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properly, and found themselves in a shortage of funds. This in
spite of the fact it was continually EMPHASIZED to the brethren
they should thoroughly evaluate the situation. One minister
personally talked with each one. They all stated they had plenty
to finance their trip. But it didn't work out that way! Although
they ENJOYED it, many miscalculated on funds, found themselves
short, and should not have gone! MANY USED PERSONAL MONEY, beside
second tithe, which should have gone to pay bills, and returned in
financial trouble.
Many have admitted that THE HOLY DAY OFFERINGS WERE CUT
DOWN, as a result of the trip, and also as a result of taking side
pleasure trips.
One minister who went with the group reports: "Overall, I
feel the Feast was overshadowed, in the minds of the people who
went, by the trip's side advantages." In other words, sight-seeing
side trips, perhaps to Europe, were MORE IMPORTANT in the minds of
Brethren than the SPIRITUAL advantages of the Festival. He
continues: "It was not as spiritually-rewarding a Feast as it
should have been, because their minds were on other things."
The Brethren who went were repeatedly warned of this
BEFORE they went. Yet the chance to go to England, and probably
Europe, loomed up as THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, and their interest
in PHYSICAL sight-seeing was so great it cast a shadow over the
Feast in their minds. The Feast became secondary! They attend
the Feast every year -- but the chance to see England and Europe
was once in a lifetime -- naturally that became FIRST -- over and
ABOVE Christ, or the Kingdom of God.
Brethren, I do sincerely hope none of you RECEIVED YOUR
REWARD, a sight-seeing physical material reward ONCE in a lifetime,
and cheated yourselves out of an ETERNAL reward continuously
FOREVER in God's glorious KINGDOM! The things sightseers have
their eyes and minds on are mostly ugly, drab, dirty. The very
PURPOSE of the Feast of Tabernacles is to GET OUR EYES O F F the
ugly things of this world -- and to GET AWAY from this world, and
have our minds on the BRIGHT, HAPPY, GLORIOUS things our loving God
has prepared for us, IN HIS KINGDOM, during the millennium and on
beyond for eternity!
No, Brethren, as the servant and instrument of the LIVING
Jesus Christ, who is the HEAD of this Church, I simply have to put
an end to these group trips overseas for the Feast of Tabernacles!!
I have to do it IN HIS NAME, and by Jesus Christ's AUTHORITY!
I find that several local churches have been excitedly
planning a FAR BIGGER excursion and worldly sight-seeing adventure
to Britain for this autumn. Charter flights are DANGEROUS. Most
air crashes seem to be on charter flights. Pilots on these flights
are not flying daily like those on scheduled airlines. Now that we
have our own jet and our own crew -- the MOST efficient and
experienced, and men led by God's Spirit -- I am learning more
about flying than I knew. They tell me that definitely, most air
crashes are due to PILOT ERROR, and much if not most of that
because pilots are not in continual flight. If one of our pilots