March 20, 2009

Jesus said . . . “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have HIDDEN these things from the wise and prudent and have ‘REVEALED’ them to babes” (Matthew 11:25).

Dear Brethren,

Since my last writing in which I requested that each one of us spend some time in mediated thought and prayer on how miraculously blessed each one of us as God’s people is to have had our minds OPENED by God’s Spirit to receive the wonderful blessing of understanding the Gospel, the Good News, of God’s world to come and the promise of our part in it.

My mind has remained overall on the same subject this past week with the desire that each of us should be so motivated as to think deeply and prayerfully about this wonderful calling by God to be His begotten Children with wonderful promise just ahead of us.

We should ask ourselves as to how often do we really think of the awesome and incredible blessing that each of us has been given of our wonderful relationship with God along with the blessing of knowing the TRUE TEACHINGS of God along with HAVING THE UNDERSTANDING of those teachings.

Consider the priceless calling each of us has been given—the few thousand members of God’s little flock— in comparison with the population being slightly over six billions of people. This should give much room for sobering and humbling thought (Luke 12:32).

The Ever-Present Danger of Falling Away

It is vital that we should always be vigilant having the warning in mind of what the apostle Peter wrote regarding the continual ever-present danger we face because of Satan our Adversary always walking about like a roaring ravenous lion seeking whom he may devour – seeking to destroy the calling and selection that each of us has been given by God to be begotten members of His Church (I Peter 5:8).

Are we in danger of joining the many thousands who were once of us—even unto a few short months ago; members who were once of us; men and women who had a superficial understanding of the same true teachings, BUT did not really comprehend them with the heart?

A vital key is given in the form of a question as to how we can do our part in remaining faithful and in the loving care of God is as follows:

Do we truly love God and Jesus Christ, Their teachings and way of life? Do we pray daily that God would shed abroad His love throughout our hearts by His Holy Spirit to enable us to love Him with all of our hearts, soul, and strength (Romans 5:5; Matthew 22:37; Luke 14:26)?

Those who have walked away from God, in part, or altogether, did not LOVE that much or they would NOT have walked away from God and His truth! Scripture makes very plain they did not receive the LOVE OF THE TRUTH (II Thessalonians 2:10); otherwise they would not have used whatever excuses they came up with to justify themselves for walking away from God and His truth (I John 2:19).

Self-Justification

Their self-justifying claim in leaving is that they are NOT leaving the Church of God but only a corporate Church of God. They neglect to think about the fact there is ONLY THE ONE CHURCH OF GOD as Mr. Armstrong has made very clear in his writings:

Mystery of the Ages, Page 243, Mr. Armstrong, ‘One Church with One Government’

“Notice especially, there is only the ONE CHURCH; not MANY Churches. The CHURCH is not divided. There is only one Church. Not a parent Church and many little daughter churches that have split off in disagreement. Divisions splitting off are NOT STILL IN THE CHURCH. It is the CHURCH that is to marry Christ in the resurrection at His coming—not disagreeing churches—not groups who have broken off! Not a parent Church and apostate daughters. That will become more obvious as we continue. . . .”

What is the definition of the word APOSTATE? It means the Desertion of one’s faith; it has the meaning of those who have apostatized – those who have walked away from the teachings of the chief apostle, Jesus Christ and His human apostle (Hebrews 3:1; II Thessalonians 2:3)!

James wrote that if we reject just one of the 10 commandments we break them all (James 2:10). This is also true when we reject one or more of His true doctrinal teachings! Mr. Armstrong wrote in so doing they begin to lose the LIGHT they had by walking back into the darkness of Satan’s world.

The apostle Paul using the example of the pitfalls that befell Israel that brought the wrath of God upon them by warning us as His true people, the same could happen to any and all of us if we are NOT very careful: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands TAKE HEED lest he fall (I Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 2:1-4).

It is a known fact that in very recent years more than 100,000 members of the corporate Churches of God have either lost their understanding of the knowledge and teachings of God in part or altogether!

They either remained with the parent Church that fully apostatized or fragmented into 450 corporate Churches of God who also apostatized in part with each one having a difference in their belief structure.

This can be understood by reading their writings as well as seeing their self-righteousness being puffed up about themselves for what they think they understand while justifying themselves for being in the wrong places. Scripture makes known in brief that: “Fame and gain is the name of the game with them” (Ezekiel 34).

Quoting David, the apostle Paul wrote of such people while using an analogy of Israel, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them; let their eyes become darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always” (Romans 11:9-10).

The Rejection of God

They have rejected God and Jesus Christ by rejecting the special messenger whom They used to restore the doctrinal teachings in Their Church; doctrinal teachings that had been lost through the centuries (Malachi 4:4-6; Matthew 17:10-11).

Two of the larger corporate Churches have even rejected the TRUE teaching of the Passover; therefore they are partaking of it in an unworthy manner (I Corinthians 11:23-32). Possibly there are the many others who have also done the same in their churches.

The apostle Paul wrote that if we WERE to judge (examine) ourselves in light of the Scriptural teachings as made plain by God’s late apostle (a synopsis of them that can be found in the Mystery of the Ages), we would NOT have to be judged (I Corinthians 11:31-32; II Corinthians 13:5).

The frightening part of the judging is that though judgment is sometimes brought about in milder forms along the way (Hebrews 12:5-11), but unless the needed corrections are made very soon the greater judgment is just ahead that will bring about horrible deaths in the Great Tribulation – unless there is godly repentance first!

The Passover—2009!

The vital Passover for the observance of all of God’s people is now only four Sabbaths away. This is a vitally important time in the life of each and every true member of God’s true Church; just as it was with Israel at the time of the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-14; 21-24).

The Passover is the annual time of the year to once again RENEW our covenant that was made with our Father and Jesus Christ at the time of our repentance, baptism and the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit (Act 2:38; Romans 6; Ephesians 2:1-3; Luke 22:14-20; John 6:53-54).

To RENEW that covenant is much more than form—it has to do with RELATIONSHIP, believing, and living, the TRUE teachings of God and Jesus Christ our Lord.

All of us should realize the very little time left before our commanded observance of the Passover and spiritual preparation for it. A 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).

Self-Deception

Members MUST NOT place themselves in peril by deceiving themselves into thinking they are all right by being with groups they know are off course but justifying themselves into remaining with them because they are still clinging to the original teachings.

Such Churches have become the synagogues of Satan (Revelation 3:9). To remain with them could very well take the members back into spiritual darkness along with those churches. Scripture tells us: “They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness . . . (Psalm 82:5).

The Promised Glorious Eternal Future of Tomorrow

All of us as true faithful members should let our minds dwell on the eternal glorious future promised to each of us. We should be so awed and emotionally moved to say to God with heart-felt meaning, as did King David when he was told by the Lord God of his glorious future in the world to come, “Who am I, O Lord GOD? . . .” (II Samuel 7:18-19).

“Who am I”—YOU AND ME—to be so wonderfully graced and blessed to have been drawn by our wonderful caring Father through Jesus Christ our Lord to share with others a Spirit Family Relationship for all eternity having been given the wonderful promise of being BORN AGAIN into God’s Spirit Family—never again to suffer the problems and sufferings of human life to be followed by death (John 3:1-8; Revelation 21:1-4).

While mediating about the deepness of thought regarding God’s plan for mankind, David said to Him:

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, WHAT IS MAN that You are MINDFUL of him, and the son of man that You VISIT him? For You have made him a little lower than God (Hebrew: Elohim), and You have CROWNED him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:3-5).

The World from which We Came

Attending a school reunion this past year and seeing and listening to some of the men and women I knew in the early years of my youth, gave me cause to reflect on the calling given me from our Father and how wonderfully I have been graced that He added both my wife and me to His true Church in 1952.

Had I not been I wonder if I would even be alive today. Had I remained alive very probably my health would have been as bad if not worse than those men I knew as lads. I was told about others who were not there; some were in convalescent homes with terrible mind problems or dead.

This experience gave me much room for sober and contemplative thought.

Further, I think of all those mentioned above who have either walked away from the Church of God entirely or have fragmented into one or more of the 450 corporate Churches of God with leaders who have lost their understanding of essential true doctrinal teachings and have wandered back into the darkness of Satan’s world.

This could also have happened to me had Christ not enabled me to persevere with what He taught me through His late apostle

While reflecting on these thoughts in both areas, I am humbled to realize how blessed I really am. Blessed to yet be preserved by God in His Church and true teachings, but also to have the added blessing of being used by Christ to try and help all of you who have been graced along with me.

Think about YOURSELF with what Jesus Christ said to His disciples after their request to explain the meaning of the parables He had spoken to the religious leaders of that day and time:

Matthew 4:11 “And He (Jesus) said to them, “To you it has been given to KNOW the MYSTERY of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are OUTSIDE, all these things come in parables, so that SEEING they may NOT PERCEIVE, and HEARING they may NOT UNDERSTAND; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven.”

What can we say? This is awesome, sobering and humbling! How wonderful for each of us to have been so graced by the grace and mercy of God through Christ that the time came in the lives of each of one of us that we were called and chosen to become begotten members of His Family.

The apostle Paul wrote, “. . . For He (Christ) says in AN ACCEPTABLE TIME I have HEARD you, and IN a day of salvation I have helped you” (II Corinthians 6:12)

There is no other way this could have taken place.

John 6:44 “No ONE can come to Me UNLESS the Father who sent Me DRAWS him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The calling of each one of us has such a mind staggering purpose that it is almost unbelievable just as it was for the religious leaders during the time of Christ to hear Him speak of Himself as being God. They were ready to stone Him!

Jesus responded to their hostility by saying to them, “Is it NOT written in your law, I said, “You are gods?” (John 10:34)

By quoting this Scripture to them, Christ was saying to them that the purpose of human life is to ultimately become God. He then quickly establishes this fundamental point to those who thought they did not hear right by saying, ‘Scripture cannot be broken’ (verse 35).

The quoted Scripture adds more to what Jesus said by the prophet Asaph:

Psalm 82:6 “I said, ‘You are gods (not yet – but having the potential: Margin – Hebrew meaning: Elohim; literally mighty ones or gods) and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men (rest of mankind) and fall like princes.’”

Nearing The End

Many of us are in older years and have experienced many problems of various kinds but by the grace and mercy of God we have survived them (Psalm 34:17-19). The greater problems are yet ahead of us and could be very frightening UNLESS we keep our minds and hearts on the goal just ahead of us and now however bad they are just as Christ has enabled us to survive thus far, He will Never Ever forsake us as long as we do not forsake Him (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6).

Christ likened this trying time to a woman experiencing the last few birth pangs just before the baby’s head crowns and fully materializes (John 16:20-22). Christ uses that as an analogy to human life that all the pain is forgotten by the mother once the baby is born.

We MUST follow the example of Christ and those in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11), and know that just as they remained faithful and their reward is sure so will ours be as well.

With this in mind all of us should be expressing our sincere appreciation with humility to our gracious God and Jesus Christ because of the same blessings you are continuing to receive from God.

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 lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth, so that your youth is RENEWED like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).

Your friend and servant in Christ,
Don Billingsley

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