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salvation. Each has been called for
service to prepare for lhe KINGDOM
OF Goo.
BuT, understand
this
also: That
special mission or service to which
each called-out one has been chosen
was Goo's MEANS of developing in
him the boly, righleous CHARACTER
to QUALIFY him to reign and rule
with and under Christ in God's
KJNGDOM- in THE WORLD TOMOR–
ROW!
In ancient Old Testament Israel
only the prophets were called in lhis
sense. The Holy Spirit was never
made available lo others in Old Tes–
lament Israel. The purpose for the
special calling of that nation has been
covered in proof number fou r.
Remember, God creates in DUAL
stages. The first stage of man's cre–
at ion was the
physical
stage. It be–
gan with Adam. The second phase of
man's creation is the spiritual phase
and begins with Christ.
As a group or nation, Israel was
called under the physical stage of
man's creation. The SPJRJTUAL stage
began tbrough Cbrist with righteous
Abel, Enocb, Noab, Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob and the prophels in Israel.
But as a
group-e.alling,
the Church of
God begins the spiritual phase.
The Churcb was called for a very
specia l PURPOSE in preparation for
the KINGDOM-a purpose not fully
realized from the first century until
lhe present generalion.
Adam' s Creation Not Complete
The first Adam, formed a ltogether
from the dust of the ground, was
given a spirit to empower the human
brain with intellect. This was ex–
plained fully in proof number three.
But he was
incomplete- he
was
created lo
need
also a
second
Spir–
il- the Holy Spirit of God. Old Tes–
tament Israel was not given God's
Holy Spirit.
Man, possessing only the one " hu–
man spi rit ," is, truly,
"not al/
there"-yet
he is unawa re of the
fact. He is a natura l-born carnal per–
son. He has only the physical , carnal
mind.
And what says God of the carnal
mind? It is bostile against God and
not subj ect t o lhe law of God ,
" ... neither indeed can be" (Romans
The
PLAIN TRUTH June-July 1979
8:7). Also, as Jeremiah explained,
lhis natural carnal mind is deceitful
and desperately wicked (Jeremiah
17:9) . Hundreds of years of Old Tes–
tament Israel itish experience proved
this! They were given God's revealed
knowledge which was hidden from
other nations, yet they rebelled and
sinned even above other nations!
The World into Whlch Jesus Came
It was into such a world-and
to
such a people (Judah)- that Jesus
carne. "He carne unto his own, and
his own received him not" (John
1: 11 ).
First, before teaching or preaching
His gospel ofthe Kingdom, Jesus had
lO
QUALIFY to restore the GOVERN–
MENT OF Goo and establish lhe
KJNGDOM OF Goo. In the most ti–
ta nic battle ever fo ught for the
greatest stakes in lhe universe, Jesus
overcame Satan, rejected Satan's
"GET" way, proved 100 percent obe–
dient and Joya! to God (Matthew 4:1 -
11 ).
He called and chose the disciples
He lrained to be His apos lles.
Then He said, " ... Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock 1 will build my
church; and the gates of hell [the
grave] shall ilot prevail against it.
And I will give
unto thee
[His chief
apostle] the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whalsoever
thou
shal t
bind on earth shall be bound in heav–
en: and whatsoever
thou
shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven"
(Matthew 16:18-19). Plainly Jesus
was speaking to one man, His chief
apostle, when He spoke of binding
and loosing-not to the Church.
For 3Y2 years Jesus taught His
apostles-to-be aboul the Kingdom of
God.
Church Members Must Quallfy
The first Adam, in order to qualify lo
restore the GOVERNMENT OF Goo On
earth, had lo overcome Satan-Sa–
lan's way ("GET")- and prove obe–
dient lo God. Adam failed.
Chrisl, lhe second Adam, had lo
qualify by overcoming Salan and
proving loyalty lo God and God's
way. He QUALIFIED!
Each one in lhe Church musl also
qualify in order to sit on Chrisl's
throne wilh Him! "And he that over-
cometh [Satan], and keepeth my
, works unto the end, to him will
I
give
power over thc nations: And he shall
rule them with a rod of iron ..."
(Revelation 2:26-27). Again, "To
him that overcometh [Satan] will I
grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame [Satan], and
am set down with my Father in his
lhrone" (Revelation 3:21).
I have shown lhat the
whol~
world,
except those specially called by God,
is CUT OFF from God-cut off from
access to Him who has eterna! life to
give. Jesus CONFIRMED THAT pJainJy
and definitely. He said, "No MAN
CAN come to me, except the Father
which bath sent me draw him ..."
(John 6:44). No scriplure can or does
nullify that! All others are cuT OFF
from God. No one of lhem CANCOME
to Christ!
The Church of God Founded
Jesus was crucified, resurrected after
three days and lhree nights in the
lomb (another incidental proof of lhe
one true Church) , and after 40 days
ascended lo lhe right hand of God in
heaven.
Then, on the day of the Feast of
Firslfruits (Penlecosl), A.D. 31 , God
· sent the Holy Spirit in an amazing
display, founding His Church!
The number of disciples who still
believed after Jesus' 3Y2 years of
preaching was a mere 120 (Acls
l:
15).
" ... Tbey were all
with one accord
in one place. And
suddenly
there
carne a
sound
from heaven as of a
rushing mighly wind, and
it
filled a ll
the house where they were sitting.
And tbere
appeared
unto them
clo–
ven tongues
like as of fire, and
it
sat
upon each of them. And they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began
to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts
2:1-3).
1 have purposely emphasized cer–
tain words in this scripture, beca use
it was a ONE-TIME-ONLY incident.
lt
never occurred before.
It
never has
since. Modern " Pentecostal" meel–
ings and "longues speaking" are em–
phatically not the same thing at all.
Notice carefully! Firsl, they were
a ll
of one
accord- sometbing often
(Continued on page 43)
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