We who know the Truth are held accountable for that precious knowledge. As Jesus clearly stated, "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:48). As God looks down from heaven upon all His people, what does He really see? Does He see a group of people with true faith in Christ, who are obedient to His laws? Does He see a group of people who actually practice His government and are really, truly preparing to be kings and priests as they study His laws, His statutes and prepare to teach and administer this entire way of life in Tomorrow's World?
As each Passover approaches, it is vitally important that we honestly examine ourselves, as the Bible commands: "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Is Christ actually "living" in you— and in me? As we ask that question, we must realize that we gain absolutely nothing by merely "kidding" ourselves! It is for our own benefit that we must be honest and frank as we privately and conscientiously go through the process of genuinely examining ourselves before God.
Think! How much more fully is Christ actually "living" in you now than a year ago? How much more do you reflect Jesus Christ in your absolute awe, worship, adoration, obedience and service to the God who made you? How much more do you reflect Christ in your love, kindness, patience and service to your fellow human beings?
God Must Come FIRST
Jesus said: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37–38). Yet all of us, from time to time, let other people, situations and "things" come between us and God. In our modern, confused, hectic and materialistic society, it is very easy to compromise and put other things ahead of the great God who gives us life and breath. We must examine ourselves to be sure we are fully putting God first in every phase and facet of our lives. We must be sure that we are not "watering down" His instructions regarding full obedience to each of the Ten Commandments. We must be sure to truly revere His Sabbaths and Holy Days, to fully tithe on our income and give generously in addition as we are able. We must be sure to fully give ourselves in actually doing His Work in every way we personally are able to do. As God looks down from heaven, how do you "measure up" in regard to all of the above?
Are we, as a Church, truly learning and practicing God's form of government, and genuinely preparing to become kings and priests and administer that very form of government? Remember Jesus' definite plan for each of us, that He "has made us kings and priests to His God and Father" (Revelation 1:6). As God tells us: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6). Are we fully aware that in the Millennium, our actual responsibility for the next one thousand years will be to help rule and govern this entire earth under the direction of the living Jesus Christ? Is that "real" to us? Or are we so fully absorbed with the idea that "democracy" is the best form of government that we are not genuinely able to believe and to focus on the reality of God's form of government? Do we realize how very important that is to God—so important that we should daily be preparing for our participation in that very form of government within the next several years?
In the lead article of the March- April 2005 issue of Tomorrow's World magazine, I wrote in depth about this whole matter. Please note carefully the following excerpts from that fundamental article:
"Many of our own early leaders deeply understood that not just any people, anywhere, could make democracy successful. In fact John Adams—the second President of the United States—stated, 'We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'…
America is not only in danger of becoming a 'judgocracy' because of the activist judges changing our entire way of life. We are also increasingly becoming an 'oligarchy' because of the domination of our thinking, our corporations and many facets of our lives by a very small and very powerful group of people. Although this is not what the "founding fathers" envisioned, it is what the U.S. is swiftly becoming.
Therefore, why should we possibly imagine that this type of government ought to be imposed on the primarily uneducated masses of the Middle East who have no familiarity whatsoever with this form of government or with democratic institutions, and who are often opposed to democracy on very strong religious grounds?....
Although democracy is one of the best humanly devised forms of government, it is not the "wave of the future" by any means. Truly, we all need to learn and understand God's form of government— for the true saints of God will soon be called on to administer that form of government in Tomorrow's World. All genuine Christians— and all men of goodwill—should learn to pray with understanding, 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10)."
My friends, even though I wrote the above paragraphs a little more than a year ago, they should resonate even more today! For, even as I write, most thinking people are deeply concerned that Hamas—the Palestinian terrorist group—has won a majority of the votes in the recent Palestinian elections. Meanwhile, several newspaper reports in leading publications are telling us that U.S. military forces are "stretched too thin." American equipment is wearing out, and there are not enough soldiers to carry out the needed tasks, so U.S. overseas commitments will have to be curtailed in the near future—perhaps even if a draft is reinstated. All of this is definitely weakening America's national capacity to respond to crises around the world. And those crises are increasing, not decreasing. For in addition to the Palestinian uprising, the government of Iran is boldly plowing ahead with its intent to manufacture atomic weapons! Yet President Bush knows that he cannot possibly attack Iran, and at the same time carry on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while simultaneously putting out "brushfires" all around the world! So the "democratic experiment" in the Middle East is certainly going to come apart, for these and many other reasons.
God's plan has never been—nor is it now—to use "democracy" as His means to govern human beings. We in God's Church especially should understand that one of the main reasons we are called now is to prepare us to be the kings and priests actually ruling this earth— under God's government, not democracy—in Tomorrow's World. God wants us to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Therefore, we must truly understand that democracy is not part of that process, and we must be preparing ourselves in a realistic way to help Christ carry on God's form of government in the near future!
As God looks down from heaven, does He see you and me actually doing this? Does He find that our whole hearts are in the work of preparing for His coming government, which will soon take over the entire world?
Genuine Love and Service
How much more than in years past are you and I growing in the practice of outflowing concern for our brethren and for all human beings? In doing this, how well are we growing in fully obeying the second great commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39)?
Are we becoming more clean and pure and honest in our daily lives? Do we genuinely cry out to God for help in overcoming the common tendency to "compromise" with the world?
I know—and many of you know— that many in God's Church, members and Church youth alike, drink too much alcohol. Some still smoke cigarettes or even use drugs occasionally. Some use foul or filthy language, tell lies, abuse their wives or children or lust after people to whom they are not married. Some even commit fornication or adultery! Others go to the opposite extreme and become self-righteous, judgmental and often unforgiving. They quickly forget Jesus Christ's powerful instruction: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14–15).
As I have preached in sermons for years, we are the "Church of the forgiven." We have all had to be forgiven of our past sins in order to receive God's Spirit and be in God's Church. So we absolutely must learn to love and forgive one another. We must "receive back" those who have sinned or left our fellowship and want to come back, as long as they come back repentant and genuinely trying to be better, to be cooperative and to be a positive part of our Church fellowship. Anything less will simply cut us off from the very God we think we are serving!
We must each do the best we can—with God's help—to exude loving kindness and service. Proverbs 19:22 instructs us, "What is desired in a man is kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar."
Are you trying to be the most patient and kind and thoughtful individual you can possibly be, with the help of God's Holy Spirit? Are you trying to be patient, truly humble and forgiving of others?
In thinking about a happy marriage and family, we often cite the example of the Proverbs 31 woman. For she is a woman who works hard, has great integrity, serves her husband and family and is certainly what you would call a "giving person" in every way. One key verse, however, is vital in understanding the full extent of such a woman's humility, self-discipline and character: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness" (v. 26). How many women do you know—and how many men—who practice the "law of kindness" when they speak to others? That is something that we all need to work on.
For, when all is said and done, God wants every one of us to have for one another, in every way, the same genuine outflowing concern that Jesus Christ has for us. This is a kind, serving and a sacrificial love. It is a love guided by wisdom—wisdom that at times will even correct others in love, for their own good, as Jesus had to correct the scribes and Pharisees in His day. It is a love that is "soft-hearted," yet not "soft-headed!" For giving people things they should not have, or placing people in positions they do not deserve— where they could even hurt others— is not genuine love and wisdom!
As the people of God, we should study, meditate and pray day by day that we may more fully obey the teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who stated: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34–35).
Jesus' instruction was "new" in that He Himself exemplified the perfect way to love, so His disciples could learn to love each other "as I have loved you." In this, He shows that a definite "sign" radiates from those of us in God's Church, through the love we show one another. By our Christ-like love, "all will know that you are My disciples."
As we examine ourselves before Passover—and throughout the entire year—we should constantly meditate on how to fulfill Christ's two great commandments ever more perfectly. We should try to think about how God "views" us as He looks down from heaven. Does He see that we truly love and obey Him? Does He see that we are willing to learn and practice His government, and genuinely prepare for His soon-coming Kingdom by doing as He says, and by participating enthusiastically in the very Work of God—assisting Jesus Christ in preparing for His soon-coming government over this entire world?
We dare not "kid" ourselves. We dare not slack off and "compromise" through a process of self-deception. For it is the great God we must please. In the end, it is He—not those around us "in the Church," or in the world—who will give us our reward. As the aged Apostle John wrote before he died, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).