If My People

The United Church of God exists today because of the legacy of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God. For those of you who are not familiar with it, the Worldwide Church of God was the parent organization from which United came after the Worldwide Church of God began to teach Biblically incorrect doctrine. By the time of that doctrinal apostasy that came on the scene in the mid 1990’s, the Worldwide Church of God had an annual attendance of somewhere around 140,000 members. That number of members put the Worldwide Church of God well within the league of several mainstream Christian denominations in terms of attendance.

The church also at that time had a TV program that had the potential of reaching almost 95% of the households in this country. It doesn’t mean they watched it but on any given Sunday 95% of the country could. The flagship magazine, The Plain Truth, had a monthly circulation of more than six million copies and rivaled even publications like Reader’s Digest. Mr. Armstrong as leader of Worldwide Church of God regularly traveled and met with world leaders, national governing bodies, representing the church and providing the gospel message to that audience. In Worldwide at that time was an entity known very well in the religious community, even to some degree in the secular world. But after the collapse of Worldwide in 1995, the influence of the Church of God began to fade on the world scene.

If you had asked a person in 1995 if they were aware of or knew the name Worldwide Church of God there was a good chance they would say, “Yes.” If you would ask a person on the street today if they had heard of the United Church of God there’s a good chance that they would say, “No.” To be fair though, the world’s changed a lot in the last 18 years or more. There are more television channels fragmenting audiences to ever smaller slices of demographics, there’s less interest in general in magazines. I helped chaperone a field trip with Anson from his graphics class to Quadgraphics over in Hartland a week or so ago. The big companies keep swallowing up the smaller companies and now they’re one of the few big printers around. Them and Donnelly are just about the only two big ones left mostly because of things like circulation of magazines dropping.

There’s also greater religious confusion in general. Everybody’s got a voice out there; greater U.S. and world population. So even from that perspective less people in the country today have heard the message that we have and perhaps, and most importantly, a greater ignorance of religion in general, and the Bible specifically. You might hear those surveys every so often, where they’ll ask people if something is in the Bible and it’s really sad to realize how many people don’t know the basics of what’s in scripture. I’d like to begin with Matthew 28. Many of you are familiar with this and would recognize off the top of your head but at the end of chapter 28, at the very end of Matthew, is what’s called “the great commission.” Matthew 28, and we’re going to begin in verse 18.

Matt 28:18 – And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. V 19 – "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… This is part of the responsibility to us as a church to go out and share the information, the knowledge, the calling, if you will, that God has given to us. And even more than that… V 19 (cont’d) – baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, V 20 – "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you… Now this commission is the commission he gave the church, obviously, there in that time period of history, but it’s also the commission he gives the church down through time. This is the same commission we’ll have until Christ returns.

The question for the church has always been: How do we properly fulfill this commission? What does preaching the gospel to the world mean? What does it mean to “make disciples?” We can have those discussions; that’s not the point of the sermon today. I’d like to turn next to Acts chapter 2. In Acts 2 we have the dramatic beginning of the church God established in the first century. We covered some of this last week on Pentecost and the very dramatic way in which he filled His church, those that were gathered there on that day, with His Holy Spirit. In the subsequent part of chapter 2 then Peter gives this convicting and powerful sermon which culminates in the repentance of thousands as He calls them in verse 38 to repent. Let’s pick up the story in verse 41. Oftentimes we don’t read further. V 41 – Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand individuals were added. If you go back to chapter 1 you’ll find that the church at that time consisted of a whole hundred and twenty people and then suddenly there are more than three thousand within a matter of a couple of days. Notice what happened next: V 42 – And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. They were excited; they were motivated and they were sharing with each other various things they were reading and understanding. V 43 – Then fear came upon every individual, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Although the Bible can be considered a very big book, sometimes I wish it was much bigger because summarizations such as that I’d like to know more about. What kinds of wonders were they doing; what kind of things were happening that were catching the attention of all those around them. V 44 – Now all who believed were together (that is, gathered together), and had all things in common. Bear in mind that they had travelled to Jerusalem; in some cases it might have taken them a week or two weeks to travel because of the Holy Day. They weren’t expecting to stay. When we travel we don’t take everything we have – sometimes it seems like it – but we don’t take everything we have. They had limited money, limited clothes, limited food, so those that were more local shared, took what resources they had and made sure that everyone was taken care of. V 46 – So continuing daily with one mind (unity) in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, (sharing resources, sharing meals) they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, V 47 – praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. So in addition to the three thousand shortly after that sermon on Pentecost, God continued to add daily to the church.

Again, we don’t know what that means as far as numbers, but God was continuing to add to His body. If we move forward to chapter 4 verse 4, it says: Acts 4:4 – However, many of those who heard the word believed… This is after Peter and John’s arrest; they were told by the authorities to not preach this message, they went out and preached it anyway, they were healing individuals as we’ll see here in a moment. Acts 4:4 (cont’d) – and the number of the men (which typically means “households”) came to be about five thousand. Within a very short time, even after Pentecost, another five thousand was added to the church. I suspect they went through a lot of growth pains in figuring out how to do this. If you want to write in your notes, there are several other references I find intriguing: Acts 5:14 which simply talks about the multitudes that were added, both men and women.

Acts 11:24 says a great many… Again, we don’t know what that means numerically. Acts 16:5 simply says they increased in numbers daily. You can understand, on one hand, why they high priest and those in leadership there at the temple were concerned because if you have three thousand, then five thousand, and daily you see people leaving the temple and gathering with this group, they’re going to be threatened. They don’t like what’s taking place. We gathered to keep God’s Feast of Pentecost and as was covered that day – a theme of the day of Pentecost – was the giving and magnification of God’s Holy Spirit. We see that even here in Acts.

Go back a page or so to chapter 3. Acts 3:1 talks about this healing. Acts 3:1 – Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (which would be roughly 3:00 in the afternoon the way we count time). V 2 – And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful… If you looked at a map, a diagram of the temple complex, this is the gate that is right in front of the temple if you were going to go right into the temple complex. And this man, as it says, was lame from birth. This was not an accident, this wasn’t something that happened in the course of his life; this was something that happened from birth. His only way to have any kind of income was to have them lay him in front of this gate and daily he would beg for money. As those came and went, in regard to the temple obligations, sacrifices and so forth that were to be done, he would count on their generosity. V 3 – who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. V 4 – And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." Now maybe he was used to this happening. People would give him money but they would have to give him some advice so they would lecture him a bit or encourage him not to squander it on something wasteful or who knows what. He doesn’t know what he’s going to get here. V 5 – So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them (expecting some type of money, some amount of money). Then he probably lost heart in verse 6, as Peter says: V 6 – "Silver and gold I do not have (I don’t have any money) but what I do have I give you: (The man was probably thinking, “Oh boy, what am I going to get?”) In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

Now again, bear in mind this man was born this way. From the standpoint of anatomy and physiology of the body, his legs would have been worthless; any muscles there would have atrophied to basically nothing, the bones would have been weak from disuse. We don’t know how old he was – let’s say two decades at least. He looks at him and Peter then stretches out his hand, verse 7: V 7 – And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Part of what I find so intriguing from this account is not only the miracle that happened in this man suddenly being able to walk and in fact as we read in verse 8, not only did he stand and walk, as it says there, he was leaping and praising God. I suspect he was quite the spectacle in his excitement over what had just happened, in the right way. Can you imagine? What if you had dealt with something like this for all of your life, it was all you had ever known and suddenly it changed. How excited would you be? Of course in verse 9 all the people see him. What I started to say is what I find very intriguing is that Peter did not hesitate. Maybe the man did, he didn’t know what he was going to get – money or a lecture or who knows what – but Peter immediately stretched out his right hand and lifted him up.

If we continue in chapter 5, Acts 5:12, my heading says Continuing Power in the Church. Acts 5:12 – And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. Again, I would like to know what this was. Maybe God will show us video. I don’t know if video will exist in the Kingdom; maybe He’ll just touch our mind and we’ll see it, but I would like to see what this meant, what things were being done. How was it playing out? Acts 5:12 (cont’d) – And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch. They have one mind, one purpose. This was happening and it was creating a stir. Even in verse 13 it says Acts 5:13 – Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. They couldn’t refute what was being done and in many cases were excited by it but they were still intimidated by the system they used to be under. V 14 – And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, V 15 – so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, (and who wouldn’t? If suddenly somebody had this ability in Milwaukee can you imagine the thousands that would show up? And rightly so. If you’re under some sort of a health trial you want that gone. So they’re bringing out these men and women, the sick on beds and couches) that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Can you imagine that?

If God was so working through any of us, that if we walk down the street the mere shadow of us passing would effectively work to heal someone. V 16 – A multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people, and those that were tormented by unclean spirits: and they were all healed. Not some of them; it says all of them. I suspect to a large degree this is why so many were added to the church because now God had their attention. God blessed that early Church with power through His Holy Spirit and we see the results in the numbers that were added, the healings that were performed and even later, in 1 Corinthians 12, we see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit shown in various gifts. 1 Corinthians 12, we’ve covered this before but let’s read it again. 1 Cor 12:7 – the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. Now part of what Paul was addressing here was that they weren’t using these gifts in a proper fashion in every case. Again, the thing that catches my mind is that it says that God’s Holy Spirit is given to everyone. It’s not something that’s qualified. If you’re at a certain age or gender or race or economic status, or whatever it happens to be, there’s no qualifier there.

Everyone in the Church, it says, God gave this to them. V 8 – for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another knowledge through the same Spirit; V 9 – to another faith, to another gifts of healing; V 10 – to another workings of miracles, to another prophecies and to another discerning of spirits and another the different languages, and another the interpretation of those languages. V 11 we need to keep in mind as well. It says: V 11 – the one and same Spirit works in all these things, distributing to each one individually as God wills. All that we’ve just covered is done by way of introduction, to set the stage. It’s easy for us in the Church to talk about God’s Spirit, but oftentimes we seem to dance around it. I wonder how much we actually do truly allow that Spirit to flow through us. What would we think if we were somehow transported back in time to this time period? What would we think about what was going on in the Church and how it was being done. Today we’re going to explore that thought. What do we need to do? What do we need to become so that God’s Holy Spirit flows more powerfully through us.

Now, lest anyone gets the wrong idea, let’s turn to 2 Corinthians. I’m not saying the Church has to be this, everything that we’ve covered to this point, because I don’t want to get to a point where we hurt ourselves. 2 Cor 10:12 – (Paul says here) We dare not classify ourselves, or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves; but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Basically, to summarize, he said don’t worry about someone else. Don’t think that we’re all at the same place at the same time, the same measure of the Spirit; God is working with each one differently. So I don’t want to get into the thought pattern of saying that it has to be like it was in the New Testament Church, but on the other hand we know from John 6:44 that God is the One that calls. He set each one of us in the body where He wills. We also know from 1 Timothy 2:4 that God desires all men to be saved. With that in mind, to ask a follow up question: Could more be called now?

I’ve mentioned before the Good News mailing list, just as one example in the greater Milwaukee area, is thousands and thousands of people. Why aren’t they responding? I don’t have an answer to that; I’m just saying could more be called now? Perhaps maybe they’re not being called because of something that we’re doing, or not doing? From where we were as a Church during the time period of the Worldwide Church of God to where we are now in the United Church of God, we have definitely become what’s called “a little strength.” We see that in Revelation 3. In the early part of the Book of Revelation, John is recording from Christ these letters to the various Churches. Here in Revelation 3:8 Christ, talking to the Church in Philadelphia, says: Rev 3:8 – I know your works; see, I’ve set before you an open door and no one can shut. God began to work with that first century Church in Acts especially. There wasn’t anyone that could stop what He was doing.

As much as the authorities would threaten, as much as they would throw the apostles or others in jail, as much as they would try to kill the Church off, it didn’t stop it because God had opened that door and there was nothing going to change that. But notice the balance here…… Rev 3:8 (cont’d) – for you have a little strength, have kept My word and not denied My name. That word “strength” there can mean force and power but can also mean “deeds.” I find that interesting. You have little deeds. That doesn’t mean they’re not significant, that means they’re not to the level where someone would consider them a big thing. It can be hard to see our numbers become so small by comparison. You know as well as I do, those that have been part of God’s Church for 20, 30 years or more, that we used to have congregations much, much larger and much closer together. Within the Cincinnati area of about two hours, we had five congregations and at least two that I can think of in Dayton, two in Columbus, Lexington, Louisville, Portsmouth, Chillicothe, Indianapolis.

How many congregations is that? Close to a dozen? Within a two hour radius. I can drive four hours and I have maybe a hundred members in that area. We’re definitely a “little strength.” Let’s look at another example back in 2 Corinthians 12 again. Paul illustrated this in his own example, this matter of this little strength. If you remember the story, he had asked God to heal him; he had gone to God three times and we’re not told what this affliction was, there’s speculation as to his eyes or other things – that’s not the point of it. The point is that he asked God to take care of it, three times, and God basically said “No.” Verse 8 is where he pleaded with God three times. 2 Cor 12:9 – God says, My grace is sufficient for you; my strength is made perfect in weakness. I don’t know anybody who would really be happy to hear that. You go to God and say I need this taken care of and you’re persistent in your prayer and God eventually says, “No.”

I think Paul understood where God was coming from because as he finishes verse 9, he says: V 9 (cont’d) – therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Now think of what Paul did with this infirmity and you can imagine what he could have done possibly had he not had it but that wasn’t God’s only concern. God wanted Paul to remain faithful as well. I’m reminded of the example of Hezekiah, if you remember in the Old Testament, that God sends Isaiah basically to tell Hezekiah that he’s going to die. Get everything in order, your household in order, because you’re going to die. You can imagine how upset Hezekiah was. He prays to God and before Isaiah gets across the courtyard, God tells him to go back and tell Hezekiah he’s not going to die, he’s going to live another fifteen years. I’ve often thought about that example.

Would it have been better for Hezekiah to accept that and have died because the balance of the fifteen years God gave him were not the best years of his life. Think about this from Paul’s example. What if God had granted this? Would it have been his undoing? Would he perhaps have had reason to think that what was being done was him, not God? I don’t know, I’m just asking the question. Paul understood it, he said, “I’ll glorify in this then because I know what God is doing through me.” Basically, Paul is saying that when I’m weak, I’m spiritually strong. No matter what the situation is, what God’s going to do in his life, he’s going to allow that Holy Spirit to work through him. Let’s go to Zechariah 4 next. It still begs the question in my mind: If we would become truly unified and focused on God’s desires, what could God do through us? That little strength wouldn’t matter. The Church that Christ visited and gave his Holy Spirit to in Acts 1 were 120 people. Look how that was lit on fire and where it went. Zech 4 and verse 7. This is the example of Zechariah writing for God a message to Zerubbabel as he was trying to rebuild the temple.

They had come back from captivity and they had languished; they weren’t focused on God, they were taking care of their homes, their vineyards and their businesses. In the meantime, the temple sat still in ruins. It should have been finished. God says in verse 7: Zechariah 4:7 – Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain: he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of grace to it. V 8 – Moreover the word of the Eternal came to me, saying, V 9 – The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation and his hands shall also finish it; and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. If man had been the only source of strength in this it would have languished for who knows how much longer. But God said, I’m going to have him finish this so you know My hand’s involved in it. V 10 – Who has despised the day of small things?

See, not all of Israel came back from captivity; percentage-wise it was a small amount but God was going to use them in a dramatic way. The small things – Jesus called the Church “a little flock” in Luke 12:32. We’re definitely that. Even if we want to discuss what it means to say little flock – is it the 140,000 we had in Worldwide days? Is it the 11,000 or so we have now? Is it 300 under Gideon’s? Is it 50? Right here in verse 10 it says we’re not to despise the day of small things. I believe that means the same thing now as it did then. The point was, Jesus Christ said, that he would build his Church and he said that he would finish it. How would that be done? Let’s go to Hebrews 10 next. You and I are told not to despise the day of small things so how do we not do that? How do we not despise the day of small things?

Hebrews 10:35 – Therefore do not case away your confidence, which has a great reward. One of the sad things in my history of the Church… I’ve been a part, associated with God’s Church now for about 45 years now… and I’ve seen people be a part of God’s Church for decades in some cases, and they’re not here now. At some point they allowed their confidence to be cast away. They lost sight of the reward that God is talking about there. Paul is encouraging us here to not let that happen. V 36 – For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. God wants to see the consistency in our life, and I think more importantly, He wants to be able to show us, in our life, the value of things to come. V 37 – Yet a little while, He who is coming will come, and not tarry. V 38 – Now the just shall live by faith: but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. You know, somebody who finishes then abandons. V 39 – But we are not of those that draw back to perdition; but to those who believe in the saving of our lives. When I consider the importance of God’s Holy Spirit, reading from scripture what God can do through His people with that Spirit, I have to wonder if at times we do draw back too much. We limit God, I think, in what He can do. John chapter 14 is a reminder along this line, as Christ was explaining the Holy Spirit. John 14 and verse 12 makes a very intriguing statement.

Christ said here: John 14:12 – Most assuredly I say to you, He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do as well; Now consider for a moment: What did Christ do? Well, to name a few things he healed the lame, the blind, the demon possessed, those with leprosy, the broken hearted, he showed the people the Father, he taught scripture to them, he gave them hope of the Kingdom of God, he forgave sin, he served, he taught and he spent his life for God’s people. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t done most of those things. Notice the rest of the verse. John 14:12 (cont’d) – the works I do he will do as well; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to my Father. We saw a bit of that in the beginning part of Acts that we read, but when I consider the list I’m ashamed to see how short I fall of his example. As a Church we do as well. How am I to do greater things than he did? Well, part of the answer is in verse 14. V 14 – If you ask anything in my name… …which means we have to be connected to him. It’s not through our power. We read that earlier.

“Ask in my name…” Do we really do that; do we really believe it; or do we have a Plan B when we go to God. If God doesn’t step up then I’m going to do Plan B. I think many times we do. I want to relate to you a story here to show the power. We saw some of this, at least I did, in Cincinnati when I was a young boy. I saw many things similar to what evidently took place in the book of Acts. I remember the story of a young man in Cincinnati who lived in a very dicey part of town – the part of town you didn’t want to go through. One day on his way home from work, he was simply walking down the street and he was shot in the head, what we would call a drive-by shooting today. Back then the fastest means of communication within the Church would be to do what I call a “round robin.” The pastor would call certain individuals, they would call others and, ideally, within 10-15 minutes they have everyone informed.

So the whole congregation had been contacted requesting prayers for this man and that was pretty much all that was known. We didn’t know his condition, we didn’t know the expectations of survival or any other details along that line. The next Sabbath it was announced that he was stable, that the surgeons had decided in looking at the x-rays and looking at his condition, that it would be more risky to operate and remove the bullet than simply leave it because there was so little collateral damage, if you will. The following Sabbath after that, he was at Church and you wouldn’t have known, except for the bandage on his head where they had shaved it, that he’d been shot in the head. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. I remember other stories along that line, maybe the case is my memory only remembering good things, but other dramatic healings, other miracles that had taken place, obvious answered prayers and the like.

I’m not saying that doesn’t happen now but I don’t know that we talk enough about those things, what God does in our lives to share that and encourage one another. I don’t know what God has in store for His Church, His people but we read John 14:12. He said we would do greater things than him. Is that just in terms of reach? We have technology available that didn’t exist then. I don’t know. Maybe in part, but I don’t think that’s all of it. If you have a marker, you can leave a marker here in John 14. We’ll be back, but I’d like to turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 7. 2 Chronicles is a verse that oftentimes will get quoted but then equally just kind of walked away from. We don’t ponder it a lot. 2 Chronicles 7:14 – the setting here is Solomon as he is assuming the throne. God had basically talked to Solomon and given him a blank check. He said because of your father, I will grant you anything you want. Can you imagine God asking you that question?

What do you want? I’ll give you anything you want. And Solomon, if you remember the account, asked for wisdom – I don’t know how to govern these people; I need you to show me. And God said, because you asked for that I’ll give you everything else you didn’t ask for. But He also passed on information to Solomon in verse 14, a caution if you will. 2 Chron 7:14 – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. I’ve heard various individuals say this only applied to Israel, only during this time. I don’t see that being the case. We’re still a people called by God’s name. “If my people…” When is that going to happen? He tells us that we have to humble ourselves. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves,” So the key is humility. To be truly humble and I can see this playing out when we’re not.

Look at how many splits, just to use the example, from when Worldwide collapsed, early ‘90s or so, how many organizations have been started out of that fallout? And why? In most cases, it’s a sad commentary, they’re not large organizations, in some cases just a couple people in somebody’s living room. I’m not saying they’re not part of God’s Church. In some cases they are, in some cases they’re not but there are hundreds and hundreds. And why? Most splits come about, in my estimation, because people are not humble. They want to be in charge, they want to be setting the agenda, they want something. I can’t imagine that God is happy with such division. Let’s go back to John 14. That’s not what He desires. When we read the account in Acts, the various locations, it talked about how notable it was that the people were unified. They gathered together of one mind.

John 14:21 – He who has my commandments, and keeps them, is he who loves me: See, we’ve been given an obligation not just to understand doctrine – that’s not just why we’re called. We’re called to follow that doctrine, to follow those teachings. Christ said this is the only way I know if you love me. If you listen to what I say and do it. He goes on to say: John 14:21 (cont’d) – and he who loves me will be loved by my Father… Because they’re of the same mind; they’re unified in purpose and in mind, there’s no disagreement. So Christ basically says if you love me the Father loves you.

John 14:21 (cont’d) – and we will come to him and make our home with him. V 22 – Judas (not Iscariot) said to him. Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? How is it that we’ll see you but the world won’t? V 14 – Christ answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. We see God in a way the world does not. We understand purpose in a way they do not and we follow the instruction in a way that the world does not. In the examples we read earlier in the book of Acts, I see a people with whom God could make His home. Much like the Father and Son, there was no disagreement between the Father and Son and those people. They were so unified in purpose and thought. How do we get to that point?

Let’s read verse 26. John 14:26 – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, it will teach you all things… Part of how we get there is to allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in us and one of the very first things it will do is teach us and in order for this to be real we have to be doing our part. We have to be reading God’s Word and listening to what He’s saying because any of you who have slouched on your homework in school, when you got to school the next day and the teacher starts going over the material and she’s looking at this face, this sea of blank faces, she knows you’ve not done your homework, doesn’t she? Does God look at us and see a blank face or does He know that we’ve done our homework? You can’t teach someone who’s not engaged in the process, not very well anyway. By way of noting Hebrews 11:6, it tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him which follows the same way.

We can’t be rewarded for something we’re not doing. Are we doing the things God asks us through prayer and Bible study and meditation and fasting? John 14:26 (cont’d) – after it says the Holy Spirit will teach us all things it says: and bring to remembrance all things I have said to you. Now, unless I live in my own fantasy world, I can’t remember what’s not happened. I can’t remember what I’ve not read or learned unless I’ve actually done it. God can then reach down with the Holy Spirit and pull that up and make it something that we do remember. Maybe you’ve experienced that. Someone asks a question and it came to mind what God’s Word said, and you explained it and maybe wondered afterwards how you did that. V 27 – Peace I leave with you… Because of this Holy Spirit, he says, I can leave you peace. It’s not worldly peace. He says that. V 27 (cont’d) – not as the world gives… What the world has is not peace; at best they have a truce. At least they have a lull in the contentions. It’s not true peace. He says, I’m leaving you true peace. V 27 (cont’d) – Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Do we truly believe these things, these actions? I’ve harped on this a bit, I’m going to harp on it some more. We still have conversations about people behind their back, we still have people that say no when they’re asked to help with things that need to be taken care of in the church. I hear some that compromise with God’s instruction. Why is it we have so many missing on the Holy Days? I guess they’ve got someplace better to be. I don’t understand that, I really don’t. I don’t pretend to have all the answers either, but I do see some things clearly. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 We read this earlier, let’s go back there. I’ve been given a responsibility just like you have been given a responsibility and I know that sometimes I fall short and I don’t live up to God’s expectations and I disappoint people but I truly am trying to serve the congregation as God would have them be served – to direct, to teach, to edify, to encourage, and all those things. In 1 Corinthians 12 then, Paul goes on to discuss the matter of these gifts using the analogy of a body. In verse 12 he talks about that.

1 Cor 12:12 – For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are the one body: so also is Christ. That is, we have all these different aspects that make up this body – hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouths and all of this that works together. If we were only one thing, we wouldn’t function well, would we? Unless you’re a cartoon character that can have an eye and a couple of feet and a mouth and it exists. But it doesn’t work that way. I’m constantly amazed at these bodies we have. How can we eat food and it turns into everything we need – the minerals, the nutrients, the sustenance that we need for these bodies to continue to have the life they have. V 13 – For by one Spirit… See, God doesn’t segregate the Spirit that He has; He doesn’t dole it out different to different people in terms of its value. V 13 – For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body… It’s not categorized at different stages – well, you only got introduction Holy Spirit. You have to wait until you get Holy Spirit 2.0. That’s not what he’s saying here. V 13 (cont’d) – whether we’re Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free… You know, rich or poor, young or old….. we can go down the list, that doesn’t matter.

When God looks at us, He looks at us the same in that regard and it says: V 13 (cont’d) – and all have been made to drink of one Spirit. That is, within the body that He has. V 18 – But now God has set the members each one in the body just as He pleased. I believe God’s Spirit gives us great latitude in what that means but if I was to try to do things that are not my responsibility not only would it probably not work well but I could hurt myself. For instance, there are things I don’t agree with in terms of the council or even things that are done at the home office in Cincinnati but it’s not my responsibility. That sounds like a copout but it’s not because then I’d start saying, “God doesn’t know what He’s doing.” I can get myself wrapped in some stuff that I shouldn’t be involved in. Notice the end of verse 18 again: God is the One that places us in the body where it pleases Him.

Let’s go to Romans 8 now. Romans 8 is often talked about as the Holy Spirit chapter. Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus. And when Paul writes, especially, and uses the word “therefore” you need to go back at least one chapter to what he’s saying “therefore” to. He’s talking about, in chapter 7, the Law cannot save us. The Law can help to change our character and help us to establish a similar mindset with God, but it will not give us eternal life. He says there’s no condemnation in that. To continue in verse 9 of Romans 8: Rom 8:9 – You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit… That is, from the way God looks at it, because God begins to work with us, we’re no longer just physical beings. We’re still flesh. You pick up a knife the wrong way and it’s still going to cut you. We still die; that’s not what he’s talking about here.

He’s talking about the way of thinking, what we have in our head. He says we’re not there as the rest of the world is but if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. V 9 (cont’d) – Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. It’s a great disconnect. V 11 – But if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies. That’s what we read about earlier with Paul talking about endurance. Don’t become weary. God’s Spirit is dwelling with us and this fight is not just us on our own resources. He talks about God’s Spirit dwelling in us and we need to make sure that it does. Does it dwell in us? As we read earlier, does it truly make its home in us?

Can God live in us? Is God’s Spirit in us just a faucet barely turned on so it drips, or is it a faucet that is completely opened up so water pours through it? V 14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. There are a lot of people who do a lot of wonderful things in the world. There are a lot of people that understand parts of God’s instructions but the bottom line is being led by God’s Spirit. It says here those are the only sons He has. We must be led by God’s Spirit in everything we do. V 18 – I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The sufferings of this present time – we can get caught up in that, can’t we? I’m as guilty as the next person when I allow the cares and trials of this life to minimize the glory God has in store for us. We get too tired or we get too distracted or we think that God is just picking on us. Why do I continue in these trials? Why don’t I have an easy life? Why can’t I just rest? Why am I facing these things?

Some of the subsequent chapters talk about the groaning that takes place even in the creation around us and we can groan when we see the world, the devastation we see around us, what went through Oklahoma, the senseless killing of that policeman over in London, and on and on the list goes. We groan as well when we see those things, the sin and misery in the world and we say we want God’s Kingdom and then we bellyache as He tries to prepare us for that Kingdom. We quench His Spirit when we do that. V 26 – Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses… God doesn’t just give us a trial. He doesn’t just drop that in our lap and say OK, let’s see what you do with that. He allows these things to come into our lives and He gives us help. V 26 –the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray for as we should; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Maybe you’ve done that in your prayers; I know I have.

You’ve gone before God in frustration or confusion and you say I’m here but I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what needs to be done, I don’t know what I need to learn or what You’re doing. Can You help me with this; can you show me? Remember the father in Mark 9? Let’s turn there. This is a very moving story. He had a son who was demon possessed and he had gone to Jesus’ disciples because of the violent nature of what the demon would do with this boy and he wanted this removed. Any parent would. Mark 9:14 – And when he (Christ) came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them (around the disciples), the scribes disputing with them. V 15 – And when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed and ran to meet him. V 16 – And he asked the scribes, What are you discussing with them? What is the commotion you’re having, what’s being created here in this discussion with my disciples? V 17 – One of the crowd answered and said, Teacher, I brought you my son who has a mute spirit. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the boy couldn’t speak but read what else is going on. V 18 – Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, he foams at the mouth, he gnashes his teeth, he becomes rigid; so I spoke with your disciples that they should cast it out but they could not. The disciples were perplexed, they couldn’t understand. They had seen Christ do this; he had told they would be able to do this and they’re following through and it’s not working. V 19 – Christ answered and said, Oh faithless generation; how long shall I bear with you? I read a bit of exasperation because he said how long shall I bear with you. V 19 (cont’d) – Bring him to me. V 20 – So they brought the boy to him and when he saw him (that is the spirit in the boy) immediately the spirit convulsed and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. V 21 – Christ asked the father, How long has this been happening? Notice that he didn’t jump in right away. V 21 (cont’d) – The father said, From childhood. V 22 – And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. One of the curious things in what I read in scripture is how many times these demons seek to kill themselves by killing their host which I don’t find too surprising because I think of the helplessness, the hopelessness, in their mind. What do they have to live for? You can imagine the concern this father has. V 23 – Jesus says to him (the father), If you can believe all things are possible to him who believes. That almost seems disingenuous, doesn’t it? This is Christ speaking, who has done these things, who has healed people, who has raised from the dead, who has done all these miraculous things and he’s telling this man that if you can believe, this can be done. So why wasn’t it being done? V 24 – Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. Help my unbelief. I think this is where we are as a church. We believe but we have such great disbelief.

Like I said earlier, oftentimes we come before God with a Plan B in mind. I want Him to do this but if He doesn’t, I’ll go do this; whatever the other is. Instead, what if we humbled ourselves like we read in 2 Chronicles 7? What if we fasted for each other this coming week? I’m going to do that. I’m putting it out there as a challenge; I’m not telling you that you have to, but consider the sicknesses that we have in this congregation and even in other local congregations. What about those that are struggling with money? What about those that simply need the peace of God that we read about earlier? They need that in their life. Perhaps it’s to forgive one another so that God could use us in even more powerful ways like He did the church in the Book of Acts. We have a responsibility and let’s look at that in Luke 12. But it all starts with humility. If we’re not there, God can’t make us do it; He won’t, because this character has to be something that we’re engaged in and actively a part of creating.

We can’t do it ourselves but God can’t do it for us. Of all the things that He can create, He cannot create righteous character because that involves a decision. Breaking into the thought here, at the end of a parable, he said: Luke 12: 48 – But he that did not know, and committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. This is the point I want to focus on: Luke 12: 48 (cont’d) – For everyone to whom much is given, from him much shall be required: and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. What has God given to you? Maybe it’s not money; maybe it’s not health or recognition or notoriety or talent or whatever it is that you think, carnally, you should have. I fit in this as well; I’m not talking to anyone here but myself. More than anything else, He’s given us His Holy Spirit. What would it take to buy that, if you could buy that? Christ died for it. There’s nothing in the world we could do obligate God, to demand from Him, to earn that. He gave it to us, as we read earlier, because He wants us in His family.

What would happen if we truly humbled ourselves as a church that we truly became of one mind to the point where like in Acts 1 God can take 120 people and in a matter of a few short weeks it’s approaching 10,000 or more? I suppose on one hand that would be an interesting challenge because right now 200 people would show up what I would do, let alone 3,000. But you know what, it wouldn’t be just me. It would be God doing through all of us what needs to be done. I see God as just waiting for us to catch the vision of what He could do through us if we would just trust and obey Him. What could God do through us?