Dear Brethren and Friends,
We recently experienced a wonderful and effective Council of Elders conference here in Charlotte. These dedicated men from various parts of the nation and the world came together for four days of meetings. We deeply enjoyed one another’s company, and all of us felt that we were truly experiencing Christ’s leadership in the unity and harmony that prevailed during our discussions.
As you know, tens of thousands of God’s people were hurt and discouraged by the spiritual malaise that developed during the terrible apostasy that took place after the death of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. People began to be utterly confused about the right form of Church government. For they felt that, after Mr. Armstrong’s death, Christ somehow “forsook” His Church and let bad things happen. These people lost sight of Jesus Christ as the real Head of His Church! They also veered away from many basic truths that the Church of God had held for centuries, including observance of the Sabbath and Holy Days, and the expectation of Christ’s literal reign on earth. People were cleverly turned against this fundamental truth that Mr. Armstrong had restored to the Church—the hierarchical form of Church government. These brethren felt that Christ had “deserted” the Church during the apostasy, when the leadership of our former association turned completely away from God’s Truth.
Often, confused ministers would use catchphrases like “one-man government” to disorient people and turn them against the very government of God, which is described consistently throughout the entire Bible! They implied that the mistakes of the human leadership, after Mr. Armstrong’s death, gave them an excuse to turn completely away from God’s teaching on Church government.
It is important to realize that even the family is patterned after God’s hierarchical form of government. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:22–23). This exact same form of government is clearly indicated as the pattern for tomorrow’s world. For Christ Himself will be the “King of kings” (Revelation 19:16). King David will be next in line in governing Israel. He will not be “elected” but rather appointed directly by Christ. “I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23). This is stated again in Ezekiel 37:24: “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.” Under King David, according to your Bible, will be the Twelve Apostles who have been appointed by Christ to rule over the individual tribes of Israel. “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29–30).
In His fundamental dealings with mankind, God tells us clearly that He does not vary in His approach, for “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). We find that the same pattern will be taken by the coming King of kings: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). So why would any converted Christian think that Christ would want us today to observe a totally different form of Church government? Why would a converted Christian look to a government led by all kinds of committees, where voting or “balloting” is constantly practiced and the individuals involved do not really trust Christ to lead His Church in the way He did in ancient Israel, and in Apostolic times—and that He will in tomorrow’s world? Sadly, many Church of God groups have totally forsaken the teaching that God gave through His servant Mr. Armstrong for decades, regarding the form of government that they will need to teach and practice in tomorrow’s world! Let me state, in deep love and concern, that it is vitally important that all of God’s people learn to awaken from this ignorance and begin to practice the exact form of government that they are supposed to teach in a few years, in the first resurrection! We hope everyone will wake up, and be qualified to receive a much higher reward and opportunity to serve in Christ’s government than they would otherwise have.
All of you brethren in the Living Church of God have experienced the warmth and unity that we have here at Headquarters and in virtually all of our local congregations. You brethren know the relaxed faith that we can have in looking to Christ to guide His Church through His form of government—rather than arguing, quibbling, debating and voting on all kinds of issues in a way that never occurred in Apostolic times! We in the Living Church of God must believe and practice what the Bible clearly teaches on this subject!
We must certainly learn to improve our approach in the way we carry out God’s government—just as we need to “grow” in every other aspect of Christian life! By having the faith that Christ really is in charge, we are better able to truly walk with Him and practice His way in our individual Christian lives and in the Church as a whole. The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 1:19–23, describes the “mighty power” of God, “which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Christ is definitely the “head” over “all things” to the true Church of God! If He becomes more real to us, we can trust Him to direct every single activity of the Church of God, as well as our lives individually.
In Colossians 1:18, the Apostle continues this theme. “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Jesus Christ told the disciples: “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:15–16). Christ was “in charge.” Today, He is still in charge, directing His Church! For He clearly instructed: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). Jesus will be with those who “observe all things” that He commanded—and that certainly includes the form of Church government described throughout the New Testament!
The living Jesus Christ continued to lead His Church after His resurrection from the dead. “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mark 16:19–20). Christ actively guided His ministers and guided His Church in the right direction.
We find this same pattern in the book of Acts, where Christ specifically directed the Apostle Paul’s activities. “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9–10). Later, we find that the living Christ guided and encouraged Paul directly in a powerful vision during his stay in Corinth: “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city’” (Acts 18:9–10). Throughout the New Testament, we see many such examples of Christ directly guiding the Church, which is His body—the very instrument He uses to preach the Gospel and prepare His faithful servants to be the kings and priests in His government in tomorrow’s world. When you think of it this way, it is obvious that it is not just a matter of “preference”—it is extremely important that we learn now to trust in Christ to guide and lead us and to practice His true form of government so that we may be prepared to lead in that same way in the soon-coming Kingdom of God!
One fundamental example of this matter is given in 1 Corinthians 6:1–6. You will all remember Paul’s statement in verse 2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” Then Paul continues: “Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (v. 3). Paul then describes how this pattern of government ought to be applied within the true Church: “Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?” (v. 5). This matter of fully trusting in Christ to lead our lives individually and to truly lead His Church through His clearly revealed form of government, is obviously a vital doctrine and a vital way of life for us to practice. With all of the nitpicking, snide comments and arguments being put forth against God’s form of government, I feel it is necessary for us to review these basic scriptures from time to time, so that we can understand the plain Truth! We must not ever be ashamed because we do not have a kind of “democracy” as the world has. Rather, we in the true Church must realize that—contrary to the expectations of most people—democracy is not going to solve the world’s problems! In fact, over the next several years, we will probably see more and more trouble resulting from democracy! More and more nations will gradually turn away from democracy and adopt a hierarchical form of government—but without Christ in charge, any form of human government will remain far from perfect.
We in the Living Church of God must think of ourselves as “pioneers”—having the genuine faith that Christ is real, that He is all-wise and that He is truly in charge of His Church in an active way. As we individually and collectively “put our hands in Christ’s hands” and learn to faithfully “walk with God,” we will be preparing ourselves to exercise His form of government and fully teach His way of life in tomorrow’s world. As each year goes by, we will find from the “fruits” that His government is by far the best! Those who practice His government and are truly doing His Work are those who will be protected during the coming Great Tribulation! And it is those who have this kind of faith in Christ, and in the Father, who will certainly be given the leading positions in the Kingdom that Christ will soon set up on this earth. So let us go forward with joy, with confidence that we will truly be blessed for genuinely trusting in the living Christ to lead His Church, and to lead our lives individually.
