March 13, 2009
“. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD” (Revelation 12:9).
Dear Brethren,
While in meditated thoughtful prayer early one morning this week, I began to dwell on the thought of how miraculously blessed each one of us as God’s people is to be numbered among the very small flock of God’s one and only true Church (Matthew 16:18; Luke 10:20; 12:32).
This thought can only be meaningfully understood when one looks at the people of the world going in the opposite direction from the way of God, His true teachings, and His holy righteous laws as revealed in His Holy Scriptures.
To further understand, think of the times we have talked with our unconverted relatives and friends about some of the true teachings and been met with blank stares or arguments.
With this in mind it is much easier to understand the truth of what the apostle John wrote: “. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD (Revelation 12:9).
T
his
is the world out of
which each one of
God’s people has been called and had the light of God’s
truth shine into our minds (John 1:1-5; 3:19).
A world that entered into spiritual darkness after Adam and Eve chose to eat of the Tree of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life; they were then driven out into a blinded world that has been ongoing from that time for almost a full 6,000 years.
T
hen
the LORD God said, “Behold the man has become [un]like
[different
from]
One of Us, to know good and evil (II Corinthians 11:3; 4:4. 6). And
now, LEST he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and
eat, and live forever”—therefore the LORD God sent him
OUT of the garden in Eden to till the land from which he had been
taken. So the LORD God DROVE OUT the man; and He placed Cherubim at
the east of the garden of Eden, and a
flaming sword
which TURNED
EVERY WAY TO GUARD
THE WAY
TO THE TREE OF LIFE (Genesis 3:22-24).
Mystery of the Ages, page 132, Mr. Armstrong, ‘Salvation Closed Off’,
“Upon Adam’s making this fateful and fatal decision; God CLOSED OFF THE TREE OF LIFE (Genesis 3:22-24) from the world sired by Adam, for 6,000 years. That is, except in the case of chosen prophets for the writing of the Bible, and of the Church called out of this world by Jesus Christ. But even Jesus said plainly, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him” (John 6:44).”
Jesus Christ has been choosing and adding men and women to His Church since Pentecost in 31 A.D.; and in this end-time He has CHOSEN YOU; if you have been given His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
To His disciples, Jesus said: “You did NOT choose Me, but I chose YOU that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He may give you” (John 15:16)
The same applies to all of God’s true people of all time, past, present, and future. At the same time to realize even more fully the blessings given by God and Christ to each one of His people is the fact that God’s Church would be a very small flock in number (Luke 12:32). And YOU AND I have been wonderfully graced by God to be members of it.
God’s people should be so awed by this incredible blessing that each one of us should always be in a prayerful state of mind while praising and thanking God for having been CALLED AND CHOSEN to be one of God’s little flock (Revelation17:14).
Consider David’s prayerful thoughts regarding God’s mercies:
Remembering God’s Benefits
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Bless the LORD, O My soul, and FORGET NOT all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who HEALS all your diseases, who REDEEMS your soul from destruction, who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is RENEWED like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).
It is with these and many other benefits in mind that we need to reflect, humbly so, on the awesome and incredible blessing with which we have been called and selected by our Father to be among His elect.
This should fill us with such AWE that blessing and praising His name should come very easy while realizing we could NEVER have known Him or Jesus Christ had this not taken place in our lives. We could still be out there wandering around in the darkness of Satan’s world not knowing where we would be going any more than anyone else.
“
And
YOU He made alive, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins, in which YOU
once walked according to the course of this world, according to the
PRINCE OF THEPOWER OF THE AIR, the SPIRIT that NOW works in the sons
of disobedience, among whom ALSO we once CONDUCTED ourselves in the
LUSTS of the flesh, FULFILLING the desires of the MIND and
were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, just as the others . . . (Ephesians
2:1-10).
God had a purpose in calling each one of us His people out of Satan’s world.
The Mystery of the Ages, pages 201, 214, Mr. Armstrong:
“Now, why the Church? Christ came also to call out selected and chosen ones from Satan’s world to turn from Satan’s way into the way of God’s law and to qualify to reign with Christ when He comes to replace Satan on the throne of the earth. Those called into the Church were called not merely for salvation and eternal life, but to learn the way of God’s government and develop the divine character during this mortal life in the Church age. . . . [also, page 214] The Church was to consist of many to be called out of Satan’s world to be taught and trained for numerous governmental positions under Christ when He comes to rule over all nations.”
Teachers Needed!
After having been called by our Father and placed within His Church by begetting us as His children by placing His Holy Spirit within each one it was necessary that we be taught by God’s chosen teachers (Acts 8:27-31).
The Mystery of the Ages, pages 12-13, Mr. Armstrong:
“
.
. . The
prophet Moses never would
have discovered the truths he wrote—the first five books of the
Bible. It required a miraculous act of God, in the incident of the
burning bush, to open his mind and to reveal to him the things of God
. . .
The apostle Paul, centuries later, never would have come to know or reveal to us God’s TRUTHS of his own will. He was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 8:11). But the living Christ struck him down blind, brought him to his senses and instructed him both in knowledge and in what Christ revealed to him many of the TRUTHS you will read here [in his book].
How, then, did I come to understand the precious knowledge of the TRUTH? Certainly not on my own, or because I sought it or because of any virtues of my own. But Christ struck me down in a manner quite different from the apostle Paul’s experience, yet nevertheless painfully and effectively. Such basic TRUTHS are revealed, not thought out in any human mind. They come from God, not man! And in all biblically recorded cases the initiative was God’s!” [John 14:17-18; 16:13)]
The Teacher God Sent To Us
As prophesied for the end-time God did send His teacher to us (Malachi 4:4-8; Matthew 17:10-11; Revelation 3:7-13).
I
f
we are honest with ourselves we will have to admit that
virtually all that we have learned of the TRUE TEACHINGS of Holy
Scripture have come from that man.
Even the men under him who taught classes in the Ambassador Colleges (3), spoke on Radio and Television, wrote articles and booklets, pastors of Churches, all learned what they knew from that man.
Are we thankful to God and Christ that after having been called and chosen to be members of His small flock that our minds were opened by His Holy Spirit to receive the TRUTHS we learned through the teachings of that man?
The Passover—2009!
Very soon now with God’s good blessings upon us we will be remembering and renewing the covenant we made with God and Christ at the time of our repentance, water baptism, and the receiving of the son-ship begettal from Them (Act 2:38; Romans 6; Ephesians 2:1-3; Luke 22:14-20; John 6:53-54).
T
he
vital Passover for the observance of all of God’s people is now
only four
Sabbaths away. A vitally important time in the life of each and
every true member of God’s true Church; the Passover that had
its beginning with Israel in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-14; 21-24).
T
he
Passover is the time to bring back into our memories the meaning of
what the BREAD
AND WINE
symbolizes by studying the Scriptures related to it along with the
writings of God’s late apostle (Mystery of the Ages,
pages 211-213, The Plain Truth About Healing, 1979 publication).
Please Think Soberly and Most Seriously About YOUR Calling
Though I could write much more about the INDIVIDUAL blessing EACH ONE of us as God’s people has received to be numbered among God’s little flock, hopefully, this will be enough to make each one of us to think—humbly so—while trying to become more like Jesus Christ, not griping, murmuring about others, but THINK of the incredible blessing that has been given to each one of us and what is expected of us by God.
Are we truly and humbly thankful to our wonderful Father and His beloved Son Jesus Christ for our calling and the opportunity before us to prepare for the role that will be given to us when Christ returns? (Matthew 16:27)
A
re
we taking advantage of the schooling from
Scripture, from the recorded works of Mr. Armstrong, to prepare for
it (remember—he was the teacher God sent to us)?
Also, are we serving others now in the Work of God as made possible?
Hopefully all of are. At the same time – realize whatever God enables us to do in His work; we are only doing that which is our duty to do (Luke 17:10).
Your friend and servant in Christ,
Don Billingsley
http://bodyofchristonline.us/ http://cog-ff.com http://www.ezekielwatchman.org/ http://worldnewsbulletin.com
The
pictures above are intended
for educational
purposes only.
Brought
to you by the
Church of God Faithful Flock