Dear Brethren and Friends, We have just completed an extremely warm and unifying Council of Elders Conference. The members of the Council—all dedicated to serving you brethren and to preaching the Gospel to the world—are truly among the finest men I have ever known. As have many of you brethren, they have been tried and tested—again and again—and have regularly stood up for the Truth and for Christ’s approach to doing the Work.
During three separate sessions, we discussed ways of doing the Work even better and reaching a broader range of people. We discussed the possibility of introducing a Card Holder Program, a program of getting the Tomorrow’s World magazine into various libraries and waiting rooms, better use of the Internet, more extensive use of radio and a number of other ideas to “grow” the Work.
A separate session was devoted to improved methods for feeding the flock and better ways to serve you brethren. And we concluded by discussing a few doctrinal issues and then examining how we all can draw closer to God.
One key theme was that all of us and all of you brethren need to be more heartfelt in our WORSHIP of God and in our service to God. Remember, brethren, that when our Savior was asked which was the “great” commandment in God’s law, He replied, “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).
Let’s think about that! Since God is our Father, our Creator and the Giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift,” we certainly should want to honor Him, love Him and worship Him as our God. But if we are to love God with ALL our heart, soul and mind, we obviously must make God the very CENTER of our lives. What GOD wants—NOT what we want—should be the underlying theme in EVERYTHING we think, say and do.
The Apostle Paul was inspired to instruct us that our spiritual warfare is: “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). So as true bond slaves of Jesus Christ, even our thoughts should be constantly centered around what our Father and our God really want us to do in every phase and facet of our lives.
How well I remember the early years of Ambassador College when Mr. Armstrong’s thoughts and words seemed to constantly echo this theme. Mr. Armstrong was a wonderful conversationalist. But it seemed that even in discussing such diverse subjects as music, sports, foreign travel, big business executives and other topics, Mr. Armstrong would very often tie in these subjects with what GOD’S standards are— or the lessons we can learn from these various topics. Though Herbert W. Armstrong was very human, the thousands of hours I personally spent with him are a constant source of inspiration as I think back on how he related nearly every subject imaginable to the Kingdom of God and to God’s purpose in making mankind in His image.
All of us need to meditate on this concept and to PRAY that God will help us and inspire us to bring every thought into “captivity” to Jesus Christ!
It is important, at this point, that we reflect on the fact that we are told not only to align our thoughts with Christ, but to have the “mind” of Christ (Philippians 2:5), to “serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24), to have Christ LIVE His life in us (Galatians 2:20) and many other such references. So when we read and we meditate about loving “God”, remember that this command also includes loving Jesus Christ in the SAME way! For in God’s inspired Word, Jesus told us, “I and My Father are ONE” (John 10:30). And in John 5:21–23, Jesus Christ stated, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son JUST AS they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
Remember, brethren, there will NEVER be a time when the Father is “jealous” of us loving and worshipping Jesus Christ, His Son. For they really are ONE in a way that we humans cannot fully comprehend. So when Jesus said, “I AM the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE,” there was not one twinge of jealousy and resentment in the Father. For the Father had sent Jesus for this very purpose: to REVEAL the Father and His entire way of life (Matthew 11:27) and to make God more REAL and accessible to us by coming in the human flesh.
Therefore, we should constantly identify with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, our Leader, our Example, our Hero and our GOD! For Jesus is very God—and worthy of the worship of the angels (Hebrews 1:6). Through God’s Spirit within us, each of us must build a deep and profound and constant relationship with Jesus Christ. Although we must never imagine or picture specific features or make any kind of an idol, we should nevertheless meditate about and—in a general way—“picture” Christ sitting at the right hand of God on His glorious throne in heaven, surrounded by more than one-hundred million angels! (Revelation 5:11).
Also, in a general way, we should mentally picture Christ walking by the Sea of Galilee, patiently teaching the people, healing the sick, casting out demons—helping, encouraging, GIVING of Himself all day long. Truly, He was the “light” that God sent into the world to show us how to live. As we “feed” on Jesus Christ through careful, unhurried, earnest Bible study and meditation (John 6:57), Christ will become more and more REAL to us. As Abraham became the “friend” of God (James 2:23), so each of us can become a genuine “friend” of Jesus Christ. Because we will constantly be SEEKING Him, serving Him and walking with Him. Then, as we build this constantly increasing back and forth relationship with Christ our active Savior—and with the Father— we will be building that sense of “oneness” with God, that LIVING faith which made Abraham truly God’s “friend.”
Dear brethren, if all of us dedicate ourselves to passionately seek an extremely close, loving relationship with the One who gives us life and breath, then the POWER of God’s Spirit will be felt within the Church as never before. Then our PRAYERS will be answered more quickly and more powerfully than ever before. Then, as true brethren in the body of Christ, we will FORGIVE each other and we will LOVE each other as never before.
Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:7–8). Again, if we “feed” on Christ, we will ask according to God’s will. Then God will answer our prayers and use us ever more powerfully as His ambassadors. Then, also, we will bear MUCH “fruit” and our lives will really count for something very special because we will collectively— through Christ’s Spirit within us—have an enormous impact on this world in preparing for the “fifth Kingdom,” the literal Government of God soon to be set up on this earth.
