Looking to Christ

Good morning to everybody. Nice to see all of you here. Hope you've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've had here in Oklahoma. We've been setting records. I understand that this is the most snow, I think, on record from what I've heard. That's quite a bit of snow for us. We didn't have much of a winter until it hit, and then it hit pretty hard.

It took me about twice as long to get ready to come to church this morning. A bad time for your propane to run out. That's what happened to us yesterday it ran out. It was the day before it ran out. I was thinking it might be getting low, but I really thought I'd probably have at least 25-30% in my tank. So Barb and I were out for a walk in the snow, and I said, you know, I probably ought to go check that.

It looked like it was about 5%, but it was probably about 1%. So they weren't able to get up our road either. So that was the problem. If they'd been able to get up our road, we could have had propane in time. Or at least we would have only been out for one evening. So we're going to probably need to wait until Monday, which is fine. We have electric heat upstairs.

So we've been hanging around upstairs most of the time. So we have water. We heated some water. And I lather it really well this morning. It took longer, though. I won't go into any great detail. But it is much harder to take a shower. Showers are really nice. You know, you can get in and out of a shower quite quickly. All right. Let's take a look at our announcement bulletin. Well, before we launch into that, let me just say that Mr.

Hopper and also the Cagels were able to go to the conference. Also, the Burks from Lawton were able to be there. So we really had a wonderful conference. I'll say more about that later. Obviously, the Clements weren't able to go and Denise wasn't able to go. The Cleavers weren't able to go. But we had a good representation in Oklahoma that were there in terms of our elders. First, for the Cagels and...

Well, no, I think you were... You've been at GCE before, haven't you? I think this was Mr. Hopper's first time. So I know that they really, really enjoyed it. And it was really a very inspiring conference. Very uplifting. And it really went, I think, better than any of us would have expected. So I'll be glad to share more of that with you later on. But let's go ahead and launch into the announcements. We do have a prophetic times, and I'm sure you've been somewhat glued to the TV lately with all that's been happening in Egypt.

It is quite an interesting development over there, and certainly will have an impact for many, many years to come. The Middle East will be greatly impacted by what's happening in Egypt. And thankfully, Hosni Mubarak did step down, and you probably saw some of the demonstrations or celebrations. Demonstrations turned into celebration and parties until three or four o'clock in the morning. And these people were ecstatic about getting their freedom. Mubarak was a dictator. So I'm hoping that it will turn out to be a good thing for the Egyptian people. I know it's a wonderful thing to have your freedom.

And we take it for granted to a large degree here in the United States. And I've been here for many, many years. So my heart did go out to those people that were very, very excited about freedom. And I'm thinking it will probably work into God's plan in the end time to a degree. Now, whether or not democracy will ever flourish over there, or the Muslim Brotherhood will get a foothold, that all remains to be seen.

But certainly we should be praying for the Egyptian people and praying for God's blessing on them as well. God loves all of His children. So we do have a prophetic times, and it goes into some of that and a lot more. So I would refer you to the prophetic times. We will be having a Sabbath school class today at 1215. It will be after services. So I know that children always enjoy the Sabbath school classes, and we appreciate our teachers and those who have helped out so faithfully in our Sabbath school program. Tomorrow's Beyond Today telecast is entitled, Spiritual Conspiracy. You may believe or dismiss conspiracy theories, but there is one that really does affect your life.

Discover how and why. And of course, it's a spiritual conspiracy that Steve Myers will be talking about. I'm sure you'll find it very helpful and valuable to tune in. The Tulsa Women's Discussion Group is scheduled for next Sabbath, February 19. It will be in the Potluck area. I notice that we do have extra copies at the information table for anyone that has not received one. My wife wanted everyone to know that if you haven't had time to prepare, please come anyway, because likely you may be able to contribute.

And even if not, you'll be able to learn and benefit from what everyone else has to say about it. So we would love to see all of you there. Next Sabbath. We'll be having a teen Bible study next Sabbath as well in the library. Growing Kids God's Way will be Sunday, February 20 at 2 p.m. at the Zero Regional Library. Please let me know if you won't be able to make that session. That'll be next Sabbath, February 20 at 2 p.m. I'm sorry, not Sabbath. It's Sunday, a week from tomorrow.

Women's Quilting Meeting will be February 24, Thursday, February 24 at the Maguire's Home. The UCG Colorado Women's Weekend, we've announced that a few times, so I would just refer you to that. This is the same place where we have our pre-teen camp. Last year I directed a pre-teen camp, and it's the exact same place, and it is a beautiful spot. It's right at the foothills of Mount Meeker, about 16 miles south. It says 20 miles south, but I think it's closer to 16 miles south of Estes Park. If you are inclined to go, I'm sure you'll really enjoy that particular weekend.

Also, we have a number of UCG websites, and they're listed for you. There's a wealth of information, much more information than can be covered here in announcements. We want you to be aware of these particular resources and encourage you to go to them and to learn more.

I'm sure you'll find it very beneficial. Going into the prayer requests, Marilyn Burnett had her long-awaited surgery. Thankfully, it went very, very well, and she's doing well. I know we're all very grateful for that, as Marilyn is certainly loved by all of us. The tumor was the size of a large lemon, so it was really beginning to cause a lot of problems for her. God was very merciful and blessed. The surgery and everything went very, very well, so we're certainly grateful for that. I had hoped to go visit Marilyn and also Sydney Johnson on Thursday, but I really couldn't risk trying to get down my hill. I went down and checked it out. It was just snow covered and slippery as all could get out. If I'd have got down, I'd know I would have never got back up. Even getting down could have been a real challenge. Thankfully, it's melted quite a bit since then, and I made it down without incident this morning.

I'll be picking Barbara up between services, so hopefully I'll make it up without incident. I think I should. It shouldn't be a problem this afternoon. It'll be muddy, but other than that...

Marilyn's father, Alan George, is at the Hillcrest Medical Center. By the way, Marilyn is still recovering at St. John's Medical Center. She may be discharged today. They're not really sure. If not today, certainly tomorrow. So we would appreciate your continued prayers for Marilyn and her healing. Alan George is her father, and he's still at the hospital at Hillcrest. No longer bleeding internally, but he still has a long ways to go yet, and he's going to have to have triple bypass surgery once he's stable enough. So please continue to pray for Marilyn's father. She's really gone through a lot.

Also, quite a few of you know Peggy Shank, who died recently. And funeral arrangements have now been finalized. I sent an email out yesterday. If you didn't get the email and you need information regarding the funeral, please give me a call. You can call me or Mr. Hopper or Mr. Kegel. They'll all have that information.

I remember Peggy and her husband. It's been quite a while since I've seen either one of them, of course. He died several years ago.

Leitha Seabland really needs your prayers. Leitha is having a very difficult time. She's been bleeding profusely, and they really weren't sure what was the cause of the blood and what was happening. So they planned a colonoscopy yesterday, and I haven't had an opportunity to talk to Frank or Leitha since then. But let's continue to pray for God's intervention and healing on Leitha. She's down in the Dallas area as she was visiting one of her daughters. So please pray for Leitha, pray for Frank, pray for the whole family, and just pray that God would intervene for her as well and heal her. Also, Sidney Johnson was in the hospital this week, and he went in because of high blood pressure. He was also having some severe chest pain in his arms, chest pains and also in his arms. But I believe they discharged him yesterday, and I talked to Alma a couple of times while he was in the hospital. I didn't talk to her yesterday, though, but I understand she has been discharged. We ask that you continue to pray for Sidney and pray that he will be strengthened and will be feeling better soon.

Carlos Maguire is with us today, but he still has a sore rotator cuff, although it's doing better. Pardon? No pain at all.

Well, that would be nice if it would stay that way, and you wouldn't have to go through surgery, wouldn't it? Well, continue to pray for him with God all things are possible, and surgery is not a requirement. It's not a requirement. Sometimes we need it to help us, but it's certainly no requirement.

Peggy Dudley is at home, and she's recovering and recuperating. I talked to her this week, and she was very positive and upbeat, but very tired. Please hold off on your calls, because she's still trying to recover, and it does drain her. Please don't call her for a while until I get the green light, and then I'll let you know, and then you can resume calling her. Of course, you can send her a card. That's easy for her and for you. I'm sure she would appreciate it. Mrs. Dudley really genuinely loves all of you. Or she can sure fake it.

And I don't think she's faking it. I really believe that she really does have a great deal of love for all of us, and she's a wonderful example. Please keep her in your prayers.

Doris Winford has been sick now with a flu-like virus. She's had heavy congestion and coughing. Her daughter says, writes, that my mother is feeling much better, but she's been taking an antibiotic and a steroid, and she's about 50% better, so that's still a long ways to go. So please continue to remember Doris in your prayers.

I know that Mrs. Winford wanted to thank all of you for your prayers as well. And please continue to pray for Doris. Doris is also another one of those wonderful women who's very loving and just a very dedicated, committed, faithful mother and grandmother and wife.

So please keep her in your prayers. Diana Brown is Shelly's sister. Diana lives in New York, and she was recently hospitalized. She was diagnosed with asthma, and she's been coughing a lot. She's doing better, though, and please keep her in your prayers and pray that God would intervene to heal her. She also wanted to thank all of you for your prayers as well. Max Eddie, Betty Eddie's daughter... I'm sorry, Betty Eddie's son. Never knew a woman named Max. I knew a boy named Sue, but never a woman named Max. Anyway, please remember Max in your prayers. He is doing much, much better, and things look very positive for Max. And they weren't looking all that positive several months ago. So let's certainly give God credit for getting him through his trials, and let's continue to pray for Max's full recovery from cancer.

Kimberly Dennis, Herman's wife, is requesting our prayers because she's going to be having major surgery within the next week or two. She'll be having cervical spine surgery to hopefully lessen her severe nerve pain from having several crushed discs in her upper neck vertebrae. The surgery is going to involve putting spacers between seven or eight discs. So this is a very extreme type of surgery, and there's going to be fusing those discs together, installing rods, similar to what Navi Booker has had to go through. And she's had a lot of difficulty with the surgery that she's been through. So just pray that God would intervene, and somehow, if it would be possible, that this surgery wouldn't be necessary for her. And she would know that. I know, again, with God, he is our healer. So let's go and pray for Kimberly and pray for God's intervention in favor and healing. And if she does go through the surgery, that God would certainly guide the surgeon, and that things would go well for her.

Kimberly Dennis's daughter, Quae Jackson, 27 years old, she's in OSU Medical Center recovering from a diabetic coma. She's had a lot of damage in the past from being severely diabetic. So pray that God would also heal her and lessen the impact of this disease, diabetes on Quae. Mr. Johnson also has diabetes, which affects his blood pressure and other things. Sidney Johnson. And then Mr. Kiefer has a prayer request for a member in Germany who has leukemia in an acute stage, Ingabord Schmidt-Eberly. Please keep her in your prayers. And also pray for Larry Walker, our pastor in Oregon and California, who has really been going through a lot with what's called reactive arthritis. He was not able to come to the conference, but his wife was there, and she was really glad to be there, even though she obviously wished that her husband would be there with her. Please keep praying for Larry Walker. He still has a ways to go, but should get through this. It's a temporary condition, normally lasting from two to twelve months. So let's pray it's on the low end of that, and pray that he'll be able to get fully back in the saddle very soon.

Well, brethren, that does take care of our announcements, so at this time, we'll be led in another hymn.

Thank you again, Mr. Lewis.

I need to turn my cell phone off.

Well, brethren, the recent ministerial conference was certainly one of the very best ministerial conferences that I have ever attended. I sincerely say that, and I've been to all of the ministerial conferences since United started, and quite a few in worldwide.

So you might ask, well, why would you feel that way? Well, I'd like to share three or four reasons why I feel this way, and I know I wasn't the only one. There were a number of others who felt the same way. I guess the first reason, and by the way, if you're looking for a title, I'm going to call this sermon the same title as the theme for the conference, which was, Look to Christ, Advance the Work of God. Look to Christ, Advance the Work of God.

The first reason I believe it was, in my opinion, one of the very finest was because the spirit of camaraderie was very strong amongst all ministers and their wives. It was evident. I believe God's Spirit was there. It was evident. It was flowing. It was inspiring to be there. We've gone through very difficult times in the ministry, especially the last three years. It's been tougher than most three years that I have been through in the ministry. Many ministers were obviously unhappy about their perceptions of what has been happening in United in the last three years. I'm going back three years because, in my opinion, that's when things really began to escalate. Lots of opinions were being formed and so forth. I'm not going to rehearse all the reasons for that. I think you know those reasons. Since the ministry is a close brotherhood, these feelings have affected all of us. It's obvious that men were not happy. They were unhappy about things that were going on in United. The move to Texas that didn't happen, it did have a major impact on the attitudes of many, many ministers. A lot of members, I'm sure, too. I think to deny that would certainly not be wise because I think it's evident. It did have a major impact on people's perceptions and so forth. So it's been difficult. I've seen my friends become disenchanted in various ways over the last three years, especially. And that's been difficult for me. Every year at camp, especially because that's when I was around the ministers the most, it was pretty obvious. And that was difficult. Although separation is very painful and is something that I personally wish had been avoided at nearly all costs, I don't think you can say all costs because some costs are too dear. But I certainly did not want to see a separation happen. I hope and pray that one day we'll be reunited. I know that's my sincere desire. It's my prayer. It's my hope. I would like nothing more. I wish we could walk together and be agreed and hold each other's hands and help each other along, work together, to serve God's people, and most importantly, to serve God and to do God's work.

We are beginning to heal as a ministry and as a larger body of brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are beginning to heal, but when an arm is severed, the healing process, even though it begins immediately, it takes a while. The healing process does begin immediately, and we could see that happening at the conference. We could see that there was some healing that was taking place, and that was encouraging, because we have to move forward. We have to get beyond the difficulties, the frustrations, the disappointments that we've had recently.

So we're beginning to heal as a ministry and also as a church. Some have chosen to separate from us. They attend elsewhere on the Sabbath. But let us be grateful that they continue to observe God's Sabbath. Let us be grateful that they continue to keep God's holy days.

They are still our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to realize that. We need to love them, pray for them, care for them, reach out to them in a number of ways that we can do. Let us be grateful that they continue to observe God's Sabbath in God's holy days and keep His laws and keep His commandments.

Let us be grateful that we can remain friends. I hope that we will remain friends. I believe we should. We should all remain friends. Let us be grateful that we have so much in common. Let us focus on our similarities, not on the things that divide us. That would be a mistake. Let's focus on our similarities and the many things that we do have in common, the many things that we believe. Let's pray for each other. Let's pray for them. Hopefully they'll be praying for us. I'm sure they will. Let's go to God and let's ask God to help all of us heal, because it's been difficult for everyone.

We all need to heal up and we all need to go on. We all need to look to Christ. Look to Christ. That's the first part of this message. Look to Christ. Look to Jesus Christ as the head of the church. We've always said in United that we don't believe that we're the one true church. This organization itself, we believe that there are other people in various organizations who have God's Spirit and are a part of the body of Christ.

Anyone who has the Spirit of God dwelling in them, wherever they live, wherever they are, they are a part of the body of Christ. And that's what we need to always keep uppermost in our minds and realize that. I look at this as a separation more than a divorce. I hope that we will be reunited someday. I hate that we're separated, but I pray that we can one day get together and we can cooperate and work together and not have this kind of thing happen again. One of the reasons there was so much camaraderie in Christian spirit between the ministry and their wives is because adversity naturally draws people of like minds closer together.

We've gone through a lot of adversity together, and the ministry is a brotherhood, and it has brought us closer together in certain ways. Again, we hate that many of our friends are not with us. We're not going to see them as often, and that is painful.

Mr. Kubik, who is head of Ministerial and Member Services, said the following in the lead article of the latest Ministerial newsletter and journal. The article is entitled, Ministry Energized by Conference Focus. I believe that's true. I think the ministry has been energized. I believe I have been energized by going to this conference. I'm glad that they called the conference, and I believe it was very helpful for us. It was a healing process for us, and it was actually very needed.

So I'm positive about the future of the United Church of God. I believe God is with us. I believe God will certainly bless us. I hope you have the same faith and belief. If we truly want to obey God and serve Him, if we look to Christ, then we can count on His blessings. It takes all of us looking to Christ. Not the ministry only, but every member of the Church of God, every member of the body of Christ.

So we do need to look to Christ. We need to pray daily for God's direction and His guidance, for His blessings. And let's all be energized. I hope you will be energized. I hope this is a wake-up call for all of us. It seems like God gives us wake-up calls, or God allows things to happen that wake us up in various ways from time to time. I believe this can be one of those wake-up calls. Mr.

Kubik, in this article, says the following, While we grieve deeply for the unnecessary actions and consequences of those separating from us, and I think what Mr. Kubik means by that is, Mr. Kubik didn't want to see this happen. He didn't want this divide, this separation to occur. In his opinion, it has been unnecessary.

It's not something that had to happen. It was a choice that people made. People made choices. And that's why this thing happened. They could have chose to stay with United and work with United and work out our differences, but a different choice was made. So from that standpoint, I believe it was unnecessary. It could have been averted. It could have been avoided. So while we grieve deeply for the unnecessary actions and consequences of those separating from us, we are optimistic about not only doing the work of preaching the Gospel, but serving God's people in our local congregations.

We really had a lot of focus on serving all of you and serving the brethren and doing it in a Christ-like way. We seek to provide an environment for healing and reconciliation for those who wish it. Healing will come as we focus on the mission of the Church. We desperately want to move on from destructive distractions of the recent past. I believe there have been destructive distractions from the recent past, and we do need to get beyond them.

We must be Christ-instruments in doing the work of preaching, warning, and teaching. We have a big job to touch the hearts and minds of a confused and hopeless world. This is what we have always referred to as the work. Reaching out to the world, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, giving people hope in a dying world. That's what the work is all about. And that's where we need to have our focus. We need to be putting our energies into working together so that the Gospel message can go out to this world. We must not allow Satan to continually distract us from doing this all-important job. Mr. Kubik ended his article by saying, Finally, let's all pray for one another and for all the challenges that we are going through.

Let's be submissive to one another as we work together. That's 1 Peter 5. We'll get through this just fine. May God bless you all. We will get through this fine if we keep our minds and our hearts focused on Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, who is the Head of the Church.

So the first point was there was tremendous camaraderie, and there were many elders there, many more elders than normal. A lot of local church elders, two-thirds of our local church elders, did not leave United. They are with us, and they are a major backbone of the church. I'm grateful for the local leadership that we have here. I'm grateful for the faithfulness that these men have shown, and it was good to have so many of them there with the full-time pastors.

I think we are pulling together as a ministry, as a church, and that's important. So that was the first thing. It was just a wonderful spirit. There was tremendous camaraderie, and it was very evident. We were healing. People were laughing, even though we were suffering to a degree. We really do hate what has happened.

I know we wish it would not have happened. A second reason I believe that this conference was really the best ever, as far as I'm concerned, is that the Council and the Administration are seeking humility. They really are seeking humility. That's my opinion, of course. But I believe they are seeking humility. They are seeking God's guidance. They are seeking God's direction. They are seeking His blessing. There were a number of admissions that mistakes were made on the Council, that things were not handled as well as they could have been handled in certain ways. Some of the issues, some of the things could have been handled differently. The paper that went out regarding observing the Sabbath, and the paper that was put out on fasting, I think we pretty much all agree that those could have been written differently, they could have been written better, they could have been handled more quickly and expeditiously, rather than the Sabbath issue going on as long as it did, and people wondering. You know, that was unfortunate. Certainly they realized that they dropped the ball in some ways. But I believe they've been sincere in trying to serve God and trying to serve the people of God. They're human beings. They're not perfect. They've made mistakes. So it was heartwarming to hear them say. In fact, I think I can find some things from Mr. Luecker's opening address. He gave the opening address, and it was entitled, Laying the Right Foundation. He talked about the importance of having the right foundation. He says, we need to learn from what has happened. We as a church and as an administration, as a council, we need to learn from what's happened. We must be willing to learn from the mistakes that we have made in our own personal lives. And as an organization, we must look to the Word of God and what it says about laying the right foundation. The cause for all of the problems in the church is the same one that we have faced throughout all of church history. The problem is sin. Sin has caused the damage within the church. Sin among the ministry and primarily in the leadership of the ministry. We need to see our sins. We need to see our faults and our mistakes. We need to see ourselves better. I know, personally, I need to see myself better. I'm sure I don't see myself as God does the way I would like to see myself. We need to see ourselves better. This was an admission from Mr. Luecker. He gave three key points in his address. Number one, we must all repent of our pride and follow Christ's example of humility. Christ emptied and humbled Himself. He set the example for us. I'm sure they realized that they could have done better in that area. They could have been more humble.

Secondly, we need to change when God helps us see our sins and mistakes. We need to change. If we want to strengthen the United Church of God, we must be willing to examine ourselves in what we say and do, not overreacting to criticism, but being willing to change when God helps us see our sins and mistakes.

And the third key point, we need to grow in Godly love.

The Church of God in general has a lot to learn in how to love one another. I'm still reading from this article. It was a summary of what Mr. Lueper said.

We need to learn how to love one another. The first fruit of God's Spirit is love. Maybe we have been lacking that. When we look at the overall fruit of God's Church, it is obvious that we do not have enough of this love. Pray for this type of God's love so that we do not fail.

Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. I'm now reading from 2 Timothy 2, verse 19. 2 Timothy 2, verse 19. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

We are to be overcomers. We are to put sin out of our lives.

And you know, God is a loving Father, and He is always looking for the prodigal Son to return. Even if the prodigal Son has only gone away for a day, He is always looking for Him to return. God loves every one of us.

Jesus Christ died for every one of us. And He is looking for all of us to return to Him, to repent of whatever it is we have been doing, or have done, to repent and to change and to grow. God is extremely merciful and loving, but He does expect us to be overcomers. He does expect us to change, to make progress, to be going in the right direction. And God does look at our heart. And He knows whether we are really trying to overcome or not. He really knows whether you are sincere in your efforts, or if you are deceiving yourself. God looks at the heart. He knows our heart better than we do. So pray that God would help you see your heart.

Especially as we draw closer to Passover, we all need to examine ourselves. We all need to look at our hearts and ask God to show us our heart. What kind of shape is your heart in? What kind of shape is your heart in? Mr. Lueckert concluded by saying, This is a new beginning for the United Church of God. Let us strengthen the foundation and finish the work that we have to do.

Mr. Rhodes, Chairman of the Council, gave a presentation entitled, Take on the Mind of Christ. In it, he said, But we are to follow the ministry only as the ministry follows Christ. The ministry is called to be Christ-centered. That is our desire. That is our goal. Why is it that we have so often seen men who want to take over the Church? He is talking about throughout history. There have always been people who have wanted to basically be in control or guide the Church in a certain way. Today we see people who claim to be apostles. We see people who claim to be prophets. We see literally 100 different organizations out there. That is the reality of what we see. We would be blinded to think that some people are really overstepping their bounds when it comes to the Church. God has not called all of them to be prophets and apostles as they claim. They are self-appointed.

We have to see that. Unfortunately, some people have gone to some of them during this crisis. They have left United and they have gone after, in some few cases, I don't think very many, but they followed self-appointed apostles because of the issues that we have been going through. Satan will use all kinds of ways to get to people and to lead them in the wrong direction. Mr. Rhodes goes on to say, It's partly from human nature. There was an unspoken implication that men who were placed in higher positions within the Church were somehow more spiritual than other men. I think that has been something that at times we have been guilty of. If we look back to the history in the worldwide Church of God and even today, in some cases, those who were placed in higher positions within the Church were somehow more spiritual than other men. We assumed that they were more spiritual. That could be a wrong assumption at times. Just because someone has risen to a high prominence doesn't necessarily mean that they are the most spiritual. That's what Mr. Rhodes is talking about.

He said, But that type of thinking needs to be changed. Maybe you need to change your thinking.

We mustn't look to men. We must look to God. We must look to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of this Church. No man. The Council of Elders, they're not the head of this Church. Jesus Christ is the head of this Church. That type of thinking needs to be changed. Mr. Rhodes is now the chairman of the Council and he's saying, Don't look at him as though he's automatically more spiritually minded than any of us in this room. I mean, we would hope that he is, wouldn't we? Sure, we would hope that. But it's a mistake to look to men and assume that they are necessarily that way.

Jesus Christ pointed out that the widow and the tax collector were more righteous than the leaders of his day.

Those who were looked down upon by the religious people, the tax collectors, the widows, they were actually more righteous than the leaders of his day.

He said, We must take on the mind of Christ. He who humbles himself will be exalted. We should also not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Romans 12, verse 3, We also need to submit to one another and to bear with one another in love. Frankly, if we would have had a lot more submission in the last few years, on every quarter, on every side, I mean, I'm not making excuses for any bad behavior on the side of those who are still in united.

I'm saying that if we would have all been more submissive to one another, things would have turned out differently. If we fail to take on the mind of Christ, we will continue to tear ourselves apart, until we are an object of ridicule for the people around us. Now, that's happened, to some degree. But if we learn our lesson, we can go on to do a great work. I mean, to me, that sounds like they're admitting that they've made mistakes. They have some growing to do. But if we learn our lesson, we can go on to do a great work. That's what I want. Is it not what you want? To do a great work? If it's within God's will, I mean, the Bible does talk about a famine of the word we know, but it also talks about a time when many people will know the truth of God. And eventually, an innumerable multitude will come to Jesus Christ just prior to His return. So we don't know how much time we've got left. We don't know what God may still do with this small group of people here, and with others as well, because God can use anyone. You know, I prayed this morning that God would bless both organizations if it's according to His will. If we can all learn our lessons, even though we're separate, if they can learn their lessons and we can learn our lessons, and we can go on and God can work with us, that's fine with me. But it has to be according to God's will. I'm okay with that. I mean, I would certainly like to see us be blessed, because I would like to see us humble ourselves and allow God to work in us. I mean, that's what I want for the United Church of God. That's why I'm here.

But I certainly would love to see that happen anywhere, including those who have left us recently. I pray that we'll all repent. I pray that we'll all change. I pray that we'll all look to Jesus Christ and get God's blessing. But I believe that we're going to have to repent of whatever it is that's caused this tremendous rift in the body of Christ.

So Mr. Rhodes' article was entitled, Take on the Mind of Christ, Take on the Mind of Christ, Looking to Christ, Laying the Right Foundation. We know Christ is the foundation.

So I see a counsel and I see an administration who are seeking humility, who are seeking God's guidance, who are seeking God's direction, who are seeking God's blessing. The first three men who spoke, and they didn't compare their notes, but they all referred to or went to Philippians 2. Let's go there today. Philippians 2.

Philippians 2.

Philippians 2.1. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded. Now Paul is addressing the church at Philippi. He's addressing God's people. The brethren, he says, fulfill my joy by being like-minded. We need to have the mind of Jesus Christ. We need to look to Jesus Christ and have His mind, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition. Selfish ambition causes lots of trouble in the world and even in the church.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Verse 5, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

We really do need to humble ourselves as a people, every last one of us.

A few days before the conference, or four or five days before the conference, I got a call from a friend of mine, a friend in the ministry. We were actually seniors together and graduated. We attended Ambassador Big Sandy three years together and then we attended in Pasadena and both graduated in 1978. Mark Mickelson is the pastor, I think, in Spokane, Washington. Up in that area, he probably has two or three other churches. But anyway, he called me and we were discussing these things. He called me for a specific reason. He said, Mark, I've come to realize that you and I, we're on the B team. We're on the B team. He said, we were at Teton Challenger Camp. We were on the B team then. We weren't on the A team. We're on the B team. And I believe Mark was very sincere in what he was saying. And I had to agree with him. I've been on the B team all my life.

To one degree or another, you know, I'm not the most gifted speaker.

You know, I'm not. I realize that. So I've been on the B team for a long time. And that's okay. I don't mind being on the B team. You see, God's the one that's on the A team. As long as we remember that God's the A team, Jesus Christ is on the A team, really all of us are on the B team.

But there, you know, Mark Mickelson's observation was basically the A team left.

I don't think he meant that in an arrogant way. I think he was sincere in what he said. The A team left. Now it's the B players.

I think there is some truth to that. I think Mr. Luecker kind of looked a little askance when he... Mark Mickelson made the same comment at the conference. He got up and said, we're on the B team. Of course, Mr. Luecker's the president, and he's still on the B team. That was his point. Maybe we are on the B team. I don't know. It doesn't matter. You know, I just want to do God's work. You know, whether I'm on the B team or the C team.

Christ-like service was stressed throughout the conference as well. Christ-like service. You know, we know that we have to look to Christ. We have to serve God's people. We have to put them first. I never even seriously ever thought of leaving any of you. It never crossed my mind. I was never tempted, frankly, this whole time. A lot of my friends have left. But for whatever reason, it was not a temptation for me.

I truly do believe we're family.

And you've heard me say that many times, and I've seen that. You know, we've gone through other splits. And it hurt me a great deal. Actually, this one's been a little easier because the first one hurt me so much when people left. I, you know, probably shouldn't take things so personally, but I do. And I really care for all of you. I wish that we could all stick together. I wish that none of those empty seats were empty. I wish they would all come back. That's what I want. That's what I desire. And believe me, I desire even more firmly that we stick to the trunk of the tree and the truth of God and the commandments of God. That's far more important to me than anything else. Because this is why I'm here, is because I believe God called me and opened my mind to His truth, which includes His commandments and His laws.

And anyone that tells you otherwise, I don't think they really know what they're talking about. This has not been over doctrine. Now, we may have made some mistakes in dealing as quickly and expeditiously as we should have in a few doctrinal areas. I will say that, and I was disappointed myself in that. But I do believe that we will continue to preach the truth of God and the commandments of God. And I will continue to exhort all of you to overcome and to put sin out of your lives, to be more pleasing to God, to be more faithful in your walk with Jesus Christ. That's what I will continue to preach as the pastor here. So Christ-like service was stressed throughout the conference, and I know I haven't done a perfect job serving all of you. You know, I know that. I fall short. I'm grateful that you are so accommodating to me. And I sincerely mean that. I know my own weaknesses better than you know my weaknesses. Well, maybe you know some of them better than I do. I don't know. But I assure you, I know my weaknesses. A lot of my weaknesses are better than you know them.

And I appreciate your patience with me. I'm sure there are times when I've tried your patience. Christ-like service, again, was stressed throughout the conference, and to me that was a real plus. For some reason, a few years ago, we were getting into this theme of Christ-centered servant leadership. And then, for whatever reason, it got sidetracked. And we never really started. It fell by the wayside. We never stressed it enough. I believe we're going to stress that a lot more now. And to me, that's very positive. That's what it's all about. Christ-like service. Serving each other. And it's not... leadership's important, yes. But service is leadership. And we do need to serve one another. And we all need each other's help.

Mr. Kubik mentioned that he became known as MoveOnVic. That's what they called him, MoveOnVic. Because on the council, he wanted to just... at times, he just wanted to move on and get past some of the difficulties that people were having. You know, maybe he wasn't as patient as he could have been. I don't know that. You know, God is his judge. But he became known as MoveOnVic because he really did want to get past a lot of these issues that continue to come up for the last three years. And he really does want to preach the Gospel. And the council wants to preach the Gospel. That'll be the third point when I get to it. I'd like to quote from MoveOnVic. Here's what he said. Our God is showing us in various ways that he has not forsaken us. At the conference, we were asked how many of us had new contacts very recently. Now, I have had some contacts within the last month.

I haven't seen any bodies in the last month, necessarily. But I have had some contacts. And there were many, many hands that went up around the room. When this question was asked. So at the conference, we were asked how many of us had new contacts very recently. And it was encouraging to see so many hands going up. We are continually receiving reports of new families starting to attend with us in the United States and around the world. These are people who have been studying for one, two, or more years, who are now making a commitment. We have been in the United Church of God for 15 years. A lot of seeds have been planted over the years.

It doesn't matter to them that our church has suffered the events of the past year. They are coming for what the church offers and what the church should be.

What should the church be? That's where we all come in. We are to become a church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. That's what Ephesians 5 tells us. We've got a ways to go yet.

But I look out and I see some fine people that I believe are Christ-centered and want to do the work of God. And I believe that this can be a wonderful home for new people. I sincerely believe that. And I believe that you will prove that to be true. So let's just pray that God will bring them in. Fill up the empty seats.

Mr. Kubik said, recent actions have shown that many, knowingly or not, seem to have taught members to follow men. Many have left to follow personalities, even with no doctrinal change. We must make sure that we set a good example personally, talking to the ministry. But we must set a good example personally, but that we always teach members to follow Christ. We need to all follow Christ. The Apostle Paul, as he was leading his beloved brethren in Ephesus, stated the following in Acts 20. Let's go to Acts 20 and let's consider what is said here. And I don't mean to offend anyone by these verses that I'm going to read. And I'm not the judge of any people, by the way. God is the judge, and God knows the hearts of people. But in Acts 20, beginning in verse 25, And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone, preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Paul was going to be leaving. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the elders, or I'm sorry, to all the flock. He was actually exhorting the elders at Ephesus to get the context here. He's talking to the elders at Ephesus. He says, Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Now we have seen that happen, as I have mentioned. Some are self-appointed apostles, some self-appointed prophets, and on and on it goes.

Also, from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things.

Notice what it says in the margin, at least in the New King James, it says, misleading things. They will speak misleading things, perverse things or misleading things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember, that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one's silver, gold, or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who are with me, I have shown you in every way my laboring like this, and you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had said these things, he knelt down and he prayed with them all, and they all wept freely, and they fell on Paul's neck and kissed him. I know when I've left church areas upon being transferred, this is where I went. Because I could really identify with what Paul's saying here. I wept freely and fell on Paul's... I'm sorry, then they all wept freely and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrying most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more, and they accompanied him to the ship.

You know, it's always a tearful departure whenever a minister is transferred. And by the way, I may be safe for a while now.

Maybe I won't be transferred for a while, partially because of the new beginning. Maybe you think that's good, maybe not so good.

Again, I thank you for your patience.

They all wept freely and they fell on Paul's neck. They were a brotherhood, they loved each other. It always tears me up to have to leave people. And I know if and when I have to leave here, it's going to tear me up. But as a shepherd, I have a responsibility to warn you, to guide you, to direct you as best I can as God leads me. If I didn't do these things, then I would be remiss. And I've probably dropped the ball in certain ways. And for that, I'm sorry.

So remember that one of the jobs of the ministry is to protect the flock. And that's what Mr. Cubick admonished us about. He said, we will be speaking more on this and other ministerial responsibilities in the future.

So the second point, again, was, in my opinion, there was humility. There was a sincere desire to have humility, to seek God's guidance, to seek His direction, and to seek His blessing.

And number three, we are focused upon and determined to preach the gospel to the world. That is another major reason why this was such a wonderful conference. We are focused upon and determined to preach the gospel to the world. Frankly, a lot of the men on the Council were... You know, they've been upset because not enough focus has been put on preaching the gospel. And it seems like too much focus was put on other issues. The Council's answers weren't good enough when they would address certain issues with certain people. And frankly, they were frustrated. So they are looking forward to being able to go out and preach the gospel more faithfully without distraction. And I hope that we can all get behind that effort and do something. First of all, I'm going to go through three quick areas as far as preaching the gospel. Number one, we are committed to remaining on WGN. If we can remain on WGN, we plan to. I believe we have something good going on WGN. More and more people are tuning in. We're developing an audience. We're building an audience. And more and more people are responding. The response cost per response is getting lower and lower. It's getting at acceptable levels now. So it makes sense to stay on WGN. So I'm hoping and praying that we can do that. I know we're committed to. We want to. Number two, perhaps you haven't heard yet, but there is a... they announced at the conference that we're going to have what they're calling Kingdom of God seminars. Kingdom of God seminars are coming to a city near you.

In fact, right here in this city. I'd like to read from Mr. Eddington's article that was in the latest Ministerial newsletter and journal. As reported during the Ministerial conference on February the 1st, a joint project between Ministerial and member services and media and communication services is being planned in the form of public Bible seminars. Starting during the summer of 2011, the church will schedule public seminars in 50 US cities where we have a healthy Good News magazine subscriber list and an established United Church of God congregation. Now, I don't know if we're in top 50, I think we must be, but if we're not, we're going to get there anyway because I won't stand for this not happening here or in Oklahoma City. We're plenty big enough. We have established churches and it's going to happen.

Here's an outline for how these will likely be rolled out. We are still in the planning stages and so some elements may change, but this is the overall plan at this point. The Good News Kingdom of God seminars will, number one, be held every four months simultaneously in 50 US locations. In addition, international offices may be able to piggyback off the US media and advertising effort, especially since the Sabbath seminar will be advertised in the Good News magazine and on our website. So that's number one. Every four months we'll have another segment of these Kingdom of God seminars. They will be advertised through the Good News, the Internet, and our Beyond Today television programs. And maybe we can even do some local things where we put up posters around the city. I don't know. No one's mentioned that, but that's just an idea that I thought of. It might bring some people in. We could have a work crew make up posters announcing these Kingdom of God seminars and inviting people to come. Number three, these seminars will consist of three 50-minute segments and a seminar format to be held on the Sabbath with members serving a light lunch and interacting with the public. This format was used successfully in 2008 in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia with 200 non-members in attendance. So this was in two cities in Australia. They had 200 non-members who came.

Number four, the content will adhere closely to Jesus Christ's Gospel of the Kingdom message as outlined in Mark 1, 14, and 15. Now, after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. So the first segment will be, The time is fulfilled. That's campaign number one, three 50-minute seminars. Number secondly, the second campaign two. Okay, so there's actually four campaigns. The first one consists of three 50-minute seminars about the time is fulfilled. Number two, the Kingdom is at hand. Three more seminars, three 50-minute seminars. Number four, Repent. I'm sorry, number three, campaign three is on Repent. Three 50-minute seminars. And number four, Believe the Gospel. Three 50-minute seminars. So 12 50-minute seminars in all, according to this. Number five, the speakers will be qualified, experienced pastors, elders and deacons who are capable presenters. Now they may be on the B team, but they will be capable. With God, all things are possible. Never forget that.

Number six, the Home Office will provide the seminar outlines and PowerPoint presentations for the presenters to use throughout the 12 seminars.

The outlines may be customized, provided they still adhere to the Mark 1 theme. So ministers will have some leeway to customize those presentations. Number seven, the public will never be invited to join the church or give money during the lectures. Some people might think we would do that, but that's not our intent. That's not what we have in mind at all.

Any desire to attend will be initiated by themselves. Now we're going to try to advertise it, but it's going to be people making up their own mind to come or not. Number eight, the pastor and our local presenter will follow up with an email message to attendees the following Monday morning.

So we're going to get their email addresses and follow up. Number nine, the process will repeat with the next seminar four months later. These seminars will be a way in which our most highly motivated readers and viewers will be able to learn the truths of the kingdom of God in face-to-face meetings with an authorized representative of Jesus Christ. Please pray for the success of this seminar campaign and for the work being done at this stage to create the outlines and lecture material. It promises to be a very good program to combine the efforts of the whole church, the media department, our ministerial leadership, our pastors and elders, and also all of our membership.

So that's the second area in preaching the gospel. I think it's exciting, the kingdom of God seminars. And the third aspect is our new and improved interactive website, which is coming early this summer or late this spring. We are coming out with a new and improved interactive website that is supposed to be dynamite. And it looked good from what I saw. They gave a presentation about it, but obviously they're in the beginning stages. So we hope to have a new and improved interactive website coming early this summer. So please pray for those three aspects, the Beyond Today telecast, the Kingdom of God seminars, and the new and improved interactive website that will be coming soon. There are a lot of exciting things going on in United. These are three reasons why I felt this was the best conference I've been to. We have a greater focus now, and we don't have so many distractions. We are poised to do a work.

If we look to Christ, we will advance the work of God. That message was very clear. The spirit of camaraderie was very strong among all those who were attending. The Council and the Administration are seeking humility. They're seeking God's guidance, direction, and blessing. Number three, we're focused upon and determined to preach the gospel to the world. So I hope that you will catch the vision. I think the ministry has been energized. I believe that we are going to continue to be energized, to go forward. So please pray for the ministry. Pray that God would strengthen us, that God would help us, that God would help me give better sermons, that He would help the men here give better sermonettes, that our prison ministry team would be more effective. There are many things that we can pray about as a church.

I want your prayers. I pray that you will pray, and that we'll all do this work together. I believe that we can be pleasing to God if we will look to Christ.

We will be pleasing to God if we'll look to His Son, Jesus Christ.

This work will advance with God's blessing, but we all have a part to play in it.