many of you know, we need ministers to start churches in England
right now. But as in Jesus' time, "the harvest truly is plenteous, but
the laborers few" (Mat. 9:37). Ask God earnestly to provide more
ministers of His choosing to carry out this work.
And lastly, be constant with God's tithe and your generous offerings.
Ask God to help you employ your abilities so that you may give more to
His work. And pray continually that God will call others who are able
to see His truth, and to bless His work at this time. This may be
material wealth, but it is to carry out a spiritual message—the
last hope of this dying world! It will build up real, lasting treasure
in heaven.
Does this sound like asking too much? TOO MUCH?
Is your body presented as a living sacrifice to God? Or are you
stealing the life that Jesus bought and paid for, and putting it to
your own use?
There is no point whatever in "kidding" ourselves. Eternal life in God's kingdom is a mighty wonderful gift
.
Are you zealously preparing and qualifying yourself by your part in God's work now!
by Roderick Meridith Good News November-December Issue 1954
