Two big events occupied our attention this past week. One was our annual Festival Coordinators conference held online with seven of us assembling in my office. Charles Melear did a stellar job in organizing the agenda and keeping us focused during nearly eight hours of meetings. He writes the following:

"The annual Feast Coordinators conference convened on Feb. 4 and 5 via an Internet connection. There were 32 people involved, including Feast coordinators from the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, home office staff and volunteer support.

"President Victor Kubik opened the conference with the main reasons for observing the Feast. He quoted from Deuteronomy 14: 'that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always' and stated that this is the 'why' of the Feast of Tabernacles. The planning and preparing of all the subsequent details stem from this vision.

"The Operation Manager of Ministerial and Member Services, Mark Welch, greeted everyone and expressed how he is looking forward to the Feast of Tabernacles aspect of his new responsibilities. He noted that at the Feast we are there to worship the coming King.

"Some new ideas were discussed, but mostly it was determined to follow the principle of 'if it isn't broken, then don't fix it.' Nevertheless, some behind-the-scenes improvements will be implemented.

"We discussed special music, budgets, youth education, membership surveys at each site, assigned articles for publications related to the Feast and better use of the websites for each Feast site.

"Something that has been present at most sites, but this year at all U.S. sites, will be cards to sign for those not able to attend the Feast in person."

Beyond Today

Three more Beyond Today television episodes were recorded yesterday in our new video recording studio. The studio audience consisted of church members, ABC students and Beyond Today co-workers who were all very engaged during this two-hour recording session.

The new programs recorded were You Can Understand Bible Prophecy by Steve Myers, The Book of Revelation Unveiled by Darris McNeely, and Why Were You Born? by Gary Petty.

This Week's Podcast

My guest this week is our new Operation Manager, Mark Welch, who has been on the job in our office here for a month now. He discusses some of his thoughts about his new role and priorities in Ministerial and Member Services.

From Wretched to Righteous

If you as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ were to take a spiritual inventory, where would you come out? When one considers the apostle Paul, the word "extraordinary" comes to mind. He came to God's service in a most unusual way. Before the astonishing miracle of his conversion, Paul was already well educated and well known, even as a young man. He describes himself as a "Hebrew of the Hebrews... concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:5-6). He held the coveted title of citizen in the Roman world, a prized status. He sat at the feet of leading early rabbinic scholars in Jerusalem. He was highly educated to the point that he could easily cite Greek poets during his speech in Athens (Acts 17:28).

Paul wrote much of the New Testament. Through the mighty grace of God, Paul performed public miracles, healings and much more (Acts 19:11-12). In the service of God, he was physically beaten with rods three times, once nearly stoned to death, flogged five times, shipwrecked three times (once floating around in the Mediterranean Sea for more than 24 hours before being rescued) and basically in constant "peril" as he crisscrossed the Roman Empire preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).

If ever there was a true disciple of Christ, or a true apostle (one sent forth), it was Paul of Tarsus. He firmly established a very high standard for us to emulate today (1 Corinthians 11:1).

But given all of those extraordinary bona fides, Paul wrote a most remarkable statement to the Romans: "I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out" (Romans 7:18, English Standard Version, emphasis added throughout).

How did this man of seeming extraordinary capacity describe himself? "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24, ESV). That word "wretched" (Greek talaiporos) means to be deeply miserable, distressed, beaten down from strain, full of trouble. Ironically, Christ's apostle to the Gentiles described himself as full of misery because he couldn't measure up to God's standards!

While powerfully noting that the solution to this misery lay with God through Jesus Christ, Paul left us with a remarkable and sobering conclusion: "I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin" (Romans 7:25, ESV).

What?! How could this be? One of the most powerful New Testament men of God a slave to sin?

The answer to that leads us to my point: Despite all of his incredible achievements and accomplishments as a powerful Spirit-filled minister of God, Paul still had major issues that he needed to spiritually overcome, even sins and sinful traits hidden from public view. He was also painfully aware that he fell short of God's perfection and needed to show the fruit of God's Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

And if that's true of Paul, through whom God directly worked "unusual miracles" (Acts 19:11), what does that mean for you and me? Do we have hidden sins, spiritual challenges that we quietly grapple with, even though we may present an image of rock-solid spiritual success to those who cross our path?

As a long-time couple in the ministry of Jesus Christ, my wife Bev and I have experienced this ourselves. We are but human. We strive to follow the law of God as it lights a spiritual lamp to guide our spiritual journey through life (Psalm 119:105). But we fall short of the mark.

In our ministry, others—people who publicly seem to have it totally together, the seeming near-perfect example of a disciple of Christ—have related to us their struggles and the wayward thoughts of their minds. Not one of us is perfect.

The Bible reveals to us that when we come to the knowledge of the truth, we don't bring a lot to the table. Because of growing up and living in a world that "lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19, ESV), how we think comes from a place that the ancient prophet Jeremiah described as "deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV).

Consider that Job was such a person who appeared to have his life altogether. He was wealthy, had a large family, and was careful about how he worshipped God. In chapter 42 of Job, we find that he discovered that he had overstepped his bounds and missed a critical spiritual mark. He, like Paul, found himself in a state of misery and wretchedness to the point where he admitted, "therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6, ESV).

The good news? God has no interest in us hating ourselves. That's not healthy. What God wants us to understand is that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), even after we become baptized members of the very Body of Christ!

How then do we survive? Our loving God stands ready and seeks to have a relationship with us! We overcome and become the very children of God through the awesome power and astounding favor of God's grace! As Paul thunders to us from across the ages, "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8, New King James Version).

Grace in the Bible often represents the expression of God's power delivered through the Holy Spirit. The word grace appears more than 100 times in the New Testament and describes God's direct intervention with us in reconciliation and in the bestowing of marvelous favor! The application of God's grace spiritually bridges the gap between our efforts, our willingness to surrender, and the connection to God Himself through Jesus Christ.

The truth? God's grace transforms our wretchedness into His righteousness! Grace—the manifestation of God's power into our lives—brings us to obedience. It gives us the capacity to receive, experience and pass on the love of God Himself!

Paul wasn't good enough. And he knew it. Likewise, Job. Therefore, we can understand that all of us need God's grace. None of us are righteous or holy of our own accord. That's why we are directly instructed, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).

Much of life is pure combat between the spiritual and the flesh—a battle for our minds. We are instructed to control our thoughts and grow in faith, but we can only do it imperfectly. To be victorious and clear the hurdle, we require the power of God's grace. Then, strengthened with spiritual favor, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV). This is grace in action!

Have you fallen short? Are you overwhelmed, feeling full of misery? The throne of grace awaits you! We all need grace. We all need God's favor. Seek it earnestly today!