Letter from Donald Ward, Chairman
The end of another civil year draws nigh. The good news is that we are one year closer to Jesus Christ’s return and establishing God’s righteous government on earth with true education, liberty, justice and safety for all. Yet in contrast to our message, this year has been one of the most calamitous years that the world has ever experienced—from natural disasters to the breakdown of the civil and social order in many parts of the world. No part of the world is exempt from the ugly reality of senseless terrorism. Based on recent events we know there are no safe zones. From the church yard to the school yard—nothing is considered sacred. The very foundations of civilization have been shaken.
People are running to and fro in a vain search for anchors of hope. Without godly anchors in their quest to make sense out of a world that has lost its way, they become easy prey for Satan’s seductive deceptions of all sorts. From asceticism to hedonism; from pacifism to jihad coupled with everything in between—the world has seemingly gone mad. One could argue from many points of view that we have brought the current state of chaos and confusion upon ourselves. Indeed the words of the prophet Hosea under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit cry out: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6, King James Version throughout).
In contrast to the way the world is going, we have been called to bring light and truth to a world that has lost its way. God the Father sent Jesus Christ into the world to bring grace, truth and light to a world that has chosen the way of Satan—the way of sin and death (John 1:17). Are we committed to being a light to the world in such a time as this? In John 6:63, Jesus declares that the words He speaks are spirit and life. Here Jesus forcefully equates His words with spirit and life.
In the first part of the verse He states that it is the spirit that gives life. In contrast, the flesh profits nothing. The psalmist makes a similar declaration in Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Each one of us must ask if we are being guided by the light of the Word of God. Jesus commands us to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
From what is stated above it becomes readily apparent that we cannot be a light to the world if we are not personally filled with the Word of God. Are we daily hiding the Word of God in our hearts? The psalmists writes: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:9-11 KJV).
Also noted above is the evidence that we live in a godless world. The lack of trust and faith is evident even in a nation that stamps the words “in God we trust” on its currency. Yet Hosea cries out that there is no knowledge of God in the land. One cannot have trust or faith in God if the Word of God is not stored in their minds and hearts. The apostle Paul writes, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 KJV).
In the preceding verses he states that the truth of God must be preached: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). Each one of us was drafted into the commission of sending out the light and truth to all peoples around the world. You must have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. It is a vital part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:15).
The above contains vitally important implications for us in the individual and collective sense. The apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 commands the ministry to preach the Word. It is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that convicts the sinner (John 16:7-8; 6:63). In John 17:17 Jesus petitions the Father to sanctify believers through God’s Word and then states that God’s Word is truth. On a personal level, each one of us is exhorted to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The Church of God is to be the pillar and ground of the truth and grow in grace and knowledge (1Timothy 3:15; 2 Peter 3:18).
At this juncture we should reflect back on how we came to into the knowledge of God’s truth. As noted above, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So in whatever form, or through whatever means, it was the Word and Spirit of God that convicted us of the truth. That conviction moved us to action. So whether we grew up in the Church or we came into the Church through another way we were convicted by the Spirit and Word of God.
Our preaching and teaching must challenge people to the depth of their being. Jesus and the apostles challenged the orthodoxy of their day and boldly proclaimed the truth of God regardless of the circumstances. Jesus boldly addressed the religious leaders of His day with the words, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisee, hypocrites” (Matthew 23:13). When the religious leaders came to the river Jordan where John was baptizing, he challenged them with the words, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7). In the early days of the Church of God the apostles boldly proclaimed the gospel of salvation through Jesus the Christ in the face of great persecution and counted it a blessing to be counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:40-42).
As noted earlier, God has called us and commissioned us to take the light of the glorious gospel to the world, to faithfully teach and live the Word of God and be a light to the world. Fulfilling the commission of the Church has many dimensions, and we have all been called to fulfill whatever role that God has so generously given us. We may be the widow or the widower who labors in prayer; we may be parents who are rearing our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord; we may be one of the many who faithfully serve the brethren, quietly laboring in the shadows; we may be an elder who labors in the Word; or we maybe an employee at the home office fulfilling a valuable role in sending out light and truth. And we could go on with a number of ways that we are all laborers in God’s building. As the apostle Paul writes: “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).
The administration and the Council of Elders are dedicated to laboring with you in fulfilling our twofold commission of preparing a people and preaching the gospel. The Council of Elders will be conducting important meetings next week in which we will be discussing the Strategic Plan and other important issues to help the Church become more productive and efficient in its work. This includes discussions of plans for expanding the video recording capability of the work. Please pray diligently that we seek God’s guidance and will in all our deliberations and that we yield to Him in all things.
