In his now famous "We shall be a city upon the hill" sermon, given aboard the Arabella as it sailed the Atlantic to New England in 1630, the Puritan, John Winthrop, set out his vision of government in the new world.
In his now famous "We shall be a city upon the hill" sermon, given aboard the Arabella as it sailed the Atlantic to New England in 1630, the Puritan, John Winthrop, set out his vision of government in the new world.
He discussed how, as a people, he and those accompanying him were to discharge their duty and work before God as he conceived it to be. "For," he spoke, "we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. If we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world."
The work of God in and through our collective and individual lives is the light in this world. It would appear from the ScripturesThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18). that in the lives and circumstances of the called and chosen people and servants of God, there have been times when they have known occasion to wonder whether or not such a heritage—"to have become a story and a by-word"—was to have been theirs.
However, the ScripturesThe divinely inspired writings of both the Old and New Testaments. The term Scripture is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Hebrew Bible (Luke 24:44-45) and the new apostolic writings accepted as inspired (2 Peter 3:16; 1 Timothy 5:18). also reassure us otherwise in this respect. The work of God is not done in vain. For example, when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the followers of Jesus Christ were dispersed, the Truth of God did not vanish, rather it took root in different places, to be accomplished in different ways and times. Perhaps the following will help to exemplify this.
Below is an extract from a book titled "For God's Sake...Give Him a Chance," authored by A.T. Irvine, written in 1979, and though out of print it is available in many libraries in England. Mr. Irvine was in the navy throughout World War II, serving in the Fleet Air Arm as an officer in submarines and, finally, in command of a frigate. During the post war years he worked in Fleet Street, London. He was a director of the Daily Mail, the Daily Sketch and managing director of the London Evening News. Over many years his hobbies have included the study of religious teachings, reading philosophy and sailing. In his book, Mr. Irvine takes an experiential approach to religion. While discussing the anomalies that exist in this world, he writes:
One well known evangelist, Herbert Armstrong, puts the matter simply in an editorial: "The living, but invisible, spiritual law is simply the ONE WAY OF LIFE that is diametrically contrary to the way humanity has been travelling. It is the way of love instead of lust, the way of giving, sharing, serving and helping, instead of the way of taking and accumulating in lust and greed. It is the way of outgoing concern instead of selfish desire. The way of courtesy and consideration instead of envy, jealousy, resentment, bitterness, hatred. The way of cooperation instead of competition. The way of humility and exalting God, instead of vanity and exalting self."
This extract is from Plain Truth, the magazine of the "Worldwide Church of God," which has an influence far exceeding its comparatively small membership. The magazine has a circulation of over 5 million throughout the world, and its message is broadcast to a worldwide television and radio audience. In the current issue it is stated that in the Pasadena (U.S.A.) headquarters—one of many offices worldwide—3,300,000 letters were received in twelve months; and during that period 48,000,000 pieces of literature were dispatched to United States addresses alone. As their literature is sent on request only, this is some measure of the hunger that exists for a new way of life.
My husband and I had occasion to meet Mr. Irvine earlier this year whilst in England. He is a sailing friend of my uncle's, and because my uncle had both read his book and knew that we were associated with Mr. Herbert W Armstrong, the two of them had agreed, unbeknownst to us, that Mr. Irvine would like to meet and talk with us. Later we were to hear that he found our discussion "most pleasing."
Of this effort and approach used by God's servants during those years, Mr. Irvine writes:
No one can deny that his organization is making a tremendous contribution to the understanding of the Christian way of life and the need actually to live the Christian teaching as opposed to paying just lip service to it.
The reason for sharing this is to encourage patience and vision. Although Mr. Irvine quoted from an article written more than 15 years ago, he is still mindful, today, of what he heard and read then. How God's work is accomplished changes and will continue to change. It will not be its portion or lot to become a "story or a by-word." Perhaps such a vision exists, in part, in the short sightedness of human beings. It invites comparison with the experience of Elijah (1 Kings 19:14-18). Elijah did not know of the 7,000 faithful in Israel, but we can be sure they knew about him.
We too are known. However for some, both they and we must wait, perhaps until the World Tomorrow or the second resurrection, for "the witness" and "the hope" that they have heard about today or yesterday, or have yet to hear.
In the meantime, I am reminded of a comment by Jim Whittaker who led an expedition up Mount Everest. He said: "It is difficult to lead others further than we have gone ourselves." Such a concept encourages that heed be given to the counsel of Paul (1 Corinthians 12:31; 13:1-13), concerning how we ought to try to live our lives now.
God's plan for us individually, His Work through us individually and collectively, and His Word are ongoing and have a future (Isaiah 55:11). UN
