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and bitterness sewn among brethren, with no souls converted, WE
KNOW, by his fruits, that man was never called of God. But if a
man's efforts have resulted in many conversions---many being led
deeper into the TRUTH who never saw it before---whole churches
raised up, not by the competitive method of proselyting and taking
members away from others, but by converting people from the world
---the sick healed, the gospel preached to thousands---then this is
fruit that NO MAN can produce EXCEPT GOD BE THE REAL POWER IN HIS
LABORS!
In the Churches of God, we have always followed this New
Testament divine pattern. This is one of our BELIEFS that makes
us DIFFERENT.
The MISSION of the NEW TESTAMENT Church
Now we come to the real question---WHY should you brethren
who meet at Eugene---at Cottage Grove---at Jefferson---at Oregon
City---at Portland, Vancouver, Everett, or Los Angeles---group
yourselves together, assemble together every Sabbath as a local
CHURCH group? What is our divine PURPOSE and MISSION? Do we have
one?
I wish to divide this question into two phases:
1) What is the God-given function and mission of the
MINISTER?
2) What is the divine PURPOSE and mission of the
CONGREGATION?
Isn't it just HUMAN that here and there one of our number
might get to looking at the way OTHER churches are conducted, and
begin to think we ought to be more like them? It sometimes seems
hard to remember those other churches are WORLDLY---in BABYLON---
organized and conducted according to the NIMROD principle of
organization. We are DIFFERENT. We seek a BIBLE REASON for all
we do! Isn't that one thing that makes us proud to belong to the
Churches of God?
So, first, the mission, the function, of the MINISTRY.
In the denominational churches about us, each church has
its own local pastor. His function is to MINISTER TO the local
congregation. He devotes his entire time to serving, ministering
to, the local MEMBERS. Thru the week he devotes his time to
visiting the members in their homes, or in various social
activities of the church.
You see, whether they realize it or not, everything in
these churches is on the GETTING BASIS. The only united activity,
aside from social and religious activity among themselves, is an
effort to GET more members, or take them away from other churches.
The members attend only for what they are GETTING out of it.
Perhaps they are like one of our brethren, when he was
first converted. Whenever I was in his city preaching he would