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Are You Flunking Your Make Up Exam?
By M. John Allen
Time just seems to fly by these
days. Another week has passed and it is once again God's glorious Sabbath
day. And what a wonderful privilege it is that God has opened our eyes to His
Sabbath and other truths. We need to constantly thank Him in appreciation for
His gifts, and realize just how precious and special they are!
Out of all the people on the
face of the earth, God has chosen the humble, the lowly, that which is
despised to carry on His Work. He has not chosen by and large big business
tycoons, movie stars, and the other rich and famous of this world. One of the
reasons for this is that they are satisfied enough with their lives that they
are not looking for Him.
But, we often forget that even
if someone IS looking for Him, unless the father has specially called
someone, they cannot find the way that leads to God's Truth!
There are many blind alleys and
wrong turns to God's path. The way to Eternal Life is not easy, especially in
these times when the world just seems to get worse and worse.
I Cor. 1:
17 ¶ For Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. {words: or, speech}
18 For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is
the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise?
where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath
not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of
God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in
his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption:
- That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord.
Yes, by and large, God has
chosen those of low estate for His own purposes, that they might demonstrate
that God does not need human strength, but through the sincere prayers of His
saints He can get His work done even in the midst of great foolishness and
stupidity.
From the beginning, this Work
has not been done as man would do it. God chose for His end time work a
foolish advertising man who had one business after the other swept out from
under him. He did not choose some great theologian or popular religious
leader. He did not select a Bible scholar, or a professional educator. He did
not select a slick radio announcer at the height of a successful
career.
He did not select any of these
things. "Out of nowhere," He selected a broken man. A man who had
failed and had his ego crushed through year after year of grinding poverty.
He selected a man who did not have even enough money to sponsor a simple
broadcast on the smallest radio station imaginable.
And this Work did not start with
modern printing presses and the like. It started with a broken down old
manual typewriter that was used to create mimeographed masters that were used
on a broken down old hand cranked mimeograph machine that was barely
functional.
From these humble beginnings, He
then took His work to Southern
California so that it would
have access to the most modern state of the art radio studios and equipment
and distribution network. There were those who objected, and surprisingly,
there are STILL THOSE who second guess and think this move was wrong. But,
despite the failings and criticism of ignorant humans, God knew what He was
doing and He blessed this fledgling Work. It was rapidly expanding into
nationwide impact on radio, and the move proved to be the right thing to do.
God then inspired Mr. Armstrong
with another really stupid idea. He inspired Mr. Armstrong to find a group
of run down old mansions in a deteriorating slum area of Pasadena. He then arranged it so that it cold be purchased for NO
MONEY DOWN! But there was no money for repairs, let alone the building and
opening of a college.
But, step by step, the drama
unfolded. A small bankrupt ministry moved to expensive Southern California, and ACTUALLY NOT ONLY SURVIVED, BUT THRIVED!
The college that started with
four students and eight faculty members had no endowment. The fledgling
college couldn't even meet its salary obligations. There was talk of
"when this thing folds up," always projected to be the next week
the next month, or the next quarter. But, miraculously, the college survived
an thrived and expanded. A couple decades later it had three campuses on two
continents, and was a viable institution for the training of those God would
need to conduct His Work.
God is a God of order. He
doesn’t do for us those things He expects us to do for ourselves. One man who
runs a small ministry took me to task a month or so ago. He said if God
wanted a liberal arts college, He could start another one, but that He
didn't need a college because He could inspire people wherever they were.
This man wants God's people to sit back and relax and expect God t do all the
work for us of getting laborers for the harvest. But that is not the way God
works. Notice what God says is a wise practice:
Prov. 6:
6 ¶ Go to the ant, thou
sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide,
overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the
summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O
sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a
little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as
one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
God shows very clearly here and
in other places I scripture that we are expected to WORK with what God has
blessed us with. And if we do not, He calls us a LAZY AND UNPROFITABLE
SERVANT! There is NEVER any excuse for laying down on the job and not doing
as much as we can, humanly, knowing that in the end God will provide that
little extra push we need to do the job.
We have a job to do, and that is
to PREACH THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM TO THE WORLD AS A WITNESS! We aren't here
to try and GET membership for any church organization. We aren't here to
provide comfortable retirement plans for ministers. We are told to put GOD'S
GOALS FIRST AND FOREMOST IN MIND, AND TO WORK INDUSTRIOUSLY AT IT, AND THEN
GOD WILL SUPPLY OUR EVERY NEED! If we will but trust in Him, He will provide
our needs, but we must FIRST show God that we are willing to put forth an
honest effort and show Him that we are working on HIS GOALS and DOING WHAT HE
COMMANDS, which is to preach the Gospel, not get caught up in material things
of this world. But, the strange thing is, if we pay attention to Him and do
as He commands, HE WILL PROVIDE THOSE MATERIAL THINGS WE WANT AND NEED, AND
WILL GIVE US MORE THAN WE COULD HOPE FOR IN OUR WILDEST IMAGINATIONS!
And this is EXACTLY what Mr.
Armstrong did years ago, but human nature started to look to the physical
instead of the spiritual, and we have been punished for having the WRONG
PRIORITIES, and thus the physical blessings we started looking to as an IDOL
have BEEN WITHDRAWN, until such time as we get our priorities right again!
But of course God does not have unlimited time to indulge us, and He has back
up plans should we fail.
Mtt. 25:
14 ¶ For the kingdom of
heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his
own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five
talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his
several ability; and straightway took his journey. {talents: a talent is one
hundred and eighty seven pounds ten shillings}
16 Then he that had received the
five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five
talents.
17 And likewise he that had
received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one
went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of
those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received
five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents
more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well
done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy
of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I
have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well
done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received
the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man,
reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went
and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is
thine.
26 His lord answered and said
unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap
where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to
have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent
from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath
shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall
be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The man I referred to above who
thinks that "God's Work doesn't need a liberal
arts college" is totally and utterly wrong. And his criticism of Mr.
Armstrong on this point even after Mr. Armstrong proved that the college was
a good thing for decades shows just how out of touch with reality
this man truly is, and those who think like this! Not only is this man out of
touch with MATERIAL REALITY AND COMMON SENSE, he is also out of touch with
GOD'S STRICT INSTRUCITONS TO USE OUR TALENTS TO THE FULLEST OR SUFFER THE
CONSEQUENCES.
ON another level, this parable
is a strict warning to each and every one of us that we should use the
resources God has given us to do His Work as He opens doors for us
individually just as He does for His Church as a group. And if we fail, we
shall DISQUALIFY OURSELVES EVEN FROM THE SALVATION WE SO SMUGLY THOUGHT WE
HAD ALL NEATLY TIED DOWN! We shall discover, too late, that there was MUCH
MORE THAT GOD EXPECTED OF US, AND THAT WE RUINED THE ONE AND ONLY OPPROTUNITY
GOD HAD GIVEN US TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE UNDERSTOOD THE PRINCIPLES HE WAS
TEACHIGN US.
Friends, the idea that salvation consists of simply
"giving your heart to the Lord" and then sitting back in an easy
chair runs contrary to scripture. Our calling and election are only the very
FRIST baby steps on the road to salvation. And just as it is impossible to
find that path by ourselves without God, is IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY ON IT WITHOUT
GOD'S HELP!
It is the easiest thing in the
world to get ourselves off of God's track, and to become lost
in the ways of this world again. Making sure we are doctrinally sound is ONLY
ONE SMALL PART of our Christian walk. IN fact, that is only the first BABY STEP
along the path to eternal life. It is what we do the rest of the time with
what God has given us that determines whether we will stay the course and
reach the right destination when we are done. What we do each and every day
helps to determine what our final destination and reward will be.
We can't just "pray and
pay," either. Sure, we NEED to both pray and pay tithes and offerings to
make sure that God's work has money to continue, but we also need to be using
what talent God has given us to compliment the organized efforts of the
church. And no one necessarily has to ORDER you or give you permission to do
whatever that is. It is your responsibility to see what you can do to fulfill
the many commands we see in the Bible. And we don't all have the same talents
and abilities.
Some have good jobs or
businesses, and so the thing they have the greatest abundance of are material
things of this world to give. Well, if that is your talent, then use it to
the fullest.
Others might be good at
organizing local evangelistic campaigns. Then that is one of the things you
should be doing. Others are really empathetic and caring, and love to visit the sick and
the elderly and shut ins to make their lives bearable. Well, then, get about
the Lord's business!
Others may have a gift of
hospitality and can make new and old members alike feel like part of God's
family. They are there to encourage and help others. Well, then, you should
get about the business God has given you!
Each of us has something God
would like us to be doing so that the Body of Christ
can function well. We are not all an eye or an ear or a mouth or a hand. But
we all have some part to play and if we don't know what that part is, ask God
to show you! This is a solemn duty we must all take seriously, and we by and
large have NOT been doing this, or we otherwise would not have such big
problems. Where you find big problems you find LOTS AND LOTS OF SIN, and some
of that sin is a matter of NEGLECT and OMMISSION rather than outright
COMMISSION! And the sin of omission can get you into trouble with your BOSS,
Jesus Christ, just as much as a sin of COMMISSION can, except that
the sin of OMMISSION is much harder to see, and so is thus much more
dangerous.
Mtt. 5:
13 ¶ Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house. {a bushel: the word in the original
signifieth a measure containing about a pint less than a peck}
16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven.
Yes, we are to let our good
WORKS shine forth to the world as a witness, but if we as a group of people
are INDISTINGUISHABLE from the world, then how can we claim to be salt and
light? This is speaking of our own individual lives being a witness for the
hope that lies within us. Having the right doctrine will not substitute for
this, neither will anything else. Salt either IS salt or it is not. Light
either IS or it IS NOT. There is NO GRAY AREA in these things. We either ARE
children of God, or we are not.
And how did Christ
say we would know His disciples? It's simply.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
When you start adding things up,
this Christian life begins to look harder than we at first thought.
God gives us a tall order to fill. We must use our talents to do His Work
while still loving each other and showing that love to the world around us.
There is no room for selfishness and bad attitudes and corporate infighting.
We either work together on the job God has given us, or we work to serve our
own lusts! We are either doing God's work or we are not. And if we are not
doing God's Work and bearing fruit, then we have a bad fate in store for us
indeed.
Mtt. 13:
34 All these things spake Jesus
unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
35 That it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I
will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the
world.
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude
away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying,
Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered and said unto
them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the
good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of
the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is
the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the
angels.
40 As therefore the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send
forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity; {things...: or, scandals}
42 And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
44 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he
hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth
that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one
pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they
drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the
bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of
the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the
just,
50 And shall cast them into the
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have
ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
I think we can see how valuable
the Kingdom is, and we can also see that God allows the wheat and tares to
grow together until the end. It is up to us to be wheat and not tares, to be
light and not darkness, and to be working diligently towards the goals that
our boss, Jesus Christ, has set before us. If we fail, the punishment is
severe, but if we will only work with what God has given us, He will prosper
us and bless our efforts.
Sadly, it seems like most of
God's people USED to understand this, but somewhere in the '70's we lost this
and never as a group got it back. Mr. Armstrong got it back as did a few
others at the top, but, by and large, the leadership had lost sight of the
goals and purposes they had been called for, and substituted worldly goals
and principles of business instead. We were at a time of final exams, and
most of us FLUNKED! Now, God is at this very moment giving each and
every one of us a make up exam, and I am afraid that many of us are flunking
that, too!
You can search from Genesis to
Revelation, and NOWHERE does God promise a make up exam, and yet, in His
infinite mercy, HE HAS BEEN GIVING US A MAKE UP EXAM SINCE THE DEATH OF MR.
ARMSTRONG, BUT MANY OF US HAVE NOT YET WOKEN UP TO THAT FACT! And, to judge
from what can be seen, we are botching the make up exam just as much if not
more than the original! That should make us sit up and take notice, brethren,
because if we continue to FLUNK our exams God will just work with another
group of people and we will only have the fearful consequences of our neglect
to face in the resurrection! And scripture doesn’t hold out much truth for
the tares and others who have failed their exams!
I suggest you think about
this and pray about this, so that you might be accounted worthy to escape the
DEADLY consequences of your own sins! Notice what the Apostle Paul warned:
Heb. 2:
1 ¶ Therefore we ought to give
the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we
should let them slip. {let...: Gr. run out as leaking vessels}
2 For if the word spoken by
angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Yes indeed. How can we think
that we will ESCAPE God's condemnation if we allow His Truth and His way of
life to leak from us like leaky vessels, smugly thinking we have it made when
in fact through neglect we have been slowly letting things slip or leak out?
The Bible says YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH NEGLECT. I
suggest you not take the chance that God will give you ANOTHER make up exam
and that you start working on the one you are presently flunking. And I
suggest you get about the Lord's business in your life RIGHT NOW, and not put
it off until later. Even if Christ doesn't come for years to come, you have no guarantee
of more time on YOUR exam. So I suggest you get about doing what God wants
you to do right now, because there is no guarantee of more time for you.
I think it would be useless to
belabor this any farther. I had no idea what I was going to say today when I
sat down to write this, but the words just seemed to come one after another.
I know for a fact that this is the message God wanted you to read today. I
know for a fact that many of you are in REAL JEAPARDY for your very salvation
which you smugly think you have all sowed up. And I know for a fact that
unless you heed this warning you are in serious jeopardy. God guided you to
read this message today as a dire warning of your own personal sinking ship.
I suggest you take it to heart and GET YORU LIFE BACK ON GOD'S TRACK before
you lose sight of it and NEVER FIND IT AGAIN!
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