FOT 2017: Grace and Knowledge

The importance of growing in these areas to enhance our relation ship with God and stay focused on our commission

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Living Waters

I was in the backyard and noticed that one of the squash plants in a planter looked somewhat bleak. Its leaves had drooped to the ground and were all withered. I thought the plant might have actually died, but I took the hose and gave it a good watering to see if that would help. When I looked at the plant on the next day, it had totally revived. The leaves were no longer drooping but were upright and looked good.

It is amazing what water will do to a plant. Water is a crucial element for human and plant survival. Humans consist of a little over 70% water. They can survive longer without food, when they have water, than without any food and water.

We have a garden which gets watered twice a day, but because of restrictions, the lawn only gets watered three times a week. We have a sprinkler in the garden which waters it but also some grass on each side. Since this grass is watered twice a day, it is much greener then the grass a little beyond it which only gets watered three times a week. We notice a big difference between well-watered grass and partly-watered grass. One is green and looks bright, while the other looks faded.

In the Millennium, a river of living water will flow from the temple in Jerusalem, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 47:1-9. These waters will be crystal clear and free of pollutants. They are not just healing waters but restorative waters in that they heal and also restore life, since all fish and many plants will have been destroyed just prior to Christ’s return.

Christ also mentions living waters in John 7:37-38: “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, [which] those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

In the incident at the well, in John 4:7-14, Christ said that those who drink the water that He gives them shall become fountains of living waters leading to eternal life. He is referring to God‘s Spirit flowing from true Christians, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. The closer we are to God, the more these living waters will flow from us.

Could You Explain More Fully Ephesians 4:11-16?

Here are the verses in question:

“(Ephesians 4:11) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

“(Verse 12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

“(Verse 13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

“(Verse 14)  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

“(Verse 15)  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

“(Verse 16)  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

In analyzing these verses carefully, we find that verse 11 points out that it is Christ who gave or placed these ranks in the ministry—into His Body, the Church. These titles were not invented, decided or instituted by men, but by Christ, and we should have the faith and confidence that Christ knows what He is doing since He is the Head of the Body.

Also, men are not self-ordained into the ministry or to one of these offices, but they are ordained by other ministers. The process for ordination of ministers is outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-13, including the ordination of non-ministerial offices of deacon and deaconess.

Verse 12 explains the reason for these offices or ranks: It is for the equipping of the saints, to help the saints to be equipped with the whole armor of God, mentioned in Galatians 6:11-17, in order to overcome Satan’s attacks, and also for the edifying of the Body of Christ (the Church) to build it up and to encourage it; including the edification and sharpening of the ability to test the spirits.

Verse 13 shows us the purpose of this process: We all are to come to the unity (the same doctrinal beliefs), so that we are all on the same page. Notice that it says that we ALL come to that unity of faith–ALL, not just a few.

We are also to grow in the knowledge of the Son of God; that is, to know who and what God the Father and the Son of God are, and not to be confused by false doctrines about the Godhead like the doctrine of the Trinity or by the erroneous teaching that Christ was somehow fully God and fully man when on the earth. Rather, we are to understand the truth that He was fully man and gave up His divinity to become a man (Philippians 2:6-7). (Our booklet, Jesus Christ–a Great Mystery, goes into details about this fact.)

Verse 13 explains that we are to become more and more perfect, striving to attain the measure and the stature of Christ; that is, to have His mind in us (Philippians 2:5), as well as God the Father’s mind, as promised by Christ in John 14:23. We are to walk as He walked, according to His perfect example.

Verse 14 continues to show that we should be adults, mature in the knowledge of God and not be swayed by every wind of doctrine, distraction, conspiracy theory or so-called better understanding of certain aspects of the Bible, which may be twiggy—but  rather, we should stick to the trunk of the tree.  Hanging from a twig will offer little help when the winds of persecution and trials come, but hugging the trunk will preserve us.

Also notice, the winds of doctrine come from men and Satan, not from God. Trickery, cunning craftiness and deceitful plotting are characteristic of the adversary. They do not originate with God or Christ or His faithful and dedicated ministers.

Verse 15 shows that we are to speak the truth in love.  The truth is the Word of God, not some fanciful idea which does not square with Scripture. We must do it in love, with outgoing concern for those hearing the message, which makes it easier for them to assimilate and absorb it. The purpose is so that we may grow up, be adults, requiring meat and not just milk for our spiritual diet.

Verse 15 states that Christ is the Head of the Church. He is responsible for it, which does not mean we have no part in the process, but we are to follow Him as our Leader and we must not try to take over that responsibility.

Verse 16 explains that we are the members of that Body. The joints of a body supply movement; likewise, as God’s Church we must be moving forward in grace and knowledge, in truth and understanding.

Every part of the Body must do its share. If one is a little toe in the Body, then he or she must be the best little toe possible. We don’t all have the same functions in the Body but that does not mean that we cannot effectively do our part, regardless of how insignificant it seems.

The human body is a fully functional entity with all its systems working together. We have eleven systems in the body, including the circulatory, productive and nervous systems. Each system is working in harmony for the general well-being of the body as a whole.

We have five vital organs in the body, the heart and the liver being two of them. If we remove one or seriously damage it beyond repair, the body cannot survive. Each vital organ does its part and they are not in competition with one another. This is a good lesson for us to work in harmony.

We have a job to do as the Church or Body, and that is to preach the gospel to the world as a witness. We don’t all have the same function or responsibility, but we should work in harmony to that end (compare 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

As Paul states, we are all part of the Body of Christ, but we are not all the same part, and each part is important and works in harmony with the other parts to achieve the goal set before us.

Regardless of how insignificant we may think we are, we all are important and we are all working towards the same goal, which includes the hope of achieving eternal life. In the process, we must be faithful servants.

White blood cells in the body may seem insignificant and we may not be able to see them, but they are vital for fighting infections and diseases. They are like a small army of soldiers fighting germs. If they all were to lay down their arms, as it were, the body would be subject to infections and diseases and would die in short order. White blood cells are small and out of sight, but are necessary for a person’s health.

Christ as the Head of the Church can also eradicate infections from His Body, the Church, through various means to keep the Church in a healthy condition.

Each member of the Body is a potential son or daughter of God, regardless of his or her responsibility within the Body, so let us never forget that fact. Each one of us is precious in God’s eyes.

Verse 16 states that the proper functioning of every part of the Body causes growth (spiritual growth). Growth can only occur while living and being actively engaged. It will edify the Body, which includes building it up in truth and knowledge, as we grow in those spiritual areas.

Verse 16 concludes that the edification of the Body must occur in love. This refers to the love of God. He gave up His Son to save the world, and part of our job as the Church, the Body of Christ, is to bring the message of salvation to this world.

Furthermore, we should be growing in grace and knowledge and true love, always remembering that no matter how small or seemingly insignificant we are, it is important that all the parts work smoothly and in harmony.

Christ is the living Head of the Church. As members and parts of the Body, we need to be healthy in order to accomplish our task given to us by God.

Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)

Perseverance

We find in the book of Revelation a statement in regard to perseverance. In Revelation 3:10, Christ is quoted as telling the Church in Philadelphia: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Other translations word it in this way:

“Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth” (Young’s Literal Translation).

“Because you have obeyed my command to endure, I will keep you from the hour of testing that is coming to the whole world to test those living on the earth” (International Standard Version).

Notice, this is not just a suggestion, but rather a command.

The definition of “persevere” is to “continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.” For example, we may read that “his family persevered with his treatment.”

Synonyms for “persevere” are “persist, continue, carry on, go on, keep on, keep going, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, press on/ahead, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, stand one’s ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, stop at nothing, leave no stone unturned.”

This important character trait must be active at the current time. We must be tenacious so that we can obtain what God has destined for us—eternal life in His Kingdom as His sons and daughters.

It is also emphasized that we need to persevere so that we can be protected from the great tribulation which shall come upon the whole earth.

It is not just a matter of hanging on to our dear physical life in a state of fear, but rather being engaged in the process of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this world, even as we face more and more pressure from misguided governments, increased persecution and even martyrdom for some of God’s children.

The end of this present evil age will not come until our commission has been accomplished, according to God’s evaluation. Matthew 24:14 tells us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

In the meantime, we are strongly admonished to put our shoulders to the plow with perseverance, to bring us to that point in time when the Kingdom can be established under a just and equitable rulership.

Let us ensure to persevere to that end.

The Land of Opportunities

Many come to America because they look upon it as the land of opportunities. You may have perhaps heard the saying, “Only in America,” when someone makes a fortune in a business venture or earns money selling a patent.

Americans have liberties which many in other countries do not enjoy. Women can vote, drive cars, start their own business and go about freely—something they cannot do in some countries. There is no violent religious persecution at this time, although that could change rather rapidly. Right now, a person can pursue life, liberty and happiness as long as it is within the confines of the law.

There is relative safety and peace of mind in smaller rural areas. This is not true, of course, in larger cities where there is crime and violence. Americans enjoy freedom of speech which is protected by the First Amendment, without fear of imprisonment or death, which is a possibility in some countries.

But American freedoms cannot remotely compare with what God is promising true Christians. They have been offered a land of opportunity where there is true prosperity and peace. That land is the world tomorrow, the Millennium, when Christ returns to establish world rule under Himself with the resurrected saints as co-rulers. It will be a time of joy and true peace, with wars having been abolished.

Zechariah describes it this way in Zechariah 8:4-5:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’”

This scenario is hard to imagine, when we think of the violence and ghettos of our major cities today.

Notice, the citizens of Jerusalem will be of great age and the children will be safe to play in the streets of the city where there will be no more bombings or stabbings like we see today. We will rule as kings and priests, as Revelation 5:10 says: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”  Kings will rule in accordance with God’s laws, and priests will teach God’s laws which describes part of our future responsibilities to spread the law of God over all the earth.

Isaiah 2:3-4 casts additional light on what lies ahead in the future: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

What is pictured here is the true land of opportunity where there will be peace and harmony with one world religion, which is something we ought to be looking forward to. We are admonished in Revelation 3:11 to hold fast to the end: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

It is imperative to hold fast to the truth without compromise if we want to enjoy the benefits of becoming co-rulers with Christ. God is anxious to bestow on us the gift of eternal life and to grant us our reward of rulership, as well as the potential to be involved in this future land of opportunity.

Could You Elaborate More on What Christ Said in Matthew 23:37?

Matthew 23:37 quotes Christ’s words as follows: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!”

This quote could also be applied to how Christ feels about those God would call into the Church—not just how He felt about Jerusalem. Some may probably think that a chicken is one of the dumbest animals in creation, but there are amazing lessons to be learned from what Christ said.

When a chicken lays an egg, she goes into a cackle for some thirty to sixty seconds, letting everyone know what she had just accomplished. This cackle is unique in its sound. Even though this reaction is instinctive, if we were to apply it to human feelings, we could say that the hen is communicating her joy over the eggs to others.

Similarly, when a person repents of his sins, there is joy in heaven over this event, and the angels sing about it. Luke 15:7 states: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

When a hen hatches the chicks, one of the first things she does is to show them how to eat. When hens hatch their chicks, small containers might be placed in the box where they are; one with water and the other one with food. It has been observed that the hen draws the containers close to her with her beak and puts her beak in each container one at a time and clucks while doing so, teaching the chicks that when she clucks, there is food. When they get a bit bigger and follow her in the yard, she shows them by clucking (a different sound than when she lays eggs) and scratching to look for any ants, grubs or worms they may have disturbed, so they learn to scratch around and look for food.

Similarly, Christ teaches us through the messages of His ministers, and we thus receive spiritual food. When we study and understand the Bible, because His Spirit opens our minds, we are fed spiritually as well. Ephesians 4:11-13 says: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Notice that the teaching through the ministry is for the equipping or “perfecting of the saints” (Authorized Version); that is, so we can become more perfect—more like Christ. It is “for the work of the ministry”; that is, so the ministry can be effective in delivering messages God wants the members to learn. It is also “for the edifying of the body”; that is, so we can be edified. This process is to continue “till we all come to the unity of the faith”; that is, so that we are all unified, one in thinking or on the same page, working towards perfection until we walk more fully in the footsteps of Christ.

When the chicks get cold or if there is some form of danger, they go under the mother for warmth and protection. Similarly, Christ will protect us when we face physical and spiritual danger.

There are many cases when God intervened for His children and loved ones, and protected them from personal harm.

One example of physically protecting His children comes to mind in regards to a lady in the Church of God who lived on a property with the lawn slopping away from the front of the house for about thirty feet; then there was a cement wall with no fence on it and about an eight foot drop to the ground. One day she came out of the house with her baby in a buggy and turned around to lock the door. When she turned back, to her dismay the buggy had gotten away from her and was now about five feet from the wall where it would go crashing down the eight foot drop, seriously injuring or even killing her baby. It was too far away for her to run and grab it, so all she could do was watch. A foot from the wall, the buggy made an abrupt right turn and stopped for no apparent reason.

Christ also protects us from spiritual harm. He uses His ministry to protect us from wolves in sheep’s clothing and from heresies or compromise which we are seeing more and more these days. This is the care Christ has for us in that He gathers us and protects us under His wings, as it were.

A hen will also fiercely defend her chicks from danger. It has been observed that a duck came too close to hatched chicks. The mother hen immediately attacked the duck. That duck never came too close to the chicks again.

Christ is also willing to defend us. The following true example deals with a man who had been breaking into apartments and robbing people, also physically assaulting them. One day he broke into a widow’s apartment who was a Church member. She was in her bedroom, so he did not know she was there. She suddenly surprised him and to her amazement, he took one look at her and fled. When the police captured him after the member had reported the attempted robbery, they asked him why he fled. He said he was not about to attack the lady as there was this big guy standing behind her with a sword in his hand. God the Father and Jesus Christ protect us physically—oftentimes through angels who are present but mostly invisible to the human eye.

Christ’s analogy in Matthew 23:37 points at lessons to be learned from a chicken.

A chicken will “rejoice” when she lays eggs; it will teach her chicks to eat and scratch for food; and it will protect them from the cold or danger. Christ tells us there is joy in heaven when a person repents; and He uses the ministry to both feed and protect His sheep from physical and spiritual harm.

We as His sheep and His “chicks” should be totally tuned in to Christ, as stated in John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Just as a chick follows its mother, so we need to follow Christ and His ministry to teach, feed and protect us. Physical “Jerusalem” was and is not willing to come under the wings of Christ’s protection, but we—spiritual Jerusalem, spiritual Jews and spiritual Israel—must be different.

Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)

Spiritual Growth

Most of our spiritual growth and understanding comes from Christ working through the ministry. If angels can learn something being said from the pulpit (compare 1 Peter 1:12), then logic dictates there certainly is something for us to learn. People who think they do not need the ministry and can just sit at home are guilty of overlooking several biblical concepts.

For one, they reject the admonition to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). In addition, they forget that iron sharpens iron and that cannot be done at home alone (Proverbs 27:17).

There is also a tendency of being wise in our own understanding, which usually leads down the path of self-righteousness and error.  I have noticed that over time, the arrogance of knowing better than the ministry is self-delusional.

What we need to accept is the fact that God, not man, places the offices of the ministry in the Church. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us:

“And [Christ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some, prophets, some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Notice the purpose for God doing this: To become a perfect man, to be more Christ-like.

Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), and the Church is likened to a woman. We are spiritual embryos, as it were. A baby in the womb is protected. The ministry has the responsibility to protect the sheep from wolves and their false doctrines. The baby in the womb is also fed by the mother. We are being fed by our mother, the Church.

The umbilical cord connected to the baby carries blood, food and oxygen for growth and nourishment to the baby. Imagine if the baby in the womb decided that it no longer needed the mother; that it was mature enough to be on its own, wanting independence.  How long would it survive, once being disconnected from the mother?

This analogy can be applied to the independent Christian who feels mature enough so that he no longer needs the ministry for spiritual growth. The outcome is predictable. It is usually only a matter of time until the “babe in Christ” suffers premature spiritual death, unless genuine repentance and forgiveness prevents this from happening.

Our continued growth in spiritual understanding hinges on our understanding and belief that the ministry is a vital part of that growth. We should be grateful to God when He provides faithful servants who fulfill their responsibility of feeding, nourishing and protecting God’s sheep in a non-compromising manner (John 21:15).

The Road Ahead

For those of us who have been around for a long time, we remember the talk in the late 60’s about God’s Church fleeing to a place of safety in 1972, then in about 1985; and more recently, 2017 was proposed as the year of Christ’s return, allegedly following an imagined “seven year contract” between the “beast” and other nations and 3 ½ years of Great Tribulation. None of that has been remotely accurate. Then there were other dates proposed, but in each case the score has been zero for accuracy. The reason is, no human being knows the date of Christ’s return, and it is rather foolish to draft up charts and speculations about the time, since in Christ’s own words, not even He knows the exact date, but only the Father knows, as He will decide as to when He will send Christ back to this earth.

Mark 13:32 quotes Christ as follows: “But of that day and that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

So if one wants to pursue futility and engage in a waste of time, then one can try to “figure it out.” But what is really important to God is to come out of the world, by God’s mercy, and if we endure to the end, we will be saved and enter God’s Kingdom. Matthew 10:22 tells us:  “And you will be hated of all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

All of us are getting older, but we must push on and finish the job we have been given. The Church has not yet finished its commission to preach the gospel to the world as a witness, but the time will come when sufficient testimony will have been given to the last generation, and God promises He will take care of those who faithfully carry out the task at hand. We must not neglect our spiritual growth in the process, but coupled with our God-given responsibility to preach the gospel, we become, as it were, the “complete” man.

What lies ahead, prior to Christ’s return? Will we live in a better, peaceful world? Not according to the Word of God. Instead, we can expect more problems, more wars, terrorist attacks and a general deterioration of the moral fiber of America, Canada, the UK and all nations around the world.  Some of us may not be around in a few years from now and there will be new faces in the Church to pick up the challenges, but the work  must and will go on. Otherwise, Christ could not return, but He will, as He is the ultimate solution to all the problems in the world. He must return to save mankind from itself.

Matthew 24:22 gives us this frightening prophecy, and at the same time, this reassuring promise:  “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

Will we face problems and challenges? The answer is yes, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That is not to say that we should get calloused about our job; rather, we have to do it zealously, knowing that it is for the ultimate good of mankind.

The category we want to be in when Christ does return is framed in Mathew 25:21:  “His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”

Making America Great

Donald Trump has been chosen as the 45th President of the United States. He is a successful business man with no political experience who considers himself an outsider.  He built up a fortune of some nine plus billion dollars and promises to make  America great again.

There is so much corruption in politics that it is difficult to sort everything out and get an accurate evaluation of what is really going on. The one thing we know for sure is that Mr. Trump will not make America great, because the problems are insurmountable.

To put an end to the madness, the only real solution to making America great, and every nation on the face of the earth, is the return of Jesus Christ.

We have just gotten back from the Feast of Tabernacles which pictures a world of true peace and harmony, being ruled by the incorruptible Family of God. The sons and daughters of God, under Christ, will not be subject to political pressures, bribes and corruption, but they will govern with equity and fairness, something this world has never seen.

We, as God’s Church, have the responsibility to get this message out to the world. It has to get done so that Christ can return, and it will get done. Matthew 24:14 says: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we a part of the process of fulfilling this God-given commission which will, in due time, make the whole world great again, not just America?

©2025 Church of the Eternal God