Every year, billions of people celebrate December 31 as "New Year's Eve. "We in God's Church know that the world is following a secular pattern founded in superstition and paganism, so we do not observe that holiday. We know that God's calendar begins in the spring, not in the dead of winter.
We customarily use the time before the Passover for self-evaluation, as we should. But, in another sense, we should always be evaluating ourselves. There is never a "wrong" time for us to review our own lives and take stock of where we are and where we have been. As the world's year comes to a close, news analysts and commentators will review the trends and events of 2008, and we can do the same in our own lives.
For the Church, as well as for the nations of planet Earth, 2008 was an eventful year. The world's economy suffered from the fallout of catastrophic U.S. mortgage and credit failures, amounting to trillions of dollars lost. Military conflicts continued unabated in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Russia invaded Georgia, spurring fears of a destabilized Europe. From the ruinous 8.0 magnitude Sichuan earthquake last May 12—which killed nearly 70,000 and injured nearly 400,000—to the ongoing Murray-Darling Basin drought that has disrupted the lives of millions across Australia, our natural environment was wracked by disaster in 2008.
Many observers are hoping that the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States will bring positive change to the U.S. and to the world. However, we in God's Church know that while temporary gains may occur, an overall pattern of decline is inevitable unless our peoples turn from their selfish, anti-God, materialistic ways of life. God is testing the national character of the U.S. and our Western nations. Will we repent and avoid God's judgment, as did ancient Nineveh? Will the Western nations trust in their own righteousness and power, or will they trust God's power for deliverance, peace and prosperity?
The Work experienced important milestones in 2008. In March, Christ opened the television door of Black Entertainment Television (BET), which reaches 89 million households in the U.S. and Canada. God also inspired hundreds more donors and co-workers to begin supporting the Work. In just the first 10 months of 2008, 17,783 new students began taking the printed version of the Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course. Another 2,793 began taking the online edition. In total, students from more than 170 nations are now studying the Bible in depth, through Tomorrow's World. The November–December Tomorrow's World magazine had a print run of more than 390,000 copies, sent to subscribers in more than 160 nations around the world.
Some of our brethren "endured to the end" in 2008. Our six Living Church News issues in 2008 honored in the "In Loving Memory" section 23 brethren—including many long-time members, ministers and their wives—who died in the faith. Others died whose names were not sent in for inclusion, and we love and honor them all. The "faith chapter" of your Bible gives us this encouragement: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13).
What greater honor could these brethren have? They died in the faith. May that be said of any of us who die, or go to sleep in the Lord, in 2009 and beyond. "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Hebrews 11:39–40).
Brethren, we must grow spiritually in 2009! We must become more like Christ in 2009! And we must actively trust in God's power in 2009!
We should understand that God is so powerful that not even death can prevail against His Church. Our Savior declared, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Not even the gates of the grave can prevent God's Church from fulfilling its mission. Why? Because God is in control! God rules supreme!
Years ago, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong asked rhetorically, "What is the greatest fact?" When you think about truth and reality, how would you answer the question? Mr. Armstrong stated: "God rules supreme!" Yes, God is El Shaddai, God Almighty. He has all power in the universe. He is omnipotent. Remember the events leading up to Christ's return: "Then a voice came from the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!' And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready'" (Revelation 19:5–7).
Yes, we—the Church—are making ourselves ready, not through our own power, but through the power of Christ! "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"
We thank God for His sovereignty, His authority, and His power. But do we truly realize that God wants us to have power?
God's Power in History
When the peoples of Britain, the U.S., and other nations have humbled themselves before God, He has intervened for them and blessed them. In May 1940, Hitler's armies had overrunWestern Europe. 335,000 Allied troops were trapped near Dunkirk in France with no means of escape. On May 26, King George VI requested a National Day of Prayer. The British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.), was delivered in what became known as "the miracle of the calm seas" or the "miracle of Dunkirk." Adolf Hitler blundered! Dr. Lynn Torrance wrote an article for the July 1961, Plain Truth magazine, describing what transpired: "Hitler issued the most amazing order ever recorded in all military history. He ordered General von Rundstedt and General Guderian to stop their fast-succeeding drive to surround the helpless British Army. The British troops escaped into Dunkirk under the silent muzzles of the German guns" ("Hitler's Seven Fatal Blunders," p. 10).
Hitler blundered by commanding his panzer tank division to halt its advancement, hoping to give the Luftwaffe the glory of victory. Two incidents of divine intervention redeemed the B.E.F. A storm prevented the German air force from completing its mission, and the British Channel experienced calm waters. Every boat, fishing vessel and ship was pressed into service. A third of a million troops were rescued from certain defeat.
The British celebrated a Day of National Thanksgiving on June 9. An article by C.B. Mortlock in The Daily Telegraph, June 8, 1940, reported the historic events. Mortlock wrote: "Officers of high rank do not hesitate to put down the deliverance of the B.E.F. to the fact of the nation being at prayer on Sunday, May 26…. The consciousness of miraculous deliverance pervades the camps in which the troops are now housed in England…. One thing can be certain about tomorrow's thanksgiving in our churches. From none will the thanks ascend with greater sincerity or deeper fervour than from the officers and men who have seen the Hand of God, powerful to save, delivering them from the hand of a mighty foe, who, humanly speaking, had them utterly at his mercy" (We Have a Guardian, pp. 11–12).
God rescued 335,000 British troops. God has all power in the universe, and He does intervene in human history.
The Bible records how God miraculously delivered His people on many occasions. When the Assyrian armies of King Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem, King Hezekiah pleaded with God to save the city and its people. You can read how God powerfully intervened. What did He do? "And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh" (2 Kings 19:35–36).
Remember God's demonstration of power to deliver His people. He can use His power to help you! Yes, God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).
God's Spiritual Power
One of God's greatest gifts is the gift of the Holy Spirit. God is willing to give us His spiritual power! "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Even while we are physical, God gives us the powerful spiritual dimension. Billions of human beings around the world have yet to receive God's Spirit.
Spiritual power, spiritual love and sound-mindedness are dynamic characteristics that we must nurture after they are given. If we do not tend to them, we can become lax and lose them. So, God tells us to "stir up" His gift (2 Timothy 1:6).We must pursue a close relationship with God, and decide always to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
God's spiritual power instills within us the greatest quality in the universe, God's love: "and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us" (Romans 5:5, ASV).
The Spirit of Begettal
God has called us to become His very children, not by "adoption," but by actual Spirit begettal. His Spirit combines with the spirit in man (1 Corinthians 2:11–12) and begets us as His children! One of the most inspiring and encouraging verses (among many) in the Bible reveals that our Father in Heaven personally chose you and me to become His spiritual children. Notice: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (James 1:18, KJV).
God knows you and me intimately and showers His love and Spirit upon us. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). As His children, we must use the power of His Spirit to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
The Spirit of Creation
God has demonstrated His omnipotence as the great Creator of all things. We stand in awe as we see what seems to be a limitless universe rapidly expanding out into space. God has created the glorious galaxies that startle our imagination. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). As we have explained in our publications and telecast, Lucifer and his angels caused great havoc to the earth and its galactic neighborhood. The earth "became," as it should read in Genesis 1:2, "without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (KJV).
Through the power of His Spirit, God renewed the earth as His chosen environment for the unfolding of the incredible human potential. "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30). Creation is one proof of God's existence, and through the creation human beings should understand the very power of God. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse," (Romans 1:20).
Yes, God's power is clearly seen in the creation! All humanity must recognize God as the Creator. Historically, many American patriots recognized God to the best of their ability. Even to this day, U.S. currency contains the motto, "In God We Trust." Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong observed: "Trust in God is the very foundation of godly character." Let us trust God and continually thank God that He has given us of His Spirit, the very Spirit of creation!
Christ Upholds the Universe!
The physical world is susceptible to decay and destruction. Yet God created the heavens and the earth as an environment through which human beings could begin to understand and appreciate His great power. Notice this inspiring revelation concerning Christ's role in the universe: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs" (Hebrews 1:1–4, RSV).
In addition to working with us individually as our great High Priest, Christ is actively working with the power of the universe, which Christians will eventually inherit ("all things," Romans 8:17, 32).
The Power of the Resurrection
When the Sadducees tried to challenge Him with a difficult question, Jesus illustrated another aspect of God's power. They asked Jesus, regarding a woman who had had seven husbands in her lifetime, "'in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.' Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.' And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching" (Matthew 22:28–33).
Jesus also demonstrated the power of God when He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. He told Martha, "'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live'" (John 11:23–25).
God's Power for the Weak
At some point in most of our lives, we have experienced physical and spiritual weakness. Even the great Apostle Paul knew the stress of pain and weakness. When Paul pleaded with God to remove his "thorn in the flesh," God gave him this encouragement: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
The Apostle Paul trusted in Christ for the strength to go forward. In his old age, Mr. Herbert Armstrong would often quote Isaiah to credit God for whatever zeal and power he was able to exhibit: "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). I hope you have claimed that promise in your prayers to God—I certainly have many times. God gives us this further encouragement: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength" (Isaiah 40:28–29).
The Power of the Gospel
The good news of God's coming Kingdom gives us hope, and reveals God's overall plan of salvation. The world believes in a false hope, based on a false gospel, but the truth gives us encouragement and power. The Apostle Paul wrote: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith'" (Romans 1:16–17). The Moffatt translation states it this way: "For I am proud of the gospel; it is God's saving power for everyone who has faith…"
Christ is our living Savior and Great High Priest. How much power does He have to save us? "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). The gospel of Christ is the power of salvation for all who believe!
Goals for the Year Ahead
In 2009, we will certainly face challenges and trials, as we did in 2008. Philosopher Elbert Hubbard shared this perspective on life: "God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars" (A Thousand & One Epigrams, p. 104). We may suffer pain and problems in 2009, but we must set goals and go forward in faith. Many around us will make resolutions at this time of year. What goals have you set? What goals have you genuinely committed to achieve? The book of Proverbs gives us this advice: "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5).
As most of you know, I enjoy the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes. In one strip, the precocious boy Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes, are walking through the snow on a winter day. Hobbes says to Calvin, "Are you making any resolutions for the New Year?" Calvin responds, "Yeah, I'm resolving to just wing it and see what happens." Hobbes follows: "So you're staying the course?" Calvin concludes: "I stick to my strengths."
Of course, our strength is in the Lord, and not in ourselves. We can plan for 2009 by considering the commitment we made last year at the Passover. How much have you grown in godly character since you took the bread and wine after sunset last April 18? When you take the Passover in 2009, after sunset on April 7, will you be able to say that you have become stronger in the faith in the past year? If not, now is a good time to redouble your efforts with God's help. Are you sowing seeds to the Kingdom? Are you applying Acts 20:35 daily?
Bernard M. Baruch, the noted statesman and advisor to U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, wrote in his autobiography: "During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think" (Baruch: My Own Story, 1957).
Throughout 2009, be sure to apply the tools for spiritual character and growth. Set specific goals for yourself. Perhaps you will commit to read the first five books of the Bible over the next three months, or the first five books of the New Testament over the next month. Perhaps you will resolve to fast one day in the next month, or one day a month all year. Have you fasted since the Day of Atonement last October 9? If not, perhaps you can make fasting a higher priority in your life in 2009.
Several years ago, Dr. Douglas Winnail gave this excellent advice regarding year-end evaluations and plans: "For most organizations, winding up another calendar year is a time for year-end reports, assessing problems and accomplishments of the past 12 months and mapping out plans for the coming year. If we are really serious about growing, overcoming and bearing spiritual fruit, we can benefit by using these same procedures in our own lives. In the coming week, it might be very helpful to spend some time reflecting on your actions and activities of the past year.Make a list of what you have accomplished and what problems you have had to deal with—and what lessons you have learned. Then make a list of goals that you would like to accomplish and challenges that you need to overcome. Study the Bible to find out what God has to say about the goals and challenges that you face (Psalm 119:105). Do some reading to find out what may be helpful in achieving your goals and overcoming your particular challenges. Get wise counsel about issues you face (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22). Then formulate some plans—with specific things to do—to achieve the goals you set. This is what Solomon meant when he advised, 'Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established' (Proverbs 4:25–27)" (The World Ahead Weekly Update, December 29, 2005).
Brethren, think over this past year. Has God worked a miracle in your life? Thank God for every day of life God has given you. Thank Him for His blessing, mercy and forgiveness. Remember: "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations" (Psalm 145:8–13).
God has called us to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He has called us to accomplish a mission. How will we accomplish that mission? By His great power! "'Not by might nor by [human] power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). God has given us spiritual power to fulfill His will and to do His Work. We can look forward to the Kingdom and the resurrection of the saints. We can look forward to the time when Christ's faithful servants will be given even more power. "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'" (Revelation 2:26–27).
We can look forward to the time when all the heavenly hosts will praise the King of kings: "'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!' And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: 'Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!'" (Revelation 5:12–13).
In 2009, each of us ought to be trusting God's power to work with us and through us. As we do so, we can trust His promises that He will give us power: power to overcome, power to grow in spiritual maturity, power to become more like Christ and power to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ!
Brethren, trust in God's power in your life, and remember Paul's words, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Yes, we as Christians can persevere, succeed and grow in 2009 and beyond!
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Clarification: "The First Feast of Tabernacles" (September-October 2008 Living Church News) relied in part on an assumption that the first Pentecost of the Exodus occurred on Sivan 6, contrary to the long-accepted chronology placing Pentecost on Sivan 8 that year. While we encourage readers to appreciate the valuable and lasting spiritual principles and lessons in the article, the Church continues to accept the traditional Sivan 8 chronology.